God Speed – A Tribute to Gary Speed

by

Roy Stannard has written this poetical tribute to Gary Speed.  He says “I thought it would be good to compose something that deals with the Celtic and Welsh heritage of the man. Ideally it should be read in the wonderful rich tones of a Richard Burton as in his reading of Under Milk Wood‘ .

 

God Speed

God Speed you. Black and white Emperor.

Pure breath of granite hewed from the ground of Flintshire

where dragons fly and the hills sigh for the business of dreaming.

You were already formed as a warrior

As the Merlin alchemists mixed your being together

In the days before the men of Harlech began to sing your name

when your promise whirled and eddied from the valleys,

tendrils of smoke from the miners’ fires gathered

and formed on the terraces of Leeds, Everton, Newcastle and Bolton

where working men admired the chiselled stare, the rapier pass and the Aquila dribble

A club man that darted, never clubbed.

You served in the football trenches with McAllister, Batty and Strachan,

going over the top with them,

comrades in no man’s land, where even the enemy ceased firing to admire you.

You were the midfield General, the Captain and Sergeant of armbands

You played them at your own game

You did not go gently into the night

You were the black on the white, the raven hair and pithead eyes burning coals on the turf.

You saw the whites of their eyes and flayed them with black and white stripes.

And yet, the gentle cleft of your jaw, the downhill saunter of your nose,

were a softer frame for the imperial neck, a pedestal, a clenched life raised in victory,

the full motion slide on grass, cutting your legend into the soil,

a fighter blooding his territory with over 500 battle cries.

Many were victories, but you couldn’t win them all.

Your legend will grow in your passing.

When your foe faced you, you vanquished him.

But when he came to live within, you vanished.

God Speed you. The Emperor who did not fade to grey.

 

(c) Roy Stannard. 30th November 2011 (for Gary Speed 8.9.69 – 27.11.11)

 

 

Roy’s website: www.roystannard.wordpress.com

Gary Speed suicide shocks football and beyond

by

Gary Speed suicide shocks football and beyond Gary Speed had already insured a legacy as one of his generation’s finest players. As the manager of the Welsh side he had only really just begun his task and it this has ended all too soon. Speed began his career when the Premier League was just starting and he quickly became an icon in the sport and one of the best players in English football. He played for Everton, Bolton, Leeds, and Newcastle.

After playing for these sides he went on to play at Sheffield United eventually accepting a job managing the team. After this he became manager of Wales, the country which he is from. During the time the Speed was in charge of the Welsh national side saw great improvements, and this is something that all teams that were managed by Mr Speed benefited from. He has recently died aged 42 and he is survived by his wife and two sons.

Gary Speed was born in 1969 in Mancot and eventually moved to Leeds when he was given a professional football contract. He played midfield at the side and his fellow players had a big influence on his game. He was known for being a professional and had a great focus on the sport. Despite early promise and excellent playing during his career he only won cups during the start of his career which was a surprise to many people who watched him play.

As he continued to play the sports it seemed that age did not affected his game and even late in his career he was seen playing in several FA Cup finals although unfortunately these were lost to Manchester United and Arsenal. He was also on the side that reached the Champions League final in 2003. All of this occurred while he was playing for Newcastle.

He was the first football player to ever have appeared in 500 Premier league games and he achieved this in 2006. After this he accepted a position as the coach at Bolton that he decided he wanted to return to play the game in 2008 where he played for Sheffield United. After a while he took the position of managing the club.

When he took over the lead position at Wales he showed himself to be a bold and forwardthinking leader and appointed Aaron Ramsey as the captain of the side – despite only being 20 years old. The side also had very few footballing stars but he still managed to turn the side around after a disappointing start. Craig Bellamy and Gareth Dale were some of the stars that he empowered on the team and he relied on them to bring Wales’s victory.

His death was announced by the football Association of Wales on the weekend and has been met in the footballing community with great shock and sympathy. In recent matches his team had been very successful having won five out of the last seven matches. One of the most impressive victories was over Norway where the Welsh team beat them by four goals to one. Wales had been climbing up in the FIFA rankings at a great pace and it is hoped that whoever takes over as manager of the team will be able to continue the great work that Gary Speed has brought to the side.