Posted by ian Clarke

December 14 , 2014 Email

Ian Clarke



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2014 is down to its final weeks and it was another mixed weekend for Canucks Abroad and a year that some players might be looking forward to being over. While there are some very encouraging displays for both players and their teams, there are certainly a few players who will be looking to January as potentially a time to start fresh. England continues to be question mark as save for Michael Petrasso, minutes are very limited for the remaining Canadians. David Edgar has been stuck on the bench since his red card against Bournemouth that was the catalyst for an 8-0 rout. Unfortunately for Edgar, the match after began an impressive run that has seen Birmingham City fight to mid-table and once again won this weekend with a huge 6-1 result over Reading. Simeon Jackson is rumoured to have a row with his manager and has also see few minutes over the last month with Coventry City. League One was supposed to be where he could get his feet back under him, but that has not been the case. In Germany, Andre Hainault appears to be in a similar situation as Edgar where Aalen have been getting better results with him on the bench and it has been a tough stretch for him. Marcel De Jong has been absent from almost all of Augsburg's Bundesliga success this season, including this weekend, despite losing 4-0 to Bayern Munich this weekend, they remain near the top of the table. And finally, one of the CMNT’s best performers over the fall, Milan Borjan, will be very happy that his 3-month contract is ending soon and he can find a club where he can be the number one keeper after Ludogorets in Bulgaria appear to be 100% committed to having Vladislav Stoyanov be the #1. In Turkey

It might get boring featuring Atiba Hutchinson, but the truth is he is far and above in the best club situation, and part of the most high profile fixtures. It has been noted over the past few weeks that Besiktas’ position at the top of the Turkish SuperLig is looking more and more legitimate, and they once again had a week that made a statement that they could be able to surpass Galatasaray and Fenerbahce this season. Hutchinson has been in this situation almost every season, from PSV to Copenhagen, where especially with PSV they were at the top into March and could not last to the final bell before being surpassed by their domestic rivals. This year, Besiktas have already shown more than 2013/14 and they once again demonstrated improvement as they won again on the road with Hutch going the full 90, a 1-0 victory over Gaziantepsor, to keep them in first place – one point over Galatasaray and two over Fenerbahce. As well, Hutchinson earned a rest mid-week as Besiktas beat Tottenham 1-0 in the Europa League group stage. They had already advanced, but the win put them in first place and will allow them to avoid some tough teams like Dynamo Moscow and Kiev, Napoli, Fiorentina and Everton. In India

With the attacking position one with a big question mark surrounding it for Canada, perhaps an option has been getting back into good match fitness halfway around the world in India. It has been a roller coaster season for Iain Hume, who left England for India this fall and while it was a bit of a slow start for him getting back into the groove, he has been delivering for the Kerala Blasters when it matters. In the 14 game regular season, Keralas struggled to score and looked to be out of the top four spots that would qualify for the playoffs. On Tuesday, Kerala earned a huge 1-0 win courtesy of a Hume free kick to put them one point over Delhi into fourth place and a semi-final birth for the Championship. Fourth spot obviously meant they would be pitted in home and home fixtures against the first placed Chennaiyin FC. With some well know players such as Nesta, Michel Silvestre and Eric Djemba-Djemba, and player/coached by Marco Materazzi, Chennaiyin FC certainly are heavy favourites. However, backed by 60,000 fans in the first leg, Kerala had other plans. Iain Hume was once again integral in the result as with his side already 1-0 up, he pounced on a defensive clearance error and slammed home the second goal. He also fed the ball up for the third goal that is making the rounds as one of the best of the season to finish the game at 3-0. Tuesday night, Kerala will travel away to Chenniayin and with the Blasters having fewest goals allowed through the regular season, stand a good chance of taking on the winners of Atletico de Kolkata and Goa WHAT A FEELING! We're only half way there, but the lads were brilliant tonight! Fans were immense yet again! #KBFC 👏👏 pic.twitter.com/Bhiv9lH9bb — Iain Hume (@Humey_7) December 13, 2014 Iain Hume scores the winning goal to put Kerala into the playoffs through a 1-0 win over Pune City.



Hume already had a goal to put Kerala up 2-0, and here he releases his teammate for a great goal to cement the 3-0 win.



Here's how the rest of Canada's Internationals did Across the Pond: Milan Borjan – Ludogorets (BUL – D1):

Wednesday, December 9, did not play in a 4-0 loss to Real Madrid in the Champions League.

Sunday, December 14, played all 90 minutes and kept a CLEAN SHEET in a 1-0 victory over Botev Plovdiv. Daniel Haber – Ayia Napa (CPR – D1):

Saturday, December 13, played 83 minutes in a 1-0 loss to Doxa. David Edgar – Birmingham City (ENG - D2):

Saturday, December 13, did not play in a 6-1 victory over Reading. Simeon Jackson – Coventry City (ENG – D3):

Saturday, December 13 did not play in a 2-0 victory over Port Vale. Michael Petrasso – Leyton Orient (ENG – D3):

Tuesday, December 9, played 75 minutes in a 1-0 victory over Doncaster Rovers in the Football League Trophy.

Saturday, December 13, subbed in at the 46th minute in a 3-0 loss to Swindon Town. Marcus Haber – Crewe Alexandra (ENG – D3):

Saturday, December 13, did not play in a 2-1 loss to Scunthorpe United. Marcel De Jong – FC Augsburg (GER - D1):

Saturday, December 13, did not play in a 4-0 loss to Bayern Munich. Andre Hainault – Aalen (GER – B2):

Sunday, December 14, did not play in a 2-1 loss to Nurnberg. Randy Edwini-Bonsu – Stuttgarter Kickers (GER – D3):

Saturday, December 13, subbed in at the 78th minute in a 2-0 victory over Jahn Regensburg. Nik Ledgerwood – Energie Cottbus (GER – D3):

Saturday, December 13, did not play in a 1-0 loss to Dynamo Dresden. Daniel Stanese – Augsburg II (GER – D4):

Next match, March 7, 2015 v Bayreuth. Iain Hume – Kerala Blasters (IND – D1):

Tuesday, December 9, played all 90 minutes and scored A GOAL in a 1-0 victory over Pune City.

Saturday, December 13, played all 90 minutes and scored A GOAL in a 3-0 victory over Chennaiyin FC. Tosaint Ricketts – Hapoel Haifa (ISR – D1):

Sunday, December 14, a 4-0 loss to Maccabi Hafia. Tomer Chencinski – Ironi Ramat Gan (ISR – D2):

Next match, Monday December 15 v Hapoel Afula. Pedro Pacheco – Santa Clara (POR – D2):

Sunday, December 14, did not play in a 2-1 loss to Atletico CP. Luca Gasparotto – Airdieonians (SCO – D3):

Saturday, December 13, played all 90 minutes in a 3-1 victory over Dunfermline United. Dylan Carreiro – Arbroath FC (SCO – D4):

Saturday, December 13, played 69 minutes in a 3-2 victory over East Stirlingshire. Samuel Piette – Deportivo La Coruna B (SPN – D4):

Sunday, December 14, started in a 1-0 victory over Arosa. Atiba Hutchinson – Besiktas (TUR – D1):

Wednesday, December 11, did not play in a 1-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur in the Champions League.

Sunday, December 14, played all 90 minutes in a 1-0 victory over Gazianteprpor. Lucas Cavallini – Nacional (URU – D1):

Sunday, December 7, played 45 minutes in a 3-1 victory over Cerro.

