Gary Speed

[Leicester Falcon]

Is anybody aware of plans for a minute’s silence/applause for the late Gary Speed tomorrow night?

Although Speed never played for either Leicester City or Blackpool, he was a respected name in our game and a Premier League legend. I for one hope that our club and fans can pay tribute to a great professional who has sadly passed from our football family.

[StanSP]

Pretty sure there will be a minute's silence across all the Football League/Carling Cup games tomorrow night and Wednesday.

[Fox92]

As above, I would think a minute silence will be sanctioned at all games around the Country.

Speed was a top player, and a true professional.

[flowwolf]

Sorry but i don't get this minutes silence bit . Yes it is always sad when someone takes their own life but what the fvck has it got to do with us ? He never played for us or had anything to do with us as a club. It feels like we are having minutes silence for just about anything and everything these days.

What has happened to our society where we feel we need to be involved with people we have never met or cared about until they are dead , then we hang our heads in mock shock and pretend it is a personal hurt.

It is not that I don't care it is just that I don't care to share it in communal plastic grief , next thing you know people will be throwing flowers on to the pitch , it's only a matter of time. :dunno: :dunno: :dunno: :dunno:

[StanSP]

It's called respect for a great player of the game.

He doesn't have to play for your own club to show respect for him .

[leicesterisme]

I've never met the man or have I supported a team he has played for but the news of his death really did affect me. I was absolutely shocked and still cannot believe it now.

Having a minutes silence is for showing respect to not only a great footballer but also a great person.

[kingfox]

Did Speed have connections with Liverpool and Man City yesterday flowwolf, no he didn't but they had a minute silence.

Think it's only right, that every club up and down the country has a minute silence tomorrow and wednesday night.

Speed was a Premier League legend, the manager of a country and a well respected player and person off the pitch, therefore I think a minute silence or applause is definitely needed.

[LCFC_FAN_1995]

I can see there being 1 minute's silence but will be turned into 1 minute's applause for him

[cardifflee]

hmmmmmmmmmmmmm

[Babylon]

It's called respect for a great player of the game.

He doesn't have to play for your own club to show respect for him .

If he had died at the age of 82 would people feel the need to have a minutes silence?

Whilst shocking and very sad, I can understand why people think it's not necessary to have a minutes silence for everyone who dies, especially if not connected to your club.

[StanSP]

If he had died at the age of 82 would people feel the need to have a minutes silence?

Whilst shocking and very sad, I can understand why people think it's not necessary to have a minutes silence for everyone who dies, especially if not connected to your club.

What about the King connection? A minute's silence/applause would show that we care and sympathise with him?

I don't get the point about the age, sorry

[Captain...]

Sorry but i don't get this minutes silence bit . Yes it is always sad when someone takes their own life but what the fvck has it got to do with us ? He never played for us or had anything to do with us as a club. It feels like we are having minutes silence for just about anything and everything these days.

What has happened to our society where we feel we need to be involved with people we have never met or cared about until they are dead , then we hang our heads in mock shock and pretend it is a personal hurt.

It is not that I don't care it is just that I don't care to share it in communal plastic grief , next thing you know people will be throwing flowers on to the pitch , it's only a matter of time. :dunno: :dunno: :dunno: :dunno:

I think it is because it has genuinely affected a lot of people, if he had been hit by car or had a heart attack I don't think it would have had such a widespread massive impact, it would have been no less of a tragedy, but there was something that really got to me when I read it was suicide. A lot of people are in shock as he was on tv the day before looking happy and natural. People don't understand it and are confused as to why someone who had everything would do it.

I do agree with you that we do have a minutes silence/applause/clumsy mix of the 2 very often and really he had nothing to do with this club, the only tenuous link is between him and Andy King, but even then they never played together and Speed was Wales manager for a year I think, so maybe 10 games.

If they do have one then just respect it like a decent human being, even if you disagree with it. It doesn't hurt anyone.

[Babylon]

What about the King connection? A minute's silence/applause would show that we care and sympathise with him?

I don't get the point about the age, sorry

Would you have a minutes silence for a players grandad, or close friend? Of course not, so I'm nit sure why people would need to do that for someone king has played under less than a dozen times.

