Planet Swans ArchivesGarry Monk and Neil Taylor were amongst the many adding to the tributes for the tragic passing of Gary Speed
Monk said after the game “We were getting changed and someone said it had come up on Sky Sports News
“We didn’t think it was real, but that isn’t the sort of thing that you joke about.
“You just don’t expect that. He’s a bubbly character when you see him on TV and he had everything going for him. It’s a really hard one to take, especially seeing the Welsh boys before the match, not just the senior boys, but also a lot of younger boys who are coming through the Welsh set-up.
“On behalf of the boys and everyone at the club, our thoughts are with his family.
“He had a difficult time with Sheffield United, but was doing well with Wales
“Speaking to Leon, who knows about that situation, he said he was going to be a good manager and he was showing that with Wales. That’s what makes it even worse, he had everything going for him and he’s got a young family as well. I can’t imagine what it’s like for them right now, so thoughts are with them from all of us.”
Taylor was a regular in the Welsh squad playing under Speed and the stunned defender said “I don’t think the news had really sunk in by the time the game came around
“Playing was basically what us Welsh lads wanted to do and the rest of the team felt the same.
“They thought it was best for us to pay our respects that way.
“Gary was an all-round great guy, I can’t speak highly enough of him and I’m still a little bit in shock to be honest.
“Gary admired massively the way we play at Swansea and we wanted to do him justice yesterday.
“We did as well as we could and I think it went well in the end.
“He was such a great player,” added Taylor.
“I used to talk to so many people who said he would get man-of-the-match week in, week out for his team.
“He was still one of the fittest guys when he was our coach with Wales — he looked after himself.
“He was just a great football man and the game’s going to miss him.
“It was there for everyone to see what we were doing with Wales,” said Taylor. “It was something we all thought we’d be proud of for years to come.
“He showed a lot of belief in us. He chucked young lads in when he was coming into a job that was tough.
“Playing international football is massive and I can’t thank him enough. for what he’s done for me,
“Qualifying for the World Cup is obviously a long way from our thinking at this time, but hopefully we can do that and continue to play in his memory.
“The future is bright, but it’s not something we need to talk about at the moment.
“There’s been a loss to the game and that’s the main thing. We want to mourn at the moment.”
