Grachan

He could have healed Walasek's illness though. Perhaps he should manage Denmark.

I'm not so sure about that. Look at the effect of, for example, Ole Olsen and Ivan Mauger on Erik Gundersen and Hans Nielsen respectively. I think the right manager can make a big difference, and in World Cups I'd say it's people like this that would make the best managers. Who have GB got though? I'm not sure about Tim Sugar who is a great tactical manager, but I'm not so sure that this type of competition would totally suit his management style. At this level we need more a "mentor" than yer average team manager, and, to be honest, I'm not sure we have one. Someone suggested Gary Havelock, who is possibly a good suggestion having been there/done it and also a strong, patriotic character. Other than that I don't think we can judge without knowing what goes on in the pits and how it effects the riders. There's much more than "playing the joker" to managing a World Cup squad. It's also notable that the two teams at the top tonight are the two that - as far as I can see anyway - seem to have the strongest team ethic and team spirit in the camp.

Obvious really. If Britain had had to go in the race off they probably wouldn't have qualified for the final, and today's meeting pretty much confirmed that. Excellent meeting. The way Poland started it looked like it might be a walkover, so great stuff from Denmark to get back into it. Poland definitely had a home track advantage. Of course they did. That's exactly the sort of track that suits them and their riding style and I bet they wouldn't have won it if it was in Vojens. So that's home track advantage. Great stuff from them though. I remember reading that Damien Balinski was the Polish Nicki Pedersen. I see what they mean! Jeeesuus!! Team GB were absolute crap at the beginning, but at least we improved to just plain crap by the end. So well done Britain - glorious losers! A bit disappointed in the Aussies, but I never really felt they would win as they have too many weak links. The Poles have so much strength in depth. Definitely cheated on the reserves thing but, hey ho, so did nearly everyone else. Great stuff from Gollob at the end. Great to see a battle between two teams and neither using a joker. No denying in the end the best team won.

Get out in that slimy!

I guess this was the one when Carter rode with a broken leg and the track was very wet. Most riders wanted the meeting called off, but Carter insisted it was okay to race and proceeded to take the meeting by storm and won it in style. Apparently there were quite a few confrontations in the dressing room between Carter and other riders.

Amazing how often the people that get chosen for Speedway on Sky are young women with long, blonde hair isn't it? I know that such ladies are very pleasing on the eye, but personally I think going down this route somewhat undermines attempts for the sport to be taken seriously. I'm probably in a minority of one on that, though, in the murky world of the hetrosexual male. I did like Sara Thingamibob though, so we'll probably never see her again.

Thanks Steve. I think he might have done a few Swindon second halves too. The more I think about it the more I think I got his autograph once!

Name sounds familiar. Did he ride for Weymouth?

Sorry, I'm not with you. According to your avatar you're supporting Denmark.

Well well, what a pointless (but thoroughly entertaining) argument. There are no rules about who you support in a speedway match. If you feel a certain way about a certain team then support/don't support them. All you can do is follow your heart. For me it's Team GB all the way. It's just the way I feel. They do have a Swindon rider in the team though. Would I be more likely to edge towards the Aussies if they never? I doubt it. You never know, though. I bet there are some Swindon fans rooting for Australia because they love Leigh Adams. For me, my only concern with Leigh in the World Cup is that he doesn't get injured. People talk about the old days of Carter/Lee etc, but British fans get behind the British team a lot more nowadays than they used to. Look at this year's GP. It was a very partisan crowd there. It used to be that almost everyone in the crowd was behind the riders from their own clubs. Coventry fans with Danish flags were the norm when Ole Olsen ride for them. Swindon fans with Aussie flags for Phil Crump. Cradley fans with USA flags. And so on. Bradford fans could never understand why people could support any team from another country. They had mainly British riders in their team. I've always been one for following the British team though. Talk by a certain glory hunter about British fans and riders being satisfied with second place simply isn't true. Quite amusing, also, to see people supporting Russia and knocking the British for being satisfied with glorious failure when if anyone is destined for that this year it's Russia.

Who was the race director at Coventry that did such a better job than Olsen did in Denmark then?

