Grachan

I think you are missing the point. People aren't saying it would have neccesarily got Lambert through, they are saying that it was, in the situation, worth a try because, even if Emil had then got past Tai, it made no difference. And, imagine if Laguta had seen Tai doing that and decided to also drop back to try and help Emil. What a race we would have had! I think the main reason people were disappointed is because they thought Tai might do thst. Had it been Australia, for example, I don't think anyone would have expected Doyle to try to get his partner through as he had shown no such inclinations in other races. On reflection, I think the plan in the final was for Robert Lambert to gate and for Tai to support him to go for the win, but the whole thing went out the window when the Russians both gated ahead so we were playing catch up with no plan B. In retrospect it's probably harsh to criticise Tai, who was in a position he wasn't expecting and had to make a snap decision to go after the Russians.

Football World Cup coming up, where a team can finish top of it's league and lose the final to a team that finished below it.

You do realise that GB scored more points than Russia, right? That's not a complaint. I just felt it was an indication of which team did better in the qualifying heats. Bonus points are only relevant if it is a tie. It wasn't a tie. One thing that was interesting in the final, watching it again. At the exact moment Tai is coming round Laguta, Laguta looks behind to see where Emil is, and makes a half hearted effort to slow down a bit. But he hadn't looked before then. Both teams went for the heat win in the final rather than go for second and third. Personally I was hoping for a more tactical race, which would have been fascinating to watch, but we were always up against it considering Russia's second day form. This, perhaps, is another flaw. GB were the form team on day one and Russia on day two. The form team on day two has a better chance of wining, therefore, even if they don't win the heats over all. In the end, it was a good competition. I enjoyed it. But they must have been disappointed with the crowd, which would have filled the stadium were it a World Cup final. Tai and Robert both came out of it with a lot of credit. Tai looks like he could be a 3 time World Champion, and Robert Lamberts looks ready to step up to the big time. His race with Janowski proved it, and he was so close to passing Emil in the final. I just wish we'd seen a more tactical last race. Whether that was down to the manager or the riders, I guess we'll never know.

So Woffy deliberately made sure GB lost the final to ensure Rosco didn't win the tournament? Is that your theory?

Will you stand by that opinion if it turns out that Rosco instructed Tai to go all out for the win, Rob?

It's just a legitimate tactical discussion.

All the more reason for Tai to let Laguta go and try to block Emil. Lambert was all over Emil at the end. With a bit of help he could have got past. In any other race there would be no point Tai hanging back and getting passed by Emil, but in a one off final they may as well have risked giving away a 5-1 to give Rob a chance.

Hate to say it, but if Tai had hung back we would have won that.

If you look at the translated article, there is a dash where there should be speech marks. This is consistent throughout the whole article. Cieslak just speaks from... "I will not talk about the track....."

And there was me thinking Wales was part of Great Britain. Cieslak said nothing about the track in the article. Phil Morris' name was subtly mentioned in the article by the journalist who wrote it, to tempt readers into thinking the track might have been set up for GB, without actually saying it.

What a performance by Woffinden! That must go down as possibly the greatest performance of all time by a British rider. Stunning. Of course, Sod's law says that this is the meeting that goes ovrr 2 days and all comes down to a final, sonthere's a long way to go yet. Lambert was brilliant too, and his gating was top draw, making things a lot easier. I really enjoyed the meeting, but it's no World Cup. What a shame they can't at least call it a World Championship. The size of the crowd, even in Poland, must tell them something.

Correct. And very entertaining it would be too. I'm not sure what your problem is really. Many riders in the past have tried to slow a race to get their partner through. It's a tactic. What's the problem?

If I glance at Twitter I mainly get stuff posted by Piers Morgan - so I guess I'd better check with him then.

Oh well, at least I got the rest of it correct.

Nice, subtle piece of trolling from the editor of Speedway Star there, to get everyone having a go at Rosco. The fact is, Tai is back in the side and has said nothing negative, so maybe others should keep their gobs shut.

From a layman's point of view I don't see why not. Block one rider so your partner can pass. Let the other go past you. Second and third wins the race.

He wasn't necessarily first choice. I would say that Cook and Lambert were there as equals - and then given a ride each to see which one was better to use. Lambert won his heat so was kept in. It was a common sense decision. The only reason Lambert was at reserve was because his age gave us better options. Otherwise he would have probably been in the top two anyway.

Not sure I agree. Cook would probably be a better option than Bewley in Poland at this stage. Even if he wants to use Lambert he now, effectively, has Cook as a replacement.

The point is that Milik used bad tactics. Once he was well in the lead he should have looked round, seen his partner at the back, and slowed down to try and get him through to third - even if it meant sacrificing the lead himself. Not only would it have been better for the Czechs but it would have made for a fascinating race.

Don't be silly.

He should have slowed right down, let Doyle pass him, and try to block Fricke. It was a waste of time going of into the distance.

How can it be perfect team riding when they aren't on the same team?

Agree. Hancock, in particular, was disappointing considering the great American team riding of the past. For example, THIS is great team riding. Poor quality video, but great team riding.

It should be pointed out that Match of the Day is popular for one reason and one reason alone - it's football. For me a live speedway meeting is the only way to go on television these days, but I think they miss a lot in their coverage in terms of what they talk about. Speedway lends itself to tactics and statistics that really should be analysed in greater detail. It's a major part of its appeal. They should also bring back proper tactical substitutes, and get people on there who understand tactics to talk about it. I remember in the days of the old TS rule where there would be massive group conversations among the crowd about what was the best way to use the tac subs. This could be a major discussion point if it weren't limited to just one TS -which takes out much of the tactics. I would like to see that. Plus talk about, say, R/R and who could go in where and how it could benefit the teams. For me this would make for interesting viewing and I think it would open out the sport more to casual observers who can only see the "4 blokes on bikes doing 4 laps" aspect of the sport.

Good way of putting it. Also, of course, someone who finished behind their partner gets a bonus point - so in the event of a tie, bonus points are taken into account. In every way, the team that finishes second and third in a 3-3 should be the winner of a pairs event. Some pairs events even used to even have a 4,3,2,0 scoring system.