“If you look at what he’s achieved and for how long he has achieved it, Ryan Giggs is an absolute phenomenon and a fantastic player.” Gary Andrew Speed MBE could easily be describing his own remarkable playing career rather than the one that for a long time ran alongside and subsequently surpassed his own stellar spells which initially began at Elland Road with Leeds United in 1988, playing in the title winning side of 1992 that boasted Gordon Strachan, Gary McAllister and Eric Cantona no less, and finished last year at Sheffield United.
“He’s a credit, you know, I put him up there with Bobby Charlton and Kenny Dalglish as the greatest players Great Britain has ever produced.” Such is his admiration for Manchester United’s evergreen midfielder and indeed former international teammate, he has successfully persuaded the 37-year-old to immerse himself in his new look Wales setup when his commitments with his club allows.
“Ryan came down to the England game for a couple of days and got involved, which was great to see and I think he is very keen to carry on his involvement which is great for me, great for the staff, but more importantly great for the players.” Speed said. “He’s got the Champions League final during our next meet so he won’t be there obviously!”
A new dawn
Charged with guiding a youthful squad of players – lit up by the likes of Tottenham’s Gareth Bale and Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsey – to qualification for a major international tournament for the first time since 1958, a feat that narrowly alluded him as a player in 1993 and 2003, the Premier League’s second most frequent performer of all time - one behind David James on 535 - has set his stall out early in his efforts to reignite Wales’ rapidly fading fortunes on the international arena.
“I’m really enjoying it, really excited and really looking forward to the future. I think our main goal is to get into the 2014 qualifiers with a chance of qualification, so we need to develop and put things in place now that will enable us to do that.” Speed told Sport.co.uk while coaching children from St John’s C Of E Primary School in Barnet, in his capacity as an ambassador for the npower Football League Under 11 Kids Cup Grand Final.
“I think we have a group of players that can make us successful. So the things we’ve put in place, they are taking on board already. We have had a great response from the players and the feedback we have had has been encouraging and made me excited for the future. With the average age of the squad being 23-24, hopefully we have a good long time together.”
Anyone who witnessed Wales’ 2-0 loss to England in Cardiff in March could plainly see the boldly ambitious brand of football Speed is endeavouring to instil in his side. They came up shorter than the two goal deficit suggests, yet the defeat failed to mask some of the enthusiasm and buzz about the direction Speed is intending to take his young side.
Craig Bellamy remarked in the aftermath of the loss, that the preparation and professionalism demanded by John Toshack’s successor was the best he had encountered during his international career.
The striker enthused: “It's been a great week – the best week I've been involved in with Welsh football, for the first time I really see a future and I really see the national team being able to do something.”
Likewise Neville Southall believes Speed’s appointment is a step in the right direction, claiming the former Sheffield United boss - he held the position for just 119 days before accepting the Welsh FA’s invitation in December - has illustrated an understanding of what is required for the country to progress that was sorely lacking under the previous regime.
“He made changes and they had an effect,” Wales’ record appearance holder said. “And that’s more than we ever saw under Toshack, where we would keep on going regardless and keep on making the same mistakes.”
Managerial Influences
Ranked by FIFA as the eighth worst team in Europe - 46th out of 53 or 115th in the world - the job Speed faces is a daunting one, but he maintains his playing career, and in particular what he learned under the late Sir Bobby Robson at Newcastle United, has prepared him for what lies ahead.
“Purely because of his man-management, Bobby Robson was the one I learnt off most, the way he treated his players and the way he looked after his players. When you went out on to that pitch, you would run through a brick wall for him because he was such a nice guy and he wanted to be successful and he wanted everyone to be successful.
“It’s obviously important to get the best out of your players and he was one person that did it naturally. I won’t profess to be as good as him, it was very natural to him, but it just shows if you get the players working for you it’s amazing what you can achieve.”
Speaking to Speed it’s obvious he feels his fledgling managerial career is much better served in the international arena at this juncture. He concedes the round-the-clock, all encompassing nature of club football was a brutal introduction to life as a manager - something he experienced fleetingly with the Blades - and it is far removed from working with Wales.
Prior to accepting the job in December last year, he admits he consulted Mark Hughes, who led Wales superbly despite having no previous management experience.
“I think when Mark left Wales he encouraged me to do it, because it gave him time to think, analyse, prepare and plan, which is very important in football. Obviously being manager of Sheffield United, it’s very, very different in terms of planning and reviewing because the games are so close together and there are so many. It can become difficult to do that sometimes, but obviously with an international job you get lots of time to plan and prepare to make sure when you do get the players together, everything is in place and everything goes like clockwork.”
