Speed's Welsh needs

Wales boss on the big names in his plans

Last updated: 3rd January 2011  

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Gary Speed has fulfilled his long-standing ambition to become the Wales manager - and now he's determined to make a success of the job.

The 41-year-old has seized the opportunity to move into international management, just four months after accepting his first full-time job at Sheffield United.

Speaking to Soccer Extra on Bank Holiday Monday, he admitted that the choice was a difficult one but that the lure of leading his country was too great to turn down.

Speed also told Ben Shephard and Chris Kamara about some of the key players in the Wales set-up - as well as commenting on a few big that he is hoping to entice back into the international side...

Speed on... taking the Wales job

I was fortunate enough to be captain of Wales and it was a great honour, but to be manager at this time is unbelievable. I can't quite believe it. I obviously had a great job at Sheffield United and when it came about, it was one of those where I had to make a decision. Is it going to be the right one? Only time will tell, but these options don't come around very often. To be manager of your country is a massive honour and it's one I'm desperate to do and desperate to do well at.

Speed on... international management

With all due respect, I think Wales is different from England in that there's a lot of young players there. The England job is massive pressure - obviously the Wales job is as well, we all want to do well - but I remember what Mark Hughes said when he took over. He said it was the perfect job for him because it gives him time to think between games and time to assess, whereas for a Premier League or Championship manager it's bang, bang every day. For a young manager going into that it's very hectic, so I remember Mark saying it's a perfect first job. You get a bit more time to do the things you want to do.

Speed on... Craig Bellamy

I speak to him all the time. I was with him at Newcastle and Wales and he's very passionate about football. He's very intelligent in his views on the game and he just loves football. We know with his injuries we'll probably have to use him sparingly, but Craig knows what's best for him and by the time the England game comes along he'll be fully fit and raring to go. He is a big player, but at the same time I'm realistic enough to know he's not going to play every game. Our first friendly is in Dublin in February on the Tuesday, but Cardiff v Swansea is on the Sunday - so Craig's not going to play on the Tuesday. We know that because of his injury history he won't play.

He is opinionated. You wouldn't want to go on holiday with him, but I've known Craig for years. We've had disagreements along the way and there's no problem there. We get on fine. He's enjoying his football, he's enjoying living down in Cardiff, where his wife and kids have settled. One of the problems when he was at other clubs was that his family couldn't settle and he was always drawn back to Cardiff. It would be great if Cardiff could get promotion, I really hope they do, and maybe they could do something with Craig staying there.

Speed on... Gareth Bale

He's got a chance... he might get a game, you never know! He's playing great and has come to the fore this season with Spurs, but we've watched him for the last three years for Wales and he's been like that for Wales. He's been the best player for us.

Speed on... Simon Davies

I've spoken to Simon already, but I made that decision to retire and it's a personal decision - a big decision I made as a footballer. I spoke to Simon and he's going to think about it, but it's a personal decision because it's such a big one. I hope he comes back, but we'll wait and see. I don't have any regrets from my career, I wouldn't change a thing, but if there's one thing I would change then I wouldn't have retired when I did from international football

Speed on... Robbie Savage

He texted me to say if I needed an experienced holding midfielder against England to give him a shout. I said I might need a press officer! More than anything, he is a character and sometimes people like him are worth their weight in gold in the dressing room. With Wales' really young squad the dressing room may be a bit quiet, there's not so many personalities in there, so even to have Sav there might be worth doing. It gives him something to talk about and he can tell people how good he is!

Speed on... Ryan Giggs

I spoke to Ryan and I'm not sure what his plans are. I'm not sure he'll be coming back to play, but if we can get him on board in any way it would be great. He doesn't know what he's doing yet with his future, but it would be great if Ryan got involved with the infrastructure. Somewhere along the line if I move on or go somewhere else, then if Ryan's already involved he might be the perfect one. We need good up-and-coming Welsh managers to go and take the reins.

Speed on... his ambitions

If you look at the players Wales have now, they have some great young players and not only at full level but at Under-21's and Under-19's. I want to qualify for a major tournament, but not just once. I want Wales to qualify in the future - and not just qualify, but come close and compete every time. I think with the young players we've got coming through, if we can put that structure in place then hopefully we can do that for years to come, long after I've left.

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