Leaderboard

You have to feel for Poole. Week after week we're told about the brilliant racing and how smooth the track is and then the TV cameras arrive and again it's bumpy, follow the leader, dross. How unlucky can you get.

Honestly It happened last year at Workington when they won the lot (H18tory) and got the treble up; Rene Bach had a month at reserve after starting (and ending) the season at No 1 and it was one of the reasons Workington did as well as they did do because they always had a rider dropping into the reserve berth who could score points which took the pressure off young Kyle Bickley and of course allowed them to take the extra rides when it mattered. (and sensible team management of course) (Especially at Ipswich for the away win) With the experienced riders Newcastle have you would have thought they would have done better than where they have ended up in the league (2nd bottom) and you cant fault Martin Phillips for his team build strategy it "looked a very good team on paper" with strength in depth; however we all know how often that little saying is proven wrong. After all Workington were stitched on "Wooden Spoon" candidates at he start of the 2018 season and look what happened there. It seems to have been the case that not enough of the Newcastle riders could/can perform together on a race night to knock out the wins. Sheffield away proving the point with three of the team doing the necessary and there not being a fourth rider who could step up to the plate (not withstanding the injury to TJ and Matty being missing) (and why no guest for Matty?) and this has been the same for the whole season. When Worky did the treble at least four and sometimes five of the riders pulled the stops out and supported the team by scoring points covering for the two/three riders who were having off nights and this rotated throughout the team and at the end of the season there wasn't a full point difference between the positions 1 to 6 across the averages (0.87 in fact) with the top three riders averages dropping and only Jensen; Bewley and Campton upping their averages and Young Dan missed half the season through injury. (is this why we love the sport?) So as stated fair play to Martin he provided what looked like a very competitive team on paper that unfortunately as a team haven't lived up to expectations and if they all did click in a meeting someone would be on for a hiding but its a big if? and all of them in the top 1 to 6 (including Clegg) are capable of knocking in double figure scores (and have done so) but when only one; two and on the odd occasion three of them have done it together its not been enough to carry the win. Never mind there is always next year... On the riders who were involved in the crash which was a "bad one" and I heard after the meeting they both have potentially season ending injuries if the early prognosis by the track doctors are correct, which is such a shame as Redcar were coming good for the business end of the season and were looking the part. MPT seemed to pick up extra drive coming out of the second bend on the 3rd lap and the bike reared up and he came off the back and then young Nathan ploughed right into him which did look horrendous. (and very painful) Good luck to both of them and here's hoping they get well soon; and good luck to Redcar in the play offs and I agree it will be "a terrible shame if injuries were a deciding factor in the end of the season for the Bears" and it will be a tough ask with two key riders being out injured but here is one "Jawdee" who will be rooting for you. So whether its the Lions the Tigers or Wyverns!!! go get um Bears... Oh My... Lions and Tigers and Bears... Oh My!!! Oh and that Wyvern thingy that isn't really a Wyvern but I wont go there... Good luck Bears on whoever you get in the play offs... Regards THJ

Nah,,, it's perfectly fixed and smooth,,, read it on here loads of times

Without a wi..y my uncle would’ve been my auntie:-)

If Ellis fits I'd have him for both legs

Anyone checked flight times today?

Schlein average too high to cover Away as no 5% add on....basic stuff so wake up in Herne Bay!

Why wait until next season. What about riders safety for next week?

Hawkins.. "Were riding the waves"

You really are just a troll, can't take anything bad said against Poole. Jack Holder said it was better last week but not this week.

What a shame. Get well soon Tofty.

Cook praised it last week...and JD did when Swindon were last there!

I mush be watching something else then. My apologies

Change the record or tell him to his face.

Ah and you have always said that and i totally agree for me Ipswich would be slight favourite's over Poole.

From the Bears website:- Michael Palm Toft and Nathan Greaves were involved in a horrific crash during last night’s Championship League clash at Newcastle. Michael lifted coming off turn 2 during heat 12, falling from the rear of his bike and was run over by Nathan Greaves who was unable to avoid his fallen teammate. Both riders were taken straight to hospital for treatment, with Nathan being discharged after X-Rays. Nathan has sustained tissue and some ligament damage to his leg and hip, escaping without any breaks. Unfortunately, Michael has a fracture to one the vertebrae in his back and severe bruising to his chest and lungs. He has been kept Newcastle’s RVI Hospital for further assessment and monitoring. Nathan is hopeful that he will return before the end of the Agilia Bears season, but Michael has not been so fortunate, with his season coming to an end. We would like to wish both riders a speedy recovery and will keep you updated with their progress. So we might see Nathan again but it will be guests for MPT. Hope both guys recover quickly.

