Subedei

Do you really imagine that Wieslaw Jagus has never ridden outside Poland? Is that really what you think? I'm sorry to have to disappoint you, but Jagus qualified for the GPs by winning a meeting in Sweden. And he's a team mate of your beloved Nicholls in Sweden - guess which one has the higher average. I'll give you a big clue, the initials aren't SN. Yes, I have honour and integrity and happily admit that I was mislead about the results of 1999, for which I apologise. Now, let's hope some other people have decency and honour.

Dear God, now that's just a desperate arguement. And it doesn't hold water. No Jagus, no Gollob, no Holta, no PK, no Hampel. Come on, you can do better than that, surely?

That's a poor arguement. But I guess it's the best you've got. And you don't know it would've been higher. No one will ever know. Gollob might have been world champion had he competed in all the rounds in 1999. It's tough luck. Nicholls has had enough chances.

No they aren't. They're for eleven riders who qualified (none of whom were called Scott Nicholls) and four arbitary picks from the FIM (little more than a street walker) and their pimps at BSI. If they were for the 15 best riders in the world, Nicholls wouldn't get a look in. It's you, dear fellow, who doesn't have an arguement, since you don't care how badly Scott Nicholls does and want him in regardless. That's no arguement whatsoever.

You mean last in the final? Come on, get serious, only about half the GPers were there and Leigh Adams had a couple of engine failures. The only thing more laughable is any suggestion that Simon Stead is anywhere remotely close to GP standard.

Nevermind Postlethwaite, you're the one consistently saying Nicholls deserves to be there in 2007 - how many chances do think he should get. This will be his third chance. Is that enough? Or do you think he should get automatic chances each and every year on the grounds that he's British?

Ditto. The records show he didn't qualify and that's that. End of story. Not good enough. Ship him out and get someone deserving of a chance in. He's had too many and blown each and every one. And you still haven't deigned to answer my question, so I'll pose it again: exactly how many chances does Nicholls get before even the totally deluded cry no more?

You don't know that.

Haven't I already said I would? But I'm not about to hold my breath waiting for him to do the right thing.

So. You haven't answered mine. And if you'd bothered to read my posts you'd find I have answered your questions over and over again. But, I'll answer again, I have nothing against Nicholls and if he follows through with his earlier comments I will applaud his actions. As for Bjarne Pedersen, he qualified for 2006 and deserves another chance. Nicholls didn't qualify for 2005, 2006 and now 2007. He's had his chances and has blown each and every one.

I see you rapidly modified that. Yes, arguing with someone with a cast iron arguement that can't be defeated is rather pointless. Nicholls didn't qualify, end of story. And Nicholls said if he didn't qualify then he didn't deserve to be there. Not a very good starting point for your argument. I don't see why you persisted with it for so long. But good to see you've finally seen sense.

How was it a fluke? Ivan Mauger fell in the race-off and had no complaints about it. I'd say winning the world title without winning a single GP was more of a fluke.

Hardly even worth watching the Cardiff GP on television, since the racing is so appalling. But, since you ask, although most people would already know, I support the great man in the GPs. And there's more talent in a clipping from his little fingernail than in the whole of Nicholls' being. And it's now been over six years and fifty-five GPs since Martin Dugard won his GP and became Britain's last GP winner. I'm sure that statistic fills you with a huge amount of pride. Constantly rewarding failure won't bring the glory days back to British speedway. Personally, I'd like to think Nicholls has enough sense of right and wrong to refuse any charity nomination that comes his way. Give him the Cardiff wild card, it's all he deserves.

Why would I go to Cardiff? The track is an abortion and the racing dreadful. And I make perfect sense, if you value integrity, honesty and decency. I don't argue that Gollob was world champion in 1999. He missed a round, tough luck. Nicholls missed a round, equally tough luck. Then call it what it is: the BSI Open Invitational Series and don't sully a world championship by association with it. It is clear here that the only real arguement for including Nicholls is a commercial arguement. And that's just not good enough. It lacks decency and integrity, just as the GPs will next season if Nicholls shames them with his presence.

Okay, on that basis, I assume you proclaim Tomasz Gollob the rightful champion in 1999. After all, Gollob missed out on the British GP in 1999 and finished second overall to Tony Rickardsson. Their final scores were 111 to 98, but Gollob averaged 18 points per completed GP in 1999. Add 18 points to 98 and Gollob's the champion. Is that how it works? Congratulations to Tomasz Gollob, world champion from 1999. Congratulations to Ivan Mauger, still the only rider with six world titles to his name. Sorry TR, but these are the new rules, or so it seems.

Is that the best you can manage? Oh dear, a bit of a half-hearted Nicholls type effort.

I see the "big picture" clearly - the big picture is the world speedway championship being defiled by the continued presence of a serial failure in spite of disregard for making the effort to qualify. The "big picture" is that Nicholls has already acknowledged the damage and harm it does by saying that his continued presence would not be justified if he didn't qualify. Don't you care about integrity in this sport?

And Jablonski is European champion - well done to the fellow.

No, Jason Crump would have the safety net of having qualified the previous season to fall back on. As I've always maintained, people should get a second chance. But, come on now, exactly how many chances should your beloved serial failure get? He's already gone on record as saying if he couldn't qualify by right this season - and he didn't - he's not worthy of a place. He said that, now how can you argue the point?

When I saw the results on the Polish sites I was confused and thought perhaps the Swedes have another Per Jonsson waiting in the wings. But I guess there'll only ever be one Per Jonsson. And I agree it's a fantastic idea and typical of Greg Hancock to get the fellow involved. Wonderful.

All that matters is where he finished. And he finished out of the qualifying places, AGAIN. So, come on all you failure apologists, exactly how many chances does Nicholls get before he finally gets shown the door?

The thing is, old fruit, that emerging nations are coming along and soon they'll be looking for GP spots. The Germans have an emerging group of young riders, led by Smolinski and Hefenbrock; Russia is emerging with the likes of Gafurov and Sajfutdinov; while Croatia has Jurica Pavlic fast coming through. It will get ever harder for the FIM to justify giving Britain such charity in the face of justified claims from these nations, together with the richly talent-endowed existing nations.

Knock that back down to one young fellow, since most agreed Nicholls got a huge slice of luck when he wasn't thrown out for barging over Zagar. But, I agree, he was hard done by when Andersen went over. I didn't believe Andersen deserved to be in it this season. And events have proved me correct. Andersen realised the GPs weren't a free ride and he uped his game. Maybe if Andersen had been in from the start, he'd have been the same as he was in 2005 - dismal, for the most part.

Blame Ronnie Russell, not me, for foreign riders in the second tier of British speedway. So, how many chances do you advocate? Hans Andersen got a couple of chances and was then kicked out. He was a failing type as well, although he did have a GP win in his locker at the time. Would it be such a disaster for the undeserving Nicholls to be kicked out? Or would Nicholls be forced to reassess his career and come out with something to prove. At the minute you seem to be advocating an entry for Nicholls no matter what. Doesn't give much incentive, does it?

I am passionate about fairness and justice. Hampel missed three GPs last season, not just the one. And if Hampel hadn't qualified this season, you'd not have seen me putting forward his case. I'm only suggesting BP should be included because he qualified for 2006. Personally, I think BP will struggle again in 2007. But he deserves a second chance. Nicholls has had his.