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I've never been able to understand this theory that everything was better in the old days. You can look back to a lot of results in the 70s and 80s and see absolute hammerings. Imagine how those type of results would be treated on this forum nowadays. The "second halves", I can remember a lot of the time riders didn't fancy it and either went through the motions, or were replaced by local juniors because of bike problems. I bet the forum members would love that these days. The good old days when riders were part timers, travelling about with the one bike on the back of a car. What if that bike got damaged in a crash or blew an engine? You either had to borrow another bike or withdrew from the meeting. You can imagine that going down well these days. You look back at the race time back then, I will use my own club Berwick as an example. Race times in the 70s and 80s are roughly the same as a Northern Junior League race now. Can you imagine many fans nowadays putting up with that as a night's entertainment. Yes it would be great if we could get back to a time where we had the top riders in the world competing in our leagues, but unless we can find some rich benefactors or miraculously find some big sponsorship or TV money, we have to accept this isn't going to happen. Let's face it, we were all a lot more easily pleased in the past. There were fewer alternatives, we were less coddled in those days. Now we want instant gratification and we want it all the time. For my opinion, speedway is better now than it ever has been, throughout the sport. More riders are becoming "professional", the standard of riders have gone up as a whole, right across the sport. But all I see on the forum is doom and gloom. I find I spend very little time looking at the forum these days, the general mood starts to bring me down.

The crowd levels have a lot to do with it too....if you watch an average meeting as one of a few hundred spectators you wouldn’t enjoy it anywhere near as much as being among five thousand fans watching it for example. Speedway back in the day seemed so much better due to the bigger crowds, better atmosphere and sense of occasion even though the racing itself was very similar.

The time scales continually mentioned have been from cloud cuckoo land, as were the start dates of any changes since 2015.

I just dont see Middlo as the greatest manager thats all its called my opinion. He has had the best financial backing over the years at Poole and has been able to change riders as and when Poole need to. In my opinion Rosco and Adams have proved they can do it at other clubs with less resources. Lets see how Middlo can do at a different club is all im saying. Poole fans will quite rightly feel he is the best because he has managed their club but i think any manager could have managed Poole..............he was awful as Team GB boss.

I disagree never liked Ferguson myself but his record speaks for itself and so does Middlo's.

In speedway, I'm not sure you can trust 'the actual speedway parties' involved!

And Rohan, Jye, Layne, Danyon, Arran, and Dakota aren't??? I remember when speedway riders were called Norman, Harry, Bert, and Fred... Steve

I’m just glad he’s not at Swindon

I've always looked back on speedway with such affection. It seems to be an enjoyment that was always there. In my late teens a gang of us would first go to the meeting before hitting the drinks and dance floor, we use to plan our holiday around fixtures away, we even interrupted our honeymoon not to miss a meeting. When our 2 kiddies came along they joined in and went to most meetings, it just seemed the natural thing to do. Time moved on and your circumstances change, your children get married and the grand children arrive. They in turn are doctored into our beliefs in the hope they will continue our love for the sport. Its a wonderful experience seeing the complete family of 3 generations at places Cardiff and other big meetings. but it is unfortunate that the younger element don't appear to have the same enthusiasm as us old ones do. Please to report our son accompanies his ole man regularly, and both can be seen at most of the Stars meetings, Our grandson picks and chooses his meetings, but it gets harder to persuade the others to attend.... It appears the best days of the sport have long gone. The spectacle of seeing 4 men racing bike with no brakes is still the same but the environment has completely changed. Where once the terraces were packed enjoying a full nights entertainment, now there are just a few die-hard fans watching processional races that are over in no time at all.. I look back with envy of those wonderful times and am so pleased I was privileged to have been there...….

Pretty much like Cardiff to me.Look back at the racing and it is pretty mediocre.But as you say the occasion and bigger crowd makes it seems better than what it is really.

I used to go roller skating at granby halls , saw status quo there, and an ideal home exhibition ,Peters and Lee appeared a couple of times during the day on a small stage , Sadly the whole place is now a car park for the Tigers rugby

Uncle

Because you were younger imo ......... you enjoyed life more, you were up for a good night out, you enjoyed music more etc etc etc

Nope, Tommy runs a grasstrack/speedway spares van - RTN Racing.

Small world Norbold.

I love it when Alex Ferguson's reign is described as being easy as the richest club. The majority of the winning under Ferguson's reign was with players coming through the ranks of the club which is where the club's wealth came from. For me, Middleditch has just been Ford's puppet. Ford says who rides for him, who's sacked, which replacements are needed etc. Middleditch for Poole is exactly the same as a team leader / supervisor in business, powerless in hiring and firing and just there to fire up the staff employed by someone else. Matt Ford is the reason and only reason for Poole's success.

If anyone agrees with you or not it matters not. That is your opinion and you are entitled to it. In my opinion I believe Neil has done a great job. But that's my thoughts.

