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Premiership Capsules - Gary Speed

Jim Grimason

12/6/07

This week, 1 year ago....

Gary Speed made his 500th Premiership appearance in an impressive 4 - 0 win for Bolton over West Ham, making him the first player in the history of the Premier League to reach this milestone. It is a fine achievement in the modern game, a true mark of consistency and fitness at the highest level English football has to offer.

Speed was born in Mancot, Wales on 8th September 1969 and made his debut for Leeds United in 1989 after coming through their youth ranks. He helped them clinch promotion from the old 2nd Division in 1990. The Welshman then went one better by starring in the old 1st Division Championship winning side of 1992. It was a historic year as it was the final season before the birth of the Premier League. Speed played in all but one match, proving a key piece of the midfield that also included Gary McAllister and Gordon Strachan.

Despite Speed being a consistent performer, Leeds crumbled in the seasons to follow with their only achievement being a League Cup final appearance against Aston Villa in 1996 which ended in a humiliating 3 - 0 defeat. That summer, the midfield dynamo decided it was time to move on when the team he supported as a boy, Everton, came calling. The Toffee’s paid 3.5 million pounds for his services and on signing, Speed was quoted as saying, “This was always my club. I used to come across from North Wales to watch them play from around the age of 12. My dream was to play for the club and it’s never really faded.’’

His first term with Everton was not particularly good as they narrowly avoided relegation but on a personal level it was positive as he was the club’s joint top goal scorer, earning him the club’s player of the season award. His second season at the club was not so bright, it began with him being sensationally made captain directly before the first game of the season by manager Howard Kendall. It has been rumoured that this was to set him up for what was to follow later in the year but due to a confidentiality agreement the truth has never been made public by any of the parties involved; Gary Speed, Howard Kendall and Speed’s agent Hayden Evans.

Whatever did happen remains a mystery but Speed refused to travel with the team for an away game at West Ham in January 1998 having been supposedly tipped off that he was going to be dropped. Shortly afterward he joined Newcastle leaving Evertonians furious, branding him Judas and claiming he left the club he supports for a pay rise.

It didn’t take long for him to resurrect his career however, as he helped Newcastle to successive FA Cup finals against Arsenal and Manchester United respectively. They lost both, one under the management of Kenny Dalglish the other under Ruud Gullit but it would be Gullit’s successor Bobby Robson that would get the best out of the attack-minded Welshman. He twice helped the Magpies into the Champions League with his consistent displays and weighed in with some vital goals from midfield. As it was coming towards the end of his career, Newcastle decided to let him move to Bolton Wanderers in the summer of 2004 for 750,000 pounds. On leaving Robson paid his respect by claiming that, “He and Alan Shearer are the finest role models, on and off the pitch, you can get in football.”

After joining Bolton, manager Sam Allardyce would get the best out of Speed as he helped them into the UEFA Cup, playing in every league game that year. Another two successful seasons followed as the Trotters continued to finish in the top half of the table. A mark of respect was shown to Speed when he was appointed player-coach following Allardyce’s decision to leave the club towards the back end of last season. Speed finished the term with 8 league goals and was once again ever-present in the side that eventually finished 7th and qualified for the UEFA Cup for the second time in 3 attempts. Remarkable form for a 37 year old. At the beginning of this campaign he stepped down from his coaching role but has continued playing and he now not only holds the record for Premiership appearances he is also the only player along with fellow Welshman Ryan Giggs to have scored in every season since it’s existence.

On top of his club teams, Speed also had a strong international career representing Wales on 85 occasions, scoring 7 times and is their most capped player of all time. The competitive midfielder was captaining his country up to his retirement in October 2004. When Mark Hughes stepped down from his managerial post he recommended Speed as his replacement, however he decided to focus on his playing career but is hotly tipped to someday manage the national team.

For sure Gary Speed never had the ability, skill or limelight as some of the stars of the Premiership but his dependability, work-rate and consistency represent a true mark of professionalism.