Midland Red

Even if Muddlo was there, he probably wouldn't know!

OK, OK! Olsen was a very good rider, but he didn't make my 10 best riders list - not because I never took to him, but because I rated the others above him - Briggo is in my list although I didn't like him either If it was a favourites list, then there would be other riders in my top 10 When I said, not in my Bees top ten, yes, that was a favourites list, and you can see I'm not alone in that thinking - a best Bees list would obviously include Olsen - and Hancock!

Midland Red, on 09 Feb 2015 - 6:43 PM, said: He doesn't get in my Coventry top ten either Read through this - http://www.coventrybees.co/memories - and you'll find him missing from quite a few lists

He doesn't get in my Coventry top ten either

I am not particularly "anti-Hancock" - but I don't find him an exciting rider, nor do I think he is, or ever has been, as good as my top 10 - Nielsen Mauger Fundin Rickardsson Penhall Briggs Gundersen Craven Lee Knutsson or others like Plechanov and two Pedersens (Jan O and Nicki) I do admire his longevity at the top of the sport

This thread has become similar to this one : http://www.speedway-forum.co.uk/forums/index.php?showtopic=78379 When judging the best of any given year, one must consider the strength of the opposition Mention was made earlier of champions who only had one bike and had a day job, or won on the track spare - if they weren't "professional" how "professional" was the opposition Compared with the current situation, the champions are very professional, so too are the bulk of riders around the top leagues So, how do you compare eras? Not easily I can only assess those I've seen, and my 10 were : 1 Nielsen 2 Mauger 3 Fundin 4 Rickardsson 5 Penhall 6 Briggs 7 Gundersen 8 Craven 9 Lee 10 Knutsson and, in answer the the thread question, my view is that Hancock, whilst very very good, is not superior to these champions

I'd be very interested to hear what Mr Rising's views are of Mr Middleditch's twitter outbursts referred to in previous posts on here, and whether they deserve to be punished in any way by the authorities If they don't I can only surmise that it is what 58 year olds do

Are you suggesting that there may be a problem with racing at the Abbey, or at the new stadium - or both? You mention houses being built near the Abbey - what is happening with the new stadium site with regard to, not only the stadium, but the proposed industrial units and new housing? PS You may like to amend the word "muted" to "mooted" in case the relevant sentence is misconstrued!

Anyone know where the 'Darcy Ward' thread is?

Also, in the good old days, the four bikes would be wheeled out onto the track, the riders would go their bike, and when all four where ready, they would be pushed off to go round to the tapes Nowadays the riders seem to appear on track at varying times, so the first one out has a long wait for the other three, which is usually spent gardening Perhaps they should get back to sending off all four riders to the tapes when all four are ready to go?

Seems logical to me that riders should not be allowed to partake in the preparation of (any part of) the racetrack - they are required to ride to the start line to race and then ride back to the pits As a matter of interest, just how long has the "gardening" at the start been going on for? Somehow I can't recall very much of it in the "good old days" Certainly a 2 minute clock at every meeting would be a good idea, so that everyone knows the exact situation

As I recall it, Boocock took 5 points from his first two rides. In his third he clashed with Klementiev, who was excluded, and Boocock just about managed to complete 4 laps in first place in the rerun. But the damage was done - his best bike was no longer functioning as well as it had done, and his second bike didn't match up to the first, and Boocock only took two third places in his final two rides He could possibly have beaten Mauger in heat 14 and Briggs in heat 18, he was going so well early on - maybe he wouldn't have, but the chance was gone And he was denied the chance of a run-off for the bronze medal when Mauger allowed his Belle Vue team-mate Sjosten to win heat 20 But Sjosten too was a "nearly man", falling in heat 5 yet finishing on 11 points I know it's all "ifs and buts" - that was the "drama" of the one-off World Final!

I still believe that, but for an incident not of his making, our Little Boy Blue would have been crowned champion in 1969!

From some Wembley programmes: 1 Aug 1970 Wembley v Exeter Event 2 - Two lap dash match race (rolling start, record 33.4 secs) - Martin Ashby v Reidar Eide Event 4 - - do - - Ole Olsen v Ove Fundin 29 Aug 1970 Wembley v Wolverhampton Event 3 - "The Cinders" one lap flying start (record 17.0 secs, Freddie Williams, 45.48 mph) - Bert Harkins 5 Sep 1970 Wembley v Coventry Event 2 - "The Cinders" one lap flying start (record 17.0 secs, Freddie Williams, 45.48 mph) - Reidar Eide 9 Sep 1970 Wembley v Halifax Event 2 - "The Cinders" one lap flying start (record 17.0 secs, Freddie Williams, 45.48 mph) - Eric Boocock 26 Sep 1970 Wembley v Newcastle Event 2 - "The Cinders" one lap flying start (record 17.0 secs, Freddie Williams, 45.48 mph) - Ronnie Moore Sadly, I cannot provide any results, but clearly, after introducing the 2 lap dashes, it was decided to replace them with the one lap dash in (most) meeting second-halves in 1970 - and no-one appears to have lowered Freddie Williams' record

I have to confess that, as time goes by and threads like this appear, I am reconsidering my previous lists At the moment, I would probably go 1 Nielsen 2 Mauger 3 Fundin 4 Rickardsson 5 Penhall 6 Briggs 7 Gundersen 8 Craven 9 Lee 10 Knutsson They are 10 I saw at their peak, so I cannot quite include Moore

Williams's wins were on his home track - I wonder if he would have won two titles elsewhere?

Perhaps he was thinking of Richard Hearne!

Nicki, Holder, KK

Good to see a speedway rider on track at Plough Lane! If only . . . .

Not sure she qualifies as a "Sports Personality" Her appearance is a matter of taste - can't say I find her very attractive As far as being good at her job (pits reporter) I think she has, if anything, got worse than I remember her to be originally - her standard of questioning is puerile and has not improved with experience, and her interviewing of the younger foreign riders who have less of a grasp of English is usually a total embarrassment The reappearance of Mrs Nicholls has really shown her up! As far as the Ched Evans case is concerned, I really hope he is found to be the recipient of a miscarriage of justice, for his sake and that of his family Then, it would be interesting to hear what Charlie, and that athlete woman, have to say for themselves

Great Britain We don't ride against Team P, Team D, Team S, do we? Never liked this silly silly name

Hear, hear!

I thought that the subject of this thread revolved around whether Ched Evans' former employers are/will be right to offer him the opportunity to return to his former profession We can debate whether he should have been found guilty or not of the charge of rape, but that isn't what the dreadful Miss Webster's point is, or was - it was about Evans being allowed back to work Perhaps it would be better to stick to the re-employment issue, and leave the question of rape or non-consensual intercourse to others PS. If I had a son, I trust he'd choose better than Miss Webster!

Whether or not Evans was guilty, he served his punishment, and is therefore now entitled to take up a job, whether it be his former profession or a new one, in order to support himself and any dependants If he chooses his former profession, and his former employer is willing to take him on, that should be the end of the story, and Evans should be allowed to get on with his life Many footballers have served time - Barton, Ferguson, van Persie, etc - and all returned to the sport - the ones who shouldn't be allowed are those that cheat on the game, like Plymouth's Jimmy Gauld, who was quite rightly banned for life

Peter and Dennis were brothers - that's Peter the boxer (deceased), not Pete the music mogul!