Wales is still Gary Speed’s team

Almost five years ago, Sky Sports News reporter Bryn Law found himself being questioned by his own network. He was being asked about the death of his good friend and former Wales manager Gary Speed, who he had known for over 20 years. An emotional Law began by talking about the last time he had interviewed Speed, after Wales had defeated Norway 4-1 in a friendly. Norway was 21 places above Wales in the FIFA rankings at the time and Speed had been delighted by the result. Speed saw the match as the beginning of something special for his team.

It was another victory, their third consecutive, that signaled a bright future for the oft-forgotten country and their young and ambitious groups of players. And Gary Speed had been the catalyst for the renaissance. He had not only infused the team with a style of play that was both pleasing to the eye and successful, but he had also changed the overall culture surrounding them. From one where players were content to miss call-ups, using the excuse of dubious injuries for justification to a situation where the opposite was true. They had fallen in love with the team, its path and Speed himself to the point of constantly playing through pain. It’s not ideal, but still, it shows the attraction of Speed’s revolution.

He, along with other coaches and the Football Association of Wales, took on the mission of revamping the entire national team system. They looked to create a product that would develop, nurture and reward talent through all levels, so that youth players were not allowed to fall by the wayside before reaching the full first team. It was task that could only be undertaken with a spearhead that could instill hope in those same players. A manager that could turn the lowly Welsh side into something to strive for.

Speed did that and threatened to do even more. In his short time in charge, he took Wales from 116th in the world to 48th.

In that same interview, Law told of a tradition between him and Speed. Whenever Speed saw the gray-haired Law --both were the same age-- on television, he would send him a message joking about his friend’s gray hair. The last one he sent read, “First snow of the year has fallen in parts of West Yorkshire.” Law responded. Their next communication would be Law asking Speed to give him a call because there was a sick rumor about him going around. There was no response.

Gary Speed was found dead in his home on Nov. 27, 2011, at the age of 42. His wife discovered his body hanged in the garage of their house. While it was treated as suicide, the verdict from the coroner at the inquest of his death suggested that he did not intend to kill himself, but rather to make a dramatic gesture. Football management had strained his marriage and he often found himself arguing with his wife. He had texted her suggesting that he would take his own life just a few days before the incident, before dismissing the idea.

He died as the most capped player for the national side.

After that Norway victory, Speed’s last match in charge, Wales lost their next five games. They won just one -- out of a possible seven -- in the whole of 2012, defeating Scotland 2-1. Three of those losses were in the qualifiers for the 2014 World Cup, and after losing another three games in the qualification the next year, their journey to play in the finals was over.

The lowest point of that post-death, somber era was a 6-1 embarrassment against Serbia in September of 2012. They had hit rock bottom.

Craig Bellamy admitted to the psychological block caused by Speed’s death when he spoke to his teammates after the match: “Lads, I know it’s hard but we’ve got to get ourselves out of this [...] I am the worst of all, I know. It’s there in my head. I’m trying to forget about it but it’s still in there, all of the time. I know it’s hard for everyone but we’ve somehow got to move on.”

It took until 2014 for Wales to find their feet under Chris Coleman, who had taken over after Speed’s death. He had to rescue the players. While they had failed to qualify for the last two tournaments, their abilities were still without question. This was a team with Gareth Bale, Aaron Ramsey and Joe Allen, one that has proved in the past that when they play together, as they did under Speed, that they can challenge anyone. They needed to rally quickly or risk not qualifying for Euro 2016.

Coleman, by making seemingly small changes intended to shake up the comfort and reality of the players, including taking away the captaincy from Ramsey, managed to save them. Ramsey was very close to Speed and felt the pressure of both his own sadness and the task of helping his teammates move through theirs. The change gave Ashley Williams, a more headstrong candidate, the opportunity to galvanize his subordinates while giving Ramsey a chance to grieve and move forward alone.

Wales started off their Euro 2016 campaign by winning their first two matches and drawing another two in 2014. One of those draws was against Belgium. Then, 2015 saw them win four out of a possible six, including a 1-0 victory against the same Belgium thanks to an early Bale goal. It was Belgium’s first loss since their quarterfinals exit in the World Cup. Wales also drew another before losing against Bosnia and Herzegovina.

That defeat against Bosnia would mean little as Cyprus defeated Israel soon after, ensuring that Wales would finish in a top-two spot. They had qualified. It was their first finals of a major tournament since the 1958 World Cup in Sweden. They were also ranked ninth in the world, an unbelievable achievement considering their despair just a few years prior.

On the first day of July 2016, Wales beat Belgium again. This time it came in the quarterfinals of the 2016 European Championships. It meant that Wales had reached the first semifinal of a major tournament in their country’s history in just their first appearance. A thunderous Radja Nainggolan goal was cancelled out by a WIlliams header, before Hal Robson-Kanu and Sam Vokes sealed the unprecedented victory. Robson-Kanu’s goal especially was a thing of beauty.

As the team celebrated and praise was lauded upon them, the audience was reminded to also remember Gary Speed at that time. After all, this was the fruition of his work. Wales had achieved and vindicated his ambition. These players, Bale, Robson-Kanu, Ramsey, Williams, Wayne Hennessey and Vokes were all there for the win against Norway. They were still the men who toiled and dreamt with him when the team had no right to see themselves at such heights. They were still his players.

For all of the hard work of Coleman, and the abilities of each individual player and their cohesiveness as a group, Wales could have still drowned had they not made a vital change. They loved Gary Speed, the country and the footballing world did as well. But they needed to free themselves of his death. Not to move on, but as stated by many of the players before the tournament, they had to find a different way to mourn him.

And the best way to show their love for their deceased manager was to fight and win for him. To show that his efforts were not in vain. Wales have done that, and they look on the verge of doing much more. If not now, then certainly in the future.