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Andy Downes

Most Unpopular Rider

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On ‎9‎/‎4‎/‎2019 at 7:38 AM, Sidney the robin said:

Why did he not adapt to White City Steve? that always puzzled me a terrific rider.. I remember him getting a 15 point max in the Mike Keen benefit meeting in horrendous conditions.The Reading trio of Michanek, Lovaas, Curtis, was not bad eh. Steve !!!

Dag admitted in his very candid interview with Backtrack many years ago that he had reached the point where he lost his verve for racing and was scared of being seriously injured. When that happens to a rider, he is right to pack in.

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10 hours ago, tmc said:

Dag admitted in his very candid interview with Backtrack many years ago that he had reached the point where he lost his verve for racing and was scared of being seriously injured. When that happens to a rider, he is right to pack in.

Did the same happen to the great Shawn Moran TMC ???

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On 9/12/2019 at 10:18 PM, Wessex Wanderer said:

That was a year or two later. I well remember that one too - it was the only time I have ever seen the rakers pulling the “dirt”(thick sand that night) OUT towards the fence. The riders ended up using just the inside two thirds of the track. Eastbourne were not very popular in the NL at the time with their seemingly win at all costs attitude but they deserve full credit for continuing in this instance. Many teams would have just pulled out (with justification if I am honest). 

The time I suggested signing Mike Sampson was when the Reading management took over for a season. Unfortunately as well as being met with hostility from some fans the promoters made it clear that they knew much better. So we went ahead to a disappointing season of under achievement. 

Good old Weymouth Speedway- not many trophies but always something happening. 

 

:)

Yes 3 ageing heat leaders and journeymen second strings terry tulloch excepted, yes Sampson as he was then would have been a hell of a improvement,made it worse that mal corradine had his best ever season at middlesborough that year,it was a very poor season,only kept off the bottom because of scunthorpes problems that year.

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10 hours ago, Sidney the robin said:

Did the same happen to the great Shawn Moran TMC ???

Yes I think Shawn had the same reservations.

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Once a riders head goes normally that's the  end of it for them as in any sport a strong mental attitude  is vital and the last thing you need is to be distracted or not fully committed  ,you just become a danger to yourself and others.IMO( other than phyiscal injury) this is the main reason for riders retiring from the sport you see it so often when they are  no longer committed at the starts ,they are almost frightened to make too good a start preferring to see how it  pans out  IMO this what has happened to Scott Nicholls watching him on TV recently .

Edited by FAST GATER

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Guest

Most Unpopular Rider

I think this is the most depressing thread I have encountered in the couple of years that I have followed speedway. IMO ALL riders give their utmost to the sport and deserve more than the ridicule now being heaped on some of them here. 

Were I a rider who 'had the finger pointed at me' in this thread my thoughts would be 'why did I ever bother to be a rider?'

Edited by Guest
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Think yet again you completely misinterpret the thread. As I said with Ove Fundin, he took it as a compliment that he was so unpopular, not personal at all. He laughed about it, as at the end of the day did most if not all who are named here

There is absolutely no ‘ridicule’ at all. You do have trouble with a hell of a lot of threads. Maybe this isn’t the place for you ?

Edited by iris123
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2 hours ago, gustix said:

Most Unpopular Rider

I think this is the most depressing thread I have encountered in the couple of years that I have followed speedway. IMO ALL riders give their utmost to the sport and deserve more than the ridicule now being heaped on some of them here. 

Were I a rider who 'had the finger pointed at me' in this thread my thoughts would be 'why did I ever bother to be a rider?'

 

15 minutes ago, iris123 said:

Think yet again you completely misinterpret the thread. As I said with Ove Fundin, he took it as a compliment that he was so unpopular, not personal at all. He laughed about it, as at the end of the day did most of not all who are named here

My quote was personal opinion on my part and was clarified as such. I did comment the matter was how I would react were I a rider who was named. I do fully understand that other riders could accept the matter as a joke as well.   

