Niall Quinn says it too... granted that he lived in the UK for a long time, but I have never heard in conversation in Ireland .. so its obviously crept into his language from living over there .. and thinking that it sounds all sophisticated. I also heard him refer to Ireland and the UK as the "British Isles" in the Charlton Years video .. again, a phrase that refers to a time gone past when there was a British empire. But I guess that is ever so veering off the topic!