Football’s proud day

Sunday, 04/12/2011

It was the day football remembered. It was the day football showed its caring side.

From Newcastle to London thousands of fans paid their tributes to Gary Speed.

I am sure I was not alone in having tears in my eyes at the amazing farewells to a very special player and person.

Emotions have run high since the sad passing of Speed last week but could any of us actually have imagined the fantastic homage paid to the Wales manager?

It began with his first club Leeds where fans chanted the midfielder's name for 11 minutes from the 11th minute to commemorate the number of the shirt he wore.

Newcastle had been asked by Speed's widow Louise to postpone their special celebration until she could be there. It will now be held at the home game against Swansea – fitting for a Welsh side to be at St. James' Park.

But the Geordie fans could not let the day pass without paying their own respects to a player they took to their hearts. The chants were there, the singing, the applause, and billboards around the ground bearing Gary Speed's name and the word Legend.

Who could fail to feel for Newcastle No.2 John Carver, a coach who had worked closely with Speed and who had to be consoled on the touchline by the fourth official. Carver's tears said it all.

And at Sheffield United, the club where Speed finished his playing career, there was the same mass affection and the same sea of shirts paying tribute to the man.

Then down the M1 at Tottenham, where another of his teams Bolton were playing, there were more respects and fittingly one of his Wales players scored the first goal.

But that was not enough for Tottenham's Gareth Bale who'd had the words 'RIP Gary Speed' stitched into his boots.

Elsewhere around the country there was the silence, the applause and respects for a man who had made such a mark, had such an impact on the game.

And on Sunday Everton had former team-mates of Speed on the pitch at Goodison Park before the clash with Stoke – plus the player's father, Roger, who witnessed a minute's applause.

There were lots of banners with very apt words but the one that grabbed my attention was at Newcastle, where they lost their popular manager Sir Bobby Robson two years ago.

It quite simply said: 'Look after him Bobby'.

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