TheReturn

Yeah I am aware that competition exists, but I have watched a few times, but I don't find any affinity with any team, it's not my local club or my nation, so I can't get excited by Team Monster for example. The thought of that type of competition entering our speedway GP series doesn't fill me with confidence or excitement.

Not sure it is perfectly put. I agree with Grachan that we rightly started the race with a winning mentality, but it's ridiculous to stick to that original plan when it was blown away on the first lap. There needed to be another plan, and anyone sticking to the belief that all Tai could was win the race is naïve (at best).

Not seen this mentioned anywhere, but apologies if already an active thread. I stumbled on the Team Hancock Haj website who are stating this... Does this mean they want to turn the World Championship into a corporate team event, i.e. some riders will represent Monster Energy team for example and other riders will represent another commercial company? Not sure I would feel comfortable with that, if the integrity of the World Championship might be manipulated by corporate involvements (beyond sponsorship).

Ok, but if rider B needed help to stick to Plan A, then rider A needed to originate a Plan B mid-race to help rider B, achieve Plan A.... Or Manager C should have ensured Rider A had a plan B in case Plan A was failing.

Hancock the 'legend', doesn't sound like the legendry team spirit was doing much for Gino.

Then someone needs a kick up the arse for not having a plan B prior to the race!

Doesn't make him 'always' right.

Although the question needs to be asked who originated the plan.

I am still keen to find out who came up with the genius tactics. Tai himself, which as you said yesterday if that is the case he's done enough over three days to be forgiven for the error in tactic judgement. If some member of the Team GB management came up with that, well questions should be asked.

Well good to have an explanation. But in that final meeting every nation had capable riders, so I am not sure the final was any different to other races.

Welcome A mystery that BT Sport felt was not worth investigating... so over to the Speedway Star journalists to see if one of those will ask Roscoe or Tai.

Well yes, call my cynical I am not convinced it will have been asked either. Although I would not go far as saying it was defeat from the jaws of victory. It was always going to be tough against the Russians, and even if Tai had dropped back there was no guarantee it would have worked. I think all some of us want to know was why Tai chased the heat win, rather than attempt to team ride to manipulate the race result.

With Lambert and Bewley the future really does look bright doesn't it. I am delighted for Lambert, after the weekend and his performance tonight he fully deserved.

So BT Sport bottled asking that tough question of Rosco, I look forward to reading the Speedway Star and the post SON interview with Rosco to ask that important question.

HOW many mores... Had Tai dropped back then we would have also seen a different race.

20 races, 20 times Pearson screams 'here we gooooo' followed by, 'this is a big race' and every other race he calls someone a legend.

The real question is who messed up (we could sugar coat it), Tai for getting tactics wrong (just needs to learn from it), or Rosco for not making the rules crystal clear. Lets hope the question is asked.

After that first lap, yes it was pretty clear that Robert, whilst may have passed Emil (tall order), the only real option was for Tao to help him out by trying to slow Emil, i.e. team riding just like Tai had done for the previous 18 races. But reasons only known to Tai (or the manager), Tai chose not to employ the team riding tactic in that final race.

Sarcasm, but had that happened, it would have been the same result in the end, Russia win the SON. The only difference is we would not be asking the question why was he not attempting to team ride or manipulate Robert overtaking Emil.

Bit long winded, but I take your point... suck up to him, whilst asking a tough question

You don't think the above question is a serious journalistic question to ask?

It's a perfectly adequate question to put to the team manager, so I assume one of the speedway journalists or broadcaster have already, or may this evening at the British Final.

OMG why cant some people get this? Take the 'Tai tinted glasses' off. How can you say 'I trust he did the right thing', we lost!!!!!! Most of us who have suggested Tai got it wrong in the final have all said how amazingly well he's done in the other races. Tai deserves so much praise for what he got right in the 3 meetings, but that does not mean he can't be criticised for getting the final wrong, that criticism doesn't detract from his amazing achievements to get us there. BWitcher perfectly describes it above...

There is why you're considered 'nasty' (your word not mine), because you frequently put yourself on a pedestal above everyone else on the forum. For the record I don't consider you nasty. No gold medal for one very simple reason, he didn't team ride in the grand final, the most important race of the night. You're right that best team riding over all four meetings was Team GB, something Holder pointed out on Twitter. But the problem is when it really, really mattered Tai chased the win, didn't look to see how Robert was doing until that final bend. I still don't know though if Tai thought the team with the most points won, if that was the case then I fully understand his chasing the win. But, otherwise, his tactics in that final race are exactly why he didn't get gold.

FFS, why don't you people get it. Why is talk of Tai dropping back biased? It's not biased to simply suggest that the they got the tactics wrong. You're right they made a tremendous achievement, but the record books will show the winners were Russia. who got their tactics right.