FAW announce the death of Gary Speed

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No more info other than the banner on BBC Sport website, but wow

Really feel for his family.

Extremely sad news RIP Speed, a true Welsh legend

Shay Given was crying after the minute's silence.

Horrendous news, hard to believe, always one guy I thought highly of as a player, he must have had some serious problems

invincibleILeak (CL-6WF) wrote:Shay Given was crying after the minute's silence.

It was his pal, played together for years at Newcastle

Unbelievable news.

RIP Gary Speed.

Just watching the Liverpool game and they've just done the minutes silence, it's surreal it still hasn't sunk in what's happened

Moving interview with Robbie Savage on BBC News earlier. He almost broke down crying, he was so shocked and devastated. Robbie said Gary seemed absolutely fine yesterday, and there was nothing in his personal life that would suggest he would do such a thing.

Speed always seemed like a true ambassador of the game. A model professional with an extremely level head on his shoulders.

This has come completely out of the blue. Absolutely staggering news.

RIP Gary. A True Legend.

What a fantastic ambassador to sport , true gentleman on and off the pitch , inspirational , leader , role model - everything that every player in the modern game should aspire to be. My favorite player of all time

RIP Gary Speed , a legend

Celtic Warrior wrote:Speed always seemed like a true ambassador of the game. A model professional with an extremely level head on his shoulders.

This has come completely out of the blue. Absolutely staggering news.

RIP Gary. A True Legend.

+1

Does anyone think it could be gambling debts or an affair?

Smirnoffpriest wrote:

Celtic Warrior wrote:Speed always seemed like a true ambassador of the game. A model professional with an extremely level head on his shoulders.

This has come completely out of the blue. Absolutely staggering news.

RIP Gary. A True Legend.

+1

You are all jumping the gun...He was found hung..it doesn't mean to say it was suicide does it????

Michael Hutchence...David Carradine and a BBC presenter were found hung too.....

Hope this isn't the case but a guy winning with Wales...millionnaire ten times over...no history of mental health problems and with a beautiful wife and family taking his own life????

Seems unlikely he'd take it..but you know stranger things have happened..

Nice guy...talented and down to Earth...sorry he's gone and rip..

If he did take his own life I'm sorry his last few moments on Earth were so upsetting for him too..

Tragic news. He was a fantastic pro, seemed universally liked and respected and was doing a great with Wales.

RIP.

Apperently, not sure though, a dodgy story is about to break.

Where you heard the rumour from UN?

I wouldn't like to think Speed hung himself, but it's even worse to think someone would do that to him. Police said it wasn't suspicious so they must be quite sure.

Why do you think a hanging might not be suspicious?????

think about it..

Chill out guys. It was suicide. Nothing more sinister than that (though there will be awkward questions in the next few days). No need to go over it now though. It will remain a big story for some time but I don't think it's time to question the motives yet.

When the reasons come out I hope there isn't a big scandal but now isn't the time to be considering it. For the moment it's the wife and children that need consideration

Absolutely...I was just pointing out that some people regard suicide as the cowards way out (I don't) and it may not be the case....

Whatever results...certainly someone to be highly respected and a tragic loss for sure..

it is very tragic, and davie is right, the wife and children need some privacy through this tragic time.

Really hope the gutter press leave them be.

Crazy, just watched him on Football Focus yesterday.

He was on MOTD and seemed fine with absolutely no tell tale signs of trouble, yet I some how feel that this wasn't an accident.

Those who know him spoke of nothing being wrong. It just doesn't add up.

Extremely little logic to his hanging.

The picture isn't together but scattered like a puzzle.

Churchill wrote:Really hope the gutter press leave them be.

Nah, the Daily Star will be all over them, looking for a picture of sadness and pretending to be sad when in actual fact (and I don't mean to be rude or disrespectful here at all) they revel in stories like this, something sinister with a well known figure.

I really admired Gary Speed with everything he did to turnaround the Welsh football team. I'll feel better in the morning, I hope.

