Saturday, December 3, 2011

Gary Speed 1969 – 2011

There are times in life when sport is put into perspective in the saddest of ways.

Gary Speed’s death at the age of 42 is a prime example of this. A celebrated football player and manager, father of two boys, the desperately sad news of Gary Speed’s death didn’t seem real as it filtered through.

A superb model professional during his successful playing career, Speed was always respected by his peers and made the most of all of his talent. From starting out at Leeds, where he won the First Division in 1992, his career went from strength to strength and he moved to Everton in 1996 where he became club captain. Only two years later though and he was on his way to Newcastle for £5.5 million and he went on to enjoy the most successful time of his career, despite not winning any silverware.

Newcastle lost two FA Cup finals, in 1998 and 99, but qualified for the Champions League in 2002-03 where Speed excelled. Newcastle manager Sir Bobby Robson was sad to see him leave the club in 2004 when he moved to Bolton and it was here that Speed’s coaching career began in 2007, taking on a player/coach role under Sam Allardyce.

After Allardyce left the club, Speed went back to being solely a player under Sammy Lee, but he also left not long after, joining Sheffield United in 2008. He became vice captain

but age slowly began to catch up with Speed and injuries began to plague him, leading to his retirement.

His dedication to training allied with his ability led to him setting a record amount of appearance in the Premier League, 535, which was only broken by David James and the patriotic Speed is the record out field appearances holder for Wales, winning 85 caps.

He took on a coaching role at Sheffield United in 2010-11, but only three games into the season manager Kevin Blackwell was sacked and Speed took over.

It was a baptism of fire for him, as he struggled to adapt to management, but that didn’t stop the Welsh FA picking him to succeed John Toshack as manager of the national side in December 2010.

It took Speed a while to get his ideas and philosophy across to the Welsh squad and they slipped to their lowest ever FIFA world ranking, 117th, after a string of poor results. However, things began to pick up and after three wins in four games, they rose to 45th in the rankings and in Speed’s last game in charge they dismantled Norway 4-1.

The future was very bright for the Welshman – his Wales side, for it remains his team, is full of potential and are playing great football and Speed’s career in management looked likely to go from strength to strength.

But the amount of tributes paid to Speed and the heartfelt nature of all of them is proof that his death transcends sport – Gary Speed was a good man and inspired a lot of people.

Just an hour after the news of his death broke, the Premier League match between Swansea and Aston Villa was due to take place. A minute’s silence spontaneously turned into a minute’s applause and the crowd chanted ‘there’s only one Gary Speed.’ Proof, is proof was needed, of how sorely he will be missed.

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RIP Gary Speed

Sunday was a horrible day for the whole footballing world as the news of Gary Speed’s death was made public at lunch time.

Unfortunately I am not lucky enough to remember Speed’s days at Leeds but having watched his career at Everton, Newcastle, Bolton, Sheffield United and Wales with nothing but admiration, I can only wish I could have witnessed his 312 appearances in a Leeds shirt.

A few memories of Gary Speed I do have though include last season at Doncaster away. Speed, who was Sheffield United boss at the time, quietly checking out his opponents for an upcoming match when he was spotted by the Leeds fans. Of course, the travelling Leeds fans then proceeded to chant at him for most of the night, rather than watch a game which turned out to be a dull 0-0 draw.

Another memory is seeing that fine midfield four of Gordan Strachan, Gary McAllister, Gary Speed and David Batty reunited for Lucas Radebe’s testimonial. Speed was replaced by Leeds Ladies star Lucy Ward late in the game but just to see the man in a Leeds shirt was special. United have had some fine midfielders over the years but if there was one Leeds midfield I could choose to have seen, it would be the title winning midfield of 1992. Maybe with Billy Bremner added to it.

Finally, during my first season watching Leeds in 1997-98 I can remember Speed missing a penalty for the visitors (Everton), cheers for that Gary! They might not be the best memories, but they are mine. Please feel free to leave your memories of Gary in the comments section.

