Gary Speed has announced his international retirement after 85 caps spread over 14 years and on the night that Mark Hughes stood down as Wales coach., Speed has been tipped to take over the helm.
Speed made his decision shortly after Wales 3-2 home defeat to Poland – a result which effectively ends their chances of qualifying for the 2006 World Cup finals.
“I’m finished, that’s me,” Speed said afterwards.
“I think the time is right. The group is at a stage where I think it will be hard to qualify and I think it would be wrong to carry on.
“I made the decision about 10 minutes ago. It was a hard one and if we had won tonight it might have been different. I knew as I walked off that this was my last game. I have had a great career with Wales, enjoyed every minute of it.”
Speed said that he had not been spoken to by anyone from the FAW about the managerial vacancy and added that he would not apply for Hughes’s job.
Meanwhile, midfielder Robbie Savage made it clear that Speed was the players choice to replace Hughes.
“The players know who they want; they want Gary Speed and Brian Flynn,” Savage said.
“If the FAW appoints someone else there’ll be a few looking long and hard at their futures.”
