• Premier League

A light has gone out - Taylor

ESPN staff
November 28, 2011
Tributes were paid at grounds on Sunday © Getty Images
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Gary Speed: a career in pictures

Gordon Taylor, the chief executive of the Professional Footballers' Association, has paid tribute to Gary Speed saying "a real light has gone out in the football world".

News of Speed's death on Sunday shocked the world of football, with the Wales manager held in the highest regard by his peers.

Taylor claims he never heard a bad word uttered about the former Leeds, Everton, Newcastle, Bolton and Sheffield United midfielder and has suggested there is a desire from within his organisation for a public recognition of Speed.

"I've never known of such grief and loss," he told Sky Sports News. "He was so popular, so friendly and I never heard a bad word about him. A real light has gone out in the football world.

"He was a great legend of a player and every time I saw him he had a smile. It's terribly sad on behalf of everyone. He was one of our finest ever members, our sincere thoughts and condolences to his wife and sons."

Tributes have flooded in for Speed, with fans leaving shirts and messages outside grounds, and Taylor feels something formal will be put in place by the PFA.

He said: "There will be an overwhelming sense that we want do something together to show how loved and regarded he was in the football world.

"Everywhere he went he was surrounded by friends. There is a terrible sense of loss."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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