JUST yesterday he was a guest on BBC’s Football Focus – this morning Gary Speed, aged just 42, was found dead at his home near Chester.
Donegal’s Shay Given was a very close friend – they played together over six seasons at Newcastle United. Little wonder he broke down in tears while playing for his new team Aston Villa at Swansea today.
Speculation as to why the Wales manager took his own life has been growing throughout the day with reports that a tabloid newspaper had been planning to write a story about his private life.
Dan Walker, the BBC show’s presenter, said that Speed spoke after the show about golf and his two sons. He was no distressed and even made tentative arrangements to appear on the show next month.
Mr Walker said: “He was on great form, cracking jokes and asking about my family and kids. He was talking passionately about the future. There was absolutely no indication at all.
“He gave me the impression that he was really looking forward to his kids growing up to be really good footballers and Wales qualifying for the World Cup.”
After the show ended, at 1pm, he met up with Match of the Day pundits Alan Shearer, whom Speed had played alongside at Newcastle United, and Mark Lawrenson to watch the early Premier League game between Stoke City and Blackburn Rovers.
Just before 3pm, he made the short journey to Old Trafford to watch his former team Newcastle United take on Man United.
The match finished shortly before 5pm and it is thought Speed travelled back to his home in Chester where, little more than 12 hours later, he was found hanged.
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