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I’m sorry but does Hans have to have 4 rides? If not Carl Johnson needs to take some of the blame for the poor end to the meeting. Because if Summers was going to go in heat 14, which he did, why did Hans go out in heat 13, we knew before heat 13 that Summers was out in heat 14 yet had not ridden since heat 7. So the track was going to be completely different to then, surely common sense for a team manager is to replace a rider who is so obviously off the pace with a rider, who was going well in the beginning of the meeting, therefore giving them a better chance in heat 14 by having a run out in the heat before?

I agree, not an outstanding meeting by the standards of the NSS but still some decent racing. The crowd was better than I feared considering the United match and the very cold weather. It's one of those meetings that we never looked like losing. To me the highlight was to watch Dan Bewley showing that he is well on the way to being able to carry on where he left off after his serious injuries last season. He had three wins, good race times and didn't back out of a tight first bend. Lidsey showed enough in his first meeting at the NSS for us to see what a talent he is and Bradley Wilson Dean was impressive for Peterborough.

100% spot on there.

Just as well they didn’t last year - all those suits would have bankrupted them

Harris was probably shipped out by bluster to strengthen one of his other clubs ipswich. No conflict of intrests though.

All going well in Buster's Pantherland then? As Blackadder said " Well it started badly, it tailed off a little in the middle & the less said about the end the better ... "

My point is this team is not good enough..and Johnson was suggesting we are..which I disagree with.

What like they smashed Lynn tonight

You’ve been spouting the same rubbish for weeks now - time to take off those rose-tinted glasses!

It was 2008 when speedway began its current decline. Before that is was having something of a minor revival, with radio 5 even running a report on how Speedway had become "cool" at one point. Then, with crowds relatively healthy, the introduced low points limits and "cost cutting" measures time after time, and each time they did it the crowds dropped. So, each time the crowds dropped, they did it again. So they dropped again. It always amazes me when people say that the future is about cost cutting. That is what caused the trouble in the first place.

He might even have had a pay rise !

Looks like Hans may have more that 1 night to forget, possibly a season.....

Hope your internet goes down for a while

I very much doubt we will have any "extra" points to play with by the end of June so will have to exchange (if we wish) like for like. Anybody who is under 40 is going to be bottom of the table by a long way

Maybe the topic heading should be Leicester Track Best It's Ever Been!

Will the programme be printed in black and white?

i think your timeline is a little skewed it was well into the 2000’s before the top boys all upped and left. To illustrate here’s a list of a few riders that rode in the elite league in 2005: tony rickardsson, Chris Louis, hans Andersen, Leigh adams, Ryan Sullivan, Antonio Lindback, Pepe Protasiewicz, Billy Hamill, Greg Hancock, Jason crump, Nicki Pedersen, lee Richardson, Scott Nicholls, Sebastian ulamek, Greg Walasek, Freddie Lindgren, Peter Karlsson, Michael max, ales & Lukas Dryml, Mark Loram, Andreas Jonsson, Kenneth Bjerre, Joe screen, David norris, Chris Harris, Kris kascperzak, many others that arguably worth a mention, Troy Batchelor, Matej Ferjan, Jason Lyons, Mads Korneliussen, Martin Smolinski my memories of the late 90’s as a witches fan is the team of 98 - gollob, rickardsson, Louis, Svab, nicholls & clouting!

Same thoughts struck me... I have a fairly decent salary but not sure I could afford (or justify) £100+ per month for four Speedway meetings out of my disposable income, with the inevitable teenage requests for food and drink on top! There are so many other costs these days that have to come first.. Kids aged 13 - 16 are conspicuous by their absence at a great many tracks, maybe charging for them to get in also dissuades parents to attend who otherwise might go if their teenagers got in for free? Use free admission for their teenage kids as a 'loss leader', as let's be honest you don't see many teenagers now at many tracks so hardly a huge income loss... Do those who let teenagers in for free now I wonder see a reasonable amount of them there? Someone needs to replace the ageing demographic over the next ten years or so..

Who next Ben Hopwood? Don't get me wrong Phillips has had far more time at this level than many riders ever get and still shows no signs of making the step up but if a change is going to be made i would at least suggest a rider who could become a real asset but the ship has sailed on the majority like Jason Edwards etc. Luke Harris is a fair shout although also still a little too early. Would think the best opportunity is Jordan Jenkins as suggested and as a wild card i would say Danyon Hume would be a better option than Simon Lambert. However at present the diamonds issues are far bigger than who fills the number 7 jacket.

