Kerr: calling priests and taxi drivers! - February 16, 2001
Irish underage supremo Brian Kerr has called on the huge Irish communities in the UK and America to act as scouts for the Republic of Ireland soccer teams - revealing that a parish priest and a taxi driver have tipped him off in the past!
Kerr wants Irish people living abroad to let the FAI know whether promising young players have an Irish parent or grandparent.
He revealed he found out from a taxi driver that Wycombe's u17 Irish international Ian Simpemba's mother was Irish; and that a parish priest tipped him off about Charlton Athletic's Adrian Deane.
Here's one, spotted by one of our readers, Pat Considine - Watford defender James Panayi, whose just turned 21.
Panayi has this to say on the official Watford site:
"People get confused and think my name sounds Greek, but my father is from Cyprus. My mother is from Tipperary in the Republic of Ireland, and I was born in west London.
"So that means I'm eligible for England, Republic of Ireland and Cyprus. If I had the chance to choose I'd probably go for Ireland.
"I've got a lot of family in Ireland, and I feel as Irish as I do Greek."