Angus Kix Lives

It really is fascinating how someone who has attached themselves to speedway for so long can have so little clue about the sport, even if the first line was meant as (lame) humour. You really have it in for the Ron Russell era. As someone who worked damn hard to help Ron keep the place open it really is a kick in the teeth to hear your constant whinging about that difficult time. Looking back I really wish I hadn't bothered now. It's hard to work out though whether I regret getting involved in that period more than helping Steve Ribbons revive the team in 1999. To be honest it's now become a very close-run thing. To me, Rye House has always been a difficult track to promote. The stadium is simply the wrong size and shape to create a decent speedway track, It's in a part of Hoddesdon that always had a poor reputation locally, making it very hard to sell to local businesses and it's right next to a river that for years caused havoc over flooding and drainage. I don't think that many tracks had the water coming up from below. It looks like Len has done his expert best to get round these problems, but then he gets slated for the tracks that he lays. Success at Rye House never seems to last and it looks like the cycle is heading downwards again. Sadly Ron bought it as it was spiralling down in the eighties and was unable to pull it round. I made some very good friends at Rye House but they weren't like the people I see spouting-off about the Rockets here. Strangely I have no memory of ever meeting you.It's probably the best move I made to get out when Len resumed control in 2000. I have high respect for him but could not ever work with those who he surrounds himself with. Seeing what happened to Steve Ribbons proved me right there. I remember walking into Rye House back in 1974 after Rayleigh's closure wondering just what the hell we'd done to deserve what had happened to us. I'm sure that some of you may have worked out who I am from recent posts, especially the above. I ceased posting as rmc partly because I was writing for Backtrack and thought it best to be more discreet. What was the clincher was seeing the utter garbage written in the BSF about the Coventry & Peterborough fiasco of 2010/11 . I really didn't want to be associated with it and in fact walked away from speedway totally until the very end of last season. It's all academic really because I'm ready to walk away again, probably for good this time. The space for reasoned discussion in the BSF is now so minute and so many decent contributors have either left or become silent that it really has become an unpleasant task to filter out the bull to find the few facts. It's easier to walk away when I see the comments you've been making. Actually, the big mistake was following Rayleigh to Hertfordshire. I used to be so proud to be a Rocket. People like you make me ashamed. Keep talking about the food, it's much safer territory. Anyway, time for me to go. I only made a very small contribution to speedway but I did my bit. As you so readily point out what I and others did just wasn't good enough was it? Apologies for trying to help the sport but it really doesn't want to be helped does it? Rob McCaffery For a few years a speedway commentator, occasional writer, 30 years a Rockets supporter, and at one time proud to be meeting announcer and presenter at Rye House. What a waste of time it all seems now....

That's a shame, you might have learned something instead of shouting your uninformed mouth off as usual. Ron's only fault was not giving Rye up as a dead loss long before it folded, but people see only what they want to see, especially when they have no clue as to what was actually going on. The place had been run into the ground previously. Instead of getting thanks for him putting his hand deeply into his pocket to keep it going and provide you with speedway he gets this kind of utter rubbish.

Bear in mind that Simon's father Stephen was Malcolm Vasey's partner in the promotion of Boston at King's Lynn so the links are a little stronger than usual in this case.

Another one who can't spot the difference between genuine concern and dismay over a stupid and damaging rule, and petty 'whingeing'. Very sad. I want an exciting end to a meeting but not this way. It is possible to have a great meeting without ridiculous rules to achieve it. As for 'livening up the end' well, why not make half the field race in the other direction, if 'anything goes'. I would say that I want speedway, not all-in wrestling. Sadly events like last night relegate us to that contrived 'junk sport' category, as opposed to sports with integrity such as say barrel jumping or bog snorkelling.

Congratulations to the Danish team manager for his team selection gambling paying-off. 'Flouncing'? Since when is having real concern to be dismissed in such a shallow, ignorant manner? Oh yes, I forgot where I was Anyway, time to rename the SWC 'Jeux Sans Frontieres'? (Under 40s ask your dad...)

You cannot blame team managers and riders for playing to the rules, no matter how stupid, and in this case potentially dangerous they are. I love the SWC as I loved the World Team Cup but a great tournament (Thursday excepted) has been poisoned by a moronic rule.

Are we seeing the REAL reason why speedway bikes don't have brakes? Another rule not thought out. Shameful stuff.

Poole, sorry Australia would have done just the same, or at least tried to. Stupid rule, treated with the contempt it deserves tonight.

I do suspect that he's better-informed than you are. Sometimes what you know and what you have to say can be very different.

It is probably a dislike of Holder and Ward, now why on earth could that be? Hype overload from the south coast perhaps? I've always found Jason Crump to be a superb and dignified ambassador for speedway and one who has earned great respect in his career - a lesson to many. He's also damn good to watch.

Thanks for restoring my faith.

Superb meeting, superb coverage. I come on here and while there's plenty celebrating the near-miss the same old BSF mafia are dragging it down with their nasty, cynical small-minded agendas. That was wonderful speedway and if you can't enjoy that without carping this isn't your sport.

Yes, I HAVE been to Coventry... I was merely showing my appreciation for a bunch of youngsters using what they've got to their best advantage - and putting on a great display.....the Russian speedway team and the Polish start girls. I'm sure they're nice, quiet girls - no not the Russians. I've seen THEIR hotels. All in all a very professional display - and if I wanted a cheap floozy I'll know where to ask ;-)

What a wonderful sight, probably one of the best I've ever seen on a speedway track. But enough of the superb Polish start tarts, heat 20 was one of the finest races I've ever been lucky enough to watch. Disappointed that the event didn't go to a decider between the Poilsh girls and their Monster rivals - you could almost hear the hissing and spitting from here. Wonderful speedway, and only the start. Over to you King's Lynn.

Ah, there it is. Every time we get speedway on Sky it's the same sad, obsessive shouting, spouting of irrelevant information by someone with scant knowledge of the sport. There is a solution though.... ... put Marmite on ignore...

I had the privilege of watching Joe ride for Czestochowa in the nineties on Polsat. It was a poignant reminder of what a treat we would have had if Hyde Road had stayed open and the Aces been led by Joe. it was breathtaking stuff.

Money and timing. Tuesday at 6pm is a much quieter time for live sport than Sunday afternoon and evening.

Although not live Polish TV are now making the matches available for legitimate viewing on their website: http://sport.tvp.pl/zuzel?sort_by=RELEASE_DATE&sort_desc=true&start_rec=8&listing_mod=&empty_websites=&pokaz= I use Google Chrome's translate facility to read the page. Right now it has the first three matches all in full plus shorter highlight packages. As opposed to the many dodgy 'streaming' sites this is all quite legitimate to watch outside Poland. TVP are the national broadcaster for Poland. I very much suspect this is going to be the best we see in the UK. I can't see the figures adding up for the matches to be shown live on TV with English commentary.