Iain Hume on fire in India! Canada needs him against Mexico!

[Unnamed Trialist]

50 minutes ago, canucklefan said:

It's nice to see Hume scoring. It’s really pleasant to see youngsters like Zanatta and Zabasis getting minutes in their respective first division clubs, but they can’t just be part of the squad when Floro has been working with other players since 2 years at least. He can’t just include every forward that scored before the Mexico game (if he was scoring at a known and higher level, I'd could change my mind), or an 18 years old that get 5 minutes of playing time, and make 5-6 changes during WCQ games.

 

Agreed, it is nothing personal, and agreed, if he were scoring on a higher level. In any case, Hume himself knows that by playing a few months of the year in India he is making himself ineligible for a call-up, plain and simple.

As is, Junior is scoring, Larin

7 minutes ago, Califax said:

Im the biggest Hume fan out there and I dont think you call him for Mexico automatically. I think you call him for USA to take a look but more so cause there are lots of guys we cant call.

You call him for Mexico with the understanding that short of him impressing the pants off everyone, he is probablyu just holding up a spot and keeping up the energy for guys that wont be released.

 

 

 

Just to say I am a Hume fan too, I specfically went to watch him at Tranmere when he was at his first stint there, must have been 2003. I recognize that he is a fireball, has spark, a good player to have behind your striker or poaching in the holes. His scoring stats until maybe 2013 were acceptable, since then, in spite of a good pace in India, they have fallen off.

[Olympique_de_Marseille]

Humey has signed with the ISL's Kolkata for 2016. He even confirmed it on twitter.

http://www.goal.com/en-india/news/7083/isl/2016/02/01/19781022/indian-super-league-atletico-de-kolkata-renew-contracts-with

The 2014 season started on October 12th. The 2015 season started on October 3rd. 2016 should be similar.

The question is what is he doing between February 7th (the day after the end of Camp Poutine) and the ISL in the Autumn?

MLS? NASL (Please sign with the Fury!)? Unattached FC?

[Olympique_de_Marseille]

I'm happy that Hume managed to sign with Ponferradina. Their season ends June 5th. He will be off from then until likely mid-September for ISL preseason I would think. Since he has 2 kids I'd find it unlikely that he would look for something during the summer. He deserves some family time. However, it seems like if he hasn't played in almost 3 months he will have ruled himself out of WCQs in September. The man scored in San Pedro Sula and we might need him to do it again!

[sose]

22 hours ago, Olympique_de_Marseille said:

I'm happy that Hume managed to sign with Ponferradina. Their season ends June 5th. He will be off from then until likely mid-September for ISL preseason I would think. Since he has 2 kids I'd find it unlikely that he would look for something during the summer. He deserves some family time. However, it seems like if he hasn't played in almost 3 months he will have ruled himself out of WCQs in September. The man scored in San Pedro Sula and we might need him to do it again!

You think Floro and his spanish connecions helped get Humey this deal? 

[Moldy9]

19 minutes ago, sose said:

You think Floro and his spanish connecions helped get Humey this deal? 

I believe so. Creo que si. 

[Unnamed Trialist]

53 minutes ago, Moldy9 said:

I believe so. Creo que si. 

From an interview today in a local Ponferrada region paper, it seems Floro did not set this up. Hume says Benito was pleasantly surprised when he told him. Hume also says that by signing for the team he feels he has a chance to get back into the national team fold for qualifiers, it is a specific goal of his. 

The article in Spanish here, title is "I've Come to Score Goals":

http://www.elbierzonoticias.com/frontend/bierzo/Hume--He-Venido-Aqui-A-Marcar-Goles-vn33135-vst1475 

Hume also says he is v happy to sign in Spain, is going to try to learn Spanish and integrate quickly, knows they need goals with their main striker gone (Yuri, who had 9 on the season), and that he is a hard worker and plays for the team. Very optimistic attitude, he is a top professional and a great role model, it'd be great to have him spend time in Canada retired and connect with young players.

[Bertuzzi44]

Am I the only one surprised with this move? Doesn't the level seem a bit high? Segunda Division? I mean, just last year Hume couldn't score a goal in 4th tier League 2 in England... now he'll be playing teams like Bilbao, Mallorca and Zaragoza?

Great if he can score though!

EDIT: And they gave him #10!

