Andy Considine has backed Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes to bring more trophies to Pittodrie.
The Dons boss will celebrate seven years since he took charge of his first game at the club tomorrow and long-serving Considine, who has been with McInnes say day one, believes his manager’s track record of League Cup final glory, strong league finishes and regular visits to Hampden for the latter stages of cup competition, stands up to scrutiny against any of his peers.
Considine said: “We have made more cup finals in the last seven years than in previous years before that. We always seem to make it happen and to be up at the top end of the league which is great.
“With what was happening a couple of months ago he seemed to be under a bit of scrutiny but you have to think what he has done for the club in the grand scheme of things.
“The thing was that we weren’t really losing a lot of games but there were a lot of draws and people were getting a bit agitated.
“The manager has been fantastic for this club and I am in absolutely in no doubt he will produce for us again for the next goodness knows how many years – having the team in and about at the top of the table, a few more Hampden visits and hopefully more trophies.”
McInnes is manager number five of Considine’s Aberdeen career and the 33 year-old insists the consistency of the club under the current manager should be acknowledged after an inconsistent period for the Dons.
He said: “It has been an incredible seven years.
“I think he has been my fifth manager and we have had some great times under Jimmy Calderwood.
“I have played under some fantastic managers like Craig Brown but once the current manager came in then I can say he has brought us back to where we were under Jimmy Calderwood, where we were around second or third place.
“Regardless of whether or not Rangers were in the league we still had some good teams to beat and every single year he has assembled a good squad and has got the best out of them each and every season.
“As a manager and a man-manager he has been fantastic with me personally. I know he has been fantastic with a lot of the boys.
Despite seemingly annual debate about a fresh challenge for his place in the side Considine has seen off several challengers to remain an integral member of the starting 11.
Considine has won over his manager but he had initial doubts about whether he had a future under McInnes.
The Aberdonian said: “I wasn’t really sure to start with if I am being honest with you.
“I was coming back from breaking my leg. I missed the first half-a-dozen to 10 games of the season and it’s hard when you miss a pre-season.
“I have managed to hold on to a place in his team since. You will need to ask the manager if he fancied me as a player at the start or not.
“If he didn’t then hopefully I have changed his mind.”