RobMcCaffery

EL averages are now totally worthless since they rely far too much on a rider's place in the team rather than his abilities.

Very, very true. It was by far the best aspect of announcing, studying the referees and getting a superb view of what was going on together with an understanding of what was going on that you just can't get from the terraces. Re centre greens. These could be hazardous, especially if you were dealing with a dog track - several surprise 'presents' could catch the unwary out. One track also had a mini swamp that had to be avoided or you ended up with a rather abrupt end to the mic work. Speedway's always had boring races, and for that matter boring tracks that relied more on speed than passing to impress, but to me the balance has shifted. While you will still get examples that people will use to try to convince others that nothing's worsened the outside pass has declined over the years. The thrill of watching a rider take a handful of throttle and be rewarded with a thrilling overtake was a fundamental aspect of the sport. I watched, from about the mid eighties onward, riders going for the outside line just to find themselves falling further back as the tracks just no longer would reward their bravery. When I started in the seventies I quickly realised that the only way you could get good racing was the distribution of dirt on the track, with a bias to the outside vital to make the longer outside line fast enough to make it an option to pass and give more than one racing line on the track. Now, far too often it's just a procession. We had these in the past -0, I believe there's just too many now. Time after time I saw racers go out in a vain search for dirt only to be disappointed. The racing suffered and the crowds started to disappear. There's plenty of video evidence out there - it's not just 'misty-eyed nostalgia' or people longing for the days of their youth. I don't mind people fooling themselves that nothing's changed, just please don't try to fool me. The old Hackney Hawks thrived for two decades on quality of racing rather than results. Now at far too many tracks it's only about the team winning, not having an entertaining night's racing. When the wins run out, so do the fans....

You need to click on a very small white x on red to clear it. It can be something of a chase to do it, I'm afraid. It's a small price to pay. Going full screen also clears it. It's the middle symbol bottom right between the clock and volume controls.

Being re-staged tomorrow.

There is a difference between what can or should should happen and what WILL happen. Of course you could show all 15 heats in an hour. Sadly Eurosport's past record shows that they aren't prepared to do this. If you want a justification I suggest you contact them! I've made enough speedway TV and video programmes in the past to know what can be done in one hour - and to know that logic and TV producers aren't always in the same room.

At least I wake up. You should try it.

I can understand to a point but last season was unusual in that the first two meetings were postponed. The Swedish determination to get meetings on when most tracks in Britain would have long given up is marked and to be respected but it does play havoc with the TV companies who I am sure would prefer to just put a substitute programme on than carry an hour of updates on track repairs. It's great for the fans that meetings are saved but understandably bad for TV. I think Eurosport have been premature though. Their chaotic scheduling was just about acceptable in the early days of satellite TV in the late 80s and early 90s but not now. If they can't make use of the live feed they really should surrender the rights to someone who will. Here we had Premier Sports doing fine with a far more basic international feed until Eurosport came in to take over the contract, since when the UK coverage has been all over the place. Of course the benefit is that Swedish racing was shown in many other countries other than the majors. I'm sorry, but given their past record that is probably unlikely. It would be excellent though f they did so let's hope.

I posted this: 30.04 BT Sport 1 17.30-21.15 Live There, I've highlighted it now. I really don't know how that could have been misinterpreted. Krsko uses CET and so 7pm local time will be 6pm BST, thus giving BT 30 minutes for the build-up.

I read a post on a TV forum from a Motocross supporter lamenting Eurosport's handling of his sport. It seems that even after the Discovery takeover Eurosport's haphazard scheduling carries on. It really is an abuse of the rights. Looks like a couple of weeks searching for a reliable Swedish streamer. Unlike the deal with One Sport which is with Eurosport Poland I expect that the Swedish deal isn't so I wouldn't be too sure of the Polish version being any better than the general service in this case. Time will tell, but it's not such good news.

You're missing the point. Look at the wider picture. As ever it's a little more complex than how it affects you. Sky now charge more for their services than they did when they had a monopoly. People are blaming BT for making them pay more overall when it's Sky, as ever, who are the real problem. They abused their monopoly position for years and still continue to overcharge to pay for their suicidal football deal. But the mugs still pay and bleat about another business naturally trying to undercut. Why not ditch the Sky leech to solve your problem?

If Sky hadn't been ripping people off for years with ludicrously high prices BT wouldn't have entered the market. Why should Sky have a monopoly? There is life beyond paying over far too much of your hard-earned cash to Sky you know.

Premier League, less stress, more fun, normally devoid of Poole fans except for the doubling-up village idiot at Somerset.

Now, now, just because you're paranoid, it doesn't mean they're not out to get you.

First GP is on BT Sport 1 which will please some.

BT's schedules for coverage of the Slovenian Grand Prix have been published: 30.04 BT Sport 1 17.30-21.15 Live Replays: 01.05 BT Sport 2 08.00-10.00 02.05 BT Sport 2 21.30-23.30 05.05 BT Sport 2 13.30-15.30 Those with the basic free BT package will probably be happy to see that the live coverage is on BT Sport 1.

I expect it's a last-minute decision on a reduced fee. Great news though - I love watching the Swedish League. Much prefer it to Poland. Let's hope for a drier start to the season and better scheduling by Eurosport.

More to the point, Ford found he couldn't make money from it. Joke competition, created only so the Polish teams have a strong chance of declaring themselves World Champions to please their sponsors.

And there we have one of the key factors why Poole Speedway has such an appalling reputation outside Dorset. What an attitude to have!

They always have an excuse, don#t they? It's not a case of 'hating' Poole - very little in sport is worth 'hating', despite the attitudes of too many football fans, but having a strong dislike for the arrogance of so many of those involved with Poole Speedway. They in turn try to shrug it off by describing any criticism of their actions or attitude with the term 'Poole hater', trying to discredit such criticism by suggesting that such critics are just following some standard line instead of being able to see and think for themselves. It doesn't work. I've enjoyed my trips to Wimborne Road over the past forty years but under the current regime it's become an arrogant, ruthless business which treats outsiders with contempt, as in Ford's sanctimonious utterings in the local rag. "Why wouldn't any club report emphasise their own club?? Its only likely to be read regularly by the club's own potential fanbase." It does rather treat their own fans with contempt - that they are too feeble-minded to be given anything other than a distorted report.

The last population figures show: Birmingham 1.01 million Scunthorpe 72 thousand

I think economics is a little beyond the heads of the likes of the poster. I doubt he even knows that there are steelworks in Scunthorpe or that thousands of jobs have been at risk through the town.

You have an excellent race track, a very impressive team and a good grandstand to watch it all from. Sometimes it's just best to sit down.

Steering quickly away from politics, it has to be remembered how much of a fight it must be to run speedway in both towns.

In a town like Scunthorpe it's impossible not to see the huge reliance on those steelworks. They really dominate the town, I do wish them well. The fact that a small town like that has had three tracks shows how much fight there is to keep the sport going there.

Like I said, best avoid the petty, childish squabbling that blights the BSF (even if some of the points raised are highly valid ) Sadly, as ever, once we get an interesting, positive discussion going someone has to post with the clear intention of provoking others which inevitably gets responded to. Perhaps Gresham, the best way to enjoy the sport is to keep away from the BSF and some of the sad cases who live to abuse the chances offered by it. Carry on enjoying your return to the sport and bear in mind we've always had these types in the sport - the internet just gives them an easier way to annoy people for their own dodgy, rather sad needs ;-)