Subedei

Are the main leagues weighted similarly? For example Ekstraliga 100%, Elitserien 90%, Elite League 80%. If not, then I believe that the Elite League carries undue weight in the rankings.

Considering that some people are trying to justify a nomination for Nicholls, I think you're being very restrained, as it happens.

If Ironside isn't cooking fish and chips, he's no good to me.

Hang on, in the flawed logic of others of your persuasion, Nicholls is in the top 15 in the world by virtue of finishing 11th in the GPs, but Iversen isn't in the top 15 by virtue of finishing 13th or 14th in the GPs. Presumably Richardson's 14th or 15th in the standings doesn't qualify him for top 15 in the world either. Come on guys, at least maintain some intellectual honesty in your arguements.

Obviously didn't see the glorious overtaking manoeuvres of Messrs Jonsson and Gollob at Bydgoszcz. Nicholls certainly did, as both made him look like a novice in Ht 18 with their superior skills and abilities. The peoples champion? Have you asked the Poles or the Swedes or the Danes about this? There's a whole array of people outside of this sceptred isle.

Doesn't make it right, does it? And what do such comments, possibly accurate, say about the state of the sport?

It's funny because drop-a-cog suffers under the grand delusion that Poland are a weak speedway nation and that Simon Stead is a genuine world class rider. Ridiculous, on both counts, I know, but sadly true. And JIROUT's point about Kolodziej doesn't hold water. Kolodziej should be given a nomination as a wild card as a young rider due his chance in the GPs, whereas Nicholls doesn't deserve a nomination after all his previous failures. Nicholls missing a GP is a red herring. Had Nicholls been fully fit and rode in Prague, it's not just a question of allocating him a number of points and putting him into the qualifying zone - the whole context changes and so do all the GPs that followed. What if Gollob and Hampel, requiring more points, had lifted their game in Latvia and Bydgoszcz?

Kolodziej, I think, qualified for the qualification final, which I don't think carries the title "world championship final" (or is Jagus in fact world champion as he won an event you've termed the world championship final?), but was injured at the time it was staged. Strangely, no one seems to believe that he deserves entry to the GPs on the grounds that he would've qualified had he been fit, yet that's the argument used over and over and over for Nicholls.

He's got to give young Shovlar something to cling on to. If I miss this heat Steve can say that I rode through the pain barrier for Tony's farewell and that no one should criticise me missing the odd Poole meeting.

Conveniently forgetting, if you ever knew, that Leigh Adams had two engine failures. And finishing ahead of Todd Wiltshire is a massive achievement? Do me a favour. And we're never going to find out if they're good enough because they can't get in because their path is blocked by the likes of a serial failure called Scott Nicholls. You wouldn't have said Lindback was ready for 2005, but he made more finals than Nicholls. Not that that was anything to write home about; Nicholls didn't make any.

You make so much of Nicholls being British champion, but Kolodziej was Polish champion in 2005. You ought to look outside the British bubble every now and again. After all, only one GP is held in Britain. And these guys, eager to do well, aren't going to get a chance so long as never-will-be riders like Nicholls keep blocking their path. Nicholls scored 2+1 from 5 rides for Tarnow against no-hopers Rybnik in the Ekstraliga this season and in his next meeting he scored 0 from 1 - replaced in all his other rides.

Yes you can, if you try hard enough. Open your mind and let your dreams flow. You know, there are people around here who have dreams and visions of Nicholls being worthy of a GP spot in 2007. How outlandish is that? By comparison, mine are quite reasonable.

I'm serious about Kolodziej. And if Jagus hadn't qualified, I think you'd have found BSI nominating him for a "wild card". But this ridiculous quota system, which seems likely to save Nicholls, unless he's a man of decency and integrity, will probably rule out Kolodziej, since the Poles are unlikely to be allowed four (five if Holta decides he's a Pole again) entries.

Thank you for clearing that one up for me.

Just a quick question - is the listed Brian Andersen the engine-tuning Brian Andersen, or a new Brian Andersen? I'm sure it's a stupid question, but I'll ask it anyway. I'm not too proud to ask stupid questions every now and again.

What's happened with Lindback this season? He always struck me as being content with the Pirates and now all this carry on. Has his head been turned by some new "advisor" or other? Edit: And another pretty poor line-up for such a legend of the sport. It's rather disappointing the way TR's final season has panned out in so many respects.

Yes I have - a few pages ago.

A bit like comparing Nicholls to a genuine GP standard rider.

I know you can't - drawn to it like a moth to light.

Many people thought that Churchill's stance against the Nazis in the 1930s was a boring crusade. Churchill continued and I shall continue as long as their are those who appease and become failure apologists.

And yet time after time after time, rather like failure after failure after failure from Nicholls, you come back to this thread. Go on then, maintain the facade of disinterest, but your actions disprove your words.

First things first, if he doesn't accept a nomination then I'll not be questioning his integrity. He will have proved to be a man of integrity and I shall applaud him for his honour and decency. Any other outcome and you can point him in the direction of the cruel, crazy town, where I'll be more than happy to discuss. I'm sure it'll be no problem for Nicholls, after all he's shown he can push around a 63-year-old man, so a man over 800 years old shouldn't be a problem.

Never heard of a metaphor?

And every chance he wouldn't have as well. We'll never know. But he's had enough chances and blown them. He doesn't deserve - by his own admission - another. Agreed - you'll not find me advocating Lindback's cause.

I remember people looking forward to Nicholls ramming words down my throat this season. Didn't happen, did it? He was going to be top three in the world, according to some here. What happened to that? Oh, that's right, he failed AGAIN. Well, if you're happy with failure and living on charity, good luck to you. Nicholls is the equivalent of that family down the street larging it up on state handouts and with no incentive to get out and work. But you're satisfied with that. Good luck to you, but if you accept it nothing changes.