mikebv

Spot on... Without Lionel Messi, Pep Guardiola has won as many Champions Leagues as David Moyes has..

I seem to remember he pulled wheelies down every straight to keep the crowd entertained as they watched the less than edge of the seat spectacle of one rider completing four laps all alone.. Obviously the ref didn't appreciate his efforts.. Or lack of them as he saw it... You have to remember though that the crowd were primarily there to watch him referee, not to be entertained by the show the riders were putting on for them...

2ng leg set up nicely in the ZG v Wroclaw match... Advantage Wroclaw though for me ..

So in this modern age of instant 24/7 media coverage it can stand its operating model up to scrutiny against those of every other sport and be measured positively against them on credibility and integrity can it? And Speedways popularity which you describe has been on a steep year on year decline for the past 40 years using the current operating model.. Therefore I suggest they try something different to try and halt this slide because doing the same thing time and time again, and expecting different results, is widely regarded as a mark of insanity... And that's no myth..

Probably not wrong.. Incredible how this sport (in the UK), still allows ringers to come in on a seemingly ad hoc basis, and some fans are still genuinely surprised that it isn't taken seriously by the wider mainstream media...

Let's be honest. . It's all a bit Mickey Mouse isn't it? They are very lucky to even have a TV company showing the racing over here, and I would think it's only due to the SGP coverage that they already have that BT bothered to come on board.. Imagine if the sport went out on mainstream TV and someone trying to explain last weeks Peterborough team to the watching millions? Or last year's Grand Final where two riders who ride for neither team were initially planned to represent both finalists, swap at 'half time', and change teams..? And then explaining how riders can swap teams every week of the season, effectively destroying their own season, their own teams' season, and, incredibly, their own fans' season, by scoring points for rivals who are competing for the same competition title.. Sometimes it's for the best that no one seems too bothered.. Speedway, (in the UK) should be grateful it gets any coverage at all..

Well done Rybnik.. Hopefully will now go on and win promotion.. Good to see Dan Bewley have a decent match too..

It really is chalk and cheese when compared to the Mickey Mouse Sport we have over here isn't it? Superb entertainment and real pressure on the riders to perform.. No wonder tens of thousands go an watch it..

Loving this... If only the UK could engender the same passions of its fans.. 2nd Div too.. Fajfer superb in the last one.. What a bend.. Fantastic..

But is it in the 'interests of British Speedway''? I love the way Speedway over here always throws that little caveat in at the end.. Basically, "We do have rules. It's just that we might not always want to implement them"

That's good... Maybe next week they could start with a blank piece of paper and let the fans pick two septets? Foxhall specialists obviously.. Do it to a 42.5 point total team average and you would have some great racing I would suggest, never mind decent.. Maybe call one team 'Ipswich' and the other team 'Poole' and the winners can get either three points or four points towards a National Title.. You know, thinking about it in more detail... 14 track specialists at every meeting in the UK, and lots of rides for the riders to earn as much as they can before enjoying their winter, ticks two major boxes there.. The only down side could be seeing the same 14 track specialists time and time again at your track but that could be spiced up a bit by swapping them around and mixing them up between the two teams each week.. Which to be fair, isn't a million miles away from what happens now so shouldn't pose too much of a problem.. Could catch on this..

Then no one in authority within British Speedway can ever moan about a lack of mainstream media coverage Neil.. Nor can they complain about a lack of blue chip company sponsorship for their teams and the league as a whole.. Imagine, for example, Tesco sponsoring the Panthers? Their brand will be linked to such nonsense that is allowed to pervade week in week out within Speedway and therefore could become damaged by its association.. Ultimately this means there is no way these major companies would get involved with something so devoid of any credibility in the context of a bona fide National Sporting Championship.. In fact it probably is good news to a large degree that it is constantly ignored by the wider media given its so open to ridicule. Imagine Poland running Speedway like this with the exposure they get every week? Believe me, it wouldn't get anywhere near the same wall to wall coverage, fan base or sponsorship from national companies if they did.. Two months of what we accept over here would see a collapse of their Leagues and crowds akin to the GB levels as TV companies and sponsors would drop it like a stone.. If you can't do something properly then probably best not to do it at all as, with all things, you are only as good as your weakest link.. And Speedway in the UK have more weak links due to its operating model than is good for the brand..

For many who have started watching the sport over the past decade, Rider Replacement could be their favourite....

The meeting shouldn't have taken place.. It did the sport zero favours and renders the whole competition completely irrelevant if it is held in such disregard and contempt by those who organise it. The riders got the chance of another pay cheque though and I suppose that's the Number One reason the sport exists (in the UK) these days..

And more than BV got at KL...

I completely agree. Although some suspect I might be a multiple account user. My account was actually much better during the 1950's but I try not to dwell on it. Rest assured I am a one off and all my comments are unique and my own. I am no one else on here, hence I have my own unique writing style. No need to inform the mods about me.

And why should he? The sport is farcical enough without teams going for a National Title helping each other to win it and reducing their own teams chances at the same time.. Turkeys do actually vote for Christmas in (British) Speedway..

WH Smiths no longer sell it.. I believe down to the margin they wanted the SS to let them have it for would have been unprofitable for the SS to sell it from their outlets.. The main supermarkets sell it in many locations around the country..

Polish medical teams do seem to have an uncanny ability of getting riders fit for their meetings..... Riders can miss a few meetings up to the Friday of each week then get suddenly cured by the Poles' healing hands... A true miracle sometimes, some may say.. Pope John Paul II was Polish wasn't he? Maybe it's a legacy he left from his contacts 'upstairs'.

Peter Collins.. Shudder to think how loud the decibels on the TV would be if Nigel and Kelvin had commented on him racing...

Talking in general Rob.. Too much of a comfort zone for these lads is built by having the option to drop down.. Dan has left the second tier behind (or at least he should have), but no doubt next year his average will once again allow him to drop back down again and make him a desirable rider for some lower order team.. Woffy did it right by getting out, no point being a big fish in a tiny pond as that isn't a truly reflection of where you are in the bigger picture, therefore these lads need to face proper pressure every week rather than riding in front of 1000 or so with no one too bothered who wins... Riding under real pressure from fans and owners can only focus the mind more acutely.. I think some lads get far too much praise, far too early, without actually doing anything but beating mediocre domestic rivals, which can give a far too highly inflated reputation... After four or five seasons of racing I would suggest you are not too far away from where your true level is so if your still doubling up, your probably not going to make it to the top level as you really should have moved on..

Too much doubling up/down for me.. Interesting that Fricke and Bjerre earn their corn in the two toughest leagues and are head and shoulders ahead of their Aces team mates. . No dropping down to earn a few quid for them if they have a bad night in the Prem.. British riders in general seem to stay in that 'comfort zone' for far too long and it inevitably then shows later in their careers which often stagnate after a promising start... Dan and Steve are both returning this season from bad injuries last year, but in Poland both would have been binned this year if they had put in performances like they have for the Aces through the season, no 'understanding' would be shown by owners nor fans.. Holds too many back doubling up I reckon.. British riders need to face some of the real pressures the young Poles face as in the long run it will be far more beneficial..

As above..

At best 4000 I would say.. Surely a fair chance of another GP in Britain at the NSS? Temp stands added would deliver 7000 to 8000 I would think without too much trouble.. Do it at the start to the season, make it the first one to set up the season with a great GP, and run Cardiff, like this year, later on.... Been some fantastic racing this year so far, add in the NSS with the World's best racing on it and you would have possibly some of the finest racing ever seen...

Where have they gone? Has that top drawer got stuck with them in it?