Wales football squad want visit from Michael Sheen after seeing rousing speech

[Celerity]

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https://www.theguardian.com/football/2022/sep/13/wales-football-squad-michael-sheen-speech-a-league-of-their-own

Rob Page has said he found Michael Sheen’s rousing ‘pre-match’ speech deeply moving and that the Wales squad want to meet the Hollywood actor. Sheen’s speech on A League of Their Own has gone viral and Page said he planned to thank him for his stirring words. Sheen was asked by the television programme’s host, Romesh Ranganathan, to provide a flavour of the kind of message he would give the Wales squad before they play England in their final World Cup Group B game in November.

Sheen references Page, the late Gary Speed and the folk singer Dafydd Iwan in the address that has received more than 13m views on social media. Page and his players are keen to meet the Damned United and The Queen actor. “I’d like to, absolutely,” Page said. “What he has done … Welsh football is in a good place at the moment. I’ve had pals that live in England going: ‘Wow, to be Welsh [must] be unbelievable.’

“I’ve already had messages from the players … they want to get him in straight away, absolutely. I was in a meeting in Cardiff and I was going back up north and my phone was going bananas so I knew something had kicked off. When I watched it, I was in awe of it, it was unbelievable. I’ve had some great reaction from the players and the staff. When you’ve got the passion to do that, we’ve got to use it to our benefit, absolutely.”

Sheen gave his speech on a panel alongside Jamie Redknapp, Micah Richards and Aaron Ramsdale. “Outstanding, outstanding,” Page said. “‘Give them some sugar.’ It’s fantastic. I well up every time I watch it. “Personally I want to thank him for doing that. I do. I want to let him know that I appreciate what he’s done there. Because we’re on the map but he’s taken it to another level for us.”

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[demmiblue]

1. I posted this before, but only got one response.

I hope more people watch it... it is absolutely brilliant!

[KatyaR]

2. My god, that was AMAZING.

I absolutely adore him.

Have you seen this?

[Celerity]

3. Quite splendid! My mum read Dylan Thomas and other great poets to me whilst I was growing up.

Now as I was young and easy under the apple boughs
About the lilting house and happy as the grass was green,
The night above the dingle starry,
Time let me hail and climb
Golden in the heydays of his eyes,
And honoured among wagons I was prince of the apple towns
And once below a time I lordly had the trees and leaves
Trail with daisies and barley
Down the rivers of the windfall light.