Gary Speed brought a professionalism to Welsh football that built on the foundations laid by John Toshack which put them on the path to international tournaments, says Wales skipper Gareth Bale.
Wales are heading to the World Cup in Qatar in just three weeks' time, their first appearance at a global competition in 64 years. And a great deal of credit is down to Speed, who succeeded Toshack in the Wales dugout and paved the way for Cymru to be included among the international elite before his tragic death in 2011 at the age of just 42.
In the first part of a new BBC documentary called Together Stronger from Merthyr's own Jonny Owen, which will air on BBC Wales at 8pm on Wednesday night, the rise of the Welsh football team is chartered from the doldrums on 2004 to new eras under Toshack and Speed.
Toshack and Brian Flynn laid the foundations for Wales' rebirth, starting with a meeting over coffee in Verdi's in Mumbles in 2004.
"John Toshack and Brian Flynn brought the youngsters through and had that vision of players with 30, 40, 50 caps by the time they were 23 or 24. It's amazing what they did," said Bale.
It was Flynn who spotted a young Bale at Southampton, and converted him from a left-back to an attacking player when he made his senior bow in 2006 against Trinidad and Tobago. He performed the same trick with Aaron Ramsey, championing him to Toshack and promoting him ahead of his years, while also bringing in a host of players such as Ashley Williams, Hal Robson-Kanu and Sam Vokes.
Despite the concentration on youth development and a long-term vision, Wales failed to qualify for tournaments in 2006, 2008, 2010 and 2012, with Toshack resigning after just one match of the latter qualification campaign.
And it was Speed's appointment which took Wales to the next level and paved the way for Chris Coleman, Ryan Giggs and now Rob Page to flourish on the international stage.
Speed, described as the "posterboy" of Welsh football during the documentary, succeeded Toshack in 2010 and made his mark immediately.
Bale said: "Gary brought a new performance and energy to the system and all the players bought into it.
"Gary came in and changed the whole foundation of the FAW, from top to bottom he built that solid platform for us to grow in the future and made the training facilities better.
"The camps were more professional, strict and what you were used to with your club. It went up a notch, we gained in confidence and we going in the right direction and improving in all areas. He played a massive role in getting us on our way."
From 117th in the FIFA world rankings in August 2011, Wales were moving on up.
"Before, we used to get changed in our rooms, now we've got a training ground," Bale said of Speed's influence. "We used to walk down to training with our breakfast. The changes are incredible.
"It was the beginning of something big, better and greater."
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Speed took Wales to a higher standard of professionalism, Ramsey believes, making sure everything was catered for.
Ramsey added: "There was a plan in place, a vision. Everything off the pitch was taken care of. But also on the pitch. We wanted to create an identity, a way of playing, he had the vision, the staff behind him to be able to execute this and you could see the players were really buying into it.
"The mood was good, the camp was good, everybody was excited for Welsh football's future."
Qualification for Euro 2012 was ultimately missed out on but Wales shot up the seedings to 48th in the world, and Joe Allen revealed Speed's man-management was spot on.
Allen said: "He took the pressure of us as young players, we were able to go out and give 100 per cent but with enjoyment."
Crowds, which had tumbled in previous campaigns, were returning in their droves. "He laid the foundations for performance really, by at least getting a squad together that looked credible and talented and passionate, and looked as if it could qualify," said former Wales international Laura McAllister.
The 4-1 win over Norway in Cardiff in November 2011 was the lightbulb moment for many in the squad. "You get in after the game thinking that is almost what it should feel like," said Wales legend Chris Gunter. "Things are on the up, it's more positive, and that weekend was a real good one for us."
"It was the catalyst, that's a keyword, it really kick-started things," added Allen. "I can say with confidence, that we wouldn't have had the decade or so we've had without things he implemented."
Bale concurred. He said: "I think Gary just brought a professionalism of the whole FAW rather than just the team. He had that vision of a club mentality which is what we have now. He just played a massive role in really getting us on our way."
Fifteen days after that win over the Scandinavians, the FAW announced the tragic news that Speed had passed away, where the second part of the documentary will pick events up.
Together Stronger is on BBC1 Wales at 8pm on Wednesday
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