How often do you look at a person’s surname and assume their heritage? It turns out that was once the source of much amusement in international football selection.
Ted Buxton, the former assistant and chief scout to Terry Venables at Tottenham and England, recalls a humorous incident while at Spurs, involving the Republic of Ireland selecting one of the club’s young players for the under-18 side, Chris Kinnear.
Kinnear was a first year professional at Tottenham, and Maurice Setters, Jack Charlton’s number two for the Republic, asked Buxton if he could do the honours and inform the youngster he’d been picked to represent Eire.