Task for today - write out 1,000 lines. I must not be such a pessimist. Must admit Mr Shovlar and I were wrong (and others) but I'm quite happy to have been proved wrong and there was a brilliant crowd. Serves me right for leaving Leicester at my usual time for a league match so the car park was pretty chaotic when I eventually arrived at 6.50pm. The queue to get in was horrendous but after failing to get in at my usual entrance (because Molly freaks out at turnstiles) I walked straight up to buy a ticket without joining the long queue. There was just one man in front of me. Heaven knows why others weren't going through this section and I fully expected to be pounced on for jumping the queue but nothing happened. Strange. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> And no using Copy and Paste ok! What you witnessed there was the great British tradition of people seeing a queue and joining it.

I believe so. I vaguely recall him riding in a Polish Select team earlier this year.

I would say that success for GB would be finish in the top 3. Even so, although we had weak opposition we still looked determined and rode well. No reason why a rostrum place isn't possible even if it will take a very good performance. Australia, in particular, have a few weak links in the side. Denmark look strong though, and Poland will be very hard to beat on their own tracks. I reckon 1. Denmark 2. Poland 3. GB 4. Australia. That is, of course, assuming Poland and Australia will get there. I'm rooting for Russia in the race-off!

Hungary? That's next to Russia isn't it? Bet he's a frigging Russian.

All these Poles - they seem much of a muchness these days. Can't tell one from the other since Gollob's powers dipped slightly. Whichever side they put out they look good for a solid team performance capable of winning the World Cup. Holta is a Polish citizen I believe. If so then he's Polish.

I thought it developed into a very good meeting after a few processional races at the start. Good crowd too. One in the eye for all you forum pessimists. Great result for GB, and we needed it with Poland and the Aussies in the race-off. Like others I can't understand why Magnus Karlsson was reserve for Sweden, but maybe his Swedish form is better than his British form. It was great to see all the British team doing well, especially Stead and Kennett, and I think we can challenge for the title in Poland. Ain't gonna be easy though. Oh, those Russians! Loved them and was rooting for them to get through even if they do murder our citizens in sushi bars. Fantastic entertainment. Whoever thought that Renat Gafurov would be the quiet man of the Russian team. Not sure how they'd go round Eastbourne though! I warned you about Jonas, did I not? International Jonas has shown on several occasions that he's a different kettle of fish to EL Jonas. He'll probably be in the GPs soon!

Write off Jonas at thy peril! He could well turn out to be the star of the Swedish team. Then again, he could well not.

There was a Bill Andrews in the Newcastle side in 1962. http://www.newcastlespeedwayhistory.co.uk/...2023.4.1962.jpg http://www.newcastlespeedwayhistory.co.uk/...tle%201962-.jpg

Ah, Brenda. Good old Brenda. I could hear a screeching noise, but it was very echoey and didn't sound at all like singing. More like someone shouting. Of course, I assumed this was just down to sound problems with the PA. Are you saying she actually sung like that?

I couldn't hear the entertainment at all from the second bend, although, personally, I saw that as a good thing.

Remember the old World Finals when you could invade the centre green at will when it came to making the presentation! I remember being right in front of Erik Gundersen as he was given the trohpy in Vojens back in - ooh - 1987ish.

Hee hee! Welcome to the club, Steve.

I actually think that looks quite an attractive meeting and might have gone along had I been able. Would have particularly liked to have kept an eye on the progress of Cory Gathercole and Lee Complin. If the likes of Hancock and Zagar were riding it would have unbalanced the field dramatically. I think, bearing in mind the lack of available riders, that it's better the way it is. A shame Bobby Schwartz isn't there, but I expect it's too short notice for his inclusion. Come on Cory!!

Almost certainly not. It was probably be an "official" one. I have a copy of the official DVD of the 2005 Cardiff GP. You will get the same pictures from the racing and the "official" interviews that are shown on the screen in the stadium. Based on what I have from 2005, you probably won't get the Greening stuff or the in-studio chat with Loram, Hamill and Ermolenko, but their own seperate interviews. You'll also get different commentry. The 2005 one has Dave Lanning and Kelvin Tatum and sounds very much as if it has been added later and lacks something because of it. Personally I think the Sky coverage is much better.