Sidney the robin
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Posts posted by Sidney the robin
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What did he say ?You may not care what he thinks, but that doesn't mean you should misquote him.
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I thought speedway was still the same as in Yesteryear?This is splendid memories of speedway's now lost 'golden era' when it was a mainstream sport.
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Do we care what Pearson thinks? a big NO.Well done to Nigel Pearson on speaking up on what many fans are thinking.
Yes he still has a majority of fans and apologists excusing his snub of Britain, but many are cheesed off and Pearson also Has picked up on this.
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Yes mate sure they had a glass thing outside with a car in it never got vandalised though the good ole days😀😀I think that may have been the old Bamptons Coach Works
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Remember riding cycle speedway at a place called Bamptons, on the Stratton Rd before the County Ground .It was great the surface was grey gravel just like the shay, we used to all get punctures galore great days though.Would have been a good match...Swindon Crusaders v Oxford Crusaders. We had blue sabres done in marker pen, like Canterbury. Most of us lived in Carshalton Road. Our street cricket and football team had the same name, but jumpers for goalposts. As I remember we were unbeaten in all 3 sports, and were the most hated team on the estate, the Poole of the day!
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Anybody who knows Speedway surely understands why Tai is giving the B.Final a miss.His quest is to give himself the best possible chance of winning a third world title that has to be his choice.Pearson is wrong if he thinks the MAJORITY of people have now took a dislike to Tai everyone i have spoke to totally agrees with his decision.Anyway good luck to Tai this year and i look forward to seeing him ride for GB in the WTC at the lush Belle Vue.
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Would have to differ with you,but you make some great points and i respect your point of view.My take on it is that Speedway has changed,you only have to go into the pits the bikes now are so different faster whether that has been for the better who knows.Also lets be honest London is a great place to have sport and the Tube system is surprisingly very good.Speedway has moved on now and mainly for the better, but would have to say speedway is not the same as it was in the 60s/70s.Do I enjoy Speedway? Yes, still find it a great spectacle seeing 4 guys go around in a circle, still the same thing now that it always has been, that’s never ever changed and (hopefully) isn’t going to change. If people used to think it was more entertaining watching 4 guys go around in circles 30 years ago compared to now, that is on them rather than the sport . I don’t know what is meant to be achieved by debating that or constantly referencing how great it used to be, but ok run with the idea that it used to be great and certain people used to enjoy it more…ok and what?
RE Wembley: It was evidently going to have slightly more hanging on it as it was a one off event to decide the World Champion rather than the Grand Prix series we have now. It was also always going to have higher attendances as it was a standalone event that had a greater reach in isolation, it is natural more people (not just from the UK) would attend. If the World Final was hosted at Cardiff it would attract fans from Britain, Denmark, Sweden, Poland and more than likely would see 70,000 in the stadium, if it did would that mean the sport was healthy and just like the 80s? Instead speedway has now increased its reach to the point it can host 8/9/10 GP events with average attendances of 10,000 + thus actually has more eyes on it now than it did back then (which is often ignored) and fans are also fortunate enough to see the best in the business regularly go at it on a variety of tracks.
That being said re the mystical Wembley and its standalone atmosphere, the counter to that is that those in attendance at each Grand Prix treat it as standalone events which creates a great atmosphere and some excellent moments such as Harris winning from the back, Richardson’s wall of death, Crumps outstanding performance in 2008. In time all of these moments will grow and be remembered fondly and just as iconically as anything that took place at Wembley by those in attendance. I have always been more concerned by that and the track than wooden benches, albeit on that point it is generally accepted by most sporting fans that Cardiff and the aura of Cardiff is as good as it gets when it comes to fan experience compared to the concrete jungle that is Wembley in the middle of nowhere, hard to get to, crap pubs or no pubs, poor transport network and so on.
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Do you enjoy it "sparkafag"? is it the same as the decades gone by? I go everyweek still at times i get the buzz after certain good races and think god this sport is good.Going back to Wembley i went to quite a few meetings there looking back they were not all classics but for me having supporters from all over the country made it for me.Were all us 70,000 plus easily pleased then? i think not Cardiff is good but not a patch on the old Wembley with its wooden benches.What’s the debate on this thread? A few people used to think speedway was great but now they think it is boring….em ok great what of it?
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Remember seeing Wiggy in the 1982 British final when he was a NL rider some feat then Yeatsey did it later.Remember the 82 BF well went to support Malc Holloway that year he had a mare and remember Mike Lee being eliminated at that stage as well.Cowley was one of my favourite tracks/stadiums to visit. Everything about it seemed just right. Good view, compact, good track and right size imo...plus the most important thing, generally well prepared that gave good racing. It also came across as very professional and polished.
Hans really had an aura about him there. That 1989 team were fantastic...nearly all Brits...Wigg, Dugard and Cox...how exciting were they to watch around Cowley.
Funnily my favourite memory of Simon Wigg was when he was a young en at Weymouth racing with Martin Yeates.
