Star Lady

Couldn't have put it better myself.

very well put Rabbit

I thought she did an excellent job tonight, filling in for nearly an hour live without a script when she knew that we knew there wasn't a hope of the meeting going ahead. She even managed to stop Tatum mentioning Moley

I assume you have nothing else planned for the morning then and for those who have made other arrangements for the morning/are working/go to church .

I'm bloody proud of Team GB for their efforts tonight and on Monday. That's something I haven't been able to say for the last few years. Finally we actually have a TEAM, not a load of disinterested individuals. Well done to each and every one of them, riders, managers, advisors, mechanics and anyone else that helped in the slightest. OK we didn't qualify but only idiots would have expected us to at the start of July anyway. Harris showed he can be a great captain, Richardson really impressed me tonight (and he's a rider I really don't have a lot of time for normally) but he wore his heart on his sleeve, used his head and chivvied the others along. Woofy had a stormer and rode well above his level IMHO. King didn't disgrace himself at all in my eyes and surely will have learnt a lot. Felt sorry for Bridger, made one mistake and really didn't get the chance after that to make amends. Kennett too was there chipping in. The benefits will come next year but meanwhile we have a TEAM we can be proud of.

I understand perfectly well, I just choose to read newspapers online and doubt I'm alone. I don't read sports pages quite simply because I'm not that interested in sport except speedway and the occasional cricket match. I can get any info I need about speedway from various sources on net. Well done to whoever sent that particular press release out but I doubt an inch in a paper will persuade anyone to actually get off their butt and attend a meeting.....now if they were shown a video of Heat 20 that might

Maybe, maybe not. I don't read newspapers so how many column inches did actually reaching the race off get? Realistically I can't see speedway getting many inches at all. The Ashes start tomorrow, some football team has spent a fortune and the golf Open starts this weekend. Where will they fit speedway in

I've not seen confirmed Aussie or Swedish line ups either. Can you send me a link

ML just admit it, wild horses wouldn't drag a decent word about Buster from your lips, would it

How dare you ignore the Isle of Wight....don't you realise they actually have a speedway team that's only one less than Scotland and the same as Wales Why would anyone on the Island support Team GB when it doesn't include a single Wightman Cracking post Linus

Probably displaying his team spirit

Absolutely superb meeting. if only there were more like it. So many positives apart from the quality of the racing. Great team spirit from Team GB...not seen that for a few years. GB riders riding with passion......hells bells almost unheard of in recent years. Great to see the Team GB captain with the riders just before they go out....he could be saying rhubarb rhubard for all I know but good to see nonetheless. Great to see Richardson in the pits helping out, must add to the team spirit. Also good to hear he accepts the youngsters need the experience and seems to bear no grudges whatsoever. Not a fan of his but I will be this Thursday Great track prep, shale whatever next lol....I have this mental image of Buster in his tractor, Ole on the phone telling him to take the dirt off and Buster saying, on your bike mate (or words to that effect) Even Sam didn't annoy me tonight, could be because he didn't try to tell us what riders were thinking I'd like to thank orion and Frigbo for obviously winding Danny King up....can you do it again for Thursday please As for Thursday's team....I'll go with whoever Rob chooses, all I ask is they ride with the same passion that they did tonight, that will do for me. Once again well done to everyone involved with Team GB and to Peterborough for providing a brilliant set up for the riders to entertain us.

Anyone know who is responsible for the track prep today?

No twas them but all the respect for Pratt didn't make Nicholls a world beater this time did it? So are you saying the riders will only ride well for a manager they respect and not because of wanting to win? Not to mention pride in riding for their country.

Priceless Absolutely priceless. So why couldn't Colin Pratt, who has achieved just about everything in our sport, get the best out of Nicholls

And still you have not explained why EL riders need different handling to PL riders

I'm going to gate crash too I think you have covered 1-3 spook so I'll move swiftly on to 4 4 ) Exactly how is managing EL riders any different to PL riders or in fact NL riders. Don't all riders go on track with the aim of winning? Assuming the answer to that is yes, the next question is how to get them to do it. Now I'd say Rob Lyon has been pretty successful at that so far with Lynn. As successful almost as Middlo with Poole and more successful than Rosco with Swindon The only difference I can see from the inference of the likes of Orion, Steve Shovlar and sundry other Rosco advocates is that EL riders have bigger egos! Trust me Rob Lyon knows exactly how to work with big egos Getting riders to go out and win for their team, which is what we are talking about, is the same in any league. If I'm wrong Orion, Mr Shovlar et al, come on then tell us all why EL riders need different handling to PL, NL or indeed Polish/Swedish/Danish riders cos there team managers don't have experience with EL riders either

I see the usual suspects are calling Rob Lyon names. At least let the team bomb out first My opinion FWIW the team is just about right. No one in their right mind would have picked Nicholls on his current form, for his own sake as much as Team GBs. Everyone has been howling for youngsters to be given experience and that's what they've done. Realistically Team GB are never going to beat Poland or Australia so our only option is get third place and go to the race off. Let the youngsters ride with the instruction "come in anywhere except last place" and that's job done and through to the race off. Once there, yes I'd put Richardson in at the expense of King. As for Olly Allen, IMO too much of a risk as he is not fully back from injury, not sure I'd pick him anyway tho to be fair. As long as we keep picking the old guard riders when we know we cannot go straight to the final we will never have enough experienced riders to pick and choose from.

Having now seen this pic I realise that the entry to the pit was not where I originally thought therefore I revise my view that Nicholls was impeded by Sajfutdinov , it was the other way round. Doesn't excuse the violence but it makes more sense now.

I like a drink as much as the next person and Cardiff is a social occasion but I'm also aware that I have a responsibility not to upset/annoy others when I've had a couple or ten. Sadly a few people don't know when enough is enough. Maybe they should follow cricket's example and have family sections where alcohol is forbidden. That way people with kids can go and enjoy themselves without worrying about idiots fuelled with drink.

I'm no Scott Nicholls fan (and that may be a slight understatement) but I'd take issue with that. The way I saw it they had words riding back to the pits, when they got to the pit gate Nicholls tried to turn in to go to the pits and Sajfutdinov kept going straight, they made contact and both went into the gate that was open and on the track. Sajfutdinov threw the first punch and Nicholls threw one too, so yes both guilty but IMHO Nicholls slightly less so. If, as reported on this thread, the incident led to trouble amongst some of the crowd, they are extremely lucky to have got away with a relatively low fine. I'm all for a bit of handbags, it often livens up a boring meeting, but if it causes crowd trouble the authorities have to snuff it out. Speedway is supposed to be a family sport and fighting on terraces isn't the way to go.

Maybe he mentioned it because he realised the racing was boring and thought it would deflect attention from the lack of on track action Seems to have worked to a degree

Can't argue with that line up. I wouldn't contemplate putting Nicholls in because 1) his form is fragile at the moment and a poor performance would not do him (or TeamGB) any good whatsoever. 2) Team GB are extremely unlikely to go straight to the final at the EOES anyway so give a youngster experience. Whether he does or doesn't ride I think he should be relieved of the captains role, he clearly can't motivate himself at the moment so cannot motivate his team mates.

QUOTE (Rob B @ May 30 2009, 11:41 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> This isn't wind up apparently Nicki Pedersen broke a finger tonight having a tantrum in the pits. Now that really did make me laugh out loud.....priceless

pm sent. I would expect nothing less than a special welcome back......after all I have been dubbed a Duchess in the past