Thanks, Speedo! Liverpool new boy Allen owes it all to the late Wales bossJoe Allen has revealed the quiet inspiration he takes every day from the role played in his career by tragic Gary Speed.
The Wales international arrived at Liverpool last week, making a £15million move from Swansea.
Yet for such a big money capture, there was little fanfare, less ceremony and absolutely no sense of complacency.
As a relative kid of just 22, he could be forgiven for thinking he’d arrived, entering the hallowed halls of Anfield, after a journey that started as a nine-year-old with the then-unheralded Swans.
Instead, he offered only the promise of far more to come.
Sitting in the bowels of the famous old stadium, in the celebrated Boot-Room deep under the stands, Allen clearly has little time for the superstar status his move automatically brings.
In part, that is because of the role played by Speed, in instilling the values which underpin his career.
Speed offered the youngster a massive sense of belief when he needed it most at the start of his career, but also the idea that he could aspire to greatness through consistent hard work and a perennially undimmed desire.
“Gary was very influential," said Allen. "He was a great man who is sadly missed by everyone, a great football man, and in the year before his tragic death he was massive for me, hugely important.
“He made me believe in myself and I took so much from him.
"To hear things spoken by a man like that really encourages you, to say those things to me mean so much, even now.
“If there are times when there are any doubts, you remember back to things like that to help pick yourself up and realise that you’re not too bad.
"Gary was one of the best, and even now he’s an inspiration.
“I’ve always dreamed about playing at this level of football and I have worked every day of my life to try and get here, so nothing will change - I’ll keep taking on that inspiration.
“I’m somebody who wants to be the best I can be day in day out, so I dedicate my life to doing that. You can expect 100 per cent no matter what.”
Allen is understandably subdued when it comes to sharing memories of Speed - found hanged last November at the age of 42, shaking the football world just when he seemed to have it at his feet as manager of Wales.
Based on the youthful talent of the likes of Allen, Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey, Speed built a side of immense promise and gave belief to his young charges.
His death hit every Welsh player hard, a fact acknowledged by Reds boss Brendan Rodgers, who was in charge of Swansea that terrible day.
He and his players had to endure a game against Aston Villa - one which he says he should never have played - but Rodgers believes Allen has matured since that terrible tragedy.
“Joe really grew from that, absolutely. I think they used that to draw strength from. Because of Gary’s devotion as a player, they could see the sacrifices he’d made to play those number of games and be so professional,” the Liverpool manager explained.
“He was an excellent role model. It’s been good to see Joe’s development and he certainly became stronger after that.
“Joe is a kid who doesn’t give out trust easily and when you get inside him he gives everything for you, and he had big respect for Gary.”
Perhaps the biggest inspiration Allen has taken from his relationship with Speed, is the idea that the hard work starts when you enter the big time.
Sitting in the Boot-Room, surrounded by pictures of past Anfield greats, there was only a quiet determination and steely sense of resolve.
But then Allen, in line to make his Liverpool debut against West Brom in Saturday's season-opener, is used to adversity.
At just 5ft 6in tall, he has always had to scrap for his football life, with many doubters suggesting he simply wasn’t big enough to make it.
Made it he has though, as one of the most technically gifted players in the Premier League, and the encouragement of both Speed and Rodgers were integral in that.
“When I was younger my size was a big issue for some people... but not important people! I was always confident that there were other aspects of my game that were better off because of that,” added Allen, who played for Team GB in this summer's Olympics.
“I kept plugging away and I actually think it has been a positive thing for me. And if you think I’m small now you should have seen me when I made my debut!
"I was even slimmer and smaller then.
"The right people believed in me though, and that was the important thing.”
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