Aberdeen manager Jim Goodwin insists Andy Considine will be given the send-off he deserves as his time at Pittodrie nears an end.
A tumultuous couple of days for the club has followed the decision to withdraw the offer of a new contract to the player on Monday, only for that decision to be made public late on Tuesday before the club was able to announce it.
In a club statement released on Wednesday, the Dons boss said he felt both he and the club had been ‘thrown under the bus’ due to the story breaking before Aberdeen’s planned announcement, which was due on Thursday.
Despite the club’s unhappiness at the decision reaching the public domain, Goodwin remains adamant there has been no falling out with the player.
He said: “We had a good conversation and I told him he was very much part of the squad and he said he was comfortable with that.
“He wants to finish his time here at Aberdeen on a positive note. What’s happened over the last couple of days didn’t need to happen.
“Andy’s time is coming to an end at Aberdeen.
“It happens and we want to make sure it happens on a positive note and not the way things have panned out in the last couple of days.”
Decision was not an easy one to make
Goodwin is not surprised by the reaction to the news Considine is leaving the club at the end of the season, with the player himself still coming to terms with the decision.
He said: “Andy is obviously quite emotional about the situation. He’s leaving a club he’s been at for a long time.
“It was a very difficult decision on my part, but some manager, at some point, had to make this decision.
“I felt it was the right time to do it and I’ve made that decision with the football club’s best interests at heart.”
“I did explain to Andy that I’m disappointed that someone in his group of friends, agent, himself or whoever has done this. I’m disappointed that a private conversation was leaked.
“But, in saying that, this doesn’t have to end sourly.
“Andy is very much still a first team player. He’s going to train with the group every day.
“And our supporters will get the opportunity, in the weeks ahead, to give Andy the kind of send-off he deserves and show their appreciation to him.
“There hasn’t been any great fall-out. Honestly. There really hasn’t.”
Goodwin insists offer was a good one
The strongly-worded statement included details of the offer made by the club.
The Dons revealed they had made a six-figure offer to the Scotland international and stated his agent had come back with a counter proposal requesting a 50% pay rise.
Goodwin was not prepared to discuss whether the initial offer from the club was a pay cut on Considine’s existing deal.
The Aberdeen boss said: “The reason we did that was because there were people out there, in the media, saying we’d made him a derisory offer.
“That’s the only reason why we put it out there in terms of where the offer was at.
“It was far from derisory.
“If anything, it was an extremely respectful offer to a player who has been a great servant to a club, who is – it’s fair to say – going into the latter stages of his career.
“He’s 35 years old now, Andy, and I felt the offer on the table was good.
“I said a few weeks ago that we were very close, that it was just a case of dotting Is and crossing Ts. I thought we were extremely close.
“Then the agent came in with this counter proposal, which was ridiculous, in my opinion.”
🔴⚽️ Andy Considine’s Aberdeen departure – how did it get so messy?
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Fans needed to know why Considine was leaving
The Dons boss insists the club had a duty to explain the decision to fans.
He said: “We should have been allowed to do this properly and give a player of Andy’s quality and service to the club his moment – do it on our terms and Andy’s terms.
“I had a really good conversation with Andy on Monday, explained to him that there probably wasn’t going to be the opportunity to play as regularly as he would like next season.
“I had seen Andy as a squad player. He believes he’s got plenty left in the tank and wants to go play regular football.
“We agreed that it was probably best for both parties that we go our separate ways.
“Now look, everybody will have different opinions on how it’s all been handled.
“In my opinion, they were private and confidential discussions – and should have been kept that way. Unfortunately they weren’t.
“As a club, we had to respond in the manner that we did. We felt we owed it to our supporters to give them the truth and the facts of the matter.
“We made Andy a really good offer, okay?
“He’s 35 years old, his agent wanted an offer that took him until he was 37 and we just felt that wasn’t doable.
“There’s a timeline, too, and it was important to point out to people that this offer was made to Andy two weeks before I came in.
“In the six weeks since I came in, I’ve been assessing every bit of the football department.
“Andy is coming back from a real serious knee injury, as well.
“I’ve been at clubs, in the past, where players coming back from that sort of injury don’t get any offer at all.
“So I think the club have handled the situation very, very well, prior to me coming in.”