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Of course it is your personal opinion. And my response was my personal opinion that you always seem to react against the spirit in which such threads are made. Nowhere as far as I can see is a single rider ‘ridiculed ‘ . That is just one instance of where you totally go against the grain of all the posts here up till yours

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3 hours ago, gustix said:

Most Unpopular Rider

I think this is the most depressing thread I have encountered in the couple of years that I have followed speedway. IMO ALL riders give their utmost to the sport and deserve more than the ridicule now being heaped on some of them here. 

Were I a rider who 'had the finger pointed at me' in this thread my thoughts would be 'why did I ever bother to be a rider?'

I think you've misunderstood this thread quite spectacularly.  This is like saying which footballer do we like to boo..  it's not saying who is the worst rider - that could i suppose upset a very small element of riders tho i guess.  Tho my advice to anyone riders getting upset by internet comments would be to perhaps say they are in the wrong game.

But this isn't that.  

Your comment saying that you would feel affronted by such comments as a rider is your opinion, but i would say is a little daft - you'd be perfect to have as an opposition rider  as you'd clearly be easily to rattle. A few boos and v signs and you'd be pootling around the back getting zero's all night feeling hurt. ? Surely that can't be right.

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4 hours ago, gustix said:

Were I a rider who 'had the finger pointed at me' in this thread my thoughts would be 'why did I ever bother to be a rider?'

How's that sore little botty of yours?

I have been playing darts competitively for over 40 years - much of it at the very highest level.  You think I haven't gone through the same thing?  There are many reasons why you can be looked upon as unpopular, some are genuine, and some are just ridiculous opinions based on ignorance and prejudice.  Whatever, I have had fingers pointed at me on many occasions (at darts, I mean, not just by the idiots on the BSF!!! :rofl:), yet NOT ONCE have I thought, "why did I ever bother to be a dart player?"

If someone really is that sensitive and thin-skinned, then NO, they shouldn't have become a rider.   Then NO, they shouldn't be around be around nasty pointy dangerous darts.  Then NO, they shouldn't be out in that horrible world with all those horrible people.  They should stay at home with their comfy-wumfy feather pillows and their warm cocoa, watching re-runs of Bagpuss...

Steve

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A sportsperson would understand, a fan would understand. You would also think that a journalist of long standing would understand the spirit in which sport is played out and that there are always going to be popular and unpopular participants. It often pays to be unpopular. A lot have made a career out of it all. Like I said Fundin understood the reason he was unpopular, was that he was so good. Being popular wasn't important, being successful was. If he could go to Wimbledon and beat one of the most popular riders in the sport and along the way get a few boos, it was a price he was more than willing to pay, and it was something he was expecting. If there was a journalist, a forum member who despite all the years connected to the sport, didn't really understand some of the emotions, then it would be gustix..... 

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24 minutes ago, iris123 said:

You would also think that a journalist of long standing would understand the spirit in which sport is played out

One would think...

I can tell you that one legendary darts commentator and journalist had no comprehension of what goes on when competing (and I'm not talking about Dave Lanning or John Gwynne).

It is "nice" to be popular, but any sportsperson at a genuinely competitive level will tell you that as long as there is SOME kind of atmosphere (as long as it's not truly combative and violent) that's all you need. Probably the best atmosphere I experienced was pretty hostile towards me when I beat Eric Bristow in his last-ever World Championship appearance. The crowd was totally baying for my blood, and it was fantastic!

Playing - and beating - Raymond van Barneveld in front of a couple of thousand partisan Dutch fans was a similar experience!

As I said, we love that. We certainly don't go running to mummy, or wondering why we bother...

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Back on the subject in hand one rider who was unpopular at Cowley was the late Les Owen who was involved in a nasty crash with Arne Pander resulting in the 'Great Dane' suffering a fractured skull.

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1 hour ago, steve roberts said:

Back on the subject in hand one rider who was unpopular at Cowley was the late Les Owen who was involved in a nasty crash with Arne Pander resulting in the 'Great Dane' suffering a fractured skull.

I think you can look at similar cases at most tracks. At Plough Lane, Steve Bastable was the evil one after Rudy Muts suffered serious injury.  Rudy was never the same after that.

Steve

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