20 years ago there were many more clubs, league fixtures and at least 50% more regular paying supporters on the UK terraces, so I am not quite sure what the better shape is. Thinner? It isn't better quality racing, not from where I have been standing anyway. As for a Barry Hearne type figure, I can't think anyone would appear as there is no way to make promoting UK speedway profitable again. Is it Buster Chapman, when he increases his ownership to 8 - 10 clubs? Do you know, although I do not like his operating methods, he could be the saviour by cutting down costs and increasing the likelihood of semi-pro racing here if he did increase his holdings? No-one else is likely to do anything like that unless some 70 year old diehard fan wins £100 million on the Euro lottery and wants to blow it on wine, women ( or men ), song and speedway. Instead of doing something useful with it!

When the fixture mattered, in what was the biggest match of the Stars long history, we still succumbed to 4 consecutive 5-1 's and later trailed by 18 points . Now, in a match of little importance , and already 10 points adrift, this has to be the most uninspiring match possible... If you could think of reasons why this sport is in such low interest , this match highlights them all. I will be most surprised it the Pirates don't rattle up 60 points, at least....

I'd assume the licence that Horton held is no more which means one less hurdle to cross if we ever get a track to ride on.

After reading season preview in speedway star, Mr cammy knickers wants Tigger's to have more luck this year !! Think last year you were beat by a better team !! Now thinking Berwick side this year resembles that better team from last year, good luck bandits in Tigger land. By the way just over 1 week to cookies testimonial any riders known yet ? Got my h18tory tee shirt to wear next week !!

Andersen is done at the top level. He won’t win the big races when you need him. Solid 3rd heatleader these days. Tungate performed better than he will elsewhere as a number 1 given the track he was on tonight. I’d keep summers, let Barker go and get a proper number 1. Then becomes a much better team.

I think this is the best race I've seen for a while (I know it's off topic for this thread) Partly because it's a hell of a race, partly because it's a match winning race and mostly because Chris Holder finished at the back ...Oh, how I would love to live in Poland...

The way things are looking we would be better off replacing Hans with a out and out number 1 but doubt there is anyone available

As I said. Lambert does his job, Kings Lynn are ok.

Much better from Kasper tonight.

Doubt it thanks to our awesome announcer & pa system.

I agree it is a shame we don't have racesuits. It would look more professional.

Under 23 Polish or foreign- cannot replace the Polish U21 riders( 6 and 7) only the riders in 1 - 5

Ryan MacDonald will do a job for Leicester especially when if/when Dan or Joe move up into the main body. Experience at Leicester too which will help. That's 3 of the Cov NL side now, good to see.

Leicester’s track will get better every week ,Stewart comes down a few days before and along with a few dedicated helpers are making improvements every week and he stays on till after the practice day on the Sunday to get it ready for the following week there are a few areas he has been working on to try and get it right for good racing

You mean the top five from Poole go off 15 metres? Cracking meeting giving the Stars half a chance and making it all much more entertaining.

