21st century heathen

Nah I'm blaming rabbit this time, well can't blame SCB because he isn't a Poole fan, for saying he'd be better than Ryan.

It wouldn't suprise me if she hacked into my account and changed it to Spanish. What is disturbing is that she text one of my female friends, who she's not met, and signed it with xxx. Ahhhhhhh...another poor unsuspecting soul beaten into submission.

Well it took all of 2 mins to turn a congrats Greg thread into a Pole thread. Oh well, for what it's worth well done Greg. The complete performance when he must have been under pressure. Coming in as a replacement can't be easy as you're expected to do better than the other guy. Also he was riding at home, on what's reported to be his fave track. He couldn't really afford to slip up, and he most certainly did not.

Only 4,500+ to go then.

I believe there was contact but I haven't had chance to watch all the replays frame-by-frane yet. It was a typical 50/50 from the live action, and the sort of thing I've seen go either way. Incidently, what about Kelvin saying Nicki had jumped a start when clearly Leigh was moving.

...and the knock-on effect caused the German to fall. The reason the race was stopped was because the German fell. The reason the German fell was because of what TRick did. TRick had to be excluded, and I can't quite believe anyone can see this one any different.

He's a Polish citizen so he has the same rights as any other Pole. I just don't like the fact that he has represented Norway at the highest level, and has switched. It's nothing to do with him, I feel the same in any sport. Who's that long jumper who switched from Britain to Italy? (as an eg)

Don't think it really maters. Didn't see Chris or Scott, but so what? Sky only grabbed the riders who were there because they were there. If the riders were required to be there then I'm sure they would have been.

Yeah I mentioned that in my earlier post, about half way up the page. I'm sure it's that twitch which made Martin drop it when he did.

If I'm thinking of the same race as you I think you're wrong. It was the first SWC, and Greg was on the outside of Havy as they crossed the line. Greg was squeezed out to the fence, and had to drop his shoulder under Havy's arm to get through the gap. Like I said we could be thinking of differnent races. You might be right about the ref trying not to favour the Poles. Shame he made a complete balls-up of the decisions.

Originally I thought Sweden would win, but not now that Mikael is out. So Poland, Sweden, Denmark, GB. If there is to be a shock winner then I think it will be Denmark rather than GB. GB have a shot at third, and that would be a huge achievement which I would happily settle for. Is that any more clear?

Well it is, for the time being anyway. I've watched it several times since. I've noticed a couple of things that I missed when I saw it live. Going around the 3rd/4th for the first time PK actually had his nose in front for a second, and Martin had his nose in front a couple of times. I hadn't realised that. Initially I thought he was just slightly behind. Watching it again though I think he had the best/faster line but the bike wasn't quite quick enough. He seemed to get just level/fraction ahead on the turns but just didn't have the straight line spped to challenge Leigh and Tomasz on the straights. Fantastic stuff, and total respect for each other to race hard and close without any contact.

I'm backing the Poles too because I think they were unlucky. I also tipped them to win it after Mikael was ruled out. I'm also backing the Danes, as I've called them as outsiders if it's a slick track. Couldn't be bothered changing the avatar every day though.

The inconsistancy spoils all sports, but we seem to be suffering quite badly. Holta was excluded when he had nowhere to go. He was just squeezed between two other riders. That's a typical 'all four back' first turn. TRick lined up at a slight angle, nothing wrong with that in theory. The theory being that he would outgate Hampel and be clear to make his own line on the first corner. He didn't and he had to elbow, kick, and nudge Hampel out of the way to make room for himself. Had he not done that I believe Hampel would have got over TRick into the turn. The chain reaction of what happened next to cause the race being stopped was a direct result of TRick's actions. He is therefore the cause of the race being stopped, and should have been excluded. Hampel having to straighten up caused Watt to take avioding action (very well done BTW), and then the German was skittled on the outside. Fortunately nobody was hurt, especually the German lad, but it could ahve been a very nasty pile-up. Perhaps a new definition of the butterfly effect is required. If a speedway rider elbows another rider on the inside, will a speedway rider on the outside get slammed into the fence?

I think it's a good move. Charlie is a racer, which mean you have to be at your best. I don't think he's been at the very top of his game, which could cost him up against two/three quality riders. Bjerre will almost certainly make good gates, and is bound to be in the points. You just can't afford to finish last. I expect the Danes to go through with Poland, and then be battling with GB for third in the final. If you fancy an outside bet then the Danes are the way the way to go. If the track is slick then they have riders who can gate, and aren't slow out front. The Brits are likely to rely on their track craft and passing ability if they are to make a real fist of it.

I'm in, and I've got the rigt one.

