Denver Hume or Denver Fume? Reaction to the news that Sunderland have re-signed left back

Damian Brown says...

It can’t be a bad thing that a lad who’s been with the club since eight-year-old, and who’s served it well in recent years, has managed to bring his contract dispute to an amicable ending. We’re hardly weighed down by our left back options in any given season, and Denver is a proven quantity that still has the potential to improve.

If we had brought him in as a free agent without the faux outrage that seems to have been stirred up, (a young professional footballer having the sheer audacity to make as much money as he possibly can because his singular career is infamously short!? How dare he!), we’d be chuffed to have him.

I’m pleased he has that opportunity to continue his progress at the club he’s dedicated his life to. If we can’t reciprocate that dedication with good vibes and open arms for one of our own, we don’t deserve any kind of loyalty.

Photo by Ian Horrocks/Sunderland AFC via Getty Images

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Chris Camm says...

The facts are this - we now have two young left backs tied down to permanent deals. The squad now has depth in every position, and we can finally forget about this whole thing and move on.

What Denver Hume has created for himself though is an unnecessary challenge in more ways than one. Last season, when fit, he was our starting left back but now with the arrival of Cirkin he is going to have to be patient and wait for an opportunity.

Also, rightly or wrongly, he is going to have to prove his commitment and quality to a significant number of fans who are less than impressed with his (or perhaps his agents) summer antics.

For me, though, this needs to be treated as a positive.

We have effectively signed a young full back with potential for free, and on our terms. He isn’t expected to be our main man in this position anymore, so hopefully that will spur him on to raise his game as well.

The pressure is on him to get fit, remain fit, and show us what he’s capable of.

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Gav says...

I love seeing our academy players doing well, and in particular, doing well in our first team. Denver Hume successfully came through a difficult couple of years with more experienced players ahead of him at this level to become our first choice left back - and he was one of my favourite players, particularly during the 2019/20 season.

His biggest issue is staying fit but, for the first time in ages, we have the luxury of strong competition alongside him in Dennis Cirkin (and Niall Huggins, and Dan Neil - they can both play left back too). There’s less pressure on him to play three games a week, and hopefully that means we’ll see the best from him, and a long spell of being injury-free.

I just want to ignore some of the crap being spouted online about him - the truth of it is that none of us really know why these contract negotiations went on so long, we can only assume. Regardless, that’s all in the past and he’s now signed on as our player.

I can’t believe I even have to say this, but... support him.

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Neil Graney says...

It’s been fairly transparent what’s gone on over the summer and I’m really pleased with the outcome. Firstly, the club are no longer fawning to players demands, secondly, we’ve secured another academy graduate on a long term deal, offering depth in the squad, value for money and security for all involved.

Hume’s critics need to remember that whilst he contributed to a side which ultimately failed, the side would have been so much weaker and unbalanced without him.

He’s obviously a good kid, who has perhaps been badly advised this summer. He’s been with the club all his football life, we should be looking forward to supporting his development.

Let’s not forget, he’s still a young player, who fits really well with the new approach which the club and management team are implementing.

Recent history tells us quality left-backs are like rocking horse crap - now we have two good quality, committed left-backs vying for one place, and that’s only a good thing for the team going onwards.

Photo by Ian Horrocks/Sunderland AFC via Getty Images

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Sam Blakey says...

For the first time in a while, the overall feeling surrounding the club is one of positivity, and in my opinion, Denver Hume signing a new contract only adds to the positivity.

We can all read and speculate that Hume has looked to move elsewhere before signing the new deal. However, do any of us really know what’s went on? And even if he has kept his options open, is it really the end of the world? He’s a young lad with decent potential, it probably happens every day with young players however the Hume situation has been made more public.

The business throughout the transfer window has been superb in my opinion, and the fact that we’ve gone from Dan Neil at left back (and he did a fine job there, but that’s not the point) to Cirkin and Hume highlights this.

Hume and Cirkin are both young lads who should thrive in battling with each other for the first team left-back slot, and with the number of games we will have this season, they will both play a huge part, regardless of who’s the first choice.

I’m very confident that Hume will give 100% whilst in a Sunderland shirt, and that’s all we can ask for. It’s also nice to see lads who’ve been at the club since they were bairns come through and do a job in the first team, isn’t it?