Honestly Ben Wilson at 33 and not rode since "who can remember when" will be on an average of about 4.50 pints a night if he has any sense sitting in his carpet slippers; dressing gown and smoking his pipe each evening filled with a good rough shag!!!! (isn't that right Bill) Nothing will happen team wise I would suggest (unless possibly a bad injury or "Force Majeure" is inflicted on the team) until the 30th of June when the following rule kicks in 18.6.4 A Championship declaration must not exceed 38.00 points in any declaration following the issue of established CMA’s for 2019, thereafter from 30th June must not exceed 40.00, except where the MA of the introduced rider is equal to, or lower than the rider being replaced. Once the above date arrives it gives greater scope to amend the team and if current averages were the averages on that day then I would suggest the vulnerable rider (in this make believe scenario) would be Simon Lambert as I can not see young Phillips getting the chop (if he was to go it would have to be of his own volition and his own decision) So.... NEWCASTLE DIAMONDS Starting Ave 2.5% Red (if app) Current Ave 2.5% Red (if app) 1 Steve Worrall 8.17 7.97 8.21 8.01 2 Thomas Jorgensen 7.66 7.66 7.59 7.59 3 Lasse Bjerre 7.08 7.08 7.01 7.01 4 Matthew Wethers 5.78 5.78 5.88 5.88 5 Simon Lambert 4.45 4.34 4.15 4.05 6 Max Clegg 3.25 3.17 3.11 3.03 7 Danny Phillips 2.00 2.00 2.00 2.00 Total: 38.39 38.00 37.95 37.57 So if the current rolling averages above of today 11/04/19 were actually those on the 30/06/2019 by dropping Lambert you would have 6.64 for a Brit and 6.48 for a foreign rider; so it is crazy to start talking about changing team members this early in the season as it just will not happen. Furthermore; if say the two Danes and Steve W got their acts together each could add a near point each on their averages reducing the figures above available to replace a rider; by nearly 3 points so it is all speculation, Lambert could drop into reserve and start banging in double figure scores, Who Knows it is all speculation, The averages will change at the end of April; May and June and as stated who knows now what they will look like. All of the riders could loose a point off their average the way they are going and we could bring in Freddy Lindgren if he doesn't get a GP wild card and finally if my Aunt grew a pair she will become my Uncle One thing is; it is all speculation; and the potential options and permutations open to the promotion could be endless; and it wont be an easy task for them and the numbers will ultimately dictate the options available. Like many often state on here nothing in Speedway is straight forward however these type of conundrums are the ones most like to ponder. You cant beat a bit of speculation and mine is Bradley Wilson Dean who would come in on a 6 point average (might as well pinch another rider Workington would have had) and poor old Simon Lambert to get the chop. If today was tomorrow that is; however; and hopefully Simon proves everyone wrong and ups his average by a point or three (as opposed to two). If we ended up with a 7 point difference by dropping someone as Sings4Speedway points out an asset would be good and that could bring in a potential new Dane "Who Knows" So instead of talking about changes back the team to the hilt and hopefully they can pull things around themselves sooner rather than later; however as stated it is early days yet that's for sure So another quite day at work (doh!!!) roll on Easter and all the clients have there budgets sorted for 2019 and start spending money and stop using Brexit as an excuse not to spend Regards THJ

I'm sure Poole will keep it close for the entertainment factor. Nobody really wants to see a one-sided meeting with little racing and loads of Poole 5-1's do they?

Very alarming that the top spot is occupied by two teams who are not top flight. Plus a NL in third is equally disturbing. In fact throughout the list there is little to suggest that admission prices/attitudes reflect the levels teams compete at. It has to be said that everything for the £18 bracket down "seems" reasonable and extra credits to those who admit under 16's foc. Certainly not shocked to see IOW as one of the best yet again.

Thomsen was a long way back in his firsttwo, bit closer in his third - was t/s in final ride Rowe broke tapes in heat 2 but wasn't far off the pace thereafter. Very impressed by Atkins.

When the individual qualifying times are known it might take forever for some riders to decide which riding number they prefer. They have trouble picking gates for heat one in a league match and very often have to consult with others before they can decide.

Just to add the only way I can see panthers getting a rider in is when wolves release Nicholls We'll hear tried to sign him got in touch with him I could be a 100 percent wrong tho

We are back to the usual huff and puff without any action .at the end of day buster will need deep pockets if he doesn't get a rider in . fans will only have the pea took out them so long and I can't see fans having having the patience with buster like they had with ged

If Chris Harris was too expensive what sort of money do you think they would be offering Iversen . There is no rider suitable out there who will come on Chapman's terms. Looks like Panthers will be competing for the wooden spoon with Kings Lynn.

52-38 ? hardly the mauling the so called experts predicted ? If we're the weakest team in the league and Somerset are predicted to win it, then its going to be a close championship. Gate 1 was the biggest advantage tonight and Somerset won the toss and had the lions share of that! Well done Paco....yet again! Great reserve switch by Bossman in heat 8 !

Lasse seems to be having more mechanical gremlins tonight. R, R, 2, 0. Hope he gets them bottomed out sooner rather than later.

That's a very childish remark

Are mummy and daddy still his UK pit crew ?

Geoff is as thick as a plank it seems.

Just to qualify one of your points......Swindon speedway do not own the Abbey, Stadia UK do. The ''pre-built grandstand'' you mentioned is owned by Stadia UK, not Swindon, they are the ones who have stated that the prebuilt grandstand is in storage in Wales. The Speedway club (and even the local media) can only provide information which is given to them by Stadia UK. This is also the reason the track reshape hasn't started until a few weeks back, the landlord has to grant permission. I hope this clears a few of your points up.

It’s all about opinions and mine is you’re a keyboard warrior!

Just thought I'd have a quick look to see how Swindon's new stadium was coming along, but I seem to have stumbled onto a Belle Vue slanging match thread.