stratton

Great stuff Macca really enjoyed it i have learned a great deal today i always think of Norden 83 Lee and Sanders for me one of them should of won the title.But my admiration for Muller is still unquestioned awesome on the day still think Bill should of been harder on Egon in there race but oh well a great rider hard but fair as well.

I can remember very well the meeting Billy walked out at Swindon the track was very wet very bad.I remember ht 1 Holloway and Crump were on a 5.1 and Crump made a mistake on the last bend and Lee got him.Sanders i first see him in 1972 raw but a talented rookie had a great career and he had a terrific riding style.Chuffed i see quite alot of him was great value and after 1980 i thought he would regress but he didn't he peaked and kicked on god bless him i say.

Great to here your views Macca,from what I know limited as it is Phil and Billy got on great for years both i know had huge respect for each other as people and as riders.I think there was a Aussie final when they both clashed and Phil got excluded unluckily Glyn Taylor qualified.He took his place at Belle Vue and Crumpy missed out i am sure they both made up i can remember they had great tussles in the 16 lappers .I have said this before many times before Billy left us he was up there with Hans and Erik and was a massive threat and averaging 10.90/11.10 average and approaching his peak such a shame a great rider John Berry(a great) said the best was still to come.

Great post both riders i admired greatly,Sanders until his death was nearly at the top of the tree world class.I was a supporter of Phil Crump so Billy was a massive rival but Billy was some rider tough as old boots classy to.Mike everyone knows his speedway record the people i know in speedway know one has a bad word to say about him.

How good was the flying hairpin,when he destroyed the likes of Muller,Weisbock,Gilgenreiner,Betz, and Michanek not bad eh in the 1981 world long track championship.

Would be happy with that ER,Gustafsson not for me don't see him kicking on Woodward certainly i would love him at Swindon.

What a great post Moxey,i get the impression a few of the people who are damning of him didn't even see him ride at his best.Ward for me has made a few mistakes SO WHAT still a great speedway rider that's what I judge him on.Again you are so right about Carter he was box office worth the admission money just to see him ride.These people are not infallible they make mistakes they are not robots. He did put a few on the gates Addio (ie) at his best was a very good rider i don't think the promoters worried to much there is always a place for the so called bad guy.

I to support Eddie he takes alot of flak but you have so rightly said he has improved his average.I hope he can get back on track you can see that Eddie cares that's all i ask and will support him.Kildemand Batch,Morris,Doyle would be my spine for the team for a few years to come hopefully.?

Is Wells a prime example? it does not matter how many times you ride there sometimes you might not have your home track as a favourite Berwick certainly is a unique track i would imagine hard to master.

A really exciting line up with some real talent in it,i think it is between Pawlicki and Bech with Bellego also having a major chance home experience could be vital.

We are now getting to the nitty gritty of the season wondered how the budgie fans generally feel.My take on it is we are still in a great position myself i have not been convinced with us all year the results generally have been good.I am old school so i am not for tweaking and changes but would except it if we did.In hindsight easy now to say but i always wanted Doyley in would of certainly found room for him in our team and i always hoped we might get Bech at some stage i hope we might in the future.The bright spots this year PK is not far off becoming a fully fledged no 1/2 in the team improving fast also young Nick well has impressed me.ER i will say i was totally wrong mate about your comment about Nick you said he will be a rider for years to come and you are right.He now is showing why he is so highly rated he is up there with PK now as our best rider from the back an inside or out passer this week passed both Barker/King with precision.Will carry on supporting the boys and hope everything clicks into place i have enjoyed this year when the meetings are regular some lovely weather and the racing has been good.Off the subject a bit really watched Smolinski closely on Thursday and memories of Crash Ashby came back how he was continually working the line forcefully.Martin was a master at his inside cutbacks forever doing it at the Abbey Smolinski is an interesting rider to watch with his moves.

Would you put Michael Lee in the same category as Brady, Huntley,Shipman,West? have a rethink put his offences in the right context.

I didn't realise Ward was a convicted murderer? get real what a pathetic comment.

Hope so but Lee wasn't a waste of talent though was he? still had 7 top class seasons in him won a world title was 3rd twice 4th, not a bad cv eh?People can slag Mike off and take the P... but no one can ever take away from him what a brilliant rider he was.

But you could still eat your dinner off the floor ER? it is that clean also mind the big hairy spider in the corner!!

He is not a victim but i tend to look at the good in people rather than the negative.And I get the impression they're are a few on here who would love Ward to end up flat on his back and mess up.I don't i hope he goes on and is a world champion Ward and Lee to me i judge as speedway riders ( ie) because i don't know them.All of us make mistakes so i won't sit and be judge and jury. Maybe we are over generous with sympathy 'gustix ' but i am with you on this forgive and forget.Lee said he was overwhelmed with the support he has received so it is not all negative is it so wrong to support someone?.And to have a Christian belief that no one should ever be totally given up on it makes me wonder with some on here they would have him locked up and throw away the key.

So was this any worse than Darcy? or have you forgotten? again i supported Darcy on that issue.Whoever it was i would give support to it was a human error EVERYBODY makes them even you.It is easier to punish somebody rather than trying to address a problem,and finding out why they did it by doing that you might even stop someone else making the same mistake in the future.

I totally understand your view Gemini,but my view on it is i think it is no different if it is Joe Bloggs, George Best,Gazza whoever.For me it is a Christian way of thinking try to understand the reason why people do it rather than just give up on them.

I would like to think the majority?of the speedway fraternity have sympathy for Mike i certainly do.It has disappointed me that some have put the boot in and that is so easy to do but some of those people need to take a look in the mirror and honestly say to themselves have i ever made mistakes.? Did Mike's actions hurt anyone? maybe himself more than anyone and his family but does that make him a bad person NO?.Since his speedway career finished and his last prison sentence i believe he has made great strides in his life ok there has now been a hiccup.But people who have been through a hurtful split with someone would understand why it happened my wish is that most of the speedway circle give him support and allow him to do what he does best being involved in speedway again.I can totally understand why people would say he has had anough chances and i respect that point of view. But my take is for (ex) my kids i would always support them even if it was there 50th chance mistake) this offence really is so trivial not right i know but trivial and hopefully people will move on to another victim because they're always is one.

There is a great thread at the moment Volty about the rules being a joke.And what you have just said about Charles Wright typifies how i feel what a pathetic rule totally unnecessary again stopping Charles earning money and trying to make progress.

Well you ent getting one.

Well that comment would make most people angry,god you are such an immature person.

I understand what a total p... you are,you dont even no the bloke and on another post also you were taking the piss out of Mr Lee.Big man have the guts to say these things to his face and what gives you the right to pass judgement sitting there all high and mighty.I understand you might not agree what he has done but to sit behind your laptop taking the piss is a gutless act in my opinion.

Well if you have used it are you perfect! what a hypocrite.

Agree he does remind me of Eric ( classy style where bluey was mr excitement) also Simmo was a armchair rider.Hats off to Tai he is there on merit also exciting to watch he has surprised me and he could be a world champion within 5 years? down to him hope he does it tough task though.