The point about age is that there are great players from other clubs passing away all the time without people feeling the need to pay respect. If he'd died an old man people wouldn't have a minutes silence for him despite his exploits in the game and being a nice bloke.

I'm not bothered one way or the other really it's for the club to decide. I'm sure they will though because they won't want to leave themselves open to criticism. I would prefer these things to be kept linked to our club though as there needs to be a line somewhere.

[Houdini Logic]

I think it actually has a lot to do with the fact he commited suicide - if he had died of a heart attack then I don't think it would have reached/touched so many people.

The minutes silence isn't just about him as a player and a manager, it's almost like giving support, albeit too late in this instance.

Hard to explain, but I just think it makes sense.

[acooling08]

I don't feel the need for a silence. As Flowolf mentioned he has nothing to do with LCFC. It's not like 11/11 where millions died for a noble cause. Obviously I'll still observe it though if it goes ahead. I think applause would actually be better to mark appreciation of his playing career.

[harpendenfox]

I've also been very touched by the terribly sad nature of Gary Speed's demise. Driving my 15 year old to school this morning, he asked, respectfully, whether I thought this outpouring of grief wasn't a little overdone in comparison, say, to the way in which the death of one of our soldier's in Afghanistan is reported and then, by and large, forgotten by the wider communnity. I don't know whether he is right or wrong, or whether it's right to have a minute's applause tomorrow. It can certainly do no harm.

Who knows why Gary Speed took his own life. Who knows what pressures he felt unable to bear. Perhaps, though, all of us should think twice before hurling abuse at refs, linos or players, either our own or others. Who knows what makes people tick. Sometimes, though, I observe the way in which we (myself included) hurl abuse at a ref, and wonder how they can go to sleep at night without feeling hurt, angry or depressed.

I'm not saying that's what drove Gary Speed to suicide. I'm just saying we are all frail, we all have our weaknesses, and who knows when we might accidentally contribute to someone's demise with our behaviour.

Some might say 'it's part of the job', 'I pay for my ticket, I can say what I want', 'if you can't stand the heat get out of the kitchen'. Maybe. What Gary Speed's demise shows us is that regardless of perceived wealth and success, we all have our weaknesses, and some are better at hiding them than others.

Hope this doesn't come across as too high and mighty, it's not intended thus.

[Head Honcho]

I can see both sides of the argument and it does seem at times like where do you draw the line.

Saying that it is only a minute out of your day for someone who was still actively involved in the game, so I think in this case a minutes silence is the right thing to do.

Let's hope the club can get it right this time!

[stripeyfox]

It seems appropriate to observe a silence/applause for Speed, as a professional in the sport and national team manager I take the point that he had no connections with Leicester or Blackpool. I don't buy the Andy King link. King is a professional and is entitled to be upset by the death of Gary Speed but they had a professional relationship and he will have to deal with it as we all do when we lose someone who is close to us(if indeed they were "close") If he needs time off then I say fine. If not then he gets on with the game but I don' think he would want any tribute to be skewed towards him (King) rather than Gary Speed.

I suppose you could say the soldier killed in Afganistan serving his country is more deserving of a tribute like this than Speed. It is hard to qualify one as being more "deserving" than the other. Both are tragedies. I suppose that soldiers are honoured for their service and sacrifice elsewehere (national memorial, poppy day, repatriation etc).

[Leicester Falcon]

I think the main point is that this is to mark a great man from our domestic game. This has no dawning on Leicester City or Blackpool as I said, but this death has affected so many people.

Having Welsh blood in me gives a connection to Speed and many other Leicester and Blackpool fans will have similar personal connections to this tragedy.

Regardless of that Gary Speed was a fantastic professional who was well liked by his peers and the English game should, and will, stand up and acknowledge that.

I will be proud, and moved when in attendance tomorrow as Leicester City pays their respect to Gary Speed too.

[leicesterseddon]

It's called respect for a great player of the game.

He doesn't have to play for your own club to show respect for him .

Well yeah...but then where do you draw the line? To me, Gary Speed was a good footballer and sometimes I saw him on the telly. He seemed like a nice bloke. But other than that, I don't really feel the need to mourn his death, although I admit the circumstances of his passing away are very sad. And as others have pointed out, he had no personal or professional connections to Leicester or Blackpool.

