Peter Collins In The Star

[george.m]

You are a little behind with happenings. I withdrew that "Don't Like' request several days ago. Here's the Link to update yourself:

http://www.speedway-forum.co.uk/forums/index.php?showtopic=75457

I have a negative attitude - not if you read ALL my Posts on the BSF. But then, to cry 'negative' is a trait of some Posters who use that ploy on the BSF when they meet a contradictory opinion to their own.

Debate is about providing when needed an alternative view to a subject. Did you know that? There is often two sides to everything - hopefully in the end reaching a compromise.

Didn't a famous politician once say something akin to: "I don't agree with what he says but will defend to the end his right to say it"?

i'm not behind, I knew you withdrew it.

The point is you made it in the first place!

But let's stay on topic shall we and not get into long winded personal discussions, there's enough of that on BSF already, let's leave that to Norris123.

[Humphrey Appleby]

Then despite a noticeable drop in attendance figures he continued to co-promote, risking more of his own money until the transition was established before handing it to his friends.

 

Like I said, I originally asked what his involvement at Belle Vue was, but people preferred to respond with silly comments. My recollection was he was part of a consortium at Belle Vue, but fine if he was actively promoting rather than being a figurehead then it gives more weight to his opinions.

 

This said, he ultimately didn't stay promoting, and wider sport still continued its decline after 1988 even though there was still a KOC and no 'playoffs' for many years afterwards.

Edited December 29, 2013 by Humphrey Appleby

[pandorum]

If someone of the stature of PC says these things then only an idiot would disregard what he says.

 

Because if Peter Collins stops going to speedway, it would make no difference what so ever. However, if I stopped going to speedway, a club would be making £17 less every week.

That is indeed a fair point.

[george.m]

If someone of the stature of PC says these things then only an idiot would disregard what he says.

That is indeed a fair point.

Time to pack up and go then, 13 pages wasted.

Last person to leave put the lights out please.

[SCB]

If someone of the stature of PC says these things then only an idiot would disregard what he says.

What stature? What sport has he made more popular? What's his record?

[oldace]

What stature? What sport has he made more popular? What's his record?

I wonder if this scenario works in reverse.

 

If we are all to bow to PCs opinions as a once great (my favourite of all time to be honest) rider and accept that that

greatness will make him a great administrator then surely Matt Ford, for instance, is wasting his money signing and paying the likes of Ward. As a great administrator then surely that would transfer to the track and make him a great rider.

[Guest]

What stature? What sport has he made more popular? What's his record?

 

 

I don't mean I agree with this refence to Peter Collins when I use this parallel but a leading National newspaper sports columnist once wrote of the irony of being a leading sportsman who in later years makes comments on his sport's failings. The journalist in the sportsman's defence said of those criticising him:

"It is sad to be yesterdays's champ and then find yourself in later times to be today's chump!"

Peter Collins is most certainly far from being the latter but not judging on how some in this debate are hammering him.

Edited December 29, 2013 by Guest

[stratton]

I don't mean I agree with this refence to Peter Collins when I use this parallel but a leading National newspaper sports columnist once wrote of the irony of being a leading sportsman who in later years makes comments on his sport's failings. The journalist in the sportsman's defence said of those criticising him:

"It is sad to be yesterdays's champ and then find yourself in later times to be today's chump!"

Peter Collins is most certainly far from being the latter but not judging on how some in this debate are hammering him.

I don't think people have been hammering PC most i believe hold him in high regard and respect him( ie) firstly as a great rider and a nice bloke.I read his views and i agreed with alot of them but it does not mean they are all RIGHT does it.?

[Humphrey Appleby]

Well you didnt 'originally asked what his involvement at Belle Vue was' did you?

More's the pity but why say it when you obviously didn't?

What has 1988 got to do with anything by the way?

Well post 161 was where the question was asked.

 

As for 1988, well that was the first year of the 'new' Belle Vue, right? So presumably that was the start of PC's involvement on the promotional front which was still more than 10 years before the advent of 'playoffs' and double points etc..

[Trees]

Who's gonna tell me what PC thinks will help the sport then, I don't buy the Star these days, please :-)

[Humphrey Appleby]

Along with your first contribution to this thread it sounds more like a clumsy attempt to have a pop at PC, at best your comments are ill informed and at worst some might say they are just pig ignorant.

