Minute's Applause For Gary Speed

[davieG]

OS

Players, staff and supporters of both Leicester City and Blackpool will have the opportunity to pay their respects to the late Wales manager Gary Speed on Tuesday night.

The two sides' npower Championship meeting at King Power Stadium will be preceded by a minute of applause in his memory.

Speed, a former player with Leeds United, Everton, Newcastle United, Bolton Wanderers and Sheffield United, died on Sunday, aged 42.

[Pub breath]

Good on you.

Gary really was one of the good guys of football. The number of stories people are telling of his charm and outgoing nature now is quite telling. What happened was as inexplicable as it was truly tragic. It should resonante with every fan of every club, regardless of the tribal loyalties.

Clap your hands sore fellas, Gary deserved it.

[Larry_LCFC]

I'll go with that.

[ozleicester]

Now.... i am not intentionally being a coont or a smartarse, i have steered clear of commenting in the "RIP" thread, but i would like to ask a couple of questions.

1) Why is this particular person deemed worthy of recognition across the football leagues?

2) What is the purpose of the minutes silence/applause?

[Simmo86]

[Pub breath]

Now.... i am not intentionally being a coont or a smartarse, i have steered clear of commenting in the "RIP" thread, but i would like to ask a couple of questions.

1) Why is this particular person deemed worthy of recognition across the football leagues?

2) What is the purpose of the minutes silence/applause?

1) The player who has played the most Premiership games. Most capped Welsh outfield player. Title winning player. Captained a number of Premiership clubs. Was a current national team manager. Has died in very tragic circumstances, very young. I'm sure if he had died naturally, aged 85, this would not be taking place. He achieved far more than most players did and was a really nice fella with it. He deserves it.

2) What is the point of anything? Clap if you wish to show respect for his passing, sit on your hands if you want to be a bit of a pointless ****. You retain that choice, it's a wonderful free country we live in.

[marbelladave]

OS

Players, staff and supporters of both Leicester City and Blackpool will have the opportunity to pay their respects to the late Wales manager Gary Speed on Tuesday night.

The two sides' npower Championship meeting at King Power Stadium will be preceded by a minute of applause in his memory.

Speed, a former player with Leeds United, Everton, Newcastle United, Bolton Wanderers and Sheffield United, died on Sunday, aged 42.

This is wrong on just about every level.

I've had my say elswhere but I find this a self indulgent embarrassment.

[BrummieFOX]

1) The player who has played the most Premiership games. Most capped Welsh outfield player. Title winning player. Captained a number of Premiership clubs. Was a current national team manager. Has died in very tragic circumstances, very young. I'm sure if he had died naturally, aged 85, this would not be taking place. He achieved far more than most players did and was a really nice fella with it. He deserves it.

2) What is the point of anything? Clap if you wish to show respect for his passing, sit on your hands if you want to be a bit of a pointless ****. You retain that choice, it's a wonderful free country we live in.

Completely agree, I think it was almost obvious that every team would deem it appropriate to hold some kind of show of respect.

I appreciate that there may be certain instances where an individual in the game passes away and there would be split opinion on why we should be showing respect but the circumstances in which Speed's death occurred, the pure shock and nature of it, as well as the incredible career he had in English football makes it almost a given and it seems the large majority of people would like to and see it appropriate to be able to join in celebrating his career and grieving his death.

[Simmo86]

This is wrong on just about every level.

I've had my say elswhere but I find this a self indulgent embarrassment.

It may be wrong to you but maybe there might be people who want to pay respect?

[Charl91]

I don't think we should hold minute silences for everyone, but he was a footballer who died in tragic circumstances, and we are a football club. If we were holding a minute silence for a famous ballet dancer, then I'd be sceptical.

[allotment-fox]

fully agree will clap with a tear not sure how this ever came about but the family and friends must be totally devastated by it.

RIP

[Babylon]

I don't think we should hold minute silences for everyone, but he was a footballer who died in tragic circumstances, and we are a football club.

We don't really know the circumstances though. If he'd accidentally killed himself in a Michael Hutchence way I'm not sure people would be so quick to say we should.

Anyway, we already have a thread on this!

[marbelladave]

It may be wrong to you but maybe there might be people who want to pay respect?

No problem there at all, just the way that the club (and many of the fans) are jumping on the media bandwagon and tuning a tragic event for the Speed family into some sort of circus.

If you are genuinely affected by the event then find a way to express your feelings, a mass outpouring of largely fake 'respect' is, to my way of thinking, disrespectful in itself.

And whoever came up with the idea that a minutes applause is remotely appropriate at a time like this needs to have a serious word with himself.....

[paulsherwood1]

He was a national team manager, record breaking premier appearances and died tragically at 42.

Leicester has, and always will be my team. But as a fellow football fan and human being I found myself in tears whilst watching the Swansea tribute on Sunday.

I have two kids myself and the whole tragedy of the situation is deserving of a fitting tribute. The sadness of depression and the lack of people's understanding still astounds me.

[Babylon]

No problem there at all, just the way that the club (and many of the fans) are jumping on the media bandwagon and tuning a tragic event for the Speed family into some sort of circus.

If you are genuinely affected by the event then find a way to express your feelings, a mass outpouring of largely fake 'respect' is, to my way of thinking, disrespectful in itself.

And whoever came up with the idea that a minutes applause is remotely appropriate at a time like this needs to have a serious word with himself.....

Blame Dianna "Queen of Hearts".

