Welsh footballer and manager (1969–2011)
Gary Andrew Speed (8 September 1969 – 27 November 2011) was a Welsh professional footballer and manager. As manager of Wales, Speed is often credited as being the catalyst for the change in fortunes of the national team and as setting the pathway to future successes.
Having played for the Leeds United youth team, he began his professional career with the club in 1988. With Leeds, he won the English First Division championship in 1991–92, and later played for Everton, Newcastle United, Bolton Wanderers and Sheffield United. He captained the Wales national football team until retiring from international football in 2004. He was the most capped outfield player for Wales and the second overall with 85 caps between 1990 and 2004 until being overtaken by Chris Gunter in 2018, playing mainly as a left-sided attacking midfielder. Speed was appointed manager of Sheffield United in 2010, but left the club after a few months in December 2010 to manage the Wales national team, remaining in this role until his death 11 months later.
Rarely troubled by injury or suspension, he held the record for the most appearances in the Premier League at 535, until it was surpassed by David James. At the time of his death, only James and Ryan Giggs had played in more Premier League matches than Speed. Including appearances in the Football League and cup competitions, he made 840 domestic appearances.
Early life and career.
Speed was born in Mancot, Flintshire, Wales, although his parents Roger and Carol, sister Lesley and sons Thomas and Edward were all born in Chester. He attended Hawarden High School.
He supported Everton as a youngster. Whilst at school, he was employed as a paperboy and played for Flintshire Schoolboys, a local boys' team, and for Aston Park Rangers. As a youngster, Speed excelled at cricket and football.
Club career.
Leeds United.
Speed began his career with Leeds United as a trainee when he left school in June 1988, and was Peter Swan's boot boy, before he signed a professional contract on 13 June 1988. Leeds manager Howard Wilkinson first noticed Speed in a youth team game while the player was playing in a left back position. Under Wilkinson, he made his first team debut aged 19 in a goalless draw against Oldham Athletic in the Football League Second Division. He would go on to play in nine out of the ten outfield positions, although he was predominantly a left-sided player.
He went on to play a key role, playing 41 of a possible 42 games and scoring seven goals, as Leeds won the Football League First Division championship title in 1992, as part of a midfield that also comprised Gordon Strachan, Gary McAllister and David Batty – former Leeds manager Eddie Gray considered it to be one of the greatest midfield line-ups in the modern era. Wilkinson named Speed as the club's player of the season.
In September 1992, Speed was pivotal in Leeds' UEFA Champions League first-round tie against VfB Stuttgart. Stuttgart had won 3–0 at home and looked to be going through already. Speed helped Leeds to a 4–1 victory at Elland Road, scoring one of them with a "superb left-foot volley" which he later described as his best-ever goal. Although Leeds went out of the tie on the away goals rule, the club was later reinstated, for Stuttgart had fielded an ineligible player.
Speed was selected in the PFA Team of the Year for the 1992–93 season.
On 4 October 1995, Speed scored the winning goal as Leeds beat second division side Notts County in the second round of the League Cup. The match had seemed to be going to extra time, but Speed's 90th-minute winning goal kept Leeds from needing a replay to overcome their lower-league opponents.
Speed featured in the 1996 Football League Cup final defeat by Aston Villa. Before transferring to Everton, Speed played in 312 games for Leeds United, scoring 57 goals.
Everton.
A childhood Everton fan, Speed was signed by Joe Royle before the 1996–97 season, for a fee of £3.5 million. He made his debut on 17 August 1996, scoring against Newcastle United. In November of that year, Speed scored a hat-trick – the only one of his career – as Everton beat Southampton 7–1 at Goodison Park. Speed finished the season with 11 goals, joint top-scorer with Duncan Ferguson. Speed was also voted Everton Player of Year for his performances during his first season at the club.
Howard Kendall succeeded Royle as the manager at the start of the 1997–98 season, and nominated Speed as club captain. However, by the turn of the year the relationship between Speed and Kendall had soured. Speed played his last game for the club on 18 January 1998, scoring in a 3–1 win over Chelsea. He did not travel for their next game, away to West Ham United, and was subsequently sold to Newcastle for £5.5 million. The reasons underlying Speed's departure were never revealed. He told the "Liverpool Echo": "You know why I'm leaving, but I can't explain myself publicly because it would damage the good name of Everton Football Club and I'm not prepared to do that."
Newcastle United.
Speed was signed for Newcastle United on 6 February 1998 by Kenny Dalglish, for a fee of £5.5 million. He made his debut as a starter in a 1–0 home Premier League defeat to West Ham United the next day. His first goal came in his fifth match, the sixth round proper of the 1997–98 FA Cup. At home to Barnsley, he scored the second goal of a 3–1 home win with a 27th-minute strike. His only league goal of the 1997–98 season came in a 3–1 home win over Chelsea in the penultimate league match on 2 May, with Newcastle's third in the 59th minute. He finished the season by playing the 1998 FA Cup Final, which Newcastle lost 2–0 to Arsenal on 16 May.