The footballing world has lost one of it’s greatest servants with Speed having made over 500 Premier League appearances in a career which included 85 caps for Wales. Robbie Savage and Shay Given have both been unable to fight away the tears today and tributes have been flooding in from all over the footballing world, here are just a few:

Simon Grayson – “We signed on the same day and played in the youth and reserve teams together. We also did all our coaching badges together. He was a good friend and this is a very sad day. Gary was such a popular person and this is a hard time for everybody.”

Alan Shearer – “Gary was a magnificent person, bright, fun and a wonderful family man – he lit up every room he walked into. I am proud to have been his friend and will miss him dreadfully.”

Mark Hughes – “I’m devastated. He was a privilege to work alongside and call a friend, my thoughts are with his family.”

As Kenny Dalglish said today, football becomes irrelevant at times like these. Rip Gary, our thoughts go out to all family and friends.

Please feel free to leave any memories or tributes you have for Gary in the comments section.

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Gary Speed to be unveiled as new Wales manager

Gary Speed
Gary Speed is leaving Sheffield United to take over the Wales national team after 18 matches as a manager. Photograph: Andrew Matthews/Empics

Gary Speed will be confirmed as the new Wales manager tomorrow after agreeing a three-and-a-half year contract that includes a £1m bonus if he can qualify for a major finals. The former Wales captain will be unveiled as John Toshack's successor after Sheffield United refused to stand in his way when he made it clear he was keen to manage the country he won 85 caps for between 1990 and 2004.

The 41-year-old, whose first taste of management came when he took over at Bramall Lane in August, is understood to have signed a contract taking him up to the 2014 World Cup finals. Although Speed will be rewarded handsomely if Wales qualify for the World Cup in Brazil, his basic wage will be around £200,000 a year, significantly less than his salary at Sheffield United and a fraction of what many international managers earn.

It is unclear at this stage whether the Football Association of Wales have had to pay Sheffield United any compensation for Speed, who signed a three-year contract when he replaced Kevin Blackwell. Since taking over at Bramall Lane, Speed has endured a difficult time, losing nine of 18 matches in charge, leaving Sheffield United one point and two places above the Championship relegation zone.

Although Speed enjoyed a long and successful playing career, during which he made more than 500 Premier League appearances for Leeds, Everton, Newcastle and Bolton, and is a highly respected figure, his appointment comes as something of a surprise. Chris Coleman, who played alongside Speed for Wales, and Lars Lagerback, the former Sweden coach, were regarded as the frontrunners and both have considerably more managerial experience.

Brian Flynn, who was interviewed for the post along with Coleman, Lagerback and John Hartson, will be bitterly disappointed after once again being overlooked by the FAW. However, the back-to-back defeats Flynn suffered against Bulgaria and Switzerland in October, when he was placed in temporary charge after Toshack departed, severely damaged his chances. Flynn is now set to return to his duties as Wales Under-21 manager, where he has an excellent record.

Although Wales are blessed with some outstanding individual talents in the shape of Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey, recent results have been poor and Speed's first job will be to restore confidence to a side that have lost their opening three 2012 European Championship qualification fixtures. Speed's first competitive game will be against England, at the Millennium Stadium on 26 March.

Sheffield United, meanwhile, will begin their search for their third manager of the season. The early contenders include Chris Hughton, who was sacked as Newcastle manager last week, Phil Brown, who has been out of work since leaving Hull City last season, and Coleman, who has been mulling over an offer to take over at the Greek club Larissa while waiting to hear back from the FAW.

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Picture of Gary Speed










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Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Messi and Antonella Wallpapers - Lionel Messi Girlfriend Antonella Roccuzzo Hot Photos, Pics, Images

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Sunday, September 18, 2011

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Friday, February 25, 2011

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Tuesday, February 22, 2011

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Sunday, February 13, 2011

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Saturday, January 15, 2011

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