SCB

He could certainly fiddle things too! And knew how to play the system and accuse others of cheating.

I think thats where this argument always falls to bits. You could take every riders best ever, most close to perfect race. Or you could take their best ever, closest to perfect meeting or you could do the same for a season. Or, do you take it spread over a career. Greg, on a one off race, over a meeting even will be high up. But over a season or a prolonged period I think he dips. While Jason Crump with the same number of World Titles (3 each) wins on the longevity stakes for me (10 consecutive season on a World Championship podium is immense) but I'd also argue that when Crump won, he won it style - his one title he'd won in August (2006) and was so far ahead of the rest if was scary (First 7 GP results were 2nd, 1st, 1st, 1st, 2nd, 1st, 4th and then he won the title in the 8th) - while averaging 11+ in the EL (possibly the only rider to average 11+ in the "modern" EL? Adams had a few 10.5+ but never an 11 from memory) and blitzing everyone in the Polish and Swedish leagues too. Even Rickardsson never did that well in ever meeting over a season.

I'm not sure when that was but he did have a meeting at Birmingham for Coventry where he failed to score from 3 rides in April. In fact I don't think he finished a race that night. As the season when on he got better and better for Coventry. Initially he was scoring big just by beating the other reserves but in the last few months of the season he was beating most second strings too - his scoring for Rye House followed a similar pattern. I'm not convinced his scoring was as poor as some Rye House fans think - compare his EL and PL scores to Kyle Newman and they match quite well in both leagues. Both got better as the season progressed in both leagues.

Circa-2008 I was in a club the night of the British GP. A young, possibly even under age rider was in there throwing up and certainly not in the best state. He rode in a PL meeting the next that started in the afternoon - he scored a maximum. He's gone on to good things since Oh, he was hanging around with Middlo that night! Yet a couple of years before I was getting the train home to Newport from Cardiff after the GP and we saw Neil Collins and asked why he wasn't riding in the Welsh Open the following day. His answer? He wanted to have a couple of drink at the GP so had decided not to ride. He was still one of the most sober people on the platform waiting for a train. But he was an old pro. I think plenty of us know it happens but that doesn't make it right.

I think thats a fair assessment. One of the reasons it was kept was for work permit reasons but that little scam has been outlawed now. So I wonder what other reasons they have?

Morten Risager!

I'm certain. There is no difference. Clubs have alwats done it. The "agreement" (as there are no rules on assets - there proof the BSPA think they're on dodgy ground with assets straight away!) are that a rider have to do 4 home and 4 away I think it is but they can protect one rider a year. Where as for some obscure reason, Brit are a free for all. The rules were actually brought in because about 20 years ago Eastbourne invited a load of riders (mainly Finns) over for a practice session and signed them all up as assets Bellego has caused a lot of problems - you only have to read any Glasgow/Berwick thread for that one. I think it comes down to there not being any hard and fast rules and someone playing silly buggers. As for Ellis, he's a Brit, there seems to be a free for all on them. I think the biggest issue is the whole system is a joke rather than PL clubs are at any kind of disadvantage. And then you have Poole and there games, they pay airfares for riders and then agree to buy them once they have been over here a few months and become an asset of the PL club. But when you look at most of the double uppers, the EL clubs have either bought them or they started with them in the NL. It's Ellis who signed randomly for a club (I'm guessing the Neil Vatcher effect come in hand here!) I would hope that the EL has priority over the NL regardless. Professional league vs training league.

Must admit, when he made his comments on Eurosport I spat my drink at the tele, composed myself and turned to my dad and said something along the lines of, "thats rich coming from him". He had a reputation for having a drink GP weekends!

Surely the Olsen (not) in them Coventry teams comes down to, are we talking best riders, or riders you liked most. By average he should be in every Coventry top 7 ever produced. But if you didn't take to him for any reason then it's fine to leave him out I guess.