Honestly... Geoff I am far to modest to say... Arrrggghhh OK a cant hold me water any more it was me ME; me me me me me me me me me me me me me me... Oh... the relief... there a said it... it was me!!! and again being ever so modest Steve Lawson pointed out I am the only Comets team manger with a 100% win record and away from home to boot... it was the best £16 quid I ever spent for the BSPA "Manager for a day" licence I had to buy to do the job... and what an honour it was... and definitely worth listening too (or puttin up with) Boozer Bewley snoring in the back of the van all the way back home... (he slept all the way from Ippo to Penrith and when he woke up he said he hadn't been asleep but rather just "restin his eyes" until both Dan and me pointed out he was doing a dam good impression of someone snoring all the way back as the radio didn't even drown him out) (and he whipped the spare bike tyre!!! you can take the boy out of Maryport but you cant take Maryport out of the boy... Tut Tut... he says he didn't but I seen) Also not to claim all the glory I did get some help from Dickie Jull who was a great motivating force as I didn't know any Danish swear words but he translated my instructions brilliantly... cheers Dickie... Yeah... happy memories... Regards THJ

Holder mentioned it during his interview on telly.

You can only ride against who’s in the team on the night but I agree with you with the 2 missing riders & Porsing still in the team it was Swindon’s too lose.

I don't get the stick that Hawkins is getting. A clear and sensible decision to give all the riders as much track time as possible in case we are back at Poole next Monday. The track was really poor.

Looks like BT slipped up again and showed the wrong meeting

Great result for The Robins who took advantage of a weakened Lynn team & had a few bits of luck during the meeting. Come on Lynn on Thursday

Even better to beat them then surely? What a strange excuse for a sport if you are not trying to win. What a waste putting it on TV if not trying to win. No wonder its tin pot mickey mouse

I must just say,, all credit to all the riders whatever position they finish in,,, just staying on looks to be an achievement

That track is a disgrace, bikes bouncing all over the place.

The tides I believe have been given as a reason previously..

Potato harvest hasn't helped.

Hang on tho your not their so you can't have an opinion

One would think... I can tell you that one legendary darts commentator and journalist had no comprehension of what goes on when competing (and I'm not talking about Dave Lanning or John Gwynne). It is "nice" to be popular, but any sportsperson at a genuinely competitive level will tell you that as long as there is SOME kind of atmosphere (as long as it's not truly combative and violent) that's all you need. Probably the best atmosphere I experienced was pretty hostile towards me when I beat Eric Bristow in his last-ever World Championship appearance. The crowd was totally baying for my blood, and it was fantastic! Playing - and beating - Raymond van Barneveld in front of a couple of thousand partisan Dutch fans was a similar experience! As I said, we love that. We certainly don't go running to mummy, or wondering why we bother...

Surely that's 2 white helmet covers

Regulation 15.5.1 Where a heat is stopped, the Referee shall disqualify the rider, who in their opinion is the primary cause of the stoppage, has indulged in foul, unfair, dangerous or reckless conduct that’s jeopardised the fair chance of an opponent. In certain circumstances, that may include disqualification from the rest of the Meeting, with no facility allowed in a team meeting. The referee obviously thought that Bjerre's chance of possibly catching and passing Wright was nullified by Andersen.

Just to be clear. The discussions here about top riders, budget constraints and falling crowds is all very interesting. But Stoke closed because the stadium was sold from under them.

I think you've misunderstood this thread quite spectacularly. This is like saying which footballer do we like to boo.. it's not saying who is the worst rider - that could i suppose upset a very small element of riders tho i guess. Tho my advice to anyone riders getting upset by internet comments would be to perhaps say they are in the wrong game. But this isn't that. Your comment saying that you would feel affronted by such comments as a rider is your opinion, but i would say is a little daft - you'd be perfect to have as an opposition rider as you'd clearly be easily to rattle. A few boos and v signs and you'd be pootling around the back getting zero's all night feeling hurt. ? Surely that can't be right.

Slight? Clear favourites are Ipswich,,,, Poole are gash if Wells doesnt fake an injury,,,, and we have play off Bomber,,, the Bomber everyone keeps telling us about.

