Tigerblade

Glad you have got here Joanne and Kevin, I decided that this might be a very good day to visit the Communist Museum, which was good, and I have now taken refuge in an Internet Cafe on Jakubska My hotel is right next to the IP. Pavlova tram stop, although haven't ventured onto it yet lol.

November 3rd, 1985.

Hotel Alton for me, I fly out Thursday 7th and come back Tuesday 12th, from East Midlands. Hope to see you folks out there, hi Tina, long time no post

Sorry Spin, but it was definitely Ray Glover, he signed him in 1982.

I know you were, I only said "some" Tigers fans Ray alienated my mum a bit because one of his first contributions was a dispute with the Flyer! Mind you we lost quite a few fans after that crap 1980 season and his (Doug's) move to Halifax. Have to agree with you about 1982, although we finished second in the BL in 1985, I look back on 1982 with more fondness somehow. I actually didn't mind Gordon announcing......."I like it!" The Zenon Plech we signed was somewhere below a pale shadow of the one who had served Hackney with such distinction. Maurice Ducker....yes, would be interesting, although he always leaned to "it's never my fault, you ought to be grateful I am doing this for you at all"

I too am looking forward to this edition - I've heard things since about the bad team spirit back then, and the Morans are always excellent value for a story or two!! Tony Mac, I think one reason for the lack of response may be because, from what I can gather from postings, some of the Tigers fans on this forum haven't been going long enough (for whatever reason) to remember the Glovers.

I am going 7th - 12th July. Tickets (well, boarding details lol, BMI Baby from East Midlands) came the other day.

Next to last match of season, Reg also had a bad crash in the last one as well

Well, I really enjoyed my weekend. I would advise anyone if they are struggling for digs in Cardiff, to try the Travel Inns in Caerphilly - there's a big park and ride at the train station and it's free for train travellers, only £3.10 return, only takes 20 minutes and the last train back is 23.10! It was lovely to meet again all the forumers I've met before, those who I met for the first time, it was great to meet you and put faces to names (or aliases lol) As for the meeting, I really enjoyed it, at least I saw it this year (some of you will know what I mean, those that don't, well it was a situation a bit like Steve Shovlar's) plenty of controversy and shocks. I was very disappointed in Leigh Adams, and also Nicki P really, even with the exclusion he didn't do brilliantly. Trick/Norris - hmm...Trick did seem to go to ground very easily IMO. But he rode brilliantly after that, and there was no-one else going to win the final!! I thought Crumpy's first two were harsh, I've seen much worse called back for unsatisfactory starts with all four. The third one was so desperate it was almost funny. I was well impressed with Jarek Hampel, although there was a touch of the Bruce Penhall's in his last qualifying race, when Tomasz Gollob needed the win lol I was on the 3rd bend bottom tier, lots of Poles in there, needless to say very happy ones at that. I don't like the idea of points scoring to get through to the semis though - if they are going to have it, just have the 20 heats and the highest scorer is the champion, end of. This way means there's too many opportunities if someone makes a mistake early on, I much preferred the "old" format.

Bit too narrow and twisty for my liking that one. M5/M50/A449/M4 has always been the best one for me.

Not half, that's one thing that saddens me about speedway today, the lack of large fast tracks. People talk about Sheffield as though it's an alien type of track as it is large and fast, and when I started watching speedway, it was the smallest and slowest paced of the 4 northern circuits (Hyde Road, the Shay and the Boulevard), I'm afraid there are too many slick polo mints about now for my liking. I went many times to Hyde Road, first was a WTC qualifier in 1978, think the last time would have been the 1987 Overseas Final. A horrendous photo exists of an 11 year old me with Ila Teromaa (remember him?) which was taken at Hyde Road, at Belle Vue's Golden Jubilee meeting which was about a month after the aforementioned WTC meeting. If I ever get around to it, I will have to put it onto Webshots!

I will look forward to this issue, obviously I was there for the whole of Ray's promotership (is that a word?) When I look back now, although we weren't always the best of teams, with hindsight, I feel he did more right than wrong and he had some terrible bad luck to contend with. Did he regret any departures in particular ie. when he first came he reportedly abolished the signing on fees and this caused problems in particular with Craig Pendlebury/Doug Wyer. Did he feel let down by the Wayne Brown situation? Which riders did he most enjoy working with? Neil Evitts - I guess a lot of people would be interested to hear "his side" of a lot of things, as I think most would agree he seemed a morose type of personality on the face of it - that's meant as an observation, not a criticism!

