WARRINGTON - Former Wales football manager Gary Speed may have killed himself by accident, a judicial investigation concluded.

The 42-year-old father of two, who played for Leeds, Everton, Newcastle, Bolton and Sheffield United, was found hanged by his wife at their home in Cheshire, northwest England, on November 27.

An inquest into his death ruled yesterday that Speed died by hanging but the coroner, Nicholas Rheinberg, said ``the evidence does not sufficiently determine whether this was intentional or accidental''.

Recording a narrative verdict, which does not apportion blame, the coroner said Speed may have ``nodded off'' while sitting with a cable around his neck on the stairs in the garage of his home.

Earlier, Speed's wife Louise had told the hearing that she had a text conversation with him four days before he died in which he talked about taking his own life but then dismissed it.