Where Did All This Arguing Happen Before The Internet?

[Gemini]

 

 

I guess this answers the question. They hide behind a nom-de-plume (nom-de-clavier?) so that they can make arrogant, sneering remarks like this without any comeback.

 

Not having ones 'proper name' doesn't really stop any comeback though does it? I'm not changing my name or photo as I've been on here since 2001 and most people know who I am. Those that don't can always ask if they're interested enough as I've got nothing to hide, not that I can ever hide anyway as I'm usually recognised at the other end of a dog lead.

[John Leslie]

What sort of comeback do you have in mind?

Probably a discussion on whether people are spending too much money having the Bissell 2000 auto-rapidwash over-tuned.

[iris123]

A forum of carpet cleaners with photos of themselves and their vans.....I doubt I could stand the excitement or cope with all the controversy surrounding the carpet cleaning industry.

Not even Shovlars Industry forum could match that one

[SCB]

I guess this answers the question. They hide behind a nom-de-plume (nom-de-clavier?) so that they can make arrogant, sneering remarks like this without any comeback.

Not sure that's true. It's. It hard to find 90% of BSF posters. Find one at a track and the rest will be pointed out too.

 

I post as SCB, have done for a long time as that's ny initials and its speedway related. But I've never hidden that my name is Shawn Brown. I can't be that hard to find as I've had a few people over the years come and find me at a meeting, fans, riders, a promoter and mechanics have all come and chatted to me - generally it's been pleasant enough

[Joe Beevers]

Isn't that the point of every social media site or forum to debate or argue the point.

 

Whether it's speedway, the carpet cleaning industry or John Leslie's bra size is besides the point.

[hagonshocker]

Dont know who the feck anyone is now!

[Starman2006]

Its all Gavans fault..

[E I Addio]

Yep, where? By letter? Landline phones? Pub? After meeting in the track bar?

I think most people didn't argue except on race nights, fans were very much home team living.. Cov fan to cov fan, Poole fan to Poole fan, you never had fans from different teams chatting/arguing except on race nights, most fans lived in the team's area...

In the past all the old dossers who got fed up with the sport just drifted off and we never heard of them again. Now they sit at their keyboard boring everybody silly and bleating that they don't go anymore because they want the old days back. Not the real old days as they really were just the old days as they like to remember them, when there were no rain offs, no freezing cold meetings, no crashes delaying things and all the promoters were honourable men whose word was their bond.

[Red Panda]

I have always used one of two user names on forums.............the other is Blind-as-a-bat (cos without glasses I cannot see beyond the end of my nose...)

 

Red Panda came about because of my love of panda's in general especially red ones (also known as firefoxes) and the fact that at the time I had red hair...............

 

Argue?????????? I only argue if someone provokes me.............before forums I never really argued with anyone...........

 

RP

 

PS yes that is me in my profile pic

Edited August 23, 2015 by Red Panda

[RobMcCaffery]

In the past all the old dossers who got fed up with the sport just drifted off and we never heard of them again. Now they sit at their keyboard boring everybody silly and bleating that they don't go anymore because they want the old days back. Not the real old days as they really were just the old days as they like to remember them, when there were no rain offs, no freezing cold meetings, no crashes delaying things and all the promoters were honourable men whose word was their bond.

A rather simplistic, lazy analysis.

 

I've been around a few years and thankfully despite this forum still keen to see as much speedway as I can.

 

I also know that the sport in Britain is in a far worse state than it was when I started going. Then we had nearly 40 tracks, full seasons running from March to October, doubling-up restricted to young, developing talent (up, never down), a healthy supply of young developing British riders, a sport in which league racing was the priority and individual championships a great 'extra'. Promoters could stage entertaining open meetings, challenges, pairs and individual meetings without the lazy sneer of 'meaningless' (All sport is essentially, meaningless but I suspect philosophy is lost on the BSF).

 

Guests were a necessary if unfortunate need but not out of control, riders were committed to the British leagues and they stayed long enough to build bonds with the supporters who could identify properly with their teams and weren't all treating their appearances for the team as just another pay day.

 

Yes we had bad racing (but at least we saw far more reward for riders prepared to attack on the outside), bad weather and bad promoters. We also had several tracks in London - proper stadia with facilities. Now in that area there's.....Arena Essex.

 

Sorry, I'm just an old fart with nothing to contribute, am I? 44 years involvement as a fan, writer, broadcaster and official so obviously I know as much as an ignorant loudmouth on the terraces screaming at riders who can't possibly hear him then retreating to his pc to vent his spleen on here where he can force people to hear him from the safety of a false name.

 

The sport's disorganised, totally lacking in vision or intelligence with riders racing spinning machines running at full throttle on tracks whose only significant developments have been the highly vital air fences, separation of lighting poles from fences and the less-desirable decline in the potential for marketable racing due to excessive cost-cutting on track preparation.

 

The arguing is heightened by the fact that the sport corporately is unhappy and struggling to survive and that passes through into the remaining supporters.

