Middlo Quits a team GB manager

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jacques said:

booeyboy said:

What about Rob Lyon or John Sampford.
Sorry Jacques but i'm not sure Oakesy would be willing, he's had a few gripes with the B.S.P.A over the years & rightly so.

Err...I didn't suggest Peter Oakes

It was me that suggested Peter actually .

Someone on the Ippo forum suggested Jim Lynch

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harry said:

Ivan Mauger...failing that Rosco for comedy value.

It will probably be Oakes or Havelock.

Ivan Mauger - now I seriously like that idea - genius!

[schumi]

Okay, now Middlo's made the announcement I guess it's okay for me to post the thoughts I had about the WTC.

A lot of people have used the excuse that our riders just aren't good enough. I'd be inclined to disagree slightly - I think (that with one exception) that they're just not motivated enough.

Middlo said this in his interview:

We normally meet up mid morning (the boys sleep late,) have a stroll round town. Then we all have lunch together and talk about the track conditions, gearings, anything to try and get a little extra knowledge for them for during the meeting. In the afternoon most of them will go to the Hotel to just chill out.

Now, I'm no expert, but it strikes me that they don't seem to be taking things too seriously. The pictures of the lads out on the town having a drink may or may not have been taken on the day of our meeting, but it seems like the riders treated their time away as a holiday rather than work. It's unfair to suggest they spend every spare minute training, practising, going over set-ups, etc, and of course they should be entitled to some winding down time, but I think that should come after the meetings are completed.

Also, practise to me is imperative. Look at the Danes coming over here next month, already in preparation for a meeting that is still a few months away. Middlo says this about practise:

It would be possible in England but the riders all know the tracks inside out and have all the settings for gears, jets, timing, etc, and unless you really have something new to test you can often end up confusing yourself.

Okay, I can see his point - they should know all the set-ups. But it's not just about that. It's about getting them all together, getting their arses into gear, and the will to win.

This is the logistical argument:

I have suggested and been offered practise in England but its just a nightmare trying to get all the boys together all riding for different teams and in different countries, and going back to what I said they know all the set ups in the UK, which is the most crucial factor.

Okay, so what's wrong with getting them all together before the season starts? And surely it can't be too hard to fit in around 5 or 6 riders - after all, the team has been said to pick itself. And finally, if we allow other teams to practise on our tracks, would it not be worth just asking if we can practise abroad?

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Where did I read that the Danes are already practising together?

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Spot on, Schumi!

This 'its all a bit too hard' attitude seems to some things up. Yes it IS hard to win the SWC because the opposition is world class. So if GB wants to win it, then they need to get organised behind a serious campaign that is not just about getting the guys together a few days before and having a chat about things!

Where there's a will there's a way!

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jacques said:

Where did I read that the Danes are already practising together?

They are certainly practising at Arlington in the next week or so.

I agree Schumi totally, but I would actually insist that team practise takes place at Brandon, and not just the desired team, but the Andre Comptons etc, at least to give the others someone to race against.

They need to get teamy don't they, and not just 5 riders wearing a "Team GB" kevlar and turning up.

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In fact lets see a practise at Brandon with the potential squad from which the team will be picked - i.e. get some competition for places going.

Is it right that there is a view that the team will 'pick itself' this year? Why? If Andre Compton wants a chance to stake a claim, then, hey, lets give him a chance - and if he proves worthy then good luck to the bloke!

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badge said:

jacques said:

Where did I read that the Danes are already practicing together?

They are certainly practising at Arlington in the next week or so.

I agree Schumi totally, but I would actually insist that team practise takes place at Brandon, and not just the desired team, but the Andre Comptons etc, at least to give the others someone to race against.

They need to get teamy don't they, and not just 5 riders wearing a "Team GB" kevlar and turning up.

Yes, yes yes....or even on some of the foreign tracks ?? Don't know feasible that is though .

We all accept that there are often issues with logistics, but, how much do they want it? If the Danes can manage it,with their riders are just as busy, we can do it too...

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So it seems Subedei's perseverence finally paid off?

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cousteau said:

In fact lets see a practise at Brandon with the potential squad from which the team will be picked - i.e. get some competition for places going.

Is it right that there is a view that the team will 'pick itself' this year? Why? If Andre Compton wants a chance to stake a claim, then, hey, lets give him a chance - and if he proves worthy then good luck to the bloke!

My point exactly, and you put it so much better than I

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badge said:

cousteau said:

In fact lets see a practise at Brandon with the potential squad from which the team will be picked - i.e. get some competition for places going.

Is it right that there is a view that the team will 'pick itself' this year? Why? If Andre Compton wants a chance to stake a claim, then, hey, lets give him a chance - and if he proves worthy then good luck to the bloke!

My point exactly, and you put it so much better than I

I'd pay to watch that..

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badge said:

cousteau said:

In fact lets see a practise at Brandon with the potential squad from which the team will be picked - i.e. get some competition for places going.

Is it right that there is a view that the team will 'pick itself' this year? Why? If Andre Compton wants a chance to stake a claim, then, hey, lets give him a chance - and if he proves worthy then good luck to the bloke!

My point exactly, and you put it so much better than I

Its going to be interesting to see how well Andre goes against Bomber, Steady and Olly in the Bees-Tigers challenge in a couple of weeks.

I seem to remember seeing Bomber have a dig at Andre for his reply to Middlo's 'Elite League only' stance - a dig that I thought was a bit harsh at the time. To be honest I thought Andre's point was well made! Maybe we'll see Andre do exactly what Bomber said he should - and let his riding do the talking!

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Who do I think it will be?

Alun Rossiter, with Gary Havelock helping out.

Who do I think it should be?

Erik Gundersen!!!

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Actually Schumi/Sub how about a poll?

[schumi]

cousteau said:

Is it right that there is a view that the team will 'pick itself' this year? Why?

I'm not keen on that expression, but with regards to my post, I can see it might be impractical to get together all the "possibles" for the team on a particular day, but it's a given that Nicholls, Harris and Richardson will be in the team, probably with Stead and Kennett. So what I meant is that we'd only need to take those five, along with a couple of other possibles, meaning there wouldn't be so many logistical problems to get them together as there would for a whole squad.

Jacques - feel free.