The grand success of the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) in 2014 generated a lot of talking points – from the future of the game in India to the inevitable improvement in quality. Another thing widely discussed was the influx of foreign players and the level to which they performed. Iain Hume was one of the names that came up frequently in such discussions due to his influential performances.In the inaugural season of the ISL, Hume turned out for the Kerala Blasters but he has switched allegiance to Atlético de Kolkata for the upcoming season. We got up, close and personal with Iain Hume about his switch in an exclusive interview for indiansuperleague.com.After the first ISL season ended, Hume returned to his boyhood club Tranmere Rovers for a second stint. “My few months with Tranmere didn’t exactly go to plan. After the success and enjoyment I had with Kerala last season, it was also tough being away from my family for so long. That was a major factor in me signing back with Tranmere. I had a few other options at clubs from higher divisions, but I had already made my mind up that I was staying at home. It kind of dampened my return, as the manager at the time had it in his mind already that I wasn’t a part of his plans.”When asked about what made him sign up with Atlético de Kolkata, Hume remarked, “To be honest, after last season I didn’t see myself playing anywhere but Kerala Blasters. But after near 2 months of negotiating, and finally accepting everything, they decided they were going to hold off on the offer and I was then free to speak to other ISL teams. When the champions come knocking asking if I’d be interested to join, it’s hard to say no to that. After brief conversations between myself, ATK and my agent, things were agreed and I signed very quickly.”Incidentally, Hume was a part of the finals which was played between his former team and his new team. He admitted that it feels awkward to think of it now. “It’s obviously going to be a bit different playing in the red and white rather than yellow, but having played ATK three times last season and having some good battles with Josemi, Arnab, Borja, it will be good to be on their side of the pitch now. Now I’m looking forward to the battles with my good friends Sandesh, Gurwinder, Nirmal and Saumik,” said the experienced Canadian.Speaking of his own expectations of Atlético de Kolkata this season, Hume set the bar high for every team by saying, “I think expectations will be high this year after last season’s success. But I think in a league of eight teams, the pressure is going to be on other teams as much, if not more than us, because they’ll all want to be the team to dethrone ATK. It makes for a very intense and competitive few months.”When a player performs well in a season, it is always a question as to how he will do in the upcoming season. We asked Hume whether he thinks he can replicate or even better his performance this time around, and he replied, “That will be my aim. I always set goals for myself to better my previous season. I came in to a completely new country, culture, environment; and it took me a little time to acclimatise. But now I’m coming into a league that I know and had a bit of success in, I’ll be aiming to hit the ground running and bettering last season.”Hume is clearly eager to be playing in Atlético de Kolkata’s threads. “If I’m honest, I’m looking forward to everything about ATK. I’ve continually been told about the footballing history in Kolkata with the successes and rivalries between Mohun Bagan and East Bengal, and then of course the success of ATK in the last ISL season. So, you asked the one thing I’m looking forward to as an ATK player? EVERYTHING!”As the Hero ISL Domestic Player Draft approaches on July 10th, Hume had some advice to give to the players who would be included in it, having been in their position in the previous season. “To be honest, I just went in to the Draft with an open mind. I wasn’t expecting anything, so I was really fortunate to be drafted to Kerala Blasters with a few people that I already knew. But the one thing I can say is go in with an open-minded approach. Acknowledge the culture and surroundings of wherever you go; to be successful, you have to be happy.” Great advice, that!Atlético de Kolkata will take the field on October 3rd in the season opener against Chennaiyin FC.
