Gary Speed Career
Leeds United 1988 - 1996
Gary Speed was born on the 8th September 1969 and played football for Aston Park Rangers and Flintshire Schoolboys, before signing for Leeds United as a trainee when he left school in June 1988. Gary made his first team debut aged 19, in a goalless draw against Oldham Athletic in the old Second Division under the management of Howard Wilkinson, Leeds winning promotion that season.
Gary played a key role in 1991-92, playing 41 of a possible 42 games and scoring seven goals, as Leeds won the First Division Championship Title, as part of a midfield that also comprised Gordon Strachan, Gary McAllister and David Batty, of which Leeds legend Eddie Gray considered to be one of the greatest midfield line-ups in the modern era. Wilkinson named Gary as the Club’s Player of the Season.
In September 1992, Gary was pivotal in Leeds’ UEFA Champions League tie against VfB Stuttgart. Gary helped Leeds to a 4–1 victory at Elland Road, scoring one of them with a ‘superb left-foot volley’ which he described as his best-ever goal.
Gary was selected in the PFA Team of the Year for the 1992–93 season. He featured in the 1996 Football League Cup Final defeat by Aston Villa, but would transfer to Everton at the end of the season. Gary had played in 286 games for Leeds United, scoring 54 goals. He ended up playing in nine out of the ten outfield positions at Leeds, although he was predominantly a left-sided player.
“On the morning of my first game as Leeds manager I went in early to watch the kids play and the Under 18s coach Peter Gunby pointed out Gary Speed. You could see he was the real thing and a great example to others.”
“He would turn up early, practise hard and go home late. He didn’t have a forceful personality at that age. I don’t think he ever lost all his shyness completely and his success wasn’t overnight. He was a slow starter.”
“But you could see he had the qualities to grow into a leader, a captain and a manager if that was what he wanted to be. As a player, he was so versatile. Apart from goalkeeper, he must have played for me in every position on the pitch.”
“Above all, he understood the notion of always doing his best for the team. That was an important factor when it comes to understanding who he was as a footballer. He recognised his responsibility to the team and to the group. He was a good lad. I don’t know anybody who didn’t like him.”
Everton 1996-1998
Gary was a childhood Everton fan, and was signed by Joe Royle before the start of the 1996–97 season, for a fee of £3.5 million. He made his debut on 17th August 1996, scoring against Newcastle United. In November of that year, Gary scored a hat-trick, the only one of his career, as a rampant Everton side beat Southampton 7–1 at Goodison Park. Gary finished the season with 11 goals, joint top-scorer with Duncan Ferguson. Gary 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 Gary as Club Captain. However, by the turn of the year the relationship between Gary and Howard had soured. Gary sadly played his last game for the club on 18th January 1998, scoring in a 3–1 win over Chelsea. He was subsequently sold to Newcastle United for £5.5 million. Gary had played 65 games, including 58 Premiership appearances for Everton scoring 18 goals, 16 in the Premiership.
“I remember when we were in talks to sign him. His agent told me: ‘Joe, I’ve been told (by Gary) that this has to happen, so there won’t be too much haggling.’ That summed him up. He was an occasional joiner-inner in the dressing room, if anything on the shy side, and just a lovely boy.”
“The first thing that comes to mind about Speedo is that he was such a good egg - a proper good guy. You always wanted to be in his company off the pitch because he gave you everything on it. He looked after himself, always did everything right.”
“Then there was his laugh. It was the worst laugh you have ever heard but it was just absolutely brilliant!”
“Actually, thinking about it, I shouldn’t have liked him at all. He was good looking, brilliant at football and had such a lovely family. I’d look at myself in the mirror after looking at him and think: ‘Where have I gone wrong?!’”
“I remember we were in Barbados and had played in a tournament out there. We were sat together one morning, having breakfast in the sunshine and he was laughing away.”
Newcastle United 1998-2004
Gary was signed for Newcastle United on 6th 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 2nd 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, Overmars and Anelka the goalscorers.
Gary also featured in the club’s FA Cup Final defeat to Manchester United on 22nd May 1999, Sheringham and Scholes scoring the United goals. 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 29th October 2002. By the time his Newcastle career came to an end he had made 285 games scoring 40 goals.
“It was the way he walked, like a strut, on his toes, and it made Gary Speed look three or four inches taller. When you walk into a dressing room for the first time, players try to suss you out, good or bad, and those early impressions stick. There was confidence there, not arrogance, but a kind of aura. He was measured and quiet to begin with, but his body language said a lot. I’d played against him but didn’t realise quite how good he was until he joined us at Newcastle United in February 1998. He had that gravity-defying leap and a sorcerer’s wand for a left foot. He was brilliant and reliable. Tough. Indestructible.”
“He was 28, but immediately became the standard-bearer for fitness at the club, constantly popping vitamins. In running sessions, he’d lead from the front and I’d be trailing miles behind. He’d look around and laugh… Ah, man, that laugh of his. It was unexpected, high-pitched, squeaky, and your face would melt just hearing it. That was Speedo; always smiling through.”