The mutual respect between the two is palpable and Hughes feels Speed has gone back to basics, inculcating fundamentals that proved fruitful during the current Fulham boss’ tenure with Wales. “There are positive messages coming out of the camp from the players. He’s brought it back to how it was when I was there in terms of professionalism. Maybe that had slipped.”
Ramsey and Bale
Speed’s choice of a new captain, in the shape of the clearly gifted but equally precocious Aaron Ramsey, was from the left field, and according to Arsene Wenger “came a bit early for him”, but he is unashamed about his choice and believes the Arsenal midfielder will in time prove to be the right selection.
Speed explains: “He’s really young and it was a tough decision, but I think looking to the future and the development of the squad, the way he conducts himself and his conduct on the pitch is fantastic. He showed that against the best team in the country, Manchester United, last week.”
Ramsey’s on pitch demeanour is far removed from the best captain Speed played under during his career, but although the vocal Leeds United legend Gordon Strachan “was inspirational and led by example on and off the pitch during a very successful time” the Mancot born 41-year-old feels the aforementioned Emirates playmaker epitomises the values and style of football he wants Wales to play.
“We want players to have the ball, and nobody wants it more than he does. That was the reasoning behind my decision, and hopefully in a couple of years, with greater experience, he can go on to become a great captain for Wales.”
And what of Wales’ other supremely gifted starlet and perhaps the finest player the country has produced since the aforementioned Giggs. Speed is not surprised by Gareth Bale’s remarkable rise to prominence which recently culminated in the PFA Player of the Year award.
“He’s been fantastic and has been a revelation this season,” the former Everton and Bolton Wanderers’ star said. “But it’s no surprise to me because I have watched him play for Wales for three or four years and to be honest, he has been playing like that for a while.
“I know he has been receiving a lot of recognition for Spurs this season but he has perhaps not for Wales. When he scored those goals in the Champions League it came as no surprise to those familiar with his ability. He’s a really down to earth lad, who keeps his feet on the ground and will look to improve and carry on; which is great for him and for Wales.”
With Tottenham looking increasingly likely to surrender their position in the top four this season, does Speed feel his young charge would benefit from playing Champions League football next season amid reputed interest from some of the continent’s leading clubs?
“I think it’s really important for all the players to play as high as they can,” the 85 times capped Welshman remarks. “Andrew Crofts has just got into the Premier League which is great. He has been fantastic for us and has been brilliant for Norwich this season. So the more players we can get playing at the highest level possible, the better. You know, Champions League as well, playing there it adds to the experience and the development.
“But if Wales are going to achieve anything we will need to be a team and have that team ethic to go forward, and individuals like Aaron Ramsey and Gareth Bale will only enhance that.”
Two of Welsh football’s finest servants
Gary Speed made his international debut a year before Ryan Giggs, and like his fellow Welsh legend, he credits yoga as “probably the most important thing that kept me going towards the end” of his lengthy playing career. The similarities and synchronicity between the two mutually appreciated figures is noticeable, particularly when Speed is talking about his illustrious compatriot and how he continues to defy his advancing years.
“Dedication and looking after yourself.” The Wales manager said. “Looking at Ryan, in his earlier days as a young whippersnapper, he did struggle with injury because he was so quick and so agile.
“He’s overcome that purely from dedication, the way he prepares his body and the way he prepares himself. He wouldn’t have played half the games he had done were it not for him taking time out to get over and prevent injuries which is of massive importance.
“The game changes all the time and its moving forward with different techniques being implemented throughout the game. I know when I was getting to the end of my career I was trying to take everything on board just to keep me going. Some things worked, others didn’t, but you give everything a go and Ryan has obviously done that. People look at him, and they will be doing exactly the same if they have got any sense.”
Although Giggs continues to spearhead Manchester United’s assault on yet another Premier League title, Speed’s playing career was characterised by a professionalism and dedication to his craft that enabled him to enjoy one of the longest Premier League careers to date. It is that same drive and determination which appears to be fuelling his brief but equally intriguing managerial career. While one of Welsh football’s favourite sons continues to rewrite his club’s history books, the other is venturing to write a new one for his country.
Gary Speed is an ambassador for the npower Football League Under 11 Kids Cup and was speaking from Barnet, where the 41-year-old was coaching team members of St John’s C of E Primary School, who will be representing their local Football League club Barnet FC, in the League 2 Grand Final at Old Trafford on 28th May 2011.
The npower Football League Kids Cup was formerly known as The Football League Community Cup. Each year more than 2,500 schools take part in the two competitions. The road to the Finals started in September 2010 with each Football League club organising a competition for all local schools wishing to take part. The winners of these regional competitions then progress to area and national phases of the competition, where they will face schools representing other League clubs.