Well I think the lack of respect shown by Sky was a disgrace to them so here is a chance to right their wrongs. In round 1 the Russians were a threat to a disappointing Czech Republic, and realistically that is all they could have hoped for. As ever the guys gave their all, and certainly weren't afraid of the big names. I think they can even consider themselves a little unlucky a couple of times. One or two very good postions were spoiled by not quite having the power to make it work, and either were squeezed out or were just beaten for pace. In round 2 the Germans tracked a very, very young team. We all know that they were there for the experience, in the hope they can bring on some of their new talent. Each of them showed at least once that they do have some talent, and was able to mix it up a little. Obviously Martin was the best of the bunch, but the other lads rode a good first turn or a lap here and there. I think the efforts of these teams are worthy of note, and certainly deserved some professional courtesy. Both teams have one aim when the World Cup comes around. Qualify as 'the best of the rest' behind the main nations. The Germans in particular have done very well just to be there. If you think of other nations that were not able to be there then you realise that these two Nations have done well. In the past we've seen Slovenia, Italy, Norway, Finland, Hungary, and even the USA were knocked out. So to speak directly to the Germans, and the Russians I'd like to say hats off to each and every one of the riders. You were justifiably involved, and against strong opposition you were not disgraced. Congratulations, and good luck in future events.

Waited a couple of hours for something to happen but wasn't it worth it. Until then there really hadn't been much to shout about, other than a few good half laps here and there. I'd gladly wait another couple of hours for a race like that though. Martin made what I always maintain is the perfect start. Whoever was inside him (can't remember now) twitched at the start, and Martin just dropped the clutch. As long as you don't 'do a Lindback' then it's fair game. Dropping the clutch at the exact moment the tapes go up is as good as it gets. I hate to see races pulled back because someone got it right, so thankfully this one was alowed to go. Full respect to all the riders for a hell of a race. Three and four abreast and none of them were tempted to stuff one of the other riders. without a bout that race goes into the top ten races I've ever seen. With the bad luck the Poles had I was desperate for Gollob to win it, and give them a chance to go straight through. I'm torn now as to whether I keep this one on DVD. It was pretty crap on the whole, but that race...

If a team complains you're more likely to consider there being some truth in it. If one rider says it then it sounds like an excuse.

richtea - Ever cross your mind that 16 year old girls are sometimes right? Talking of PC does anyone remember the team cup in about '83 when he rode like an amateur? It was in Vojens if that helps. His excuse is still the best I've ever heard. He had bought a new set of leathers, and they were too tight!!! He even went back to the changing rooms to put his old ones on. He then continued to have a bad night.

So maybe he has a Polish passport too?

If Mark's not fit then this is the correct decision. I'm glad Joe is prepared to be prepared, and is getting a bike with some umph. As I said yesterday I'll be very happy with a top three finish on Saturday, but if not then so be it. I think we have a team that need some dirt on the track to show what they're capable of. Only Lee is a gater, and he was struggling on Sunday. The others are racers, and a pleasure to watch. Lets hope the track is prepared well, and our boys can mix it.

I would be happy to judge each case on it's own merits. For e.g. if a rider were to live here for years, re-locate to Britain, and decided to live here for the rest of their lives, they could take British Citizenship. Such a rider could then be considered as British as you or I. If he'd ridden once for Australia (for e.g.) when he was 18 that may not be particularly relevant by now. He could have been a Brit for 10 years, and improved to the point that he would be a good addition to the squad. This could be considered a genuine change of nationality. Talking about Holta specifically I have to say that he, and the Poles, have pulled a fast one. He's a good rider, and it's great that we'll all get to see him ride at the highest level, but... Rider/players in other sports changing just to get into a competitive team is not on in my opinion. Oh, and Matt I was rather concerned by the thread title too.

He picked the right team in my opinion. Even if we'd fallen flat on our arses the best thing for British Speedway was to give Simon and Chris a chance, and some experience. It would have been very easy to ask Chris L, Deano or Gary, to step in. Simon and Chris are our future, and as I say even if we'd blown it the experience would be vital for the coming years. As it is they were a sensation, and surely an inspiration to the the other three. Being the experienced riders they knew they couldn't let the side down while Chris and Simon were flying. I don't mind admitting I wasn't sure we could even stay with the Danes. It's a pleasure to admit I was wrong, and congratulate all concerned on a great perfomance all round.

Well I do, and I doubt very much that I'm alone. Roughly? Christianity - 2.1 Billion Islam - 1.3 Billion Hinduism - 900 Million Buddhism - 376 Million Sikhism - 23 Million Judaism - 14 Million But I guess you're amongst the 1.1 Billion who consider themselves to be an Atheist. My apologies if I have left out a religion that anyone practices. The list includes only the 'major' religions. As for the name Team Great Britain. Well haven't we been here before. I think most agreed that it was stupid and that Team Great Britain was by far the better option.