rabbit

No idea, but sure they played Alphaville's Big in Japan during the meeting in the stadium...soo cheesy but I so loved that song when it came out. Sorry to digress...

Big well done to Denmark. Overall the best team won in what was a pretty entertaining meeting. Shame the rain turned it from some cracking racing to survival of the fittest, but still worth watching right to the wire. Really pleased to see Bjarne do so well, hopefully dispelling some of the negative comments that he seems to attract for some unknown reason. Definitely some good young names starting to come through at the top - just a shame there's not more Brits in that company. Surprised to see how quickly the Aussie heads dropped to be honest - the Swedes however have impressed all week - perhaps not the strongest team on paper but still in the mix and so close to sneaking second until the last bunch of races. Think the Poles might've made a mistake withtracking Walsek tonight. He's one of my favourites from Poole, but so inconsistent - his performance tonight just proving it. Much as I don't rate KK, I wonder whether he might've been a bit more aggressive on that track. Still we'll never know... Just a shame next years competition is back in Poland though.

Well said! Very disappointing showing again last night - sure it was better than Monday, but i'd have switched off in disgust if it had been a repeat performance. Only thing that did grate was the constant repetition of 'restoring pride' - like hell we did - we finished 3rd and went out for gawd's sakes! Restoring pride would've been a blinding performance and winning last night, not fizzling out with a whimper. Only bright point really was Tai - a shining example of how it's done. No fear on track and eloquent off it (alhough please lose the Scotty Nichools 'giving 110%' line, Tai! ). If we could clone this lad I'd be more than optimisitc about our future! Our riders, for the most part, seemed to be riding totally different lines to the others - Eddie hugging that inside all the time and Rico riding in the AJ inspired 'no-mans-land'. So frustrating to watch - do our guys not read a race as they're riding it, as we seemed out-thought on too many occasions and being beaten up by riders who really shouldn't have been a threat to GP standard riders. Fair play to the Swedes and Poles though, and good luck to them on Saturday. Very impressive performances last night from both on the whole. We do need a serious re-think by the authorities on how to nurture and bring through the next batch - Tai has shown himself ready, but the rest are still a long way off and need some sort of cushion to bring them through to the top. It needs to be a priority this close-season at conference, or we really are going to slip further behind the others. And as a supporter of my national team, I don't want to see that.

The slick track = no passing theory is a total myth...perfectly illustrated last night! It's about knowing the lines and have the testicular fortitude to try them, aligned with a will to win rather than track conditions a lot of the time.

When I saw your post from last night, I thought, bless him, he's pished again. But seeing as you've posted this early evening, you really are serious aren't you? Or was it early finish again at the Noodle King?! I love Rosco to bits, but Team GB manager? Not sure world speedway is quite ready for that although strangely I don't think you're as bonkers for saying that as I thought you were last year!

After last night, all I can say is thank God!! Probably why we're sat atop the league and the teams including all those from last night aren't! Anyway, that has absolutely nothing to do with this subject Sube and you know it. Stop trying to stir more than you are already!

Sorry Steve, but think you'll find it actually is.

Jesus, this thread makes depressing reading - not so much for the topic, but for some of the comments. Some from those who know no better and assume themselves as speaking from some superior position than others and some from posters who I had more respect for. Talk about a 15 page assassination of those involved in the sport.

Gutted - he was one of the highlights of the first meeting. Shonky organisation by the FIM - how hard was it to leave it another week for the semi?

Deary me - a rank performance and cringeworthy to watch. Only Allen can come out of that with any sort of credit - the rest - all current or ex-Coventry who seemed surprised the track was slick after earlier practice. How long have these guys been 'professionals'? And if they couldn't hack it last night, what hope on Thursday at Vojens, a track known to be slick? Get a grip team, with that sort of defeatism I'd hate to have to rely on them in a life-threatening situation!! What happened to the good ol' British digging deep, and laughing in the face of defeat and adversity and chucking it at 'em. Woeful - totally woeful. As for the post-mortems, afraid this poor situation is going to take longer than one meeting to sort out. The rot set in years ago, but collectively, whilst all the right noises are made by those in charge, as soon as they go their individual ways, absolutely nothing changes. We have a couple of youngsters waiting in the wings yes, but it's going to need a damn sight more than that to make us look anything more than also-rans for the next few years - at this rate even the Russkis are going to overtake us, and on last night's performance I'm glad we had the Czechs in our group or we might have been looking at SWC oblivion there last night otherwise! So to Thursday, and whilst looking froward to seeing Tai in our colours, realistically, I think we'll be lucky to finsh 3rd at best on current showing.

