When Gary Speed appeared on BBC’s Football Focus on Saturday the 26th of November 2011, he was approaching his first anniversary as Wales manager and had plenty to look forward to. Wales had won four of their previous five matches, climbing from 117th to 45th in the world rankings, and Speed had spent the week discussing plans for the country’s next World Cup qualifying campaign. He had travelled to the BBC studios in Salford to join presenter Dan Walker and his former Leeds United teammate Gary McAllister. And when the two met that morning, there was nothing unusual about their conversation. “It was the normal Gary Speed.” “He was a movie star in my eyes.” The pair spent the morning joking with each other, with Speed particularly amused by the jumper McAllister had chosen to wear. They talked about the Wales team and made plans to play golf together when their schedules allowed. “There were no signs, nothing.” Dan Walker had spent several hours with Speed and remembered him asking about his family, discussing his two sons and talking about taking Wales to the 2014 World Cup. “He was just the Gary Speed that I know.” “Just normal Gary stuff.” After the programme, Speed went upstairs to see Alan Shearer and Mark Lawrenson, who were watching Stoke against Blackburn in the Match of the Day production office. Shearer and Speed had become close friends during their time at Newcastle, and the two were already arranging to spend the following weekend together with their wives. Before leaving, Speed shook Walker’s hand and thanked him for having him on the programme. The following morning, Speed’s wife Louise found him dead at their family home. He was just 42 years old. Walker received the news less than twenty-four hours after they had been sitting together in the television studio. “Staggered by the news.” “I genuinely cannot believe it.” McAllister was at home when Alan Shearer rang to tell him what had happened. “It turned me to jelly.” “I couldn’t believe what he was saying.” “It shook me to the bones.” Across football, former teammates struggled to take in the news. At Swansea, Wales internationals Neil Taylor, Joe Allen and Ashley Williams were preparing to face Aston Villa when Brendan Rodgers called them into a room and told them Speed had passed away. Villa goalkeeper Shay Given had been one of Speed’s closest friends at Newcastle. As the teams prepared to kick off, Given stood in his goal crying, while supporters from both clubs joined in a tribute to the Wales manager. For the Wales players, they had lost the man who had started turning their national team around. Speed had taken the job in December 2010 after Wales had fallen to their lowest ever world ranking. He introduced new training methods, improved the professionalism around the squad and began giving younger players greater responsibility. Just two weeks before his death, Wales had beaten Norway 4-1 in Cardiff. It would be his final match as manager. Afterwards, Speed had spoken about how much the team had improved. “We’ve progressed further than I’d have thought in this space of time.” “But we’ve still got a lot of work to do.” One of the players he had placed his faith in was Aaron Ramsey. Despite being only twenty, Ramsey had been given the Wales captaincy earlier that year. Speed believed the Arsenal midfielder could lead the next generation of Welsh players, and Ramsey never forgot that decision. “He means a lot to me.” “To be named captain by him… was a very proud moment.” In January 2012, Chris Coleman was appointed Wales manager. He had been one of Speed’s closest friends and had spoken to his family before accepting the job. Coleman kept much of the backroom staff and continued the improvements Speed had begun. “I carried on some work that Gary Speed had started.” “He set the wheels in motion for that to happen.” The results did not come immediately. Wales struggled through their next World Cup qualifying campaign, and Coleman faced growing pressure after a 6-1 defeat to Serbia. But as Gareth Bale, Ramsey and the rest of the squad developed, the team began winning matches again. In October 2015, Wales qualified for the European Championship, ending a 58-year wait to reach a major tournament. For several of the players, it was a moment they had once dreamed about under Speed. “Gary put a lot of this in place.” “He got us all believing we could achieve.” The following summer, Wales travelled to France for Euro 2016. They beat Slovakia and Russia to finish top of their group before defeating Northern Ireland in the last sixteen. Then came Belgium, one of the favourites to win the tournament. Wales fell behind early but fought back to win 3-1, with goals from Ashley Williams, Hal Robson-Kanu and Sam Vokes sending them into the semi-finals. Five years after Speed’s death, Wales were one match away from a European Championship final. Before their semi-final against Portugal, Williams was asked about the man who had first brought many of the squad together. He remembered Speed giving them their opportunities as young players and wondered what he would have made of their journey. “He’s always in the back of our minds.” “When we achieve something, we think about him.” #football