 

So many people have given up on speedway in those four and a half decades and it would be fascinating to hear their reasons from them directly. Of course they'd be written-off as 'moaners' with those lacking in the foresight to know that the only way to get the sport in Britain back on a healthy footing is to learn from the catastrophic errors of too many recent years.

 

Of course we can just dismiss it all as moaning and nostalgia and focus on just bailing out the wreck and hoping for the best.

 

In my youth, living in the south east I could, and often did watch speedway up to seven nights a week at tracks such as Hackney, Wimbledon, White City and the surrounding tracks like Rayleigh/Rye House, Crayford, Reading or even Canterbury on a Saturday. Now I'd have Rye House and Arena Essex. You don't need rosy spectacles to know which era was better.

 

We can't recreate the past but we can build a future that's closer to it than the overpriced disgrace that calls itself speedway now.

 

And yet I still love it, I suppose in the same way a parent loves a child who's gone off the rails.

 

Anyway, this is all rather irrelevant right now given the shocking reminder in Poland of how dangerous the sport has become once more. Whatever his past errors I hope and pray that Darcy Ward recovers to full health.

 

I'll leave you all to have a good argument and blame everyone over 40.

Edited August 24, 2015 by rmc

[mikebv]

Great Post Rob....

 

Bottom line is that before 'the net' people just simply didnt have a 'voice' that forums like this has brought....

 

Therefore they just 'drifted away in silence'....

 

The decline in the sport in this country was well under way before the advent of the 'world wide web' the difference now is that people have a medium to give their opinions and contribute to any debate...

 

The biggest surprise for me is that all the unsolicited feedback that those who run the sport can get from here and other social media, as to why people have 'drifted away' is, it seems, roundly ignored...

 

If my business was lurching so badly and my loyal customers felt the need to tell me why they no longer frequented my establishment in as many numbers, I'd like to think I would use this information to improve things for them and re-engage them with my business...

 

Obviously everything is so rosy in the speedway garden it can afford to ignore its previously loyal clientele and carry on with its 'ultra successful business plan'

[ruffdiamond]

What happens when people have the same name,,, say like 'John Smith' ???

[customhouseregular]

Not wishing to start an argument (Heaven Forbid) I shall be in England's loveliest county for 10 days after Thursday.

 

No WK...it's not Tyne and Wear .

[Paulco]

The BSF has enhanced my enjoyment of speedway . I used to go to the meeting , go home and forget about speedway till the next meeting . I didn't even know what a Monarch looked like and that they didn't really eat their children . Now I can talk about speedway 7 days a week to my hearts content and have a bit of fun with them as well .

[customhouseregular]

Nicely said Paulco.

[TMW]

It's great fun wondering if the person stood laughing and joking with you on the terraces slags you off on here........but I don't lose any sleep

[Guest]

Here goes, dont know if I the first to do it but a change of name to my real name and yep, thats a photo of me.

Anyone care to follow....?????

Lets start a trend to display proper names and real photos.

 

There is a USA Yahoo! Group where it is mandatory for members to post their name and location. If a poster does not comply as I understand it the Mods delete the Post.

Edited August 24, 2015 by Guest

[Blazeaway]

A rather simplistic, lazy analysis.

 

I've been around a few years and thankfully despite this forum still keen to see as much speedway as I can.

 

I also know that the sport in Britain is in a far worse state than it was when I started going. Then we had nearly 40 tracks, full seasons running from March to October, doubling-up restricted to young, developing talent (up, never down), a healthy supply of young developing British riders, a sport in which league racing was the priority and individual championships a great 'extra'. Promoters could stage entertaining open meetings, challenges, pairs and individual meetings without the lazy sneer of 'meaningless' (All sport is essentially, meaningless but I suspect philosophy is lost on the BSF).

 

Guests were a necessary if unfortunate need but not out of control, riders were committed to the British leagues and they stayed long enough to build bonds with the supporters who could identify properly with their teams and weren't all treating their appearances for the team as just another pay day.

 

Yes we had bad racing (but at least we saw far more reward for riders prepared to attack on the outside), bad weather and bad promoters. We also had several tracks in London - proper stadia with facilities. Now in that area there's.....Arena Essex.

 

Sorry, I'm just an old fart with nothing to contribute, am I? 44 years involvement as a fan, writer, broadcaster and official so obviously I know as much as an ignorant loudmouth on the terraces screaming at riders who can't possibly hear him then retreating to his pc to vent his spleen on here where he can force people to hear him from the safety of a false name.

 

The sport's disorganised, totally lacking in vision or intelligence with riders racing spinning machines running at full throttle on tracks whose only significant developments have been the highly vital air fences, separation of lighting poles from fences and the less-desirable decline in the potential for marketable racing due to excessive cost-cutting on track preparation.

 

The arguing is heightened by the fact that the sport corporately is unhappy and struggling to survive and that passes through into the remaining supporters.

 

So many people have given up on speedway in those four and a half decades and it would be fascinating to hear their reasons from them directly. Of course they'd be written-off as 'moaners' with those lacking in the foresight to know that the only way to get the sport in Britain back on a healthy footing is to learn from the catastrophic errors of too many recent years.

