Grand Central

I didn't say it was difficult to understand. The similarity to a penalty shoot out is a rather strange comparison. That is used to decide when a match is tied at the end of a game in a knockout competition. It is not used as an exciting 'Joker' for a side going a few goals down during the match. (That may be something to write to Sepp Blatter with). A Penalty shoot is Football's Run-off. Not their tacsub or Joker

I accept you are the man with facts. So, would we not have had our World Cup Final on Eurosport on Saturday night without the Joker Rule?

No not 'extra' points. If that is what particularly hits at 'credibility', for you. Then fair enough. But you did ask for an explanation of the the eight point swing that had been mentioned. There is only a seven point swing available with a double point ride.

Do you honestly think that any TV executive has ever had the intricacies of Speedway explained to him sufficiently to understand the difference between the World Cup final with, or without Jokers. And then the same guy from Sky, Eurosport or Canal+ has said YOU MUST have them, and if you don't have them I'll pull the plug. The existance of the whole Joker issue is one that came from within Speedway (and presumably BSI) and it stays because of voices within. Not because of influence from outside.

In the old tac sub rule you could replace both poor performing riders a a race with a double tac sub. Thereby changing an almost certain 1-5 into a 5-1. That is an eight point swing. Sorry for jumping the gun on adding the answer.

The rule makers are the ones that have put us in this place. To argue against the joker is now seen as arguing against Poland's win. A real shame. But the annual week-long festival is over for another year, or more. Every year we go over and over the Joker issue ... And no one listens. Every year we go over and over the Middleditch issue .... And no one listens. It's now back to he leagues and all those contentious issues Where no one listens. In between we watch a bit of speedway.

If Ole wants it. It will be at Vojens. I would imagine.

I can't work out what was naive. Sarcasm. World-weary cynicism. Even contempt. perhaps. And when you ask about the pairs. One thing is for certain it won't be for teams of TWO. That would be a plain stupid idea.

A fascinating and yet wholly incomprehensible comparison. I just wonder how many Pimms and Strawberrys were sold at the WWE. Edit for accuracy; The indoor crowd in Michigan for the wrestling was 93,000 and that record was broken in 2010 by a basketball game where there were 108,000. But I still make that one or two more than were in the Marketa last night. If that has any relevance.

I can see BSI using that as a tag line in their advertising. . Are you sure? Czestochowa ... made money? Prague on Thursday ... made money? Any rider who was in a team that didn't get to the final ... made money? I doubt it .

I happen to agree with you completely on the ridiculous use of a Joker in the World Cup Final. However, as a Hackney fan of real vintage you must remember that August night at The Shay in 1980. When the Hawks were fifteen points down after eight heats but with the use of FOUR tac subs they managed to pull off a 1 point away win after heat thirteen. Anything to keep the atrociously performing Barry Thomas, Sean Wilmott and Keith White off the track. Did the 'better' team win that night? For us Dukes fans; it felt like we'd been mugged. .

What a move that would have been

I challenge you to find one single post of mine on BSF in which I have offered one word of critcism of Poole or Matt Ford. You are well wide of that particular mark. Philip Rising is doing very well at keeping us informed of Kelvin's knowledge and studentship of all aspects of the sport; which I could not possibly add to. But surely Gary Havelock - great rider though he was - cannot accurately be described as similarly 'knowledgeable', can he?

Watch out for Perdersen when he is off gate four. If he doesn't make the start. What is the betting on a graceful glide to earth, followed by the 'lazing on the beach' for 90 seconds to play for a rerun? Let's hope the German ref is up to the job tonight.

Are the rumours true that Daphne from Eggheads is being offered the job for next year?

I understand that point completely. It was just that sat there on Thursday night watching the meeting unfold. The one word I would not have used was 'predictable'. Except in the end the prediction of Australian winning happened, by the strange route of vying with both USA and Latvia for large chunks of the meeting. The prediactableness of Team GB choking is a constant, I suppose.

I get that. But why?

The original rider replaced for tactical reasons can come back into his programmed rides later whilst the reserve can be used to replace the injured guy. All at the Team mangers discretion, up to the reserves maximum number of rides. We could choose that to be 4, 5 or 6 if we wanted in this hypothetical situation.

Yes, fair enough. The point I was making was just that no one was able to predict the finishing order; or tha machinations that got us there. But yes the winners did turn out to be the Aussies as we expected, in the end.

And apparently unable to read.

Really? I'd love to see your winning betting slip for Thursday night that had the USA second.

Why? This thread is about making news rules.

There is something incredibly 'healing' about being patronised by an American basking in a victory. I feel so cleansed that I will wallow in my own rich Speedway history for the remainder of the day.

Unlikely that they care, in an emotional sense, and even more unlikely that they would do any funding. But BSI are the only people/business with a vested interest in a competitive GB team at the SWC. I would have thought the BSPA would be quite happy to see the whole competition just evaporate off the calendar. There is nothing in it for them. Except the negative impact of it pinching a week out of the fixtures in July when the weather is usually at it's best. .

No he isn't on the showing of a few matches. But he is not a test case that proves the claims of others mentioned. Is he? Life doesn't work like that.