customhouseregular

Out of interest I have just looked at 2 teams from different eras but with a connection, and compared home fixtures for West Ham 1967 (the year I saw the most meetings) and Lakeside 2015. Just compare the number of meetings in each case, the different teams visiting, the galaxy of riders appearing and the variety of fixtures including a WCQR, a GB v Poland Test and the British Final. West Ham 1967 had around double the home meetings of Lakeside 2015, hosted 18 different league sides and staged World and International meetings. This is why I say today's EL fans are being short-changed.

Given Ove's podium record in one-offs I'd say that was extremely likely Norbold. I assume you have read it but the Ove Fundin biography by John Chaplin is a pretty good read.

Sorry Joe but after 1981 I only attended the major meetings until 1985, hence my bias. Of course Sam needs to be ranked highly and of riders who won only one World title he is right up there.

I was away in Norfolk with no Eurosport access but I shall try to watch it on youtube...many thanks for the information. My main criticism of today's EL speedway is lack of choice and variety compared to 50 years ago. As you say,.good speedway is good speedway but when I consider that in one season I may have seen 17 different teams in league meetings, an Internationale, Laurels and Superama, a couple of Test Matches, a European final and a World Final, I have to think today's EL fans are short-changed.

ColinMills...stop liking my posts or people will start talking about us!!!

I admit my regular speedway years were 1960-1985, but I never met anyone anywhere at a meeting who was not friendly (Glasgow 1967 excepted). Thankfully I never met "dirt".

...Remember when a league had 17-20 teams and league racing was once at home/once away?. Now we get twice at home/twice away + a 50% chance of a 2-leg play-off, meaning some teams meet/play another team 6 times. Remember when individual meetings were The Internationale, The Laurels, Brandonapolis, Superama, London Riders Champioship etc. Remember when we had British finals with 16 recognised heat-leaders, European Finals, Inter-continental Finals etc. Fossil and Dinosaur my a*se...today's fans don;t know what real speedway is .

My last World Final was Wembley 1981 My first GP was Cardiff 2014 I shall say no more... .

Having seen Knutsson (many times being a West Ham regular), Plechanov, Fundin (winning his 5th. title), Briggs at his peak and Moore near the end of his career I can certainly state they were Masters of their craft, and gave me hours of pleasure watching them .

I'm not sure if the above post was meant for me rmc but my post was not meant for you. Colin Mills has compared himself to a fossil and I have been called a dinosaur so it was a friendly jibe for him. If anyone cares to trawl through my posts they will see I never post childish insults. I too loved league speedway when I had a team to watch, but I also love individual meetings...those that have a serious meaning anyway. Keep enjoying your speedway my friend .

I have to check my piggy bank to see if I can go .

Greetings fossil from dinosaur...I like your way of thinking .

Mein Gott...where would we be without umlauts?. We have lagerlauts where I live .

I have just read the complete original thread on Penhall and can't quite believe some of the vitriol. I do believe he made a poor career choice in 1982 but it was his choice to make. However, I admired the rider and enjoyed the book and, as my OP stated, I was recommending it to Cradley supporters and people who saw Penhall ride. Is "dirt" still around as I would like to ask him...Where does it say anywhere that a double World Champion in any sport has to continue competing, as retiring is "wimping out"?.

I promised not to comment

This Dinosaur will bang on no longer. The World Final is dead...Long live the GP. (though no GP I have seen so far has equalled Wembley 1981 ). And...I think Tai would be World Champion under any system. p.s. To all dinosaur haters...I promise not to post any more "I love the World Finals" messages .

Guilty as charged Oldace, but it is a fairer system...no?.

Which only highlights the inadequacy of the GP system, where only 15 riders in a given year get to fight for the title. In my humble opinion of course as a fully paid-up member of the Nostalgia Brigade.

Members of this forum have called me a dinosaur, a boring old fart and an old duffer stuck in a time-warp for saying the same . I know F1 and speedway are like chalk and cheese, but try telling Lewis Hamilton winning a GP is irrelevant .

I have said so myself on many occasions Colin, but the organisers are not listening .

I know I am in the minority, but I can't accept a rider finishing 8th. after 20 heats winning a GP with 11 points, whilst a rider with 20 points finishes 2nd. To me this is ridiculous and nobody will convince me otherwise .

There are people, myself included who find Cardiff financially prohibitive but Manchester, being 90 minutes by train would do me nicely .

Simple...20 heats and top scorer wins the GP. That's the way all individual meetings used to be run before some smarta*se decided on semis and finals. p.s. It was good enough for Fundin, Mauger and Briggs

Thanks to the stupid scoring system he doesn't have to win to be top scorer, as he is prone to do. Ludicrous system in my opinion.

Not ideal having selector's picks and wildcards period. Every rider should be there on merit.