DUGOUT DREAM
He’s the local lad who earned his place among Pittodrie icons, but bossing Aberdeen is now Considine’s...
ANDY CONSIDINE confesses that one of his more creative attempts to kill time away from the game sank without trace.
In an admirable stab at homemade craft class, boats were constructed out of shampoo bottles and sticks.
Designed to give his two young sons some entertainment to watch from riverside at the Dee on the daily family outing, the ceremonial launch provided a most brief thrill.
‘The boats lasted seconds,’ the Aberdeen defender sighed. ‘It was absolutely rubbish. Too lopsided, not great. I really should have Googled more before sending them down the river.’
When it comes to long-term thinking about life permanently without playing football, however, Considine has been able to float a concrete idea in his mind for a journey with a definitive destination.
It may not be far from home, either, but could require a convoluted route. The ultimate ambition is ‘absolutely’ to become the manager of Aberdeen.
‘I may have to go to a few other places before something like that would come along,’ explained the 33-year-old, ‘but that would be the dream come true if that was to happen. ‘I’ve been a fan since I was a young kid. I’ve been lucky that my dad (Doug) played for the club.
‘And I’ve been lucky enough to have pulled the shirt on and played for 17 years so far — and long may it continue.
‘The road I want to go down is coaching, the long-term goal is eventually to be a manager when the time is right.
‘I want to get plenty of experience behind me. I feel, with coaching, it would be almost like starting to play football again. A completely different side of the game.
‘I’ve a lot of learning to do. But I have played under some brilliant Aberdeen managers, all different in their own way, so I’ve plenty experience in that sense. It’s definitely the No1 goal. We will just have to see what the future holds.’
Playing again for Derek McInnes — his fifth Dons boss after Steve Paterson, Jimmy Calderwood, Mark McGhee and Craig Brown — is the simple request right now.
Yet there are myriad complicated issues to be resolved before such a goal can come into clear sight.
The admission that it feels like a lifetime ago he and his team-mates were primed for an evening kickoff at Motherwell will resonate with all in the game. That was on Friday, March 13 — the day football shut down throughout the UK. When news of the indefinite break kicked in, a four-week training schedule drawn up by sports scientist Graham Kirk, featuring a host of double sessions and clocking in through an app, followed.
Then came a four-week break due to conclude today. One of the many mental examinations is believing that starting up virtual fitness work again tomorrow is going to lead to football any time soon, particularly with 2019/20 on the brink of closure. ‘The date we’ve had in our heads to work towards is June 10 when we might go back in for some sort of training, even if it’s individual,’ said
Considine. ‘But we’ve known that could get pushed back at any moment.
‘So lockdown has been tough mentally, trying to keep yourself 100-per-cent motivated. I take my hat off to people who go jogging every day by themselves because I’ve found that tough.
‘It’s tough to get that maximum performance doing individual training or running. After four weeks of it, I’d had enough.
‘I’m so used to having the boys next to you, training together. Being involved in football a long time, I’m used to that company.
‘Don’t get me wrong, what’s been great is spending so much time with the family. That’s absolutely brilliant.’
So wife Madeleine and ‘footballdaft’ Harry, five, and Teddy, three, have daddy to themselves when he’s not operating in the makeshift gym in the garage.
Being forcibly detached from the football routine of training and travel has led to a noticeable difference in the levels of affection between father and sons.
Considine explained: ‘I’d say that I feel closer than ever with the two of them. Spending that undivided attention on them has been a big difference.
‘It’s definitely helped the bond between myself and the boys, the relationship has grown stronger.
‘Once the football does kick in again, it’s back to being away every second weekend. Busy times and I won’t be able to spend this time with them.
‘So there are good things going on. We go cycling for an hour, make sure we all get fresh air. Mind you, the days can still be long when you have to keep the boys entertained for as long as possible!’
Despite all the family bonding and managerial ambitions, nothing has diverted the focus of the longserving fans’ favourite away from his playing career.
He passed a milestone 500 appearances for Aberdeen in November, joining a group of greats in Willie Miller, Alex McLeish, Bobby Clark, Stewart McKimmie and Jim Leighton.
I have been lucky to pull this shirt on for 17 years... long may it continue
To do so while performing in the peak form of his career is a reflection of his dedication to improvement and professionalism.
Quietly effective, consistent and underappreciated outside of Aberdeen, it’s not exactly a recipe for earning a player any Scotland caps. But Considine was touted for a Steve Clarke call ahead of the Israel squad announcement with colleague Scott McKenna and Hearts’ John Souttar among those centrehalves unavailable through injury.
Typically selfeffacing, Considine asked: ‘Did I think I was going to get in the squad? Have I deserved a call? It’s a hard one. A lot of people have asked me this question but the decision was obviously up to Steve Clarke.
‘Recently, I’ve been able to reflect a lot on where I am in football. I feel that my game has got better the older I’ve got. I’ve probably played my best football the last two or three years. ‘The thing is, when you look at it, I am an honest guy. We’ve two of the best left-backs in Britain with Andy Robertson and Kieran Tierney. ‘You’ve got a brilliant young centre-half with Scotty McKenna, you’ve experience with Charlie Mulgrew, then there’s John Souttar and Declan Gallagher who are younger and doing really well.
‘They are the future. As a national team it looks like we’re trying to go down that route and get more youth in the side. Fresh faces, fresh ideas.
‘But if I can keep the form going over the next couple of years like I have done, and pop up scoring goals and playing consistently, then I don’t think I could ever shut the door on something like that.
‘All I can do is perform as well as possible. If a call comes my way, goodness me, I will walk to Hampden.’
For now, it’s SFA coaching course work for summer studies.
Considine completed his ‘B’ licence and is due to move on to the ‘A’ badge online next month.
He’s helped out Aberdeen head of academy Gavin Levey, taking his first youth coaching steps on a path where he won’t take progress for granted.
‘It can be tough, I know what it’s like at the club where a lot of ex-players are part-time coaches,’ he explained.
‘I might have to start there and get another job to go alongside it. I’ve looked at courses on Open University, I’ve not pinned anything down yet but it’s something I have to look at.
‘But, listen, I’ve only just turned 33. I’ve been lucky in my career not to have had many serious injuries, managed to keep myself fit and playing consistently enough whether that be at centre-half or left-back.
‘I keep myself in the manager’s mind and he feels he can trust me to play me most weeks. I would like to think I could play until I was 36 at this level and I would love to see my days out with Aberdeen.
‘I’m well aware that I am not coming to the end. Far from it.’