Don't be ridiculous. I've nothing but admiration for PC as a rider, and if he was responsible for keeping Belle Vue going for a year then that deserves immense credit too. The rest of my points still stand though.

[E I Addio]

Err.... It's an interesting way of putting the question isn't it?

 

Along with your first contribution to this thread it sounds more like a clumsy attempt to have a pop at PC, at best your comments are ill informed and at worst some might say they are just pig ignorant.

 

Hence the 'silly comments'.

 

I can see how you've got up to 9000+ posts.

 

Posts are to be judged not only in the spirit in which they are written but also in the spirit in which they are read.

 

Since post 153 HA's posts have collected a total of eleven "likes" so clearly a number of people have understood the general thrust of the points he was making, and he managed to make his points without aiming personal insults at another poster.

 

On the other hand the number of "likes" your posts have collected in response to HA is..er.. ..none, although someone has had to ask what you are talking about.

 

. Possibly the fault lies with the spin you are choosing to put on the posts rather than the broad point the poster was trying to make.

[Jim Blanchard]

I am not sure if this maybe of any help: My wife runs a tribute Peter Collins group on Facebook (with his approval). Last year sometime he agreed to a Q&A with the members. 20 Questions were put to him. He is not on the internet so the questions were printed off and given to him by Steve Hartley. In due course, he replied by sending me by post several hand written A4 lined sheets of paper with the answers. (I still have them) I posted them as he had written them onto the group. The other 19 are very interesting and worth a look - they are in the public domain. I am not getting into any personal debates about this topic and just acting as a messenger and for info they are the views of PC. I have no idea what was in the Speedway Star. This seem to be the most relevant question/answer.

 

19. pc what is the one thing you would change in speedway ?

Answer:

 

 

"What a difficult question. I would need about a month to answer this one. I think that there are just to many crazy and detrimental rules and regulations in the sport now. I would sweep most of them away and start again with a clean sheet. Such a lot of the recent ones seem to be so wrong to me. I dont see how some of the older more experienced promoters and riders have allowed this new stuff to come in. Such a lot of these rules are far to complicated and many are just down to cost cutting, especially doing away with the tactical ride and introducing double point rides when the dont pay for double points.

 

A lot of cost cutting could be achieved by reducing the number of sub standard foreign and European riders especially with their travel costs. The whole League thing should be kept more simple.

The whole system of equalising team strengths seems to throw up so many injustices which often affect the UK riders the most. Unfortunately, I can only scratch the surface on this one."""""

 

Hope that may help..

[george.m]

Commenting on what someone has said is fine, that's what the forum is about.

Putting your own spin on things or using those comments loosely to back up your own opinions is another thing.

Why let the truth get in the way of a good story?

Seems to me some of us have too much time on our hands at this time of year.

[Humphrey Appleby]

Not to mention the PC wants to 'go back to the good old days' claims, despite the original post in this thread saying no such thing.

I think you're reading too much into it being a personal criticism of PC, which was certainly not the intention. I did think the original article provided little insight into how to address the current problems in the sport, and it did convey an air of 'things were better in the old days', but equally I pointed out that might be down to the way it was editorialised.

 

I then made a general point that competitors are not necessarily better placed than anyone else to know how to run their sports, but that was certainly not PC specific and was in response to other comments that riders must surely know best.

Edited December 30, 2013 by Humphrey Appleby

[Jim Blanchard]

Please check out this thread:

 

http://www.speedway-forum.co.uk/forums/index.php?showtopic=75482 Best wishes and our sport..

[jimmy jimmy]

So PC feels that this country has paid for a load of crap European riders rather than developing our own. Too bloody right!!!!!

 

So the new rules should be a step in the right direction I would hope.

[orion]

So PC feels that this country has paid for a load of crap European riders rather than developing our own. Too bloody right!!!!!

 

So the new rules should be a step in the right direction I would hope.

And when he was at Belle what did he do ? got in a load of crap European riders . Classic .

[Gemini]

Didn't he say that John Perrin picked the team? I haven't got time to read through it again.

[orion]

Didn't he say that John Perrin picked the team? I haven't got time to read through it again.

Yea course he did ..reading the interview he like to praise himself a lot but of course when Belle Vue were Bottom not only did he walk away he blamed others rather than himself .