[BrummieFOX]

We don't really know the circumstances though. If he'd accidentally killed himself in a Michael Hutchence way I'm not sure people would be so quick to say we should.

Anyway, we already have a thread on this!

That thread wasn't really the place for it though was it.

It doesn't matter how he died - it's the fact that he is one of the greatest servants to the Premier League we've ever had and probably ever will have. The large majority can see why we're holding this minutes applause - you're right, we shouldn't hold one for every bloke associated with sport but in this case it was a bang on certainty that every team in the UK had a large majority of fans who would have wanted to.

[Pub breath]

He was a national team manager, record breaking premier appearances and died tragically at 42.

Leicester has, and always will be my team. But as a fellow football fan and human being I found myself in tears whilst watching the Swansea tribute on Sunday.

I have two kids myself and the whole tragedy of the situation is deserving of a fitting tribute. The sadness of depression and the lack of people's understanding still astounds me.

As true as that is, it's far from clear that it's the cause behind Speed wishing to end his life.

It was my first thought too, nothing else made sense. Beautiful family, wealth, great looking (still fairly young) bloke and a career on an upward trajectory. Why would anyone want to leave all that behind? It must have been his mind, right?

Well his family have come out and said that he wasn't suffering from depression so unless it's something he hid very well, it looks as if there may have been something else. There is - and I hesitate to spread it further - a rumour that the press had got hold of a scoop that proved he was gay or bisexual (and maybe something else relating to that) and he had got word that it was going to go into print that day. There is nothing in any way of evidence to back that up so my best guess is that it's just a fabrication and nowt else. If anything though, it makes you think about how much can often be going on behind a facade. None of us yet know what was going on behind Speedos.

[marbelladave]

Blame Dianna "Queen of Hearts".

..... and the emergence of celebrity culture that measures a persons 'worth' by their media profile.

It is quite clear that many people who do not give a toss about anyone other than themselves in normal life find it acceptable to create a circus of fake emotion and respect about someone the don't know and never met, personally I find it nauseating.

Frankly they could do with showing a little more care and respect for the people they meet in everyday life.

[Babylon]

That thread wasn't really the place for it though was it.

What a thread about holding a minutes silence not the place to talk about the merits of holding a minutes silence or not.

you're right, we shouldn't hold one for every bloke associated with sport

But this is the crux of it though, by holding one for him and nobody else are we saying it's worth us paying our respects to him, but others aren't as worthy? Why is that.. because he's more famous? Because he played for a long time? Personally I don't understand why that makes him more important than someone else. But that's just how I feel.

[Fox92]

I will be joining in, and showing my respect as always.

Gary Speed was a top footballer, and from a football fan's point of view, it is always horrible to see a player and/or manager leave us.

[Wherethefoxhat?]

..... and the emergence of celebrity culture that measures a persons 'worth' by their media profile.

It is quite clear that many people who do not give a toss about anyone other than themselves in normal life find it acceptable to create a circus of fake emotion and respect about someone the don't know and never met, personally I find it nauseating.

Frankly they could do with showing a little more care and respect for the people they meet in everyday life.

Absolutely !!

[marbelladave]

I will be joining in, and showing my respect as always.

Gary Speed was a top footballer, and from a football fan's point of view, it is always horrible to see a player and/or manager leave us.

Yet it happens every week.......

Ex footballers and others from the football community, many with much closer ties to our club, die all the time but because they are less famous does that make them less deserving of your respect?

This is exactly what I find so difficult, the famous deserve respect, the not so famous pass un-noticed, wierd....

[Wherethefoxhat?]

No problem there at all, just the way that the club (and many of the fans) are jumping on the media bandwagon and tuning a tragic event for the Speed family into some sort of circus.

If you are genuinely affected by the event then find a way to express your feelings, a mass outpouring of largely fake 'respect' is, to my way of thinking, disrespectful in itself.

And whoever came up with the idea that a minutes applause is remotely appropriate at a time like this needs to have a serious word with himself.....

Blame Dianna "Queen of Hearts".

Precisely !

[EnderbyFox]

I'll be showing my respect, RIP Gary.

And to those of you who think this gesture is embarrassing, surely it would be even more so if we were the only club that didn't hold a minutes applause?

[promised land]

Now.... i am not intentionally being a coont or a smartarse, i have steered clear of commenting in the "RIP" thread, but i would like to ask a couple of questions.

1) Why is this particular person deemed worthy of recognition across the football leagues?

2) What is the purpose of the minutes silence/applause?

I kind of agree with you here, yes he was the first player to 500 Premier league appearances, played for his country, was turning his national side around etc.

But he is being made out as a saint, that he isn't as anyone who decides to take their own life is selfish and a coward.

He was only thinking of himself on Sunday morning and wanting a quick route out of whatever has occured or was troubling him.

Now he has done it, he leaves behind a wife, two very young children, parents and close family and friends that everyday have to try and get through this horrible ordeal.

Anyone that does something like this in my view isn't a hero. How are his two boys going to get through the upcoming Christmas with their mum knowing their dad decided upon himself he wasn't happy with his life.

There is a solution to most problems in life be it financial, marrital, professional. Whatever happened must be more than we know but it still doesn't deem the right thing to do is kill yourself and let others close to you pick up the pieces and carry on with their lifes.

If he had died through illness or a tragic accident I would agree with the applause but by taking his own life and troubling those left behind i won't be clapping him.

If you agree with it, that's your decision and you're intitled to it but also people who don't agree are intitled to theirs without being called a **** or a **** etc.