It goes both ways. A lot of people say Sir Alex is the greatest manger of all time. (Yes, he did manage more than 1 team) but the success was with 1 team that was the richest and had the best players in the world. You still have to win. And I think some of 8 prem titles middlo has been pretty impressive. Yes, 2013 was quite easy but 2015 he kept the side together after the shock. I do get the argument though. But I would certainly not describe Adams and Rosco as great if middlo isn’t described as great. In 20 years time people remember championships more than anything else.

But F1 track conditions can also change, Phil. today in Aussie, 20 cars start careering round very fast more rubber was laid on the track, therefore more grip, so they went faster. also, track temperatures can rise or fall during qualifying, which affects “stickiness” for the better or worse.

How would you know that's not the riding order?

I always found Norman a good name for a Speedway Rider. It's an especially good one to name your children after!

Is it still a requisite that no houses are to be started on until the stadium is finished? Is Osborne still waiting to implement his dirty tricks, as usual/

Season starting with the usual verbal abuse why cant some people just except other people's opinions oh i forgot this is the poole thread

You can compare their longevity at the top in their respective sports.

Maybe I don't get out enough. We will see

There was certainly a very strong mutual respect between Lee and Penhall...something that both riders have often cited. Bruce has stated that the one rider he feared the most on track was Michael because he knew even if he out gated him Michael would be trying all he knew to get by. Two great racers during the late seventies/early eighties.

I'm pleased Scott has got a team. A real 100% racer who tries his best every race. Scott will do well for Wolves.

Not true. I was playing Devil’s Advcocate and said you could make a case. Which you can. But if you’d pinned me down as to where I think Siggy was when his career suddenly ended, I’d have had him up there with Nielsen as arguably the best rider in the world, with Gundersen, Carter, Lee (problems aside) a gnat’s hair behind. Sanders? He’d be in a group with the likes of Knudsen, Shawn Moran, Morton, Andersson, Crump, King, Shirra as world class riders, but not quite the creme de la creme. Sanders was also 14 years into his British career when it came to a tragic end aged 29. Sigalos was 24 and just into his sixth year in the UK. So they were at very different stages of their careers. If - big IF - Sanders has gone on to be world champion, he would have been the oldest first time winner ever at that time, breaking Mauger’s record. Only to be subsequently beaten by Ermolenko and Gollob. Anyway, we really are going round in circles now. I think we’ll have to agree to disagree :-)

Like Alex Ferguson, Middlo will retire at the top with nothing to prove imo ...

Be nice if Middlo went and managed another club and see if he can be successful without firstly Fords money and without changing large numbers of riders throughout the season. If he can do it at another club then maybe he can be mentioned in the same breath as Rosco and Adams.....until then he will only ever be seen as a good manager rather than a great one

If every team was as well and professionally run as Poole the sport would not be in the mess it has got itself in to. Matt Ford would have made the perfect long term supremo of British speedway about a decade ago, build a 10 year plan, sadly won't happen now. The question is - who and where are the guys with a vision and a plan to take British Speedway forwards with the Business head and Speedway heart Ford has.??

He is still on website as being Sheffield"s track man and practice still on per fixtures. No idea if previous statements are correct

Our usual 3 seats reserved for the season and sponsorship agreed with MF today. Good times. Sacre Bleu!!

They aren't prevented. I don't know why Rob said that in the SS article. The fact is that each club have to show sufficient evidence that they are attempting to find land to bring Speedway back to the area they are representing. If they cannot do that to the satisfaction of the BSPA they won't be allowed to continue using the defunct club's name. There is some question as to what satisfies the BSPA, but going by what Rob claimed he is doing, he shouldn't have a problem. Whether this "rule" is viewed as fair or not, it certainly isn't as Rob suggested.

Scott Nicholls has been signed as the injury replacement

I personally don't see why people are calling Matty and Simon reserves... Matty certainly is NOT... He's a 5 and a half point rider for god sakes!! And Simon, well it wasn't too long ago he was a 5.5 point rider!! I think he will do ok at number 2... As long as Max is at 7, heat 8 should be pretty strong Also I think Max will do a good job at reserve and Danny will pick up decent points at home and at Redcar... Time will tell, and although we've lost Victor and Nike (Two riders I was looking forward to watching the most) I think we are much stronger now with the best top 3 in the league... I've said it

You are right. I should have said stats on most tracks are worthless as a couple of trappers paradise tracks will have a large bias. But I still stand by the point that only recording who wins a race and from which gate is worthless in any race where over taking has been seen.

Past stats are probably worthless. They give the winning gate but there is no record of who was leading after the first bend. That must be a better indictor of which gate was the best for starting. Many riders come from behind to win a race - but this doesn't make there gate the best option.

BUT in speedway, unlike F1, track conditions can vary from lap to lap.