1500 hours. Just walked back from cinema, can thoroughly recommend Downton Abbey, it's grey and overcast but dry. The weather that is not the film which is great, thank the lord for Maggie Smith!

Dont take it the wrong way, im not trying to bait anyone (nor am i just an alias to cause irritation like others here). I remember one of the "winter of discontent" meetings at the showground where we were told "we only want riders who want to ride for us", good idea IMO - more of that please! Im kind of fed up of supporting a bunch of individuals who have no real interest in the clubs they are riding for. An unfair generalisation I know, but it is how it comes across to me. I want to see a team built around a steady core, each year. I appreciate the whole average and team building limit side of things, but if you can retain 4/5 of your 1-7 each year then that works for me. If averages increase then they move up into the main body of the team and you just have a little less to spend on your reserves - great, go scout the development leagues and bring in some fresh talent for the experience. Invest in him / her for a few seasons and you can probably retain the bulk of your 1-7 for a few years without team building problems. Honestly I love the idea of seeing the Jason Crumps flying around the showground - but what I want more is a team I can relate to. And the question? To me its the obvious question that all clubs should be asking over the winter - "What will the supporters pay to see?"...

Proper sport.

Think Spencer had another big crash in the mdl match at perry Barr last week.

Surprised Shovlar hasn't been on claiming Poole are the underdogs for this meeting as they have Ricky Wells in their team.

I believe Tom is still suffering from the concussion despite having ridden and put in one of his best performances of an encouraging season at Plymouth. R/R is never easy in a double header but can't be helped - Cradley do usually name a number 8 which may help keep things ticking over Raining at the moment but due to clear up before lunchtime all being well, fingers crossed it goes ahead as planned as they have the potential to be two good meetings

Why the hate on Oystercard? I havent been the most regular visitor to the showground the last year or so (for many reasons) - but personally I would prefer a team made up of riders that want to ride for the club and that I, as a supporter, have an affinity to... I know who Ostergaard is, I know who Simon lambert is - both have been part of the squad for a number of years and allow me to keep some kind of attachment to the team... I know this is likely to sound very flower power - but going all out to win the league clearly isnt bringing the supporters in... There is something fundamental missing from Speedway compared to when I went as a youngster, and that is the connection between the fans and the guys on the track. Team speedway in this country feels like the biggest load of rubbish anyone has ever tried to sell me, then you go and tear the team up every year! I've only just worked out who everyone was... If I look back to when I went as a kid, names like Mick Poole, Ryan Sullivan, Sam Tesar... you could happily call them all "Peterborough Riders"... these days I find myself caring less and less about looking at the team in the program as it doesnt really matter... its just a bunch of blokes riding for themselves in one of our race suits... So here is my really unpopular oppinion - Give me Ostergaard and Lambert next year - I dont care if we win meetings, these guys will go out and give it 100% every time because they WANT to ride for Panthers. Build a team full of guys that WANT to ride for YOUR TEAM and watch the affinity grow again between them and the supporters. Ultimately - what are we supporting? Because right now it feels that as a "Panthers Fan" I am just cheering a mythical name that bears no resemblance to anything, year in year out. I'm just one of a depleating number of fans that support Speedway and go to Panthers because its local.

No sign of Cook. Not a great advert as once again Leicester track not in great condition, lots of falls on first bend and a bit one sided in the end although no lack of effort from Eastie. Good to see Leicester win a trophy though and very decent Crowd at both Fixtures I believe, certainly good at Leicester.

Ty Proctor, interesting choice!

To be perfectly frank, I don't think The Stars have a cat's chance in hell of getting anything tonight. If Swindon cant beat a seriously understrength team , then they don't deserve to win the league.. We certainly seem to have our fair share of bad luck. I ain't forgotten last year yet....

My band offered to play but the stadium owners said it would be a danger if everyone went to the bar at the same time.

I told you Gazc, just ignore him

I think you will find that the 5.37 is including bonus points so his true CMA will be the 4.34

Plenty of time yet

FromAFar- Not sure there is much in it Berwick to Leicester for Doolan or East Sussex to Leicester for Ed K. Although I did hear that the beer was rather good at the Longtrack in Germany last night

Wouldn’t be the first or last travesty in speedway.......I hope he does...just to see the reaction from all the horribly nasty Cook haters.