Editing Gary Speed (section)

==Managerial career==
===Sheffield United===
With the [[2010–11 Sheffield United F.C. season|2010–11 season]] only three games old, Sheffield United manager [[Kevin Blackwell]] was dismissed with Speed being confirmed as the club's new manager on a three-year contract on 17 August 2010.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/s/sheff_utd/8918047.stm |title=Sheffield United announce Gary Speed as new manager |publisher=BBC Sport |date=17 August 2010 |access-date=3 December 2011}}</ref> On 21 October 2010, Speed was given a one-game touchline ban and a £22,000 fine by [[The Football Association]] for his unsporting behaviour at the home fixture against [[Watford F.C.|Watford]] on 2 October 2010.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sufc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10418~2192286,00.html |title=Speed gets one game |date=21 October 2010 |publisher=Sheffield United F.C. |access-date=2 December 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101024083227/http://www.sufc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0%2C%2C10418~2192286%2C00.html |archive-date=24 October 2010}}</ref> On 11 December 2010, Speed was linked with the vacant Wales manager job along with [[John Hartson]], [[Brian Flynn (footballer)|Brian Flynn]], [[Chris Coleman (footballer)|Chris Coleman]] and [[Lars Lagerbäck]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/league_of_wales/9277884.stm |title=Mark Hughes backs Gary Speed for Wales managerial job |date=10 December 2010 |publisher=BBC Sport |access-date=3 December 2011}}</ref> Sheffield United confirmed that they had given Speed permission to talk to the [[Football Association of Wales]] over the vacant position.<ref>{{cite news |title=Gary Speed set to leave Sheffield United to take charge of Wales |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2010/dec/13/gary-speed-sheffield-united-permission-wales |newspaper=The Guardian |date=10 December 2010 |access-date=3 December 2011}}</ref> With just four months managerial experience, Speed was confirmed as the new Welsh national team manager on 14 December 2010 succeeding [[John Toshack]] who had stepped down in September 2010. Sheffield United released Speed from his contract after compensation was paid by the FAW.<ref name="Wales unveil ex-captain Gary Speed as new manager">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/league_of_wales/9274410.stm |title=Wales unveil ex-captain Gary Speed as new manager |publisher=BBC Sport |date=14 December 2010 |access-date=11 October 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2010/dec/14/gary-speed-new-wales-manager |title=Gary Speed confirmed as new Wales manager |newspaper=The Guardian |date=14 December 2010 |access-date=3 December 2011}}</ref> Former Welsh national team manager Mark Hughes supported the move to appoint Speed, saying, "He's got a strong personality, he's good with people, (the players) will relate better to Gary than they perhaps did to the previous manager."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/international/hughes-pleased-with-speed-choice-2162484.html |title=Hughes pleased with Speed choice |newspaper=The Independent |date=17 December 2010 |access-date=3 December 2011}}</ref>

===Wales===
[[File:Gary Speed.jpg|thumb|upright|Speed managing [[Wales national football team|Wales]] in 2011]]

Speed's first game as Wales manager was 8 February 2011 in the inaugural [[2011 Nations Cup|Nations Cup]], which the [[Republic of Ireland national football team|Republic of Ireland]] won 3–0.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/2011/0208/ireland_wales_carlingnationscup.html |title=Republic of Ireland 3–0 Wales |publisher=RTÉ Sport |date=8 February 2011 |access-date=3 December 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110211022530/http://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/2011/0208/ireland_wales_carlingnationscup.html |archive-date=11 February 2011}}</ref> Speed's first competitive match was the Euro 2012 qualifier at home to England 26 March 2011 and Speed appointed twenty-year-old [[Aaron Ramsey]] captain, making Ramsey the youngest ever Wales captain. Wales lost to England 2–0, and in August 2011 Wales attained their lowest ever FIFA ranking of 117th.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/14650204.stm |title=Wales drop below Haiti to 117th in latest Fifa ranking |publisher=BBC Sport |date=24 August 2011 |access-date=3 December 2011}}</ref> This was followed by a 2–1 home win against [[Montenegro national football team|Montenegro]], a 1–0 away loss to [[England national football team|England]], a 2–0 home win against [[Switzerland national football team|Switzerland]] and a 1–0 away win against [[Bulgaria national football team|Bulgaria]]. Consequently, in October 2011, Wales were ranked 45th in the world by FIFA.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/15365996.stm |title=Wales rise in world rankings 45 places to 45th |publisher=BBC Sport |date=19 October 2011 |access-date=3 December 2011}}</ref> Speed's last game as manager of Wales was on 12 November 2011, a 4–1 home win in a friendly match against [[Norway national football team|Norway]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Hughes |first=Dewi |title=International friendly: Wales 4–1 Norway |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/15589976.stm |publisher=BBC Sport |date=12 November 2011 |access-date=3 December 2011}}</ref> On 21 December 2011, the day of the final FIFA rankings of the year, Wales were awarded the title of 'Best Movers' of the year having gained more ranking points than any other nation in 2011.<ref>{{cite news |title=Gary Speed's Wales named 2011's best climbers in Fifa world rankings |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2011/dec/21/gary-speed-wales-fifa-rankings?newsfeed=true |access-date=22 December 2011 |newspaper=The Guardian |date=21 December 2011}}</ref>