Martin hasn’t been the most auspicious forename to own throughout the annals of history as in there really haven’t been too many famous ones, with a few notable exceptions of course.***
There was a Saint Martin and there have been four Pope Martins. Martin Luther was pretty adept at the jolly old reworking of the scriptures back in the day and a man I admire very much, Martin Luther King Jr, was a prominent civil rights activist in the USA in the 1950s and 60s.
Norwich City has done pretty well out of us Martins over the years with Messrs Peters, O’Neill and Olsson. We could even chuck in Martin Chivers if we felt desperate I suppose.
One of my favourite bass players is Martin Turner from the original line-up of Wishbone Ash, but after that I’m well and truly stumped.
But when we signed Isaac Hayden from Newcastle on loan with an obligation to buy if certain performance targets are met, two thoughts struck me. Firstly NCFC [and indeed very few UK-based clubs] have never had a player called Isaac before so surely Mr Hayden would struggle to match even my lowly level of worldwide praenomen recognition, as if Isaac or I would really care overmuch anyway.
After a recent bad night’s sleep, I found I had thought overnight of far many more famous folks called Isaac than there are those named Martin and it really surprised me. I don’t google this type of thing so even now I might well have missed a few.
Back in the days of the Old Testament there was allegedly this geezer simply known as Isaac. He was nearly sacrificed by father Abraham [not the Smurfs narrator], had a couple of stand-offish children called Jacob and Esau, and generally strolled on with what folks apparently did in those days until being immortalised forever by some unknown Greek writer about 400 years after he died.
I bet the Athenian journo earned a few dinari for that particular job.
Next up has to be Sir Isaac Newton, who had an incident with a Bramley, Braeburn or whatever that led to him formulating the theory of gravity and dismissing the concept of a flat Earth. He later became an MP, so I still reckon the world might be flat after all as you shouldn’t trust the word of a politician, however intellectually gifted they might appear on the surface.
Then there is Isaac Asimov, who sci-fi fans will be aware of. I don’t much care for science fiction so all I know is that he was commercially successful beyond the dreams of most folks who have ever put pen to paper for profit. And that very much includes yours truly.
Musically we have Isaac Hayes [he is featured in today’s video clip below], best known in the UK for his orchestrated theme to the 1970s movie Shaft. There is also the American cult singer-songwriter Isaac Guillory, who wasn’t half bad if you like protest songs.
Reverting to the topic of football – hooray, you might well say – it is my duty to take readers from the ridiculous to the sublime.
Isaac Success is a Nigerian international striker who played for Watford around 20 times and scored one goal in 19 games. Loaned to Malaga, he eventually signed for Udinese. Watford paid around £12 million for him and I doubt the Hornets saw even a third of that back.
Sir Isaac Vivian Alexander Richards is thought by many to have played football for Antigua and Barbuda during qualifying for the 1974 World Cup before records were as comprehensively kept as they are today. I don’t think Viv has ever been asked directly for a comment on this but Sir Beefy [who was on Scunthorpe United’s books as a youngster] has said more than once that Viv was a fine baller.
Viv is an all-time great in cricketing terms and there is nothing I can say about him that readers will not already appreciate. And yes, he could bowl a bit as well when required.
So my waking dreams turned up many more well-known Isaacs than I ever thought possible.
If any MFW readers would care to add a couple more please be kind enough to do so.
Welcome Isaac Hayden, and I hope you’ll do us proud.
*** I am named Martin simply because that was the surname of my unofficial but nonetheless biological grandfather and back in 1926 when Dad was born that type of thing was regarded as scandalous in extremis. My son Josh has it as his middle name and at least he knows why – I’d always suspected but didn’t know for sure until Dad knew he had only weeks to live and finally confirmed it.
It might have been worse. I could have been called Bert.
Over to you, Mr Isaac Hayes:
Isaacs “pompey” Martin, mate 👌
Hi Chris
You did me with that one mate 🙂
Mr Google confirms it – I thought you might have been having a laff but not so.
Nice one!
😁 I had a look on his bio Martin. Apparently he’s 20th in our all time appearance list and was sent off in an FA cup tie in 1922! I’d love to know what level of misdemeanor constituted a sending off offence in 1922.
Ha!
I found him cos some site that sells retro prints had one available of the fella – jeez knows how I’d have found him otherwise.
1922 sending off offences probably involved a sidearm or bayonet left over from WWI I would imagine!
That was a good spot Chris. After saying I couldn’t be bothered to Google, I saw your reference to Isaac Martin, and did a bit of digging. I found a site called something like “world football a – z” with what looked like a full list of Norwich players from 1902 up to date, but for some reason, he’s not on the list. Strange, since I see from his biography that he died in Norwich in 1962.
Records weren’t online in those days – which is often a pity!
Thanks Jim, I recall a book from circa 1972 which covered the whole history of the club being in many a Christmas stocking at the time. Avidly reading that and later the excellent canary citizens by Mike davage account for my knowledge of pompey martin and his colleagues!
