rabbit

Sad isn't it? He has always looked really nice but has decided to go down the road of highlights and spikey hair. Not that I notice these things....but....Gary Havelock seems to be having a mid-life crisis as well. Hope Rabbit doesn't see that comment. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Too late! Thought Havvy was looking quite distinguished actually with the longer hair recently. But then I always did have weird taste! Got to say Sam can get away with it with his 'do. He's got a youthful looking face. Anyway, whats wrong with making an effort to look good - not like you have to give up and don the cardy and slippers just cos you hit 40. Hell I intend to grow old very disgracefully!

Really wanted Gollob to win tonight and he did just that - cracking racing from the guy. The speed and his racing style - could watch him all day swoop down those bends and round the outside. Awesome! Some crazy day for him! Tricky did what was required and don't think he was ever going to do anything after collecting the world title. Full credit to Crumpy - thought he was totally sporting at handing over his title and he's gone up a bit more in my estimation. Rico was brilliant - when he said he'd not practiced and then had those two duck eggs to start, I thought he'd made a major misjudgement but what a comeback. Hope he gets a great reception tomorrow at Swindon. As for Anton - he will want to forget this one. Looked a bit sluggish and just couldn't get that exit from the 1st and 2nd turns sorted and on that track you just cant afford to make those mistakes. Still, easy to forget how young he is and he'll be back. Bjarne just dipped out so all in all a poor night for the Poole boys - just hope they're bouncing back on Monday.

Yep congratulations to Tony. It's a priviledge to have been able to watch such a sporting legend over the years from the early Anthony Michael Hall lookalike days to the ultimate professional he is now. What odds on him making it 7 titles before he retires?

Bet Sky are asking exactly the same thing! Amazing stuff by their track staff though. what a slick show to watch. Next time I see a decrepit old tractor ambling around a track making no difference whatsover I'll remember tonight!

You do talk a load of tosh at times SC. A bad refereeing decision doesn't make the Poles cheats. It was a tricky track out there and Gollob going off was unfortunate but not unexpected when you see the slime off the racing line. He was lucky to not get excluded but that's the way it goes. So easily could have been the other way around. Edit...sorry forgot me smilies!

No you're not. Suspect you were already subconsciously thinking of them when you referred to nuggets in that post too!!

Gaaah!!!!!

Gawd Sirmatty! Did you have quote the entire post again just to say that?! The scroll button on my mouse has now jammed from this page cos it's so damn long!!! Edit: Oops Iris...you beat me to it!

1. Have you? 2. You are wrong. Ever seen Mark Loram ride a big track going in close to the line and then squaring off a corner because he can get more straight line speed? Just one example. Going out wide to the fence every time is fine but leaves a rider open to another steaming up the inside a la Nicki Pedersen style. 3. Good, I aim to please.

Now I know you've lost the plot...so that means no rider would ever attempt to come from behind and pass another rider on the outside around a bend. In addition I'm of plenty of tracks and individual races where riders would take/have taken a bend differently - your theory is flawed. As for Gollob knowing that is what would have happened, well Gollob made that same move more than once in both the run-off and last night's meeting and it was only this race where there was an incident...if what you said was remotely true then he would have had big problems. Hehe....fine weekend fun...next!

Lost a Cog..me thinks you need to take your blinkers off. That was a racing incident last night, Gollob was on the outside line all the way down the straight, getting up speed no doubt to make a passing manouevre past one or more riders around the 3rd/4th turns. If you watch Steady, he switches from the inside of the straight, right out to the fence - the first thing Gollob probably knew was the split second before he hit Simon - his view possibly even obscured by the other riders in the race. Quite how you expect Gollob to cut his speed from 80mph as you so vividly describe to zilch in a nanosecond without TG either putting himself through the fence or taking out the other 2 riders in the race is beyond me. It was, pure and simple a racing accident and certainly contained no foul, unfair or dangerous riding which would imply a planned move and somehow I don't think Gollob would actually want to plant himself up Steady's backside!! 'Fraid to say it but that now makes more than 2 posts where you've been wrong!

Yeah...at Poole it would be believe me!

You are right Grachan..I guess I was just saying that calling a tactical move in front of the TV is different than being the manager, there, talking to the rider and placing your faith in them and having them telling you they could do it. It's all swings and roundabouts and who's to say that if we'd have more success with our tactical move tonight, then Sweden may have moved earlier to play theirs. We'll never know...I just feel the usual post criticism of Middlo a tad unfair when most people were saying how well we did with an under strength team on Sunday. I certainly didn't expect more from this team tonight howver much my heart said otherwise - ifs and buts are all very well but we'll never know and have to deal with the facts.

Damn...back to the day job then. Cool story though. But how did I just now that Middlo would cop some flak after tonight. A manager can only do the best with what he has. And for every armchair manager calling his bluff was another agreeing with his moves. A thankless task and as he said on Thursday, you're damned if you do and damned of you don't. Anyone thinking that any tactical moves would have had much difference tonight is sadly mistaken. Our guys did their best as was expected - we just weren't up to the task tonight for all their valiant efforts - simple as that! At the end of the day, it's down to the riders to do their thing on track and ask any one of them who they'd want to manage them - I'd take more credence from their opinions than anyone on here.

Aww bless him..I thought his new do looked the biz! As for the starts...well don't a lot of men suffer from premature acceleration?!

Mr Clemens - would you oblige by forwarding me my lottery numbers for next week? For a small percentage of the winnings of course...

Apologies..I didn't pick up on the 2nd bend quote in Subedei's post. You're totally correct, it happened on the entrance to the 3rd bend and I wasn't apportioning blame to anyone - more reacting to the Pearson/Tatum hype that Gollob should have been excluded which was total garbage. It was a racing incident - Gollob was riding his outside line and Stead was totally unaware and switched from the inside right to the outside which he was entitled to do. No blame, no fault - just racing and Gollob did amazingly well to stay on. To talk of throwing Gollob out for dangerous riding was ridiculous and i expected more from the commentatiing team. Even Loram had a smile on his face when Keith Huewen was quoting them.

Good call Sube. Exactly the way I saw it as well. Some damn hard racing from all quarters tonight and despite best efforts we just weren't good enough. The team tried to keep their heads up and credit for battling to the end, but to be honest they were on a hiding to nothing from the start. The BSPA really need to take this result and start looking at how they can give our up and coming youngsters tough line international competition so that a World Cup isn't their first taste of it! Test matches, international tours whatever but EL racing on UK tracks isn't going to be enough. Great night's racing again though and the Poles fully deserved winners.

Still p'ing it down out there apparently.

Subedei...you old dog you! I'm shocked...I thought you were catatonic being of 13th century origin.

Well, let's just hope the track is as he knows it cos I don't think he'll have had much luck today getting a few laps in. I worry when riders don't feel the need to practice...shows either total confidence or a certain arrogance that they don't need it. Just hope it doesn't bite us on the bum tonight. Do agree that if he only rode it a couple of weeks ago maybe he should have been there to help out the other lads who have no experience of the track. Still, i'm sure it's all under control..I'm just getting jittery!

Blimey Shazzy..I swear I could see you you morphing into Winston Churchill as I read that! Wow..stirring stuff girl! Go you!!

According to Middlo's column in the Daily Echo down here yesterday, he's not too impressed at the lack of an air fence there on Thursday and was due to raise the subject with Ole yesterday. How much luck he had is anyones guess!

You've just shattered an illusion Midnight Blue...I'd always assumed you were female until that post. Unless...