Mr Speed and his wife, Louise, had been going through "ups and downs" but were "working through" their problems, she told the hearing at Warrington Coroners Court.

The couple, who married in 1996, were arguing against a background of "stresses" connected to the 42-year-old's job managing the Welsh national team, Cheshire Coroner Nicholas Rheinberg was told.

They "had words" in the hours before he was found dead at 7am on Sunday, November 27, last year, after returning home from a dinner party at a friend's house.

Mrs Speed told the hearing: "We walked in the house and we had an exchange of words about something and nothing."

After being locked out of the house and spending the night in her car, Mrs Speed found her husband dead in the garage of their home in Huntington, Cheshire.

Blinking away tears she said: "I went to the window and there I saw him."

She said she then woke their two boys, who had been sleeping upstairs, to let her in the house and called the emergency services.

Mrs Speed said her husband had talked of taking his life in a text exchange about five days earlier.

She said: "He talked in terms about taking his own life and then he moved on and talked about moving forward and how important the boys were to him.

"It was in the context of the ups and downs of our marriage. The texts went on about our future together and how excited he was about our journey together."

Asked if the Wales job was forcing him to spend more time away from his family, Mrs Speed said: "I think he was spending more hours there than he thought he would do initially."

Mr Rheinberg then asked if it was difficult for both of them "spending long periods apart?"

Mrs Speed responded: "Yes."

Mr Rheinberg asked if this had "put some degree of stress" on their relationship.

She responded: "I would say so, yes."

Also giving evidence was former Newcastle striker Alan Shearer, a close friend of Speed's, whose statement was read to the court by the coroner.

Mr Shearer said the two families had enjoyed holidays together and on their most recent trip, in August last year, Mr Speed was "more relaxed this year than I have ever seen him".

But Mr Shearer said he was aware of a "couple of issues" between Mr Speed and his wife.

"My response was that is usual in a relationship that is so long standing," the footballer said in his statement.

"I think he took the advice well as his words were that he was 'going to give it a go' and 'stick in there'."

Mr Shearer said he last saw Speed at BBC studios on the Saturday before he died.

"Gary seemed to be enjoying his job as Wales manager and coped with the pressure well," Mr Shearer said.

"When I left the studio on that Saturday I expected to hear from him on the Monday.

"On Sunday I got the phone call telling me Gary had died.

"I was shocked. Gary is probably one of the last people out of my million friends to ever do that.

"It just didn't and still doesn't make sense to me."

Recording a narrative verdict, Mr Rheinberg gave the cause of death as hanging but said "the evidence does not sufficiently determine whether this was intentional or accidental".

The inquest heard that investigators believed Mr Speed had been sitting in his garage.

Mr Rheinberg said: "It seems likely that Mr Speed was sitting for some time with a ligature around his neck.

"It may have been that this was some sort of dramatic gesture, not normally in Mr Speed's character, but nonetheless, a possibility."

Mr Rheinberg said it was a "possibility" he was sat there for some time and he "nodded off to sleep" with the ligature still around his neck.

In a statement on behalf of the Speed family, Richard Bevan, of the League Managers Association, said: "Gary's death and the manner of it, made Sunday 27 November 2011 the worst day of our lives.

"Throughout the nine weeks since, there have been some very dark moments, which we have all had to find our own different ways to endure.

"Now, we have to adapt to the future without a husband, a father, a brother and a son; but Gary's memory shines brightly in our thoughts and we will forever remember the wonderful times we shared with him and the deep love and affection he offered so freely within our close knit family."

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