Least you didn't ask if I have a brain!

Brain working faster than my fingers as always I did edit after posting about a 'pay-off' but missed that one

National support aside though BFD, you gotta see that it is a crap rule - the Poles got their points through hard work which was wiped out in one heat because of a golden dingly dangly allowing your guys right back in it. I've no gripe which of the two teams went through to the final, but I did feel for the Poles; same as I'd have done for the Aussies had the shoe been on the other foot - more so in fact as the Polskis were on home turf. And I'll say the say if by some total shock, it happens to us...unlikely though as I think the play-off beckins yet again. I do love this competition though, it throws up some great racing, and even if last night wasn't a classic, there was enough to entertain, especially the showing of the Russians and in particular, young Sajfutdinov - fearless and fast, just what I love to see on track. Can't wait til Thrusday now!

I don't think anything was done at the exact point in time, but when the promotion found out about it, there was a big hoo-ha and they publicly pronounced a zero tolerance policy and asked for those responsible to make themselves known - not surprisingly like the big, brave men they were they vanished into the ether.

Hopefully he crawled under the rock he came from which then squished him! It was certainly not our finest hour and trust me, if anyone from Poole had found him first....

That's one of the ones I was refering to although I was trying to be diplomatic.

There was an incident when Antonio rode for us at a couple of local clubs, one involving a fan of the opposition and one involving some drunken twerps masquerading as 'fans' of our club. Thankfully I don't think Anton was aware of either incident but it does unfortunately happen. Needs to be stamped out immediately anywhere whether in the UK or overseas tbh.

If I've hinted that perhaps he may not have been that bothered and it's not correct, then I apologise. I just had a hazy memory that he mentioned such in an article after his late call up in the last time. I could well be wrong ( it certainly wouldn't be the first time ) and another rider said it, but totally agree with your point about the deserved praise - he's got my unreserved respect for doing so.

That's kinda why i'm hoping he might take the philosophical view about it Sube - he seemed rather lackadaisical when called up for the previous round from memory so perhaps he'll just view it as a chance that got away. I hope so, I'd hate to think he'd end up resenting making the decision to ride for us last night.

You're possibly spot on Salty, and as I said on finding out he would ride at Coventry, I don't think that 99% of the Poole fans would have had any argument with him if he'd done the same as Rory and Steady. But I really do appreciate his gesture, and feel absolutely gutted for him that a glitch in the connections has boogered it up for him. Just goes to prove that it's true that nice guys don't get the rewards they deserve. Let's hope he feels philosophically about it when things die down and he's back home!

That's a real shame - the Young Guns meetings have been great over recent years with some great talent on show and some really entertaining racing. I did have a niggling suspicion it might not end up happening but still disappointed even so

But surely he didn't have the choice of gates in the earlier two races and had to go off gate 4 anyway. I could see your point if he'd had the choice of gate in the two controversial outings but he didn't... With second pick of the gate in the final he could take the best of what was available and not need to resort to 'tactics'.

You know...as soon as I hit Add Reply on that, I thought someones going to pick up on that and miscontrue it. So just to clarify (I've seen the hysteria on some of other threads today so I'm certainly not adding to it!) I meant ride as they did in that heat tonight (which is what i was thinking of rather than your wording)...just getting in the way of each other(other riders), certainly not fencing!!

Thankfully though at least they won't be in the same heats at Coventry....they're more than welcome to those sort of moves on the other 3 riders.

The sign of a good referee is that you shouldn't even really notice he's there...think on this occasion he can safely say he had a bad day at the office. I ould hope that referees are marked on their performances in order to assess who should get the top jobs. On last night's showing, he has a lot of making up to do. Some shonky decisions that altered the outcome of the meeting. Very poor.