Midland Red

Nigel Boocock, Les Owen, Peter Craven, Terry Betts, Michael Lee, Kenny Carter, Mark Loram, Simon Wigg, Lee Richardson, Chris Harris

He more or less says he wants to be out before it closes

I presume you meant "morale" rather than "morals" !!! Or maybe not ???

So sorry to read the news - feel for all involved, from the owner to the riders and fans

One of your interests is "arguing" Surely the threads to which you refer are meat and drink to you

Sad to read of his passing - loved watching the Czech riders of the late 60s/early 70s Remember travelling to Rochdale and Ipswich for test matches - great entertainment

I might take your ramblings slightly more seriously if you actually spelt Tai's surname correctly just for once! I still don't follow your argument about a group of people in a non-Speedway country not recognising that sport's world champion (Woffinden)

Ah! Spain. A real speedway hotbed - really surprising that no senors recognised Woffinden

I was there in 1970 with Ray Glover's party, and can confirm that that achievement by Ivan, in the face of everything the Poles threw into trying to get their man to win, just cannot be overstated or underestimated - it really was an amazing victory behind the Iron Curtain. Special mention to Trevor Hedge as I recall it, taking a ride late in the meeting when clearly not fit so to do, in order that a Polish reserve did not take his place who might have had a say in the outcome. Anyone else on here with similar memories of the day? Sad to hear of the passing of Pawel.

Oh! Thanks

Who?

Ah! The really good old days!

The attraction in those days was the racing - the spectacle of speedway - and a challenge match was no different from a league match, it was a night at the speedway It wasn't about winning at all costs - that didn't seem to matter anything like it does today - yes, happiness was 40-38, but results weren't the be all and end all There were regional fixtures - eg Midland League, Midland Riders Championship - and as said over 30 meetings in a season if it rained a bit, the sawdust went down and the riders donned overalls over their leathers, so there seemed to be less rain offs

Your ideas haven't worked for Glasgow Tigers by the sound of it

Doesn't she work at JLR (Jaguar-Land Rover), where I guess there's a scheme for employees at a certain level, and family members, to lease (or purchase) new vehicles at very affordable prices, probably changed every six months?

Just one problem with all that - DOUBLING UP

Hamilton now 2nd

Honourable mention for the immaculate Arthur Forrest

Obviously you weren't annoyed - I said 'being right isn't annoying', so I didn't envisage that you would be A lot of threads on the BSF become tedious and boring, sometimes quite nasty - but you certainly haven't let this particular one end up that way You really know how to entertain us all with your contributions, and your staying power is only to be admired Just to recap, as the thread does seem to have gone rather off-topic at times - is Tai actually the best British rider of all time?

Being right isn't annoying. You keep typing nonsense, I keep correcting you. 

What's a profileration?

Totally agree - I'm only the "messenger" here, never touted it as my opinion

Answer = probably nothing. Tai is World Champion (OOFC version) and clearly is the best in 2018. Never disputed that. Don't twist things your way. The riders I listed, I suggested they were names of some of a number of British riders who might well have been better riders than Tai - but we will never know, therefore it cannot be stated as A FACT that he is the best British rider of all time If pushed, I would think Peter Craven, Michael Lee, Kenny Carter and Peter Collins WERE better than Tai - but we will never know, because circumstances and conditions have changed so much There is NO FACT to prove that Tai is a better rider than those four It is similar to an article I read this morning which states that Allison Becker (Liverpool) is the best goalkeeper in the Premier League this season - number of goals conceded suggest this, but I doubt that many would have an opinion that he is better than some of the others around - do the facts (goals conceded) outweigh opinions?

I don't believe I ever mentioned riders' averages - do try and keep track of who you're discussing with! And . . . are you really convinced that you haven't stated any opinion? I thought it was your opinions against the world! There is no doubt that Tai has won three individual titles - fact Opinions vary as to whether he is the best British rider of all time, and will continue to vary - you have yours (despite your apparent denial) and others have theirs The several personal comments you have made on this particular thread over the days to various members do you a disservice as you try to bring us all round to your way of thinking You may be right with your opinions - but that, at the end of the day, is all that they are

Just an opinion