Speed featured in the club's FA Cup Final defeat to Manchester United on 22 May 1999. On 19 September 1999, he scored a goal in Newcastle's 8–0 Premier League victory over Sheffield Wednesday in which his teammate Alan Shearer scored a joint-record five times. He also played in the UEFA Champions League with Newcastle in the 2002–03 season, scoring the 58th-minute equaliser in a 2–1 home victory over Dynamo Kyiv in the group stage on 29 October 2002.
Bolton Wanderers.
Speed moved to Bolton Wanderers on a two-year deal in a £750,000 switch from Newcastle United in July 2004. He became the first player to make 500 Premier League appearances when he played in Bolton's 4–0 victory over West Ham United in December 2006.
On 1 May 2007, Speed was named as the first-team coach for Bolton after Sam Allardyce stepped down from his job as manager. However, in October he left the coaching job and returned to being just a player with the club. Conflicting reports of the incident claimed that then manager Sammy Lee relieved him of his duties to concentrate on playing, but Speed, in an interview with the "Bolton News", claimed he chose to step down.
Speed scored a header for Bolton against Reading on 25 August 2007, making him, at the time, the only player to have scored in every Premiership season to date. Ryan Giggs later matched this achievement on 20 October 2007, and passed it on 8 February 2009. It had been reported in December 2007 that Speed was a target for Derby County, but it was confirmed on 24 December 2007 that he would join Sheffield United on loan on 1 January 2008, with a view to a permanent move for a fee of about £250,000.
Sheffield United.
Speed made his debut on the day of his transfer, being named in the starting eleven for a 0–0 away draw against Wolverhampton Wanderers on New Year's Day 2008. He played regularly for the rest of the season and deputised as captain when Chris Morgan was unavailable. Having seen his penalty parried, Speed netted the rebound to score his first goal for United in a victory over Coventry City in March of that year. He went on to finish the season on three goals for United, scoring both goals in a 2–1 home victory over Bristol City in the penultimate game of the 2007–08 season. In an interview with BBC Wales on 10 May 2008, Speed hinted that the 2008–09 season may be his last playing before moving into coaching or management but stated that he had not yet made up his mind.
Speed started the next season as a regular fixture in the United midfield, but succumbed to a back injury in November 2008. Despite undergoing surgery to correct the problem he failed to regain his fitness and missed the rest of the season, concentrating instead on a coaching role at the club. In June 2009, he was approached by Swansea City with regards to taking on the managerial role left vacant by Roberto Martínez. He continued training and completed the 2010 London Marathon in aid of the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation, the cancer charity founded by Speed's former Newcastle manager, who had died of the illness in 2009. Speed's finishing time was 3 hours, 49 minutes and 22 seconds.
Speed finally announced his retirement from playing in his 41st year, but agreed to remain at Sheffield United for at least one more season as a coach. Despite this he was again registered as a player and was named on the bench for the first round League Cup game against Hartlepool United at the outset of the following season.
International career.
Speed played for Wales at youth level and earned three caps for the under-21 team. He played 85 times for Wales, making him the second highest capped player only behind goalkeeper Neville Southall who made 92 appearances until Speed was surpassed by Chris Gunter in 2018. Speed captained Wales on 44 occasions. His first appearance for the national side had come on 20 May 1990 in a 1–0 friendly win against Costa Rica at Ninian Park as a second-half replacement for Glyn Hodges. He did not score until his 27th cap, a 3–2 away defeat in Moldova in a Euro 1996 qualifier on 12 October 1994. Speed's first appearance as captain was during his 46th cap, a 3–0 away win in Malta on 3 June 1998.
Speed broke the record held by Dean Saunders for most caps by a Welsh outfield player when he won his 76th against Finland in a Euro 2004 qualifier on 10 September 2003. He captained the side to a 1–1 draw. Speed retired from international football in 2004 after the side's 3–2 defeat to Poland in a 2006 World Cup qualifier.
Playing style and reputation.
Speed was a versatile player who could play in left midfield, central midfield, and also at left-back, but playing mainly as a left-side attacking midfielder, with a knack for directing powerful headers towards goal. He possessed great tactical awareness, and could both create and score goals. Regularly a captain, he was said by his teammates to have been an 'inspirational figure' who led by example and demanded the best from those around him.
He was well known as a 'consummate professional' both on and off the field. Hardworking, honest and self-critical, he was not blessed with exceptional talent at a young age, but instead developed his technique through many hours of hard work on the training field. He had a reputation as an extremely fit footballer who looked after his body. He had a modern approach to diet and fitness, a rare quality amongst players of his generation. His level of fitness allowed him to avoid injury and to continue playing until the age of 39; he rarely missed a game.
He also had a reputation as a friendly and supportive person, who cared for and took an interest in the lives of the people around him; his 'nice guy' persona made him a popular and well respected figure amongst his peers.
Managerial career.
Sheffield United.
With the 2010–11 season only three games old, Sheffield United manager Kevin Blackwell was dismissed with Speed being confirmed as the club's new manager on a three-year contract on 17 August 2010. On 21 October 2010, Speed was given a one-game touchline ban and a £22,000 fine by The Football Association for his unsporting behaviour at the home fixture against Watford on 2 October 2010. On 11 December 2010, Speed was linked with