GeneralMelchett

The days of the old 1-7 representing your team from March to October with a liberall dose of either guests or R/R are gone! Teams want to win - thats fine by me and they will make changes to try and ensure that. Last year Leicester made changes to try and maintain their play off push and it backfired - it just so happens that both Bv and the Tigers employed Lambert and won! I am just curious who will he ride for in 2024 as its been alluded to he has agreed a deal with someone on a Kings Lynn thread earlier. Also should be noted that despite dropping points at home which they werent happy with the Sheffield guys were very gracious in defeat!

Gate 3 watch - it was better this week - the Holders and Tai won heats from gate 3 but again as with Thursday noticeable its after heat 8 the wins seem to come from there. 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 3 3 1 1 3 1 2

Sheffield have replaced riders who have (sort of been) performing in the past in order to strengthen so can’t see they would let sentiment get in the way - but yes Howarth is a concern - surely it’s better tho to keep comments in house at this stage about needing to make changes unless it’s designed to make people pull their socks up so to speak!

Could well be the fact is with 3 GP riders and one who really could well be on on ability there can be no guaranteed win etc in heats 13 / 15 the tigers had a huge advantage last week in that Kurtz and Bewley couldn’t match them in those heats but tonight they came up against a pair that could. I am still puzzled by the Tigers not electing to have gate choice for heat 15 - and I reckon Adam Ellis may well have exorcised a ghost or two tonight!

Oh agreed I saw Doyley score 15 there 2 seasons ago - 4 of the sports current best on show tonight! Plus the added gate 3 impact!

It’s a huge bugbear of mine the production crew messing about with cameras and angles because they can - just cover the damn race! well done Witches Sheffield too too heavy tonight Holder would normally score more - but the others didn’t step up to cover for that! and yes sort out gate three!! It’s been dodgy for over 25 years now!

Pretty fair assessment I feel - I would say the score about the same too unless someone has a real off night or does a Craig Cook!

Ditched sky and Eurosport (via the sky box) some time ago now pay just 6.99 a month for discovery+ - well worth it and you have a back archive of recent speedway to rewatch if you want to! well done JD!

Should have gone with M/R manager replacement! Stead on his jollies?

Exactly what i felt mid meeting pack the 2nd and 3rd and maybe lose by 3-4 pts at the worst. Speedway equivalent of coming and shutting up shop football style!

Great race that - from were I was on the 3rd / 4th bend it seemed that Pickering and Holder were initially getting a bit in eachothers way which seems to be perhaps the case in the video but they eventually got past! But thats the kind of racing you want to see each week not someone half a straight ahead by the end of the race.

I suspect you have been going for longer than me - but its been a joke for 20+ years now!

I hear its just been called off already! Ooops I will get me coat!

re-run both legs again!

Shame in a way as it was a good crowd and whilst the opening half of the meeting was a bit dull and processional the last 3-4 heats were good and tense. I'd have happily attended a replay!

He was never going to keep Pickering at bay for 4 laps in my view - however yes - but its all if buts and maybes

Yes but how and why would those riders have been selected? By ballot or by manager selection

Well Lidsey was missing replaced by Kurtz! I think to be fair whoever was paired with Bewley for BV was going to run a last - Thinking back had Tai not lifted in heat 13 having got into the 5-1 position a super heat might not have been needed anyway!

Well the fairest would be a replay but modern sport doesnt seem to like them - as I have said before the superheat is great if you win it and awful / gutting if you lose - just like penalties in football! I do recall witnessing a 45-45 draw in the play off semi final in 2005(?) and there was ride off between Michael Max and Hans Andersen to decide that one!

That was the deciding moment i think yes - oddly BV never looked like losing the tie until about heat 13/14 - they seemed very happy to ride out for the 3-3 and allow the heat leaders for Sheffield to win the majority of the races - the weak spot in that was they were vulnerable in heats 13 and 15 as the only BV rider on the night to match the Sheffield top 3 was Bewley - Kurtz and Lidsey needed to do more.

Gate 3 watch - 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 3 2 2 1 0 3 - much better in the latter stages of the meeting

A slightly dull meeting until about heats 11/ 12 then it all came to life - it was always possible that Jack and Tai would get advantages in heats 13 and 15 but the key one was Josh Pickering passing Ben Cook to win ht14 and Jason keeping that third place! Best I’ve seen Bewley ride at Owlerton too!

superheat incoming

Yes I read it also - yeah not much to say really other than that’s the ‘one second chance blown’ in a way! I always say people deserve one go at redemption and it’s up to them to take it!

I was aware of what he had been sent to prison for yes, however I wasn't aware then since release there had been another incident!