St Johnstone manager, Steven MacLean, hasn’t had his problems to seek in his first full season as a head coach.
He’s overseen a huge overhaul of his first team squad with a much-reduced budget as the Perth club seek to address a seven figure financial year loss.
Bedding in 11 new players, and coping with injuries and loss of form in crucial positions have all been factors in a start to the Premiership season that has yet to yield a victory seven matches in.
The form of goalkeeper, Dimitar Mitov, has been a shining light in the bottom-of-the-table gloom, as has the emergence of a central midfield partnership between Dan Phillips and Sven Sprangler which carries the potential to be a pillar for a top-flight autumn revival.
The early-season form of another player has been more in the ‘under the radar’ category, though.
That of Andy Considine.
Ahead of Sunday’s clash with his old club, Aberdeen, Courier Sport examines his start to the 2023/24 campaign.
Last season
After his arrival two summers ago, the previously one-club man fully justified Callum Davidson’s desire to recruit him as a free agent.
There may have been question marks over the fact he got a two-year contract but Considine comfortably slotted into the left-sided centre-half role in a back-three, replacing double winner, Jamie McCart.
Any notion that he would have to battle with John Mahon for a regular start quickly evaporated.
Davidson chopped and changed with Liam Gordon, Alex Mitchell and Ryan McGowan but, if he was fit, Considine played.
And he was fit virtually all of the time.
Much like the team as a whole, Considine’s form dipped in the second half of the season.
Two red cards in the space of four fixtures didn’t help a player who needs to be featuring regularly at this stage of his career to maintain match rhythm.
And in between those games against Celtic and Aberdeen there was a worrying March performance at Rugby Park.
Considine was suspended for Davidson’s final match at Livingston but, again like the team, he came good when a top six push turned into a relegation battle under a new boss.
When you’re 36 – the oldest member of the squad – and there’s a conscious effort by a manager to slash the average age and the wage bill as has been the case with MacLean in the summer, there was always going to be a chance you’re on the ‘free to find another club’ list.
That didn’t happen though.
MacLean chose to look elsewhere for his cuts and Considine was back in the starting line-up at Stenhousemuir when the ball came out again for competitive football.
The start of this season
An ever-present in the League Cup, Considine has only missed one Premiership match (the opener against Hearts) and been substituted with an injury in another (the draw with Celtic).
He was far from the worst when Saints were being embarrassed by Stenny, Ayr United and Stirling Albion but the possibility of this being a season too far at the top level was still a live one in August.
It’s not anymore.
You could make a case that – after Mitov and maybe Phillips – he’s been Saints’ best player to this point.
Fears that he would be exposed in a back four have thus far proved unfounded, with Considine’s positional awareness and one v one ability compensating for the legs slowing down.
You rarely see him having to engage in an unwanted foot race.
Even when he was tasked with filling in as an emergency left-back in Dingwall, Considine made sure Ross County would have to target other areas of the pitch for their goals.
MacLean deployed a back three for the first time in the 1-1 draw with Livingston at the weekend.
Whether it stays or he reverts to a four at Pittodrie, you can be sure Considine will be facing his old club again.
The numbers
Breaking down Considine’s Premiership performances into 11 metrics deemed by StatsBomb to be key for a central defender makes encouraging reading – both compared to the league average for his position, compared to his own figures last season and to individual ‘like for like’ peers.
Those categories are – passing percentage, pressures, fouls conceded, tackle success as opposed to being dribbled past in a duel, possession adjusted tackles, possession adjusted interceptions, aerial wins, aerial win percentage, clearances of long balls under pressure, playing long balls not under pressure and the value of his contribution to a move that results in a shot.
It’s a combination of skills designed to provide an all-round perspective of a centre-half’s performance.
Granted, it’s still early in the season but the Considine of 2023/2024 is ahead of the Considine of 2022/23 in EIGHT of those 11 metrics.
When you raise the bar and put him against the league average for this term, he is ahead in SIX.
How does Considine’s data compare to other centre-backs who were linked with St Johnstone in the last transfer window?
There is good news there too.
He’s ahead of Dundee’s Ricki Lamie in EIGHT out of 11 fields.
It’s SIX when you match him up with Stuart Findlay and the same with fellow Kilmarnock summer recruit, Robbie Deas.
This season will be a test of endurance for a player now in the ‘veteran’ bracket but Considine has made an excellent start whichever way you care to measure it.
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