Anything like this... it’s could ever experience’
for money. One day, I went to his house when he was with Newcastle United and he asked me if I wanted any boots. It was up to me what I did with them, maybe sell them to make a few quid to ease the debts. I ended up coming out of his garage with around 30 pairs. That’s how generous he was. I will never forget his kindness.
Joe Royle – FA Cupwinning Everton manager signed Gary, a boyhood Blue, in 1996: I was driving to Oldham on family business when one of my sons rang me asking if I’d heard that Gary Speed had died and it was suspected suicide. Without one ounce of exaggeration, I nearly veered off the motorway. Then the news started coming out about the tragedy, although it was still very hard to comprehend – a beautiful young man, a certainty sometime in the future to manage a Premier League club, probably Everton. The whole thing is a mystery. A total mystery. I can’t believe how he could have left two boys who he adored behind in the manner he did.
Barry Horne – former Wales captain and a teacher at the school Gary’s two sons attended: I’d been with him the day before. He had been watching one of his sons, Tommy, play football at King’s School, Chester, where I am a teacher. We had a chat and he was clearly making plans for the future in his job as Wales manager. He was talking about possible staff changes. It was obvious Gary doted on his two lads. He was brilliant because although he adored them, at the same time he put them right. He wasn’t blinkered. He brought them up strictly. They had impeccable manners. For want of a better phrase, he didn’t blow smoke up their arses. He kept them well and truly grounded. Some parents think their son is always the man of the match, the best player. Gary was definitely not one of those.
John Hartson – former Wales team-mate of Gary’s who fought a battle with cancer: My mother came around to the house because I had phoned her to tell her the news. She gave me a little glass of whisky to calm me down a bit. We ended up spending the afternoon reminiscing about Gary, hardly believing we were talking about him no longer being with us. It’s strange to think I fought like hell to beat my cancer and feel lucky to still be here whereas Gary, who appeared to have everything, ended his own life. All I can think is that he was in a very dark place at the time. Maybe he was suffering inside. But he never shared that. That really eats me up.
Robbie Savage – taken under Gary’s wing after breaking into the Wales squad, the pair became close friends: Just three weeks before he left us, Gary and his wife Louise had been on the front row watching me on BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing show. I’d just done the jive and we shared a high-five. It was great to see he was so proud of me. I know he loved Strictly. I had an inkling, he would have loved a go at it. We can’t speculate about why Gary took the action he did. But what I do know is the most important thing if you are ever feeling low is to talk to someone. Pick up the phone to someone. There are so many helpful organisations out there and, of course, you’ve got your mates.
Terry McDermott – helped sign Gary for Newcastle: Every May, at the end of the season, a group of us, including Speedo, would head off to a place Alan Shearer had in Portugal. It was always the same eight people packing our golf clubs and playing in the sunshine, for seven or eight years running. We had the most unbelievable laughs in addition to alcoholic poisoning! Once Speedo left us we never repeated the golfing week. When he died a part of us died with him. No-one said we were knocking it on the head. It just didn’t happen again. I miss this week a lot. But I miss Speedo a hell of a lot more.
Gary Speed: Unspoken – The Family’s Untold Story, by John Richardson and published by Sport Media, is priced £18.99 and on sale tomorrow.
Louise Speed is not receiving any proceeds from the book. At her request, we are making a donation to the Heads Together campaign.
If you are having problems coping, you can call the Samaritans, 24/7, on 116 123
Tomorrow: Don’t miss the fourth and final instalment in our serialisation of the new book.