I would have loved to have seen Tommy in action, unfortunately it was just before "my time" so to speak. I believe Wimbledon had been riding at Sheffield that same night.

Brilliant!! Not sure if he still does the job now, but if I'd had a house that needed sand blasting in the late 70's/1980's, I dare say I would have been very tempted to call Mr. R. Wilson Sandblasters of Grenoside I knew a lot of the stuff in the article about him as well, but it's nice to see it again, I can remember that 1978 NRC like it was yesterday, it was the night after the British Final where PC had the sugar incident, and Ivan Mauger was excluded for a tape offence, reinstated, and then thrown out again when the other 3 protested!! Also interested to see the bit about Mark Fiora, I was only wondering whatever happened to him, the other week! Back to Martin Ashby though, unfortunately I never got to see him at his best, the second meeting I ever saw was that Gauloises Pairs meeting when he and Crumpie crashed. Again I can remember that one, wasn't long after the World Final and my dad got Ivan Mauger (who was riding for Exeter in the meeting, and also crashed, not seriously, but enough to rule him out of the rest of the night) to sign our programme beforehand! This is important stuff when you are 10 Another useless piece of information, I always used to think Martin looked like one of my uncles, and judging by that picture in Backtrack, he still does, even now!

'Tis true, I have been on the straights for all the GP's I've been to, but I was on the 2nd bend so to speak for the play off in 2003, and there certainly wasn't as much room there. (Crap day all round eh, that one )

Jeez, when I first read that, I thought it said "one of the best sides I have ever seen" and was thinking what is he on??? I remember Jan, the fence scraper extraordinaire, he was probably the only shining light of the 1980 season. I think Patynek suffered a spinal injury on the training track after that Eastbourne meeting? Some of the information that accompanied them through the Iron Curtain in those days was very unreliable, I think Jan was initially described as being about 26, and he turned out to be 34 or 35! Unfortunately he was, a shame really as even in the odd World Final I saw him in, I never really saw "live" the rider as described by the Hawks people here. I used to be pen pals with Zenon's fan club secretary, some of you may know who I mean (Carol something?) I believe he lived with Shawn Moran throughout his time with the Tigers.

I have only just seen this thread. I thought it was Smoothies all round this trip Joanne

They're never going to please all of the people all the time with the music - the cost of the artistes is going to be a question - I mean, Tom Jones, come on!! He would be marvellous, but can you imagine how much he would cost? As is what will appeal to the biggest cross section of the audience. Personally I think they have got it about right with someone like Bjorn Again. It's nice to have something a bit different as meeting entertainment for a change, but like the guy earlier said, I go to see the speedway, the music is an added bonus.

I don't think I've put it across very well, I am also curious to know about his life now etc. Do I remember that crash, I was on the 3rd bend at the time, I still wonder how they both managed to get out of it alive. GG ended up with the two bikes and Reg on top of him, it was horrendous.

That's exactly what I meant, about hindsight etc.

I can remember that as well - bit worrying being on the same mind level as Mr. Hone Yes indeed, his 'contribution' to certain events made me very upset at the time, but hindsight and life experience make you think differently about things.

Rolf Gramstad suffered serious spinal injuries in a meeting on the continent, the weekend of the 1981 World Final. Unfortunately for the Lions and him, the Tuesday before this, they were tonked 45 33 at home by us, and believe me, we WERE bad away from home in those days I only ever went to Blackbird Road a couple of times, but can still remember the place quite clearly.

I think you two have got the wrong end of the stick I meant that I was sitting typing at the forum as an indirect result of the 1976 World Final It was because PC was at Sheffield in an individual meeting a couple of weeks after his win, that my dad decided to take us to the speedway, as he'd seen something about the World Champion being in town. Incidentally Grachan, I enjoyed reading about your trip. Let's hope that Graham Edmunds doesn't do chicken impressions as well

Yes, I was in hysterics looking at that picture!! I enjoyed the Stevie B interview, he was one of my favourite riders when I first started watching. Grachan, your first quote reminded me of the Quo on TOTP once, and my mum said, "do you remember when Phil White had his hair like that?"!! Shame it was just a pic of Nicky Allott in the mag and not the whole Scunthorpe side of the day I know - isn't it a culture shock to see what some of them look like now? Wonderful stuff as always, some of the behind-the-scenes "truths" come as a bit of a surprise to me sometimes, although you kind of suspected there was something not quite right. I loved the 1976 memories, how I wish I could have been at that World Final - although, indirectly, that meeting is why I am here now!

Thank you very much - some of these ticket sites can be a nightmare.