You seem to be implying that not to hold a minute's silence is to show a lack of 'respect'. I don't think it is.

[Dan]

On the subject I prefer minutes applauses to silences, because I'm ashamed to say it seems our ground is incapable of managing one minute silences anymore.

[Fox92]

Regardless of whether Gary Speed played or managed Leicester City or not, we should show our respect for a fantastic footballer, who was most probably going to be a fantastic manager.

As a football fan, I admire the greatest player's and manager's in the game, and it a shame we have lost one.

On the subject I prefer minutes applauses to silences, because I'm ashamed to say it seems our ground is incapable of managing one minute silences anymore.

I personally prefer silences. When we have a minute silence and there are people being disrespectful, just try and ignore them. I respect every the silence as I always have done, regardless of what other people are doing.

[Top_Fox]

I've also been very touched by the terribly sad nature of Gary Speed's demise. Driving my 15 year old to school this morning, he asked, respectfully, whether I thought this outpouring of grief wasn't a little overdone in comparison, say, to the way in which the death of one of our soldier's in Afghanistan is reported and then, by and large, forgotten by the wider communnity. I don't know whether he is right or wrong, or whether it's right to have a minute's applause tomorrow. It can certainly do no harm.

Who knows why Gary Speed took his own life. Who knows what pressures he felt unable to bear. Perhaps, though, all of us should think twice before hurling abuse at refs, linos or players, either our own or others. Who knows what makes people tick. Sometimes, though, I observe the way in which we (myself included) hurl abuse at a ref, and wonder how they can go to sleep at night without feeling hurt, angry or depressed.

I'm not saying that's what drove Gary Speed to suicide. I'm just saying we are all frail, we all have our weaknesses, and who knows when we might accidentally contribute to someone's demise with our behaviour.

Some might say 'it's part of the job', 'I pay for my ticket, I can say what I want', 'if you can't stand the heat get out of the kitchen'. Maybe. What Gary Speed's demise shows us is that regardless of perceived wealth and success, we all have our weaknesses, and some are better at hiding them than others.

Hope this doesn't come across as too high and mighty, it's not intended thus.

Great post Harpenden

[Mack]

I've also been very touched by the terribly sad nature of Gary Speed's demise. Driving my 15 year old to school this morning, he asked, respectfully, whether I thought this outpouring of grief wasn't a little overdone in comparison, say, to the way in which the death of one of our soldier's in Afghanistan is reported and then, by and large, forgotten by the wider communnity. I don't know whether he is right or wrong, or whether it's right to have a minute's applause tomorrow. It can certainly do no harm.

Who knows why Gary Speed took his own life. Who knows what pressures he felt unable to bear. Perhaps, though, all of us should think twice before hurling abuse at refs, linos or players, either our own or others. Who knows what makes people tick. Sometimes, though, I observe the way in which we (myself included) hurl abuse at a ref, and wonder how they can go to sleep at night without feeling hurt, angry or depressed.

I'm not saying that's what drove Gary Speed to suicide. I'm just saying we are all frail, we all have our weaknesses, and who knows when we might accidentally contribute to someone's demise with our behaviour.

Some might say 'it's part of the job', 'I pay for my ticket, I can say what I want', 'if you can't stand the heat get out of the kitchen'. Maybe. What Gary Speed's demise shows us is that regardless of perceived wealth and success, we all have our weaknesses, and some are better at hiding them than others.

Hope this doesn't come across as too high and mighty, it's not intended thus.

It takes a bigger man to admit his problems and put his hand up and say 'I need help' than a man who hangs himself in his own garage.

With two young kids and a misses this for him may have been the easy way out, but they must live with his actions for the rest of their lives.

I feel so very sorry for the kids, but time and distance from the shock makes me feel angry that he could not find the courage to admit his demons and get help for his kids sake.

[Houdini Logic]

It takes a bigger man to admit his problems and put his hand up and say 'I need help' than a man who hangs himself in his own garage.

With two young kids and a misses this for him may have been the easy way out, but they must live with his actions for the rest of their lives.

I feel so very sorry for the kids, but time and distance from the shock makes me feel angry that he could not find the courage to admit his demons and get help for his kids sake.

And what the fuck do you know about his situation?