Tango speaketh:
Calderwood is quick off the mark
Dons manager determined not to lose best players as he moves to get contract deals done
By Michael Gannonin Holland
Published: 29/07/2008
Aberdeen manager Jimmy Calderwood will waste no time in offering new contracts to Jamie Smith and Scott Severin as he is determined to avoid another exodus of his best players.
Calderwood watched Chris Clark and Michael Hart leave in January and then Barry Nicholson follow them out the Pittodrie exit door last season. The Dons manager does not want a repeat.
Smith and Severin are both out of contract at the end of the season, but will be offered new deals in the coming weeks. Defender Andrew Considine is set to sign his new contract offer when the club returns from its tour of Holland.
Calderwood said: “We have lost a lot of our good players in the past few years and we are well aware we want to get these things done early.
“We have not spoken to Jamie or Seve yet, but they are the two big ones we want to get tied up. Hopefully Andrew Considine’s new deal will be finalised when we get back.
“It is important to keep your best players, but it is not always easy to stop them if they want to go.
“If you look at the players who have left Pittodrie in the last few years they could make up an entire SPL team, which would probably qualify for Europe.
“The likes of Barry Nicholson, Chris Clark and Michael Hart would get into any team. No disrespect to anybody, but if we had some of those players last season we might have finished third or even split the Old Firm.
“That is the utopia, but you have to keep building while hopefully keeping the best ones.
“It is difficult when you are building a team and a club comes in with some money and it is back to square one.
“It is not just us who cannot compete with the English clubs, Rangers and Celtic have struggled as well.
“There are always wolves at the door and I do not want to lose two of our best players for nothing.
“Jamie had a horrendous time with injuries last season, he barely played 20 of our 50 games.
“He is potentially our best player, he can win games for us as he showed in Europe, but we need to get him playing consistently. That will come if he stays fit this season and, hopefully, he will be an important players for us.â€
Calderwood’s side is set for its toughest test of the tour tomorrow night when Aber-deen face Vitesse Arnhem in Driel.
The Dons were on course for victory against Second Division side FC Zwolle on Sunday only to concede two late goals.