TheReturn

I 100% agree with this, I commented similar about his effort to learn Polish earlier in the season. When interview now, he comes across incredibly professional.

Slightly dissapointed that I will be cycling from Lands End to John o Groats in the last two weeks of August, so I will miss the next two GPs. I hope Tai will flourish in my abscense.

I think that was covered last night, Tai as been working really hard with a fitness trainer, and changing diets etc. Makes the world of difference.

I think if that is it, then it is time to retire for Mr G, which is such a shame. But I hate seeing him like this, I want to remember the man that would blast around the outside for nowhere. I am not sure that Mr G problem is, is he injured? Otherwise, well Kelvin talked about confidence last night, and I hate saying this about any rider, as the show such balls being on track, but the way he shut off a couple of times last night, it is almost like the bottle/confidence as gone. I hate saying that, but he just does not seem to be the same Gollob we have loved for all these years.

Oh FFS, my heart bleeds for them.

I don't mind Kelvin, but Pearson's inane screaming towards the end was embarrassing, almost as embarrassing as he sucked up to Holder watching at home, I thought at one point he was going to say 'I miss you' to Holder. I can't believe that Sky, BSI and Eurosport can not find anyone better to commentate on the speedway, there most be someone lively and knowledgable that can do the job without sucking up or sreaming.

I am by no means 'older generation', but when you have seen first hand the impact weed can have on peoples mental health, then you would not be so flippant. Who says the majority don't want this particular law? I must have missed that piece of evidence.

No idea what happened last night, but the last time I saw two riders have a go at each on track was the last time I ever saw Robert Nagy race. Him and Matousek clashed at Long Eaton on the Wednesday evening, and as the two lined up the following evening, before tapes rose you could sense something was wrong. If you ask me, throwing a few punches in the pits is far better than letter disgruntled riders take it out on track.

Shall we now discuss the consequences of people that overdo the weed? The impact on their mental health? You can debate the right or wrong of the law all you want, but whilst it remains illegal, it remains wrong at this time. A law I hope remains in place for a long time to come.

Go on.... explain that one to me again.

You would think MPs have slightly more important business to be dealing with at Westminster.

Aah... my initial thought is that this impacts on those teams that make it through the race-off. Would that give them time to repair bikes, riders to rest up to come fresh again for the final. Call up a nw rider if one is injured in the race-off. Might be better for the fans, but not sure it works in a practical sense. Maybe race-off Friday, Final Saturday is better and fairer?

Oh don't be so stupid... that is just far too logical and sensible for speedway... I don't know, some people! Tut.

For starters I would make the World Cup non-annual, it devalues and trivialises what a World Cup is in most other sports, a sporting pinnacle that takes years of work to achieve, from planing to qualification. I quite like the idea of full 7-8 man teams over 18 heats, all held in one country every 4 years, maybe over a two week period. Two groups of four race each other once, top two qualify for quarter finals. Plus two riders per team, per race, we get to see some Team Riding. Sure there will be the Spain v Scotland type situations in footballing terms, but the Scotland's of this world still fight like mad to qualify and make that fixture happen in the WC Finals. The other thing is. if it was every four years it gives teams like Team GB the chance to plan ahead, work on bringing riders through, finding the best riders for those tracks. Of course, never gonna happen, whilst the present format earns them money, they wont want to change for the good of the sport.

When is the peny going to drop with you that another manager, might have the same talent to work with, but might motivate them to do better, to punch above their weight.

Me, and every one else on here knew EK was the wrong choice, and what happened, EK struggled at Kings Lynn. He then pics a young rider in Cook, who was always going tor struggle. I have no problem with that. but to then drop him seems to me like a man who does not have a clue. The way Cook bemoaned being dropped suggests that was handled very badly. I am fairly sure I could have picked a slightly better team for Kings Lynn. So, other than Starman, any other Poole fans defending Middlo's handling and selection of riders for this years SWC?

He tried both an got totally muddled. He does not seem to know what he is doing. Everyone said EK was the wrong choice, yet our national manager chose him. Maybe us keyboard managers could do a better job when it comes to selection.

And which star riders did you have back then?

In recent years how do we know? It's so easy to appear to be a good manager when your club team includes Holder, Ward etc.

He clearly picked the wrong riders to ride the bikes. He did achieve something though, he seemed to bring everyone on the BSF together in unanimously agreeing in something, that Kennett was the wrong pick at Kings Lynn, before, during and after. So yes, Team GB is not going too well, but I think a lot of mistakes were made this year by the manager, so that is why it is east to blame the manager for some of this years failings.

You could argue the US were a one man team. You could argue we were too (Tai). I think our other riders are better than the US other riders. The US beat us because their team was man managed and motivated better, in my opinion.

And that is what a good manager can do, instill that in players/riders lacking it.

We are, and will be, and pretty much have to start from a blank canvass, other than Tai, who is after all the world number two right now. For starters, if I was involved in the BSPA I would be asking Tai what he feels we need to do and who we need to bring in. I would listen hard, and I would then ask someone else, like a Jason Crump for example and again I would listen hard, then I would talk to the last British World Champion, like Mark Loram and again I would listen hard. But do the BSPA do this? Hope so.. doubt it. Will the BSPA do this? Hope so.. doubt it.

I totally agree. Whilst Middlo may not have the power to force a promoter to host an international meeting, he can certainly put some pressure on the BSPA by talking to the media saying that is what he wants. On top of some awful management last week, the biggest concern for me is the lack of direction. Somewhere I read him quoted as saying the SWC is no place for kids, yet when and where will they get interantional experience? He brings in Cook then drops him, which makes no sense to me. The way he dropped him appears to be dubious too judging by Cook's outburst. We were never going to win it this year, or next year, but I think we would all be more forgiving if there was a clear plan and a clear direction to blood two youngsters in the SWC alongside Tai and maybe Harris/Nicholls if their form picks up. Ideally, a meaningful test series would be helpful for the sport, maybe an Ashes test series against the Aussies every two seasons, one here, then 18 months later in the Aussie Summer. Make it meaningful, make it passionate, make it mean something. Note: We would lose the Ashes for the next few years, but maybe that is good, it gives the BSPA a target to aim for, and improve to regain the speedway Ashes.

What a rubbish justification. Every other sport I can think of seem to manage fine without the need for 'jokers'!