THE FA of Wales is ready to cave in to player pressure and appoint Gary Speed, pictured, as manager alongside Brian Flynn by the end of the month.

The entire Welsh squad came out and backed Speed in the aftermath of Wales 3-2 defeat by Poland at the Millennium Stadium last night, and the plot thickened further with the captain's announcement that he was retiring from international football.

With Wales' World Cup dream now in tatters, Speed told journalists that he was calling time on his 14 years as a player, paving the way to the managerial hotseat.

Front-runner for the position John Toshack appears to have burnt his bridges with his critical comments of Wales in recent months and the FAW are believed to be bucking to player-power.

Speed has the backing of the full squad according to Robbie Savage, who said: "It is up to the FAW to pick the right men for the job because this decision could be one of the biggest they'll ever make.

"Under Mark Hughes we get 70,000 at every game because the big players want to play for their country.

"I just urge the FAW to think long and hard and talk to the players and Mark Hughes and don't make Gary Speed apply for the job.

"Offer the job to Gary Speed and Brian Flynn."

Speed was taken off with 12 minutes remaining and saluted the four sides of the Millennium Stadium in an emotional goodbye.

Afterwards he said: "I made the decision as I was coming off being substituted, I knew then it was my last game.

"As captain of my country it is a hard decision to make but the important thing is we get a team ready for the next campaign and I won't be there anyway.

"So it would be better for the team if I finished now."

Speed said that he won't apply for the position, but would be willing to listen if the FAW approached him.

He said: "Unless someone talks to me then I won't think about it. If someone asks, then yes. I don't think I would apply, I've got two years left at Bolton.

But he joked: "I don't think Sven Goran Eriksson applied for his job."

Even departing boss Mark Hughes gave his backed the retiring captain, he said: "Speed has the right qualities to be manager of Wales."