Gary Speed
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| Gary Speed | ||
| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Gary Speed | |
| Date of birth | September 8, 1969 | |
| Place of birth | Mancot, Wales | |
| Height | 1.81 m (5 ft 111⁄2 in) | |
| Playing position | Midfielder | |
| Club information | ||
| Current club | Sheffield United |
|
| Number | 15 | |
| Senior clubs1 | ||
| Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
| 1988–1996 1996–1998 1998–2004 2004–2008 2008 |
Leeds United Everton Newcastle United Bolton Wanderers Sheffield United |
248 (39) 58 (15) 213 (29) 121 (14) 20 (3) |
| National team2 | ||
| 1990–2004 | Wales | 85 (7) |
|
1 Senior club appearances and goals |
||
Gary Speed (born September 8, 1969 in Mancot, Wales) is a Welsh footballer, who plays in midfield. He is currently playing for Sheffield United. He was also captain for the Welsh national team until he retired from international football in 2004.
Contents |
[edit] Club career
[edit] Early career
Speed began his career with Leeds United, playing a key role as they won the First Division championship title in 1992. He moved to Everton in 1996, for a fee of £3.5 million.[1]
[edit] Newcastle United
Speed was club captain at Everton, but moved to Newcastle United in 1998 for a fee of £5.5m,[2] in controversial circumstances, and while during his six years there he became the club's most dependable midfielder. Speed featured in the club's FA Cup Final defeats by Arsenal in 1998 and by Manchester United in 1999. He also played in the UEFA Champions League with Newcastle in season 2002-3.
Newcastle's manager, Sir Bobby Robson, was sorry to see Speed leave the club, and acknowledged that he would do very well for Bolton Wanderers.[citation needed]
[edit] Bolton Wanderers
Speed moved to Bolton Wanderers on a two-year deal in a £750,000 switch from Newcastle United in July 2004.[3] He became the first player to make 500 Premiership appearances when he played in Bolton's 4-0 victory over West Ham United in December 2006.[4]
On May 1, 2007, Gary Speed was named as the First Team coach for Bolton after Sam Allardyce stepped down from his job.[5] However in October, he left the coaching job and returned to being just a player with the club. Conflicting reports of the incident claim then manager Sammy Lee relieved him of his duties to concentrate on playing however Speed, in an interview with the Bolton News, claims he chose to step down.[6]
Speed scored a header for Bolton against Reading on August 25, 2007, making him the only player to have scored in every Premiership season to date. On October 20, 2007, Ryan Giggs matched this achievement with a deflected shot at Aston Villa.[citation needed] It had been reported in December 2007 that Speed was a target for Derby County, but it was confirmed on 24 December 2007 that he would join Sheffield United on loan on 1 January 2008, with a view to a permanent move for a fee of about £250,000.[7]
[edit] Sheffield United
Speed made his first team debut on the day of his transfer - being named in the starting eleven for a 0-0 away draw against Wolves on New Years Day 2008.[8] He played regularly for the rest of the season and deputised as captain when Chris Morgan was unavailable. Having seen his penalty parried Speed netted the rebound to score his first goal for the Blades in a victory over Coventry in March of that year.[9] He went on to finish the season on three goals for the Blades , scoring both goals in a 2-1 home victory over Bristol City in the penultimate game of the 2007-08 season.[10]
[edit] International career
Speed had been capped for Wales 85 times, second in the all-time list only to Neville Southall. He retired from international football in 2004 after the side's 3-2 defeat to Poland in a World Cup qualifier.[11] After his retirement from international football, he was recommended to take up the mantle of Wales' manager, by both the former manager Mark Hughes and fellow Welsh midfielder Robbie Savage.
[edit] Personal life
As a child, he went to Hawarden High School. He supported Everton as a youngster.
[edit] Notes
- ^ BBC SPORT | Football | My Club | Bolton Wanderers | Speed joins Bolton
- ^ BBC SPORT | Football | My Club | Bolton Wanderers | Speed joins Bolton
- ^ "Speed joins Bolton", BBC Sport, 2004-07-21. Retrieved on 2007-12-25.
- ^ "Shearer lauds record-making Speed", BBC Sport, 2006-12-11. Retrieved on 2008-05-21.
- ^ Speed Appointed As First Team Coach - BWFC Official Site
- ^ "Speed relieved of coaching duties" BBC Sport Retrieved on 11 October 2007
- ^ "Blades agree deal to sign Speed", BBC Sport, 2003-12-24. Retrieved on 2007-12-25.
- ^ "Wolves 0-0 Sheff Utd", BBC Sport, 2008-01-01. Retrieved on 2008-02-04.
- ^ "Sheff Utd 2-1 Coventry", BBC Sport, 2008-03-11. Retrieved on 2008-03-12.
- ^ "Sheff Utd 2-1 Bristol City", BBC Sport, 2008-04-26. Retrieved on 2008-05-24.
- ^ "Speed retires from Wales", BBC Sport, 2004-10-13. Retrieved on 2008-05-21.
[edit] External links
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