[amanfromvancouver]

1 hour ago, Bertuzzi44 said:

Am I the only one surprised with this move? Doesn't the level seem a bit high? Segunda Division? I mean, just last year Hume couldn't score a goal in 4th tier League 2 in England... now he'll be playing teams like Bilbao, Mallorca and Zaragoza?

Great if he can score though!

EDIT: And they gave him #10!

It's a big leap from the Indian league so I hope nobody expects even close to the same goal rate.  However, he will be playing at a higher level which can only sharpen him up if he wants a call this year,  and next year when we make the hex.

I don't find it surprising.  He wants to get back for one more run with the nats; he is hungry.  He needs to be playing at a higher level if he wants to get into the squad for a qualifier.  I am not sure he can make our WC qualifer squad at this stage in his life, however ,it is great to see the hunger to do so.

[Olympique_de_Marseille]

3 hours ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

 it'd be great to have him spend time in Canada... connect with young players.

@Fussball_eh , two month summer loan to the Ottawa Fury!

[A_Gagne]

22 minutes ago, amanfromvancouver said:

It's a big leap from the Indian league so I hope nobody expects even close to the same goal rate.  However, he will be playing at a higher level which can only sharpen him up if he wants a call this year,  and next year when we make the hex.

I don't find it surprising.  He wants to get back for one more run with the nats; he is hungry.  He needs to be playing at a higher level if he wants to get into the squad for a qualifier.  I am not sure he can make our WC qualifer squad at this stage in his life, however ,it is great to see the hunger to do so.

I love Ian Hume... class act professional, always gives it everything he's got.

[1zzurri]

wow

[Bertuzzi44]

35 minutes ago, amanfromvancouver said:

It's a big leap from the Indian league so I hope nobody expects even close to the same goal rate.  However, he will be playing at a higher level which can only sharpen him up if he wants a call this year,  and next year when we make the hex.

I don't find it surprising.  He wants to get back for one more run with the nats; he is hungry.  He needs to be playing at a higher level if he wants to get into the squad for a qualifier.  I am not sure he can make our WC qualifer squad at this stage in his life, however ,it is great to see the hunger to do so.

Yea, from Hume's point of view this is a great move. But why would a Segunda Division team sign a player from the Indian league who couldn't score in the 4th div England last season? And give him #10!

I love the move for Humey, just a bit mystified.  

[amanfromvancouver]

36 minutes ago, Bertuzzi44 said:

Yea, from Hume's point of view this is a great move. But why would a Segunda Division team sign a player from the Indian league who couldn't score in the 4th div England last season? And give him #10!

I love the move for Humey, just a bit mystified.  

Well, maybe he is cheap (relatively)?

[sloth8]

Maybe because he can still score goals like this:

 

 

[Obinna]

34 minutes ago, sloth8 said:

Maybe because he can still score goals like this:

 

 

His movement is outstanding on that one, let alone the finish!

[Moldy9]

Always felt Hume has been underused throughout his time on the national team after being the go to guy on the youth squads.  He's always come on as a spark plug when we've needed him whether it was the 2-0  game vs the States in GC '07 or when he tried to save us from total humiliation scoring the only goal in the 8-1 game. 

Hope he makes the team. We need people with his heart and charisma. 

[BrennanFan]

I don't know.  Hume was a starter in 2004 WCQ and didn't score.  He has made plenty of appearances for us in important games and aside from the GC 2007 he hasn't come up big for us.

I agree his heart and energy is unquestionable, and is the kind of professional you want in your squad.  Still, I have to think that if he really wanted back into the National Team, he would not have re signed for yet another season in India, a level that basically puts him out of contention.  

 

 

[Ivanovski94]

I was looking at where some of his teammates from Kolkata went, Borja is at Real Valladolid and Lekic is at Girona, both are clubs in the segunda, also Javi Lara the year before played in the primera with eibar. So with this in mind it makes hume's move not as improbable.

[Grizzly]

6 hours ago, Moldy9 said:

Always felt Hume has been underused throughout his time on the national team after being the go to guy on the youth squads.  He's always come on as a spark plug when we've needed him whether it was the 2-0  game vs the States in GC '07 or when he tried to save us from total humiliation scoring the only goal in the 8-1 game. 

Hope he makes the team. We need people with his heart and charisma. 

