Joe Kinnear, former Tottenham player, dies at 77

LONDON (AP):

Joe Kinnear, who won the FA Cup, League Cup, and UEFA Cup as a player with Tottenham and went on to manage Wimbledon and Newcastle, has died. He was 77.

Kinnear’s death was announced yesterday by his family.

“We are sad to announce that Joe passed away peacefully this afternoon surrounded by his family,” a statement said.

Kinnear’s wife Bonnie said in 2021 that he had been living with dementia since 2015.

“Everyone connected with Wimbledon was deeply saddened to hear the news that our former manager, Joe Kinnear, has passed away,′ his former club posted on X, formerly Twitter. “A true legend of the club, Joe gave us some amazing memories that we treasure.”

Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou paid tribute to Kinnear after his team’s 3-1 win against Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Sunday.

“He will be remembered at this football club forever,” Postecoglou said. “A real gentleman, a tough loss.”

As well as Wimbledon and Newcastle, Kinnear also managed Luton and Nottingham Forest among other clubs.

He made 26 appearances for Ireland during his playing career and joined Tottenham as a teenager in 1963.

He lifted the FA Cup in 1967, the UEFA Cup in 1972 and the League Cup in both 1971 and 1973 and made more than 250 appearances for Spurs.

“The thoughts of everyone at the Club are with his family and friends at this incredibly sad time,” Spurs said in a statement.

Kinnear began his coaching career in Asia, working in the United Arab Emirates and Malaysia before spells with India and Nepal.

He was named Wimbledon boss in 1992, led the club to a sixth-place finish in the top flight in the 1993-94 season and guided it to the semi-finals of both the FA Cup and League Cup in 1997.

Kinnear suffered a heart attack before a league game against Sheffield Wednesday in March 1999 and stood down in June of that year.

He returned to football with a brief spell as director of football at Oxford before taking on a similar role at Luton, where he would appoint himself as manager and guide the club to promotion from the Third Division during the 2001-02 season.

He took the Nottingham Forest job in February 2004 and later replaced Kevin Keegan at Newcastle in 2008.

In February 2009, Kinnear was taken to hospital after feeling ill ahead of a match, and it was later announced he needed a heart bypass operation, leading to Alan Shearer taking the job until the end of the season.