AndyM

Very sorry to everyone but I've decided not to go to Cardiff, primarily because of the distance and the fact that I am working and have a long commute on Friday and Monday and could already do with more sleep than I currently get! I hope you all have a splendid time and see some great speedway.

Yes, and this isn't just nostalgia - this illustrates how everyone involved in speedway has lost all perspective. Change is not necessarily for the better, but the decline happened because the vision and determination was never there to sustain speedway through the golden years. An element of complacency was definitely around, that the crowds would stay, the production line of fine riders would continue, clubs would stay in business and everything would be hunky dory.

Anyone got the full heat run down? Congratulations to Tai, Paddy, Lewis & Darcy!

Happens to all decent riders sooner or later - they peak and start to decline just as new blood starts to rise to the surface. Some last longer than others, but Leigh's best days are probably behind him. He'll remain an excellent rider for some years yet, just won't achieve the same heights...

In the scenario I described, you could still have a UK round in some format, with the final worth double points or whatever being the final round.

Well, they had to come up with some form of pre-match entertainment that would draw in the crowds...

I would much prefer a return to the old fashioned world finals, albeit with a much changed qualification process. You could combine the two so a series of rounds was used as qualification for the big final event, not unlike the Grand Prix series of individual events in the UK in the late 70s (can anyone remind me when this was? I know Mort won it one year.) Without a big event to focus on the process seems meaningless to me, and it totally destroyed Saturday night UK league speedway (OK, so the Eagles and the Rockets ride on a Saturday, but time was it was the biggest night of the week.)

But what good is that going to do him? The result won't be changed and the ref isn't going to apologise or admit he was wrong - Nicki would probably sue him for loss of earnings!!

I didn't see this but it sounds like shades of Penhall v Carter. The ref is probably damned either way, unless there is a clear and simple way to attribute blame with 100% accuracy in every case. No, I can't think of any way to do it either...

No sympathy. Even if he doesn't like a ref's decision, he has to accept it. If he were a footballer, he would be sent off for dissent if he disputed a ref's decision like that.

Still not convinced. If the theory goes that giving up a league, could be any league, allows riders to concentrate efforts better on the GP circus, as many riders have done with what we will assume is some success, why does everybody still insist it was the worst possible thing Scott could have done? Nothing to do with results, just a simple question - why is Scott Nicholls different such that we believe the policy to be appropriate for some riders but not for him? Listening to the answers so far I think Spook is right that most people are still aggrieved about his giving up his domestic league.

Still nobody has answered my question: if it is the right decision by some riders, Crump and Pedersen included, to give up riding in the UK in order to concentrate on riding in the GP circus, why was it wrong for Nicholls?

But then he could scarcely get any worse! Was that last GP a shock to his system and has it woken him up to the fact that he's becoming a joke among fans? Hope that motivates him - it blooming well ought to!

With respect, total tripe!

You know what I mean!

Rewind 30 years and no more than 2 or 3 of this field would have qualified (sigh!)

Well it's an interesting theory and I would not be at all surprised. Any evidence to support that idea?

Lots of riders I've never heard of. Any of them look useful?

So what are you saying? That he should just give up and not bother? Would it not be more impressive if he forced you to eat your words with a top four finish in a GP this season, at the very least? That should motivate him!

You like to watch spoilt brats, Lisa? Hardly portrays our sport in the best light, not that it gets much of that treatment anyway!

Stating the bleedin' obvious, you mean?

Can't say I agree with all this negative stuff. Surely we should be encouraging the lad to do better, not writing him off? Suspect the problem is largely within his head, not his machinery. If I were him I'd definitely get to see a sports psychologist without delay and get himself prepared for the next GP.

Is there a disciplinary code of conduct in the GP circus? I can't recall any rider getting fined for saying something he shouldn't have done, but I may be out of date. At any rate, as I commented last night he reminded me of nothing so much as John McEnroe having a strop against tennis umpires!! Pretty pathetic - he should learn to be professional and focus solely on his racing.

Don't think you're thick, mate! Simply asking why the powers that be would deem Olsen's tracks to be acceptable for top class speedway? Has nobody in the higher echelons not objected? Why is that?

How do you start a vote here? Used to be able to do it easily...