“Something clicked. We’d do the school run, get into work early and have breakfast. We had the same ideas about professionalism. There was a core of senior players – Rob Lee, Warren Barton, Shay Given, Steve Harper – and we had a Sunday club, where we’d meet in the pub for a couple of pints and watch football. Gary would be first at the bar. That was his personality.”
Bolton Wanderers 2004-2008
Gary 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 1st May 2007, Gary 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.
Gary scored a header for Bolton against Reading on 25th 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 20th October 2007, and passed it on 8th February 2009. It had been reported in December 2007 that Gary was a target for Derby County, but it was confirmed on 24th December 2007 that he would join Sheffield United on loan on 1st January 2008, with a view to a permanent move for a fee of about £250,000. Gary had played 139 games for Bolton scoring 14 goals.
“I signed Gary when he was almost 35 but his stats were like those of a 28-year-old. And he was a rarity in that he just never, ever got injured. David Moyes wanted him back at Everton, too, but we got him and he bought in to every single thing that we were doing back then”
“He was a top player. You don’t achieve what he did without being one. But it was his mentality that stood out. These days most players look to the bench — to their coaches - when big decisions need to be made during a game. Speedo didn’t. He was one of those who just knew instinctively how to adapt. He did it and the others would follow.”
“He was box-to-box and had an incredible engine. Sam used to say: ‘What is he made of?’ His stats were sky high. He was into the yoga, was always in the gym and trained like he played. That rubs off on you and that was one of the reason we had so much success”
“He always had time and was happy to pass on his experiences to the younger players. He wasn’t too vocal but when he said something people listened. He was good fun to be around. You could sit around and listen to his stories about what he has achieved in his career and they were great.”
Sheffield United 2008-2010
Gary 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, Gary 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 10th May 2008, Gary 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.
Gary 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 though and completed the 2010 London Marathon in aid of the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation, the Cancer Charity founded by Gary’s former Newcastle Manager, who had died of the illness in 2009. Gary’s finishing time was 3 hours, 49 minutes and 22 seconds.
Gary 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 although he was never needed, but he was there as always. Gary had played 40 games for Sheffield United scoring 6 goals.
“He came to the club and just wanted to impart his knowledge, help people as much as he could, and if there was a decision to be made, he was more than happy to make it”
“He was a terrific leader of men. This isn’t just people paying lip-service, Speedo was highly regarded. He would go out on the training ground and do that extra bit of work.”
“He worked his socks off and we used to say, ‘Look at Speedo.’ In the last game he played it was just like a young apprentice starting and the enthusiasm just rubbed off on everybody. The training sessions at the club were awesome because Speedo was amongst it and it wasn’t right he wasn’t afraid to nail people and he did it in the right way.”
Wales 1990-2004 & 2010-2011
Gary played for Wales at Youth Level and earned three caps for the Under-21 Team. He played 85 times for the Senior Wales Side, scoring 7 goals, making him the second highest capped player at that time only behind Neville Southall who made 92 appearances until they were both surpassed by Chris Gunter. Gary Captained Wales on 44 occasions. His first appearance for the national side had come on 20th May 1990, in a 1–0 friendly win against Costa Rica at Ninian Park as a 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.
Gary broke the record held by Dean Saunders for most caps by a Welsh outfield player at that time, when he won his 76th against Finland in September 2003. Gary retired from International Football in 2004, after the side’s 3–2 defeat to Poland in a 2006 World Cup qualifier. He had almost qualified for a major championships on three occasions in 1992, 1994 and 2004.
On 11th December 2010, Sheffield United confirmed that they had given Gary permission to talk to the Football Association of Wales over their Managerial Vacancy. With just four months managerial experience, Gary was confirmed as the new Welsh National Team Manager on 14th December 2010.
Gary’s first game as Wales Manager was on the 8th February 2011, in the inaugural Nations Cup, which the Republic of Ireland won 3–0. In August 2011 Wales attained their lowest ever FIFA ranking of 117th. Wales then started winning, with home wins against Montenegro (2-1), Switzerland (2-0) and against Bulgaria (1-0) away. Consequently, in October 2011, Wales were ranked 45th in the World by FIFA. Gary’s last game as manager of Wales was on 12th November 2011, a 4–1 home win in a friendly match against Norway. On 21st December 2011, the day of the final FIFA rankings of the year, Wales were awarded the title of ‘Best Movers of the Year’ having gained more ranking points than any other nation in 2011.
“I remember when Mark Hughes was manager and Gary was one of the best midfielders in the Premier League. He was certainly the best midfielder in Wales. Mark asked Gary to play left back simply because we didn’t have one and he knew Gary could do it with his eyes closed”
“Gary was captain and well within his rights to choose which position he played. But he just said ‘yes’ because that was the kind of man he was. He was for the team all day long and with him at left back we almost got to the finals of Euro 2004. He was a real man, Gary. First to organise a golf day, first on the tee and then first to buy everyone a drink afterwards”
