Chris Iwelumo
Christopher Robert " Chris " Iwelumo ( born August 1, 1978 in Coatbridge ) is a Scottish football player. The very physically oriented playing center forward who has by his father Nigerian roots, is the English Watford FC under contract. The "Horns " are already his thirteenth professional stage of his career, during which he was also active in Denmark and Germany.
Sports career
Born near Glasgow in Coatbridge Iwelumo began in August 1996, his professional career as a " football apprentice " at FC St. Mirren. He shot on the occasion of his debut in the Scottish League Cup on 13 August 1996 against Berwick Rangers a goal for a 4-0 victory. On the sporting breakthrough, however, he waited at the former Zweitdivisionär vain and in his rare league inserts succeeded in until the end of the season 1997/98 no hit.
Already at a young age showed a certain willingness to travel Iwelumo and just 20 years old has become Striker accepted an offer from the Danish club Aarhus Fremad who was active in the national top division at that time. In his first year in Denmark suffered relegation and in February 2000 he gave back the club's management approval for a change Iwelumo. With a total of four goals in 27 league matches, the striker yield was meager even in its second station. There was a short trial period phase at Preston North End, which led to no result. Instead signed Iwelumo the English third division side Stoke City a new contract - the transfer fee over Aarhus Fremad was 25,000 pounds.
On March 18, 2000, he came against Wycombe Wanderers for the first time in the English professional league for the course and after a total of four competitive stakes in the outgoing season 1999/2000 he met at the beginning of the 2000 /01 once in the League Cup against fourth division York City. Exactly for this opponent moved Iwelumo in November 2000 on loan, as the regular inserts failed to even with the " Potter " first. Almost seamlessly after the end of the period in February 2001, an additional 1 -month loan with fourth division rivals Cheltenham Town followed, for which he was on the court just three days after his last match for York City. In the 2001 /02 season, Iwelumo finally played better and better in the managed by Guðjón Þórðarson team of Stoke City. He scored on 21 October 2001 the balance in the derby against Port Vale, scored within one month six goals in seven competitive games and was partly responsible for that Stoke City promotion to second-class Football League Championship. Given the advances referred to as well in the club Iwelumo received a contract extension for a further two years in March 2002. By the end of 2003, he was permanently in the second league in use, before he was suddenly placed on the transfer list in January 2004. The Barnsley FC was basically interested; to an agreement but instead it was only in March 2004 with the third division side Brighton & Hove Albion, the Iwelumo in the final games on loan in the ultimately successful promotion battle intensified ..
Iwelumo rejected a new two-year contract in Brighton and moved instead free transfer to Germany in the 2nd Bundesliga to Alemannia Aachen, where he was offered due to the DFB Cup finals recently achieved international perspectives in the UEFA Cup. Under coach Dieter Hecking he came in Aachen but about the status of a supplementary player not out, and he completed all mandatory games only tool changes. The " adventure Germany " ended already after one year and on his return to England he joined in July 2005, the third division Colchester United on. In his new station it already the third ascent succeeded within four years, and on 28 November 2006 he attracted greater media interest with his four goals for a 5-1 win against Hull City. At the end of the 2006/07 season was a respectable tenth place for the climbers to book.
Despite these notable successes Iwelumo saw his future not in Colchester and so he hired in May 2007 instead free transfer at the second division rivals Charlton Athletic on. He established himself at once in the root formation of the " Addicks ", became the top scorer of his new club and received in November 2007, the award for the best second division player of the month, as it " last minute winning goal " had succeeded in two consecutive games. As part of a cost reduction program Charlton let his recent success, however, players move to a year, and so Iwelumo signed a new contract with the second division promotion contenders Wolverhampton Wanderers in July 2008.
Iwelumo showed up at the beginning of the rise of 2008/09 season in a good early form, the November 2008 a second time won him the award for best league players. On September 20, 2008, he previously three goals for a 3-1 away win were managed in a game at Preston North End, which nevertheless ended ingloriously with a red card for Iwelumo after a head butt against Sean St. Ledger and in a three-game had gemündet lock. A subsequent 16 matches ongoing goal drought he finished against his old club from Charlton; short time later, his season ended prematurely against Birmingham City after a hard foul by Lee Carsley. With a broken foot he was also the beginning of his first Premier League season in 2009/ 10 is set out of action.
He made his debut on 24 October 2009 in the top division for the Wolves, as he as a substitute for Sylvan Ebanks -Blake ran onto the field at home against Aston Villa in the 86th minute. A week later, he withdrew in the away game at Stoke City a foot injury that put him out of action for a month. Even after his recovery, it did not go as desired, and he remained in ten appearances for Wolverhampton without a goal for the attacker. His move on loan for a month to Bristol City was announced on February 13, 2010. In his third appearance for Bristol on 21 February 2010, he scored his first goal of the season in the home game against West Bromwich Albion. Iwelumo was officially introduced to a 1-1 draw, the game ended in a 2-1 win for Bristol City. In mid-March, he returned to the Wolves and was subsequently regularly as a substitute on the field. Nonetheless, the club gave him in June 2010 from the freshly relegated into the second division FC Burnley. There Iwelumo signed a two-year contract; to the release formalities agreed the parties to disclose.
Scottish national
The first nomination in the squad of the Scottish national team received Iwelumo during a tour of South Korea in 2002, but he had to cancel due to the play-off participation of his former club Stoke City. Five years later, he came in a lot of Scottish B-team against the Irish counterpart to a select game - it ended in a 1-1 draw.
At his first senior international, he came on October 11, 2008 in the World Cup qualifier against Norway in the domestic Hampden Park (0-0 ). Involuntarily he talked to this minute of use from the 57th lasting impression when he detached at point blank range but missed the goal. Due to a controversial statement of the Scottish FA president George Peat Iwelumo was made primarily responsible for missing the qualifying places - Peat relativized his comment later saying that he wanted to make only such " millimeter decisions " as the reason for the difference between success and failure. November 19, 2008 Iwelumo graduated in friendship encounter with Argentina (0-1 ) on his first international match from the beginning.