21st century heathen

If the track is prepared to our riders style then you have to go with Chris H and Simon because they have earned the right to be there, and they love grippy tracks. If the track is slick then I would have to be very harsh and consider dropping both Chris and Simon. I would think very seriously about not only bringing in Chris L but also Olly Allen. His gating has been very good, and he's been quick this year. Floppy is another possible to come in with Chris L. Bird is way down the list because Joe would come in ahead of him too. Here's a swerve ball for everyone to think about. The Poles could do a lot worse than bring in Adam S. He seems to be riding well, and knows the tracks over here as well as anybody else in red and white.

Realistically I think we need a grippy track to win the WC. There's no better chance of that than when the WC final is in this country. Will we get one at Reading though? Get the Cov tracks guys down there. Scott and Chris ride the dirt well, Mark and Simon like grippy tracks, and despite popular opinion Lee can use the dirt to overtake. C'mon lets have some home track advantage. If it's slick I think the Danes will be tough to beat, although the Aussies are going to be hard to beat also.

Well yes, but the Aussies and Poles were the faves on the night. I was just referring to that.

Ignore the first half , because the second half was fantastic. What a performance from our boys, and I thought in the end we were a little unlucky not to nick it. Crump should have been excluded, and we lost points in the re-run. The same later as the Aussies had the damage minimised by us not managing to make the start in a re-run heat. What happens happens, but just a tad unlucky. Never mind. We got closer than anybody thought we would and gave 'the big boys' a real scare on the night. Roll on the rest of the week.

I'm thinking about going down for the first time, but I haven't decided for sure yet. If there's no 'on the night' sales then I'm afraid the decision is made for me.

Nicki, Hans and JBJ are going very well. Charlie is having a bad year, and KB is struggling to find his best form after the injury, and Bjarne looks like another Leigh Adams in the making. Good in the league, but not so on the international scene. NKI will have a good ride here or there, but nothing more. From what I've seen there is more effort than speed from him. But if they do click they're my tip to challenge strongly.

1. Scott 2. Simon 3. Chris H 4. Mark 5. Chris L 6. Joe If the Brits have the sense to make the track grippy that team should give us as good a chance as the rest of the world. It won't be easy but we should make the play-off with a little to spare. Then get them back to our own back yard, and show them all how ride the smaller tracks properly. Poland are good, but they won't be the same threat this year. Sweden are not quite as good as they were a couple of years ago. Max isn't fully fit yet, and with AJ and TRick not riding over here we should have headstart on them with the set up. The Aussies are similar in that they are not the team they were when they won it. The Danes have to be the ones to watch. Nicki, Hans, and JBJ in particular aren't doing too badly are they? You can't really discount anyone but why can't we be the ones that all the other are worried about? That team looks solid on current form, and I haven't even included the WC's top points scorer. If Lee finds some form over the next few weeks he will slot in, and bump a good rider down to reserve. Keep the faith!

I'd love to go again. Great city, and the speedway is a bonus. If only I could talk my boss into letting me have some time off. Maybe there's time, but it means I'll have to be nice to him to soften him up a bit first. *edit* Just noticed your post Lucy. How lazy is that? And yes it's been a long time since you were an angel. *edit*

Ahhhhh cute couple....... (Shame that bloke was caught in mid-sentence though ) Now I may not be the most photogenic person in the world, I'll happily admit that, but I don't look this bad...do I?

The track was crap. We saw several riders kicking at the surface to see how much dirt was there. They may as well have been kicking at concrete. I love even an average speedway match, but that was really boring. The only thing to keep me interested was a fantastic performance by Nicki after surgery (unlucky not to get in the final), and a great performance from 'Grin'. I bet the average armchair fan switched off pretty sharpish. Is it really too much to ask for some dirt on a dirt track?

You can get Adams at 12/1 from William Hill.

So nothing. I was just responding. If Nicki bashing wasn't your intention I apologise, but that's the way it looked. Genuine point. Yes, I agree that riders crossing the inside line is a valid topic for discussion. Wasn't it Bager that was excluded at P'brgh last year for having both wheels over the inside on the run to the first corner? I also remember Greg H going way over the inside in a GP (Poland?) a few years years ago (2000ish). The answer is simply to have curbs instead of lines. I don't see why people are commenting on the width of the line. Why does it matter how wide the line is?

The fact is that on this occasion you have singled Nicki out. You ask the question of him specifically. You do not mention the fact that others did the same. Other members have brought up the fact that it was not just Nicki. I don't want to argue with you but I can only comment on your words here, not your private thoughts. If you feel he has both wheels over the line that's fine. I disagree with you though. I still say that his back wheel is on the line.

What a shock. Virtually every rider used the same tactic, but Nicki is singled out! I saw no evidence of grass been thrown up by the back wheel. My understanding is that to be excluded a rider must have both wheels over the line. In short the answer to the question is no. Most riders had their front wheel over the line, but their back wheel was on it and not over it.

It's a fair question, but I'm siding with Cardiff too. If London were added then fine, but not as an alternative.

Try emailing the guys on the Cradley site, or posting on the message board. Someone must have stats somewhere.

Try the Cradley website. The club history section has final league tables. I haven't checked every year, but it's worth a look for the ones you're missing. Just remember to give them credit if you use their stats/research.

An American using American slang doesn't bother me. We all use different slang, catchphrases, have accents etc. The thing that bugs me is the mistakes, and missing something important in a race because the commentator may have been taking crap at the time.

Looking at that picture you certainly wouldn't say she looked like an inept performer would you?

OI!!! Lay off my girlfriend.

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm Sophie Remember Jane? It could be worse, so be grateful we have Sophie now. On the subject of riders with poor English it would be easy to forget that not all foreigners speak good English. So many of them speak very good English. The Danes and Swedes in particular, who even pick up slang and accents. You can discuss the rights and wrongs all day but learning English is far more important to foreigners than for us to learn a foreign language. English is the most widely spoken language in the World, both as a first language and as a second language. With regard to Greg Walasek it would have made sense to have Jarek or Pepe on hand to help him out. Both of them have spent time over here, and speak good English. There's a chance they would pick up on some of the slang as well. I wish it were possible to turn off the commentary at times, but only if I could turn the bikes up.

Lee was fantastic again, and 9 wins from 11 rides speaks for itself. I've spent the last few years saying he would come good, and even in a recent conversation with a Wolves fan I said he would be a better GP rider than Scott in the long term. That remains to be seen but we've seen a glimpse of what Lee can do when everything is working for him. If he can leave injuries, illness, and bike problems behind him I believe he will be the next British GP winner. He seems more level headed when racing than a lot of riders, and some very clever mores on track keep him out of trouble. Some riders ride into trouble rather than finding a way around it. Great performance, well done Lee.

So we're none the wiser then? Which is it?

Oooooooops...too late.

oh yeah