E I Addio

That's where a bit of flexibility and common sense is require. For example imagine the start of heat 15 with the scores level and the home No 1 is on his way to the start but is still 3 metres short when the two minutes are up. Are the paying public to be deprived of the excitement of a crucial race for such a minor infringement? I think there is a case for saying that if the meeting has been ticking over fairly smoothly the ref should be lenient about the odd minor delay but if the riders are clearly messing around there should be a warning given to the pits and relayed to the public that no unnecessary delays will be tolerated, but I suppose when we analyse it there is no easy answer.

That's a different point. The fact is that in the SS article Colin Pratt was calling for stricter enforcement of the two minutes by referees.

Read it again. He said exactly that.ie "Colin also believes that referees being stricter with the two minutes will also prevent riders playing psycological games at the starting gate".

His CMA was 6.72, which would put him as second or third heatleader in every EL club except Poole, and even then he was only .03 short of Pawlickis average. He had been out in heat 15, and won some of them. 2nd/3rd heatleader is probably a pretty fair assessment of him at this stage of his career. To say he is no better than an EL second string is a stupid comment that flies in the face of the facts. He is alright, and usually makes time for the fans. As others have said he also seems to have a self destruct button and at times something flips inside his head and messes up. I can't see him changing now but I hope I am wrong

Having an opinion is one thing, having an informed opinion is something quite different. One of the points that Colin Pratt made , very cogently , was that nobody wasted more time messing about on the starting gate than Ivan Mauger, and Colin raced against him enough so he should know. So there is more to it than simply turning the clock back and bringing back second halves. There were a number of other good points made by Colin Pratt who is probably more experienced in the sport and more widely respected than most, not that he knows everything there is to know, but if you think opinions like that are not worth considering and taking on board, so be it.

Its quite amazing really. For weeks with nothing happening the airhead can't keep his trap shut and shoots all;; kinds of stupid comments out to social media and Speedway Star, then when something happens that really calls for a comment from a team manager i.e. his star rider gets a formal suspension, Muddlebrain has nothing to say . Bizarre.

Pity you didn't consider Colin Pratts well balanced comments in this weeks Speedway Star before shooting from the hip.

That's ok if a quote is given stating who made the comment, but Speedway Star for example carried a story that there were potential claims against the FIM by sponsors clubs and mechanics on the back of faulty procedure. That comment was rubbish then and it is rubbish now. There is a legal principle of remoteness of loss that would have excluded such claims even if the FIM procedures were faulty, although we now know the procedures were in order. That was just space filling journalism based on gossip that added fuel to groundless speculation.

Or just buy him a drink......

I am no supporter of Mick Horton but I think he is absolutely right in not getting into a public slagging match with Lewis. It is unbecoming for any business to wash their dirty linen in public, especially on Twitter. We have all seen how distasteful it is when the disgrace that is Neil Middleditch start sounding off in public and making a fool of himself. Horton is right in not getting into a he-said, we-said type of argument. Even if he dais publicly lewis was wrong those on the outside wouldn't know who was telling the truth. Only two people know what really happened. The one thing we do know is that money burns a hole in Lewis' pocket and he has shocking history of getting into debt. Nothing more to see here I think.

They could get out a row of beads and explain it to Muddlo in words of two syllables and he would still go on twitter saying he doesn't understand whats happening.

[quote name="sommelier" post="2578399" timestamp="1424612415" So what you are saying, Tatum is lying No I am not saying Tatum is lying. He was clearly doing his best to answer a question based on what he has heard, and what he had heard could very likely be a founded in fiction rather than fact, as is often the case when people talk about these things a stories get repeated and exaggerated.Philip Risings post for example suggests it may well have been something less than bullying.

If Ward had been bullied into doing the interview I have no doubt that Muddlo the Mouth would have been screaming about it ever since. The absence of any comment from Muddlo about about bullying suggests there is not much mileage on that front.

No IF about iI Starry Eyes. In this weeks Speedway Star Muddlo says "Yes, he screwed up....." and "Ok, Darcy's been a bad boy......." A few weeks ago in SS Muddlo said " Darcy's done wrong" So there you have have it. Three quotes from the Great Oracle and the word IF doesn't appear anywhere. Clearly Muddlo accepts his boys crossed the line. Now, what was it you were saying about being focally challenged............