The EL and the PL have always worked to the same rules with regards to assets. I'm not sure where this myth comes from that EL clubs have it easier. Poole do seem to have this amazing ability to snap up more riders than any other club but I don't think thats due to them being an EL club. Just due to them being a big club and almost being bale to bully there way around

I get that it's unfair in that respect and have said so on the Redcar thread but how is that any different to what the EL have had to put up with for years? As it is, your suggested rule is not one I disagree with TBF. I didn't hear too many PL fans asking that in the past though. PL fans used to claim that the PL was keeping the EL going by letting the EL use their riders. The PL fans never seemed to grasp that the vast majority of doubling up riders are actually owned by EL clubs - which is staggering when there nearly twice as many PL clubs as EL clubs! Maybe if the PL clubs had played fair for years, the EL clubs would not have got their own back when they could (now). Funny how now the PL will only get priority with a small number of doubling up riders (Cook, Stead, Birks, Auty, Starke, Wright and Howarth out of 22 riders) the rules are crap - the EL have suffered for years and the PL fans just rubbed it in.

Whats not right about it? EL clubs owns rider, riders number 1 priority is the EL. Seems positively sensible to me, unlike a lot of other decisions in speedway.

Redcar do seems to be getting the messy end of a very pooey stick over double uppers. Two years running they have signed a rider only to find out later that some EL clubs has come along and taken him from them on a few dates.

Seems like it's a win/win for Rye if they swap Garrity for Kennett. Get rid of a rider that doesn't want to be there and they no longer want while getting a number 1 for the next 10 season and a rider that will have to give them priority. Coventry gain a young asset and don't have to have a rider on their books whos cheating cost them a shot at the play-offs in 2011. Surely this suits both sets of fans. And probably both sets of promotion and I'd imagine both riders. So why has it not happened yet?!

Hardly a stitch up if it was a fair vote! For years the PL have had the upper hand due to numbers. Which is hardly fair as most the riders are owned by EL clubs - as we're not finding out. so much for the EL needing the PL's riders "farcical rules"? You mean the rules in previous seasons that said the PL had priority over the NL and the EL was fair and just? That olnly happened as there were more PL clubs when it come to any vote. The EL have been screwed over for years with this. Maybe if the PL wanted the riders they could splash the cash and buy them?!

Says who? Starman has told us that a few times but we don't know. It's possible he was so far over the limit he'd had 8 pints with his lunch an hour before the meeting. Until someone tells us what the reading it, we have no way of knowing. It was at least 0.1 which is 1/3 of the Eng/Wal drink drive limit.

Or, just do as I do, hate everyone equally!

i'm in 2 minds about the late teens to 20s thing. MattK sums things up well with my issue. But to counter that, most people around that age are making life long decisions, they've grown out of the kids/early teens where you change your mind about things ever day in a whim (or what your mates say is cool) and getting into things in your later teen years tend to be the things you are more into for the rest of your life apparently. Whatever age the BSPA collectively decide to focus on they should do so though. Not this current, "something for everyone" bullrubbish they have that pleases nobody!

Now Rusty Harrison, thats an even better one. The guy who walked out on Edinburgh, literally. And didn't he take a couple of years out at one time due to health issues? You're barking up the wrong tree if you think this is an anti-Edinburgh thing. Any number of your fans will confirm that I have a soft spot for Edinburgh and have supported them down south a few times over the years. So it's certainly not that. It testiminials in general. If you read my initial post you'll see it said, "Another joke testimonial" and I wasn't just focusing solely on this one.

Do all EL clubs get a vote while 4 or 5 PL promoters dont? Peterborough probably didnt get a vote due to not being confirmed at the time, Glasgow due to new owners, Workington not had 3 years yet, same with Plymouth and Sheffield.

Any discrimination based on race (and in legal terms on Nationality too) is racism.

Lets be honest, the majority on this thread have said we find Hancock dull but respect and appreciate him. So I don't see how it's wrong. Personally I think anyone who likes a speedway riders because he's a nice guy and smiles border line mad

A World title at 23 is always going to put you quite high up IMO. Especially when you win it with many injuries. But he still has 20 years left if he does a Greg and could win many title in that time - I see no reason why he can't win at least one more.

Or you have just discovered that young people play computer games. Older people, generally, don't.

All? Leicester is hard, "all". And tbf to them they have only been in the EL one season so to expect them to have their own riders is pushing it. And what happens to all Pooles left over assets if all teams go out signing their own riders? I don't see the issue with a club waiting for a rider, it's not like any other option are going to be signed up anywhere else are they?