Churchill wrote:Where you heard the rumour from UN?

I wouldn't like to think Speed hung himself, but it's even worse to think someone would do that to him. Police said it wasn't suspicious so they must be quite sure.

That's not the story he's referring to.

Welsh football has lost a servant of unquestionable devotion and character. I would hope he didn't take his own life but the circumstances are for discussing later. For now great respect to a fantastic player and manager while it lasted, couldn't have come at a worse time for Wales. Thoughts go out to his family in these terrible times.

RIP Gary

Sad sad news. The volume of and nature of the tributes show how well liked and respected he was. Thoughts are with his family.

RIP

This is really hard to take in, Garry speed was not just a top professional but a top bloke and played the game the way it should be with dedication, passion and commitment. I am so shocked that man of his characteristics would kill himself especially when he had so much to live for in and out of the game, im sure the tabloid journalists will have been digging all night and we might just find out some more information today.

Regardless of your motives, RIP Garry Speed.

Some cracking tributes in the papers, especially the broadsheets. The Sun typically miss the point with their headline. Bunch of mindless fools.

WHat was the Sun headline King Beer? (Though I dread to think).

I'm stilled shocked at whats happened and am shocked that someone can succeed in such a high pressure job, be an over achiever (and all professional sports stars - particularly footballers are over achievers), be a committed athlete and manage a group of highly paid, highly talented stars can be suffering from depression!

But it's a weird and powerful thing depression, and I suppose being under huge amounts of pressure can bring it on. And it can be deeply personal and private with many close friends/family having no idea about it.

RIP Speedy

No one has said it was depression as far as I can tell.

There's been mention of it in papers and Tweets and links to Stan Collymore's interview from Saturday talking about depression in football - there's nothing official or any sort of proof come out yet - but it would seem more likely that it was depression causing someone to do this, rather than other things like it being accidental (like M Hutchinson).

But I suppose it's a moot point in the end - it's not going to make much difference one way or another what it was - we've still lost (from my POV) a great footballer and role model for youngsters and (seemingly from everyone who knew him personally) a great guy and a good friend.

Being a massive Leeds fan this affected me in a big way, as I grew up with him, so it seemed, as i watched him develop from a kid into a top midfield player who scored goals and created as well as put his foot in.

I watched him and Macallister on Saturday afternnon, on footy focus, and it brought back some great memories, because after watching the garbage that goes on nowadays at Elland Road, brought it all back. Sunday morning I'm watching goals on sunday with Chris kamara and Vinny Jones, and thinking wow, these 2 were also around when Speed was coming through the ranks and also mates, and within minutes the anouncement came that gary had hung himself. Surreal is not the word, I was just gobsmacked.

Whenever some tragedy happens, or someone famouse dies, you can guarantee to get a text message shortly after, and I've laughed with everyone else. The first time I can remember, that this never happened was when Bobby Robson died, So you can only assume that the respect people had for him meant nobody wanted to take a shot. There's no gary Speed jokes flying around, so obviously he's seen as another good guy, and I'm chuffed about that. Although we will probably never know why, unless some garbage red top rag contacted him last Saturday night ......

At Elland Road Tomoz, we will see a massive tribute to Gary, which will include a televised montage of his goals and interviews, also his old team mates from that title winning side which will include his best mate David Batty, his mentor Gordon Strachan and of course Macca. I know there are also tributes planned at Everton, newcastle, Bolton and Sheffield, as well as in Wales.

You never appreciate how good some players wewre, until you don't have them anymore.

OMG - those names are a blast from the past - especially David Batty and Gary McCallister - though I maybe slightly youngser than you and remember Batty and Colin Hendry at Blackburn and Gary Speed being immense at Newcastle.

There was an emotional tribute to him at the Swansea game - and it really says something about a player where he can inspire such respect from rivals around the country - Cardiff and Swansea, Everton and Liverpool, Leeds and Man U and many more...
RIP Speedy