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p009y2z0 Here is a rare sound clip that I stumbled across Apparently it is the only existing recording of Briggo on Desert Island Discs. Only about 5 min of it and not the best part but an interesting reminder of the days when Speedway stars were sufficiently well known to be interviewed on the BBC. It was apparently recorded at a time when he was World Champion but as he is referring to starting ice racing I would guess it must be 1964 or 66 rather than the previous years he was champion. Enjoy.

You are losing sight of the fact that the context of SCB's post was commenting on Muddlo's stupid claim that Darcy's solicitor who according to Muddlo has been in court EVERY day for 27 years has never known a case to have a timescale like this one. You have chosen not to comment on the utter stupidity of your hero's remarks but instead rather disingenuously twisted SCB's comments. I daresay everyone on here who holds a driving licence has at some stage jumped a red light or made some similar mistake on a spur of the moment decision because imperfect people make mistakes in the real world. Very few on here are taking a self righteous stance on what Darcy actually did , it really a matter of the mis-information coming from the Ward/Muddlo camp that is annoying people.

Shouldn't that post be in the Ched Evans thread ?

Since others have already brought back Briggo (and rightly so) I'll go for Christer Loftqvist. He treated the safety fence like a bouncy castle . Two of the best races I ever saw were between Christer and Reider Eide with Christer winning both. His death from a brain tumour while still in his twenties robbed the sport of a potentially great rider.

He says in Speedway Star "Darcy's solicitor told me last week that in 27 years of studying Law and being in court everyday he has never known anything as ludicrous as the timescale on this case" More utter rubbish from Muddlo . Any solicitor of any seniority would not be in court EVERY day for 27 years for the simple reason that they have a business to run and they have junior staff and barristers to cover most cases for them. Anyone with even the most elementary knowledge of these things knows that any form of judicial process is often subject to much longer timescales than this, as the FIM rules show. I wouldn't take a lot of persuading that that's someting else Muddlo made up. Muddlo is becoming a laughing stock and a disgrace to the sport.

I have just read the letter. Breathtaking dim. All it basically says is that Mr and Mrs Parry think the matter has been going on long enough and the FIM should get their act together and bring it to a conclusion. Apart from that there is are no special observations on the case, no insight, no analysis of what has gone on, nothing we didn't already know and in particular the fact that they have been following the sport since the year dot has nothing to do with what they next say . Even by the average standard of SS letters it is pointless. Then again I suppose the clue is in "my wife and I have been following speedway for 51 years.........."

Interesting comparison. It took me back to the 2010 play off final when Poole started to unravel after Bombers unexpected but brilliant heat 6 win. That was the sort of occasion when a team manager really earns his keep, the sort of occasion when young riders need mature leadership, a cool head and a metaphorical steady hand on the tiller. Where was Muddlo then ? Running round in a panic and leaving Dave Watt to motivate the troops and give the TV interviews.

Well that sounds highly plausible. I guess the discussion went someting like this: FIM Chairman: Well thank you gentlemen, we will now give the matter our careful consideration, having regard to WADA's stance on this then we will prepare and publish our decision within 45 days in accordance with the prescribed rules. Darcy : Well hang on a minute minute matey, I got the UK borderwhateveritis on me back for me werk permit an I can't ride next season if that ain't sorted Blue. I'm gonna be like a dingos donger if you start doing things like follerin in the procedures mate. Can't you like take a few shortcuts an push it all through a bit quicker ? FIM Chairman: OK Darcy we'll do you a favour and knock it out next week. Don't tell anyone else otherwise others will expect the same treatment. What a load of old tosh.

All you need to do is write to the Bournmouth Echo in the following terms - My Dear Sir Echo, How do you do ? I can tell by your newspaper your nice to know. Hello. My name is Gusterfer Drumstix and I like you am a journalist and was once typewriter mechanic at the prestigious Speedway Gobbledegok Monthly. I am waiting to let you know that in commenting about Dudley Ward on you sports pages someone has used a name that I use on a speedway forum and I don' t like anyone else using it. I don't think they should be allowed to do this in a free country. Please ask them to change it I am sir, your obedient servant Disgustix of Tunbridge Wells.

I see there is now a comment from Swindon Sid saying Ward should "opologise" . It just gets better and better !

Equally there will be uproar amongst Darcy' s sycophants if they deem his punishments to be too harsh. To the vast majority the only imortant thing is that any ban should be fair in other words consistent with the current tariff for that type of offence with no suggestion that he has been treated either too harsh or too lenient because of who he is.