I just watched the Gary Speed special I recorded after the match last night. Did anyone else see it? I found it a great watch and a testament to how great he was. It also made me realise he was criminally underrated in his time. With that in mind what are your thoughts on Speedo?
This. So tragic. Brilliant piece of TV. Sounds like he was well respected and liked by all who knew him.I know it's easy to speak well if thd dead, but it all truly seemed sincere. I honestly thought Howard Wilkinsin was going to cry. Just shows what an impact he had on and off the pitch. I genuinely don't think they make them like that now.Quality player, good leader, lovely man, departed way too soon.
I might be the odd one out but my first recollection of GS was that he was not particularly good or effective. Can't remember when or any precise moment but after, from my memory, a poor start GS just seemed to improve game on game to the extent he became one of the unsung heroes of the team. He was the Mr Dependable rarely the "superstar" but always a 7 or 8 out of 10 with the occasional 9 out of 10. Shearer could give you a 10 out of 10 such as the hat trick against Leicester but would also give you a 6 out of 10. He also came across as a decent, honest hard working man who always tried his hardest. I never met him but conversely never heard a bad word against him. An absolute tragedy the way his life ended especially for his family and no-one, save those unfortunate to suffer the same demons, will ever understand why he did what he did. RIP
High quality player. His longevity showed he was a great pro, very dedicated. Impossible to speculate on his mental health of course but many reports suggest he was a glass half empty kind of guy, and that when he lost the playing side of the game it took a lot away from him. Whether that is or isn't the case we should look closer at how sportsmen adapt after their career ends. Its very easy to say "Ah **** off, they are minted, they had the life of Reilly". Reality is its like a drug, with the adulation and the fact you commit so much of the cherished years of your adult life to it. I was listening to Flintoff the other day. he is still pining for cricket despite all the things he has done through TV etc after his retirement. This is a guy who knew he had to retire as his body gave up on him. Others find their body can't do what they need it to to compete. Wrapping your head around that is probably tough, particularly when you were really good at it.Boxers are another prime example. There are only so many punditry jobs across all sports - what happens to the rest? Love Speed though, one of the best footballers I've seen pull on the shirt in terms of the all round package of ability, commitment, professionalism. Him, Shearer and Lee epitomised what you want from a footballer. Laden with ability but back it up with the mentality. There were more talented players like Ginola, probably even harder working players in some extreme cases, but they had everything.
I remember after it happened and in the back end of the phone hacking scandals the press used his death as part of their pitch (well when i say press it was the Mail I believe) That they should be able to give you more about this but can't because they were being hamstrung. I believe in freedom of the press but that was a cheap blow to push an agenda that really left a bitter taste in my mouth. But that's another rant for another day. The first toon team I followed was from when we had our intertoto cup game against Troyes under sir Bobby. I was only you then and made my parent stay whilst i waited for autographs when we went to games I remember him being just a really top bloke and a giant compared to me at the time. But a fond memory i have is on the Shearer documentary him talking about scoring a free kick for Newcastle and how he was never allowed to take one again as that was Shearer territory always made me chuckle.
Very underrated i agree but not as underrated as rob lee Miss speedo look at him compared to colback for Christ sake
Me too Trev. I even remember a time in one of the games, where three absolute baboons tried to lynch a guy who wasn't even taking part. Imagine that...
Both similar players and both where classy. Lee and speed I mean. Rob lee made me fall in love with nufc. I also like lee Clark.
We have had Gascoigne, Beardsley, Waddle, Ginola, Shearer, Cole etc in modern imes and you fall in love with NUFC because of Robert Lee!! Don't get me wrong I thought he was an excellent player for us but... It's like preferring Miss Stoke on Trent to Miss World!!!