4 new faces at least

[GlezgaRed]

Been saying that for years; no idea why we've never, to the very best of my knowledge, tried Reynolds at left back

Reynolds played at left-back against Hearts in our first game against them at Pittodrie last season, I thought he played the position better than Considine and got up and down the wing linking well with Hayes and swinging decent crosses into the box (ones that get beyond the 1st defender). I think Considine got injured during the warm up ?

[87kilos]

Apologies up front dude, but that is complete and utter bollox,
AC is very under rated for how he goes about his work and his professional approach, probably one of the most improved players in the squad over recent seasons.

COYR

You're more than welcome to that opinion however I'll stick with my opinion based on what I have witnessed for years. Considine for me is a below average player whom a lot of the fans rate as above average (all about opinions) who scored a hat-trick last season and got elevated to superstar status.

We lose so many goals from teams running at him and ripping him a new one.

[Aldo1983]

You're more than welcome to that opinion however I'll stick with my opinion based on what I have witnessed for years. Considine for me is a below average player whom a lot of the fans rate as above average (all about opinions) who scored a hat-trick last season and got elevated to superstar status.

We lose so many goals from teams running at him and ripping him a new one.

Earlier you weren't interested in anyone elses opinion

Can we get better? Of course we can. In the meantime he has been good and very consistent despite playing in a position he has no pace for.

[afc_1983]

The dilemma with Considine is two-fold. The reality is that in 90% of games we play, he is an asset at left back. He has height and defends well in most situations against most teams and players in the league. In 10% of games his chronic lack of pace gets exposed and we're sitting ducks to teams that can exploit this.

The Considine-to-centre-back experiment has already been tested - we had many years where he played there previously and it was, largely, a failure. He is a very useful player to have in the squad in that he could ably deputise at centre back in the odd match - the thought of us relying on him in that position every week fills me with dread though. Reynolds is a far better option there, although he has his limitations too.

In an ideal world we'd have a player at left back with the same or better desire, commitment and presence that Considine has but who is faster and better on the ball. We'd also have a centre back in the same kind of mould to replace Reynolds. We're not poorly served by those 2 though all things considered, so we should support them in their current roles. Arnason will help.

[rico94]

The dilemma with Considine is two-fold. The reality is that in 90% of games we play, he is an asset at left back. He has height and defends well in most situations against most teams and players in the league. In 10% of games his chronic lack of pace gets exposed and we're sitting ducks to teams that can exploit this.

The Considine-to-centre-back experiment has already been tested - we had many years where he played there previously and it was, largely, a failure. He is a very useful player to have in the squad in that he could ably deputise at centre back in the odd match - the thought of us relying on him in that position every week fills me with dread though. Reynolds is a far better option there, although he has his limitations too.

In an ideal world we'd have a player at left back with the same or better desire, commitment and presence that Considine has but who is faster and better on the ball. We'd also have a centre back in the same kind of mould to replace Reynolds. We're not poorly served by those 2 though all things considered, so we should support them in their current roles. Arnason will help.

I would agree with this 100%

Very sensible post afc1983

[Aldo1983]

Hoping Arnason has the ability to calm Reynolds down and organise things. Just as Anderson was able to do.

[NewOrleansRed]

I would agree with this 100%

Very sensible post afc1983

We actually saw in the last game that Reynolds has still got his pace and I think he just needs a good foil. He's always been at his best with an organiser next to him. I imagine he'll be the runner where Arnason barely breaks a sweat. In theory it sounds great. I've been hard on Considine over the years but even I have to admit he has improved hugely through experience. However, we're looking to step UP from the level we've reached in the past and I don't think it's being unfair to suggest that an out and out mobile left back would be better in his position. Whether our budget will allow is one thing. Whether we can find more than one great left back in 20 years and not instantly switch him to midfield is another.

[bpdon]

He cost us the Scottish Cup Final last season with his pathetic attempt to stop Rogic. Teams attack us down the left as that's our weak area. He's way too slow to be a full back.

O'Connor, with his fresh legs, was a lot more at fault than AC for that goal. It was the +90th minute and AC had kept Roberts quiet the whole game. He was arguably Celtics most dangerous attacker in that team and Considine had the measure of him.

We had comfortably the second best domestic defensive record last season and Andy played a big part in that. He may not be the perfect left back but I think just about every other team in the Scottish Premiership would welcome him into their squad.

[Bridieeater]

O'Connor, with his fresh legs, was a lot more at fault than AC for that goal. It was the +90th minute and AC had kept Roberts quiet the whole game. He was arguably Celtics most dangerous attacker in that team and Considine had the measure of him.

We had comfortably the second best domestic defensive record last season and Andy played a big part in that. He may not be the perfect left back but I think just about every other team in the Scottish Premiership would welcome him into their squad.

That in itself is not an argument for keeping Considine at left back. I think our ultimate goal each season should be to get into the group stages of the Europa League. Lets face it, it's worth far more than finishing 2nd or winning either of the cups. However if we are to get to that stage consistently AND hopefully put up a fight for a cup or 2 and hopefully finish 2nd then quite frankly we need a hell of a squad to sustain those amounts of games season after season.

Having Considine as a left back would be an admirable back up to that position but he isn't good enough for the team to reach the position i have talked of above.

I believe DM will be waiting to see how far we get in the Europa league before making anymore additions. If we get through Thursday night then ok DM will need to step up his search for players however actually turning that into signings will depend on who we get in the qualifying round and whether we manage to get into the Europa league stage.

That in itself will attract better players to the club.

[RedStarTorphins]

O'Connor, with his fresh legs, was a lot more at fault than AC for that goal. It was the +90th minute and AC had kept Roberts quiet the whole game. He was arguably Celtics most dangerous attacker in that team and Considine had the measure of him.

We had comfortably the second best domestic defensive record last season and Andy played a big part in that. He may not be the perfect left back but I think just about every other team in the Scottish Premiership would welcome him into their squad.

Specifically talking about the cup final goal, I'd probably agree with you.
O'Connor should've taken a yellow and just blatantly tripped Rogic outside the box.
Considine was as slow as a week in Craiginches in trying to stop him when he got in to the box, but he was knackered having chased Roberts about for 90 minutes (and he's not the quickest anyway).

More generally, if we are to progress and improve as a team, it's one of three positions that ideally we should be looking to strengthen.
Whether we have the resources to do that is a different matter, but that's my opinion.
Left sided centre half
Left back
Centre forward

Big Andy is fine in most domestic games against most opponents. But, if we are to get closer to Celtic, and keep the gap with SEVCO and make more of a fist of getting to the Europa League then we should try and source better
But, and this is the key, do we have the resources?
I do worry about him whenever we come up against a pacey right sided attacker.

Put it this way, if I was an opposition manager, I'd target him.