Cant believe that the announcer would leave a lasting impression "Gemini" , Graham did and Mr York ? 😥always made the build up exciting did Graham he was excellent at his job.Ah it would be Graham Guthrie then ~ I just couldn't remember his name. I used to love going over to Oxford when the Bees were riding there and like you say 'bend 3' was the place to stand. Sadly at some point (can't recall the year) dogs were banned so that was the end of my visits as I didn't fancy the trip over from Leicester on my own.
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I must admit Steve was never a fan of Cowley but when it was prepared god i see some brilliant racing there.To see Hans/Wiggy there everyweek was a treat,i went everyweek for about a three year period and enjoyed every minute of it.Looking back Steve how far ahead of the times were Oxford when that lovely restaurant/bar was built makes you want to cry when you look how the stadium is now.If i had money i would love to get Oxford back on track great fans great banter and i still hope in my lifetime it happens.What constituted a good night out to the speedway for me was watching two evenly balanced teams (local derbies against Swindon & Reading were always competitive) battle it out on a good race surface (we were lucky during the early Nielsen years at Cowley as the track surface was prepared second to none). The noise and smell and although never a great fan of Peter York he did create atmosphere. A vociferous visiting crowd (coaches used to travel around the country in those days) who gave one a good opportunity to interact with and surrounded by locals on my favoured third bend who I got to know over many years whereby we would discuss tactics etc.
I'm sure that there are those who would disagree but I always felt that Oxford produced first class, close racing and was the perfect shape to allow calculated manoeuvres by those riders with the ability to use heir heads.
And, hopefully, rounded off with a home win! What was it they used to say? 'Happiness is 40-38!'
I used to travel extensively around the country in those days and there was nothing better than pulling off a last heat decider to send one home happy!
"Gemini" i know Graham Guthrie was announcer until his death in 1974, he really was a great announcer.Sure John Sutton took over after and i think Graham Hambly took over in 1980 in the Wally Mawdesely era i think that is correct.Chalky, ER, Grachan, Downsman will put me right if i am incorrect !! Graham Hambly is a legend in my eyes still at Plymouth I believe? a proper speedway man.Are we talking about the 70's here? If so I've always remembered the announcer at Swindon for getting involved with the fans but didn't know what his name was.
Love David Hammond's voice. He is at Coventry now of course but if you want to hear him again you'd better visit this season before we close down.
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Good rider left Exeter to further his career, had a cracking start with the Pirates RIP Kevin.
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Great announcer can remember when he did Exeter Scott A , Martin Hewlett ( bless him ) Nigel Booey( God bless) Lanning for me was very good Guthrie at Swindon i remember with fondness.Didn't Graham Hambly travel up from Plymouth after announcing at the football in the afternoon to make Swindon for the evening?
Fine but you are a LOSER my friend big time.😀😀😀It's all about branding.
No more of the 'family sport' business.
Needs to be marketed as an Extreme Sport.. it is after all one of the most extreme sports there is.. that means promoting the thrills and spills, the danger and the crashes.
We are debating, quite a few of us. You're the only one who isn't, still rambling on with the same cut and paste post you make over and over till your next ban.
Stop polluting the thread please, the adults are talking amicably.
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Addio get off your high horse take a deep breath and try and debate are you capable? No i think not you think you are superior to the rest of us .OK people hate me on this forum 100 per cent, i can live with that no problem but i know i get on well with quite a lot of people on this forum who i have met and RESPECT.You and Witcher hate to say it are the two i dislike the most, Orion,Blazeaway not far behind try not to think you are SUPERIOR then you could then get back on the right track and at least debate with the rest of us.There is nothing in that post that you haven't repeated several times already. Some, including myself , have a different opinion. However many times you repeat yourself it won't change the minds of those who disagree with you.
As to throttle control all I can say is that I have been going to Speedwáy meetings most of my life and I have rarely seen the masterclass of throttle control and cut backs that Peter Karlsson used to demonstrate week in week out in his days at Lakeside, and no doubt Bwitcher will say he was the same at Wolves. That is my considered opinion from being there, not from DVD's. There are and always have been good and bad riders and good and bad meetings. For goodness sake leave it at that.
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Graham Guthrie/ Graham Hambly and John Sutton all top class in my book.
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Any input on the 60s, 70s and 80s ? or did you not ever witness it if so ask someone who you know and respect they might enlighten you.!!And here is the perfect example.
You do realise the videos on Youtube are what happened? They are hard and fast, undisputable evidence. They are not fictitious events, created by CGI.
What you wish us to believe is, those meetings, and there are many of them now, are not real. Somehow false. Not a fair representation?
As I have quite clearly explained numerous times, but you don't seem to grasp is I am not referring to a few videos. I also have the recollection of how brilliant racing used to be in the late 80's to early to mid 90's. Yet I have EVERY SINGLE ONE of those meetings on DVD and when I rewatch them, I soon realise that its nothing like I remember it at all, in fact much of the time its quite dull.
Excitement has little to do with speedway's success. Speedway struggles because it has a poor marketing image. It's not deemed 'cool'. All sports have a churn of fans, I know many people who used to go to every home game in football, but no longer go anymore, the difference is they are replaced by new younger fans.