 

Of course we can just dismiss it all as moaning and nostalgia and focus on just bailing out the wreck and hoping for the best.

 

In my youth, living in the south east I could, and often did watch speedway up to seven nights a week at tracks such as Hackney, Wimbledon, White City and the surrounding tracks like Rayleigh/Rye House, Crayford, Reading or even Canterbury on a Saturday. Now I'd have Rye House and Arena Essex. You don't need rosy spectacles to know which era was better.

 

We can't recreate the past but we can build a future that's closer to it than the overpriced disgrace that calls itself speedway now.

 

And yet I still love it, I suppose in the same way a parent loves a child who's gone off the rails.

 

Anyway, this is all rather irrelevant right now given the shocking reminder in Poland of how dangerous the sport has become once more. Whatever his past errors I hope and pray that Darcy Ward recovers to full health.

 

I'll leave you all to have a good argument and blame everyone over 40.

 

 

You keep promising that but unfortunately you keep coming back...

[E I Addio]

A rather simplistic, lazy analysis.

 

I've been around a few years and thankfully despite this forum still keen to see as much speedway as I can.

 

I also know that the sport in Britain is in a far worse state than it was when I started going. Then we had nearly 40 tracks, full seasons running from March to October, doubling-up restricted to young, developing talent (up, never down), a healthy supply of young developing British riders, a sport in which league racing was the priority and individual championships a great 'extra'. Promoters could stage entertaining open meetings, challenges, pairs and individual meetings without the lazy sneer of 'meaningless' (All sport is essentially, meaningless but I suspect philosophy is lost on the BSF).

 

Guests were a necessary if unfortunate need but not out of control, riders were committed to the British leagues and they stayed long enough to build bonds with the supporters who could identify properly with their teams and weren't all treating their appearances for the team as just another pay day.

 

Yes we had bad racing (but at least we saw far more reward for riders prepared to attack on the outside), bad weather and bad promoters. We also had several tracks in London - proper stadia with facilities. Now in that area there's.....Arena Essex.

 

Sorry, I'm just an old fart with nothing to contribute, am I? 44 years involvement as a fan, writer, broadcaster and official so obviously I know as much as an ignorant loudmouth on the terraces screaming at riders who can't possibly hear him then retreating to his pc to vent his spleen on here where he can force people to hear him from the safety of a false name.

 

The sport's disorganised, totally lacking in vision or intelligence with riders racing spinning machines running at full throttle on tracks whose only significant developments have been the highly vital air fences, separation of lighting poles from fences and the less-desirable decline in the potential for marketable racing due to excessive cost-cutting on track preparation.

 

The arguing is heightened by the fact that the sport corporately is unhappy and struggling to survive and that passes through into the remaining supporters.

 

So many people have given up on speedway in those four and a half decades and it would be fascinating to hear their reasons from them directly. Of course they'd be written-off as 'moaners' with those lacking in the foresight to know that the only way to get the sport in Britain back on a healthy footing is to learn from the catastrophic errors of too many recent years.

 

Of course we can just dismiss it all as moaning and nostalgia and focus on just bailing out the wreck and hoping for the best.

 

In my youth, living in the south east I could, and often did watch speedway up to seven nights a week at tracks such as Hackney, Wimbledon, White City and the surrounding tracks like Rayleigh/Rye House, Crayford, Reading or even Canterbury on a Saturday. Now I'd have Rye House and Arena Essex. You don't need rosy spectacles to know which era was better.

 

We can't recreate the past but we can build a future that's closer to it than the overpriced disgrace that calls itself speedway now.

 

And yet I still love it, I suppose in the same way a parent loves a child who's gone off the rails.

 

Anyway, this is all rather irrelevant right now given the shocking reminder in Poland of how dangerous the sport has become once more. Whatever his past errors I hope and pray that Darcy Ward recovers to full health.

 

I'll leave you all to have a good argument and blame everyone over 40.

 

Unfortunately, if you check the title of the thread, it doesn't ask how long anyone had been going to Speedwáy and it doesn't ask who has acted as an official. It has nothing to do with how many tracks used to be in the London area or how many there are now, nor does it have anything to do with whether the sport was better in the past than it is today. It doesn't ask for opinions on pricing and it certainly doesnt ask for opinions on the present state of the sport.

 

Yet somehow you have managed to churn out no less than 15 paragraphs rambling on about all of the above points while singularly failing to touch on the topic the tread is about, which is quite simply, where did all this arguing take place before the Internet. Hardly rocket science to keep on topic but somehow you have managed to cover almost everything else but that.

[rhidassa]

I've had pictures of me as my profile picture on and off, but I have no intention of changing my username to my actual name. I use this username everywhere, and it's not difficult to work out who I am if you want to talk to me (or argue with me ). I've known worse forums - for instance one where you didn't have to register to post. You will never know who everyone is on an online forum - just the way of things, I guess.