Hume was more key on the youth teams than the senior because he never realized the promise that he showed as a youth player. I think a lot of that had to do with him staying in England and playing lower division soccer in direct and physical leagues that did not emphasize the technical game. So yes he plays with energy and passion and has the odd moment where he shows some impressive skill hinting that he could have been a more skilled player but in the end I think the coaching and playing style in England just did not develop that skill. It is unfortunate he did not transfer to the Spanish 2nd division or a similar league 10 years ago because I think he could have developed into a better player than he did. That is not to say that he has had a bad career, he has had a respectable career and played over 200 Championship games scoring at roughly 1 goal in 4 games. Yet he never really developed into the type of striker we were hoping for and thought he had the potential to be after watching him with the U20s. As Brennan Fan said with the senior team he never really delivered like he did with the youth. With the U20 he scored 7 goals in 18 games, with the senior team it is 6 goals in 42 games. That is not terrible and not all the appearances were 90 minutes but still not that great either especially when one notes that of those 6 goals, he scored once in WCQ against Honduras, once in a friendly against the US but the others were against Luxembourg, Puerto Rico and Saint-Lucia (2 goals). He has a great attitude and brings a lot of passion and probably leadership to the team so I wouldn't mind if he got called up but unless he starts scoring in Spain I think he is a really borderline call up.

[Keegan]

Agree with that whole post Grizz, would just like to point out though that Hume actually scored against the USA in the Gold Cup semi-final and not a friendly.  

[Fussball_eh]

2 hours ago, Grizzly said:

Hume was more key on the youth teams than the senior because he never realized the promise that he showed as a youth player. I think a lot of that had to do with him staying in England and playing lower division soccer in direct and physical leagues that did not emphasize the technical game. So yes he plays with energy and passion and has the odd moment where he shows some impressive skill hinting that he could have been a more skilled player but in the end I think the coaching and playing style in England just did not develop that skill. It is unfortunate he did not transfer to the Spanish 2nd division or a similar league 10 years ago because I think he could have developed into a better player than he did. That is not to say that he has had a bad career, he has had a respectable career and played over 200 Championship games scoring at roughly 1 goal in 4 games. Yet he never really developed into the type of striker we were hoping for and thought he had the potential to be after watching him with the U20s. As Brennan Fan said with the senior team he never really delivered like he did with the youth. With the U20 he scored 7 goals in 18 games, with the senior team it is 6 goals in 42 games. That is not terrible and not all the appearances were 90 minutes but still not that great either especially when one notes that of those 6 goals, he scored once in WCQ against Honduras, once in a friendly against the US but the others were against Luxembourg, Puerto Rico and Saint-Lucia (2 goals). He has a great attitude and brings a lot of passion and probably leadership to the team so I wouldn't mind if he got called up but unless he starts scoring in Spain I think he is a really borderline call up.

Also that time he broke his skull also was a huge setback, we can't forget that.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/paulfletcher/2009/11/the_long_road_back.html

[Obinna]

10 hours ago, Ivanovski94 said:

I was looking at where some of his teammates from Kolkata went, Borja is at Real Valladolid and Lekic is at Girona, both are clubs in the segunda, also Javi Lara the year before played in the primera with eibar. So with this in mind it makes hume's move not as improbable.

I think the owners of Kolkata are also the owners of Athletico Madrid, or have some sort of affiliation with the club. That may be why their players are transferring to Spain in the IPL off season.

[Unnamed Trialist]

11 hours ago, Ivanovski94 said:

I was looking at where some of his teammates from Kolkata went, Borja is at Real Valladolid and Lekic is at Girona, both are clubs in the segunda, also Javi Lara the year before played in the primera with eibar. So with this in mind it makes hume's move not as improbable.

Good post, this is it really. A lot of Spanish players in India have come back and are signed to strong teams. Another case is Capdevila who signed with Lierse in Belgium, also second tier, after last season in India. There were a dozen Spaniards in India.

As for the last post, yes, At Madrid co-owns At Kolkata, so that is a clear connection. I suspect some agent with a player in India thought this might work, and as Ponferradina was in the market and in a pinch they had to find someone out of contract to fill the roster spot after the transfer deadline, which all the India Leagues players are right now. All they had to do was ask any Spaniard in India, "Hey, what is this guy like?" and he got good reviews, obviously. Another connection, the At Kolkata coach was Antonio López who had been in front of many top  Spanish clubs before travelling the world, like Valencia, Celta Vigo, Tenerife. I think he'll continue there next season as well.