Halifaxtiger

One thing that made me smile on Friday night was one fence panel with 'Yes, Scotland' on it and another with 'Better Together' on that. Nice to see that the Monarchs are not only unbiased but gaining financial benefit from the independence vote.

After a rain off at Glasgow today I will come over tomorrow. Make sure the track's good, won't you ?

Nonsense. Are you suggesting the Young Stars move up (the simple truth is it will be anything but just Cradley who will be unhappy), because apparently Buster Chapman wasn't impressed last week ? This view utterly overlooks the reason why Scunthorpe run Stags meetings as double headers with Scorpions ones : they do so because if they ran them as stand alones few would pay to attend and in running them as double headers you effectively pay for the NL meeting whether you want to or not if you want to see the PL match. In other words, they will take no financial risk on the effect that the Stags team will have on their overall viability while imposing that risk on every other club in the league. Until such time as Scunthorpe run Stags meetings as stand alones every other club in the league is perfectly justified in complaining about the effect the weakness of the Stags side has on their gates. As a final point, if Scunthorpe don't like other teams complaints (and, lets face it, the others will be very much in the majority) they could always move down a league.

Is it ? When I chose my meetings this season, one of the first to be pencilled in was Mildenhall v Cradley at West Row. To suggest that fans will not attend home meetings when the best team in the league turns up is bizarre. I have no problem with what Scunny are doing, but one thing is certain : other NL promotions will (I have been told that Buster Chapman was less than impressed last week). The drop in attendances that the weakness of the side provokes is exactly the reason why the Stags run as double headers with the Scorpions. That is exactly how the EL & PL work - witness the complaints made by fans about Workington, for example. Why should the NL be any different, and why shouldn't a club that is successful off track use the financial muscle gained by that success to give it the best opportunity for success on track ?

I'd say it isn't. But what I would say - and I have said this before - is that the promotion pull out all the stops to make sure that it is as good as it can be, especially for the big meetings. If only every track had that attitude. Putting that sort of effort in, it is absolutely right (and little wonder) that Berwick has been chosen again.

I think your view of the speedway is a bit more accurate than Screm's 'decent racing' although heat 14 was a cracker. I'd also agree with your comments about the riders.

In terms of starting averages and in comparison with other clubs, Kennett certainly isn't out of position. Barker has had a clear dip in form - I bet Plymouth fans can't remember when he was last on the end of a 5-1 at SBA as he was last night and his performance at Ipswich was described as 'mince' by one poster. King should at least occasionally be beating third heat leaders and second strings away from home. He isn't. As to a new rider, I think there are reasonable grounds for a genuine concern that the Brummies will last out the season. SCB makes fair point about winning home matches, but hidings on the road do affect home gates to a degree.

Yes, really. The point I am making is not about the make up of the side but how the riders are performing. Only three clubs have third heat leaders with starting averages higher than Kennett's. According to the Brummies website and based upon the GS averages for the start of the season and those for matches completed, King has dropped 2 points off his average, Barker almost 2.5 and Kennett almost 3.5. Is that the managements fault or the riders ?

I think the criticism of the Birmingham promotion is a little harsh here. True, they put the side together and it was done on a (necessary) budget. But surely they had a reasonable expectation that their riders would perform better than they are. Danny King, for example, was at the start of the season by average only just out of the top ten in the league. To my way of thinking, the riders bear more responsibility for this dreadful result and the potentially disastrous future for the Brummies than the management.

I think you are right here. Comets top 5 are as good as anyones (I was impressed with Campton and Grajczonek last night) but the reserves are poor. I don't think they will be convincing at home never mind anywhere else and that will cost Workington dear.

Should be a cracker. Looking forward to it. Edinburgh has always been one of my favourite tracks, never seen a bad match there.

I am glad you seem to be saying that's a wind up. I thought it was a highly entertaining meeting - enough certainly for me to go back and a massive improvement on previous seasons. As to the other two points, I think you're right and, as you point out, Rose is scoring his average (at least). If someone is being considered for replacement (and I'd say its a bit early for that) he is quite possibly the last one I'd get rid of.

Very good meeting in front of big crowd Lawson was indeed imperious, Summers excellent and Graversen equally so. The rider who impressed me most, though, was Skidmore. Newcastle were disappointing. Schramm and Robson put in their usual 100% but Rosen, who I thought would be a top rider this season, was poor. The best bit was STMP getting back to its best . It was a little slick but that didn't stop there being some very entertaining racing and after stating that you couldn't pass on the outside Lawson promptly did so by taking all three others in one swoop. Rammed down my throat the comments might have been, but the taste wasn't a bad one. All in all a good night, despite my old mate Rolypolygoly having a pop at me every five minutes. Good to see you in the pink, Kenneth.

That is good news. When its good, STMP is up there with the best.

I think this could be a cracker (particularly if the track is as it was at the end of last season rather than the beginning). Looking forward to it already.

From what I have seen and heard, this sort of action by the Workington promotion doesn't surprise me in the slightest. Its just a pity there aren't a few more who are giving it all they can to try and make their track - and through that, the sport - a success.

I'm not excusing him. I was there yesterday and saw what happened - indeed, I suspect most knew of it because I mentioned the incident while texting for the updates site. I described it as 'sickening' earlier and said that I didn't want to see it again. I see no reason to change that opinion. However, the law makes a clear distinction between cold blooded actions and those that are spur of the moment reactions and I think that should be taken into account when/if Hall is punished, because I happen to believe that his apology is sincere and genuine.

I think the point is you will really know when the Scunthorpe lads are getting good when they do start beating them. Based on the promise I saw yesterday - Campos has been around a fair while, too - that probably won't be too long. Yes, there is (and rightly so). But you can only have one. I enjoyed that one too, Rob. Partly because I am biased and young Mr Kirby was out in front but also because its always pleasing to see a young lad show his promise. Will only do him good, too.

To be fair, I don't think he is. He did something in the heat of the moment (which we are all capable of) and while I accept the serious nature of what he did I think that apology is sincere and he's not known for such behaviour. I'd give him a warning and leave it at that.

If he's never done it before - and I don't think he has - I'd say what happened yesterday is enough in the light of the apology.

No question, Workington. Abbott is just about spot on. Wrap up warm, though !!

Don't get too carried away, they never looked like beating Cockle, Hughes or Mallett. Having said that, I was very impressed with both Sanderson and Macdonald............and Josh Bailey for that matter. Sanderson's win in heat 14, in particular, was excellent for a rider who has only ridden speedway for a short time.

Apparently they were in the door of the ambulance..............watching a crowd of officials trying to find them out on the track was both bizarre and hilarious, aided very much by Mr Godfrey's droll commentary. No, we don't. There's a great deal of difference between fisticuffs (which are usually little more than handbags) between two riders and booting a potentially seriously injured opponent who is lying prostrate on the track. Personally, I hope Hall gets a ban, because it was sickening - I haven't seen anything like it in the 10 seasons I have been watching speedway and I hope I don't see it again. I thought the decision to exclude Auty was correct as he came off his line but it certainly wasn't reckless. It was a typical EWR high quality meeting, with the highlight being Douglas' superb pass of Wilkinson and Lawson.

Thanks very much for doing the updates.

As Jayne Moss pointed out, you can only have one rider aged over 30 in your starting line up. Its in the NL section of SCB regulations.