Speedway WAS better in the past, not because the racing was much better, if better at all, but because there were good crowds and a vibrant atmosphere. In such an environment a poor race can seem average, an average race is great and a great race is simply out of this world.
It's rare these days that feeling can be replicated, with the exception of the playoffs, which is why I love them so much.. its one of the rare times that the old feelings can come flooding back.
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Not on the sherry but to be frank you are one of the reasons why people don't come on this forum as much.My mistake is that i bite to your rubbish, as i have said there are some great people on the forum love to read there posts my mistake is i should ignore you.My fault totally won't be responding to you again mainly because i don't learn anything from you anyway and you generally want to WIN every point you make.Except that isn't the case is it, what you should say is you don't care how much posters go on as long as they agree with you... they 'bug' you if they have a different view and bug you the most when they can factually prove it too... hence you never having a cross word to say about the nonsensical abusive ramblings of Sidders when he's been on the sherry.
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Nielsen was never a fan but he grew on me,in the end no exageration that he could of won 10 world titles certainly if it was in the GP era when at his peak.Saw Knutson, didn't see Craven, but had his rosette on bedroom wall, and remember night he was killed, as the old man came into room to tell me. Fundin was the best for me, followed by Briggo... Mauger, Olsen, Michanek, PC, Crumpie, Rickardsson, Hancock, Holder, Woffy all superb champions. Would love to have seen Hans Nielsen. Missed seeing all those Champs 1973-2003 with my 30-year break from the sport.
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The same as you Steve my biggest regret was not seeing Craven or Bjorn Knutsson.Also have seen all the modern day riders Woffy (ect) presuming you have not seen them because of your break from the sport get along and see them mate your list is impressive.Following on from a similar thread I'd be interested to know who has seen the most World Champions?
I've seen the following:
Moore
Fundin
Briggs
Mauger
Sczakiel
Michanek
Collins
Lee
Penhall
Muller
Gundersen
Nielsen
Jonsson
J.O.Pedersen
Ermolenko
Rickardsson
Hamill
Hancock
Crump
Gollob
Havelock
Loram
Olsen
N.Pedersen
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He was never a contender my take Colin was he was no mug and if he was a mug god there must of been endless others.saw Ashby and Kilby in the 70s. from my memory, (only saw him round foxhall), he was quite useful, and rather good in test match, dont have memory of him as a title contender (not to say he wasnt) just cant recall it. the times with 16+ league teams. different side every week, and only seeing riders once a year...magical period personally
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Did you see him ride ? see the ERA in the bigger picture how fickle are people.Was Wilson, Louis,Boocock (both) Betts,Simmo, Ashby just also rans.Have a look at Ashby at Norden 1975 when he was one of the best riders in the world when that was a vintage era.Why the massive over reaction? Ashby was ok but was never a top level rider thats just an honest view
Steve, Norden 1975 his world final record was poor but he was a rider.Superb club man for both Swindon and Exeter and achieved very high averages for most of his BL career. Never was able to transfer that dominance to the international scene although he did have a very credible Test Match record.
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The only difference is Witcher did you see racing in different era's ? i did and loads of others on here have seen loads more than me or you that's where your opinion means zilch sorry.!No Whoosh at all.
The only whoosh is yourself who is still peddling the falacy there was lots more passing in the 'old days' when all the available evidence, i.e. recorded meetings on dvd/video/youtube show otherwise.
You don't remember that well then I'm afraid.. and neither do I.
I'm sure you think back, as I do, to the days of Sam Ermolenko and PK blasting round the green entertaining us and the thrilling racing we had.
However, rewatching the meetings.. sure there are some brilliant races that stick in our minds.. but there are many, many (the majority) mundane races with riders spread out far more than they are now.
Sam Ermolenko and David Haynes in the same race? Thrilling! We didn't care though, it was against Cradley, the place was packed, it was superb. Even though one rider was on the back straight when the other crossed the line.
Some on here think that I don't think that speedway was better in years gone by.. far from it, I absolutely 100% think that and wish those days were still here. However... I also know that my perceptions of how great the 'racing' was are a long way off the mark.
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You would know have you just licked his ass.?😀😀How can you piss off to Portugal if your already there ?
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So did you ever see him ride Cretin ? No you just see the rubbishey stuff in the crappy nineties then pi....d off to Portugal you have no guile or respect have you a total p...,! for me Plank I meant and that is being generous.😡Ah yes, remind me how many World Titles he won?
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Witcher I admire Tai ,he has done really well i can see why people are bitter towards him though.His first try in the GPS he was totally out of his depth, he got a wild card entry into the WS i think he was a 500/1 outsider? is that right? Now to get in the series is so hard as i have said before the series is a closed shop hope Dudek Vaculiev, get in don't have to rely on a favour or two to get in.My point is Tai is a great champion but he has been so lucky over a period to make his mark fair play i support Tai hope he wins a third title.I doubt he'll be staging them the night before or afternoon after a GP, so highly doubtful.
Skid Kids...
in Years Gone By
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