Morning Mr P,
I only know of one other Isaac, Isaac Hempstead Wright, an actor very well known for his role as “Bran Stark” in Game of Thrones. Although I seem to remember Peter Gabriel named his son that, but would not trust that this early in the day.
Talking of names, I am always thankful to my sister, she and my old man set off to Norwich by bus, to register my birth. When they set out from Watton, I was going to be called Arthur, when they arrived home later with the new birth certificate, I was named a Gordon. She tells me she worked on changing the names around from the moment they sat on the bus. Always thankful to her.
I probably would have changed my name by now if Arthur had been registered.
Hi Lad
Actors and their ilk are not my strong point but I’ll take your word for it 🙂
I love the *Arthur* story. Apparently when Ronnie Wood was asked to name his first son, being a great Western fan he spluttered out *Jesse James* and that’s exactly what went on the birth certificate at the time.
I don’t think the then Mrs Wood was too impressed and apparently said something like *you shouldn’t be allowed out on your own – you couldn’t even get that right.*
Apocryphal? No – I think Woody said it himself in his excellent autobiography.
Cheers
There’s a youngster at Everton called Isaac Price, Martin, who I think has one or two first team appearances to his name, but other than that I can’t think of any. There may be a couple of players in the past with Isaac as a surname, but I’d have to Google for that, and I can’t be bothered. Anyway, as you say, welcome to Isaac Hayden, and I hope he meets the performance criteria and our expectations to become a permanent signing.
Hi Jim
Don’t blame you for not googling – I don’t either unless I absolutely have to.
Never heard of the lad at Everton myself.
I ruled out surnames but I could have had Chris, Russ or Josh Martin – or even Tubby Isaacs of jellied eel stall fame!
Cheers
Hi
I’m a Newcastle fan drawn to your headline to read your reaction to the signing of Isaac Hayden.
I hadn’t anticipated the content of your article, despite its headline, but I was nevertheless warmed by your reference to Martin Turner. I spent many of my teen years going to Wishbone Ash concerts; wonderful memories.
More importantly, I wanted to add what a good player and equally good bloke you have in Isaac Hayden. I’m certain that if he hadn’t had a long term injury at the time we had to submit our January squad of 25, he would have been part of it.
He has been a mainstay of everything that has worked at Newcastle and I’m sure that he will be equally effective at your club.
Good luck next season.
Hi Peter
Thanks for a fine comment – MFW always likes to hear from supporters of other clubs and particularly their views on individual players.
My Arsenal mate [we’ve all got one] Dave reckoned Hayden was terrific coming through their ranks and never understood quite why they let him go.
Back to music I too saw Wishbone several times in the early 70s at both the Marquee and Dagenham Roundhouse – they were really loud for a proggish blues band!
My Tyneside musical connection is Mark Knopfler, who was an economic lecturer at Loughton College just as the band was evolving into Dire Straits. My mate Richey gave him a lift home one night with a couple of us in the car and a nicer guy you would never meet – a 20-minute drive and he covered everything from religion to football to the Blues. We just sat and listened to him!
None of us then had any idea of who he would become.
Thanks again for a great comment.
Hi Martin
Drogba’s eldest son playing in Portugal has Isaac as his first name
Quotes from Isaac Newton that somehow I remember
“I can calculate the motion of heavenly bodies but not the madness of people.”
“What we know is a drop, what we don’t know is an ocean.”
“Tact is the knack of making a point without making an enemy.”
“Gravity explains the motions of the planets, but it cannot explain who sets the planets in motion.”
Isaac Asimov wrote over 500 books a great output and only about 100 aren’t to do with Science.
Famous Martin’s
Sheen
Chris Martin footballer
Chris Martin Musician
Martin Scorsese
Van Buren American President
Martin Heidegger one of Delia’s Philosopher’s
Good read
Ha!
I thought there were a few more out there but Martin Scorsese was the only one i’d thought of since writing the article.
A piece about famous Alex’s would be about 10,000 words long I guess!
Cheers
Too many such a common name in so many places and different spellings the Scottish one ALICK always amuses me
Yeah, there’s Al, Ally, Alec, Alex and even a Xander!
You also have a car named after you, Aston Martin.
And a bird house martin
And a pop group
As much as I like the Beautiful South I disliked the Housemartins intensely.
It wasn’t me that ripped off the Isley Brothers!
Hi Kev
I reckon they spelled pine marten wrong – I claim another one there.
Anyway you’ve got Keelan, Keegan and de Bruyne as well as Costner and that dancer feller Clifton, even if you might be a bit short on the popes and saints 🙂
Cheers
Hiya Cutty
Yeah I know.
I loaned mine to a guy called Bond once and never got it back.
Can’t remember his christian name unfortunately.
🙂
Being a Martin, is almost a precursor to being an MFW football writer these days….
🙂