TheScotsman

So if Rye don't win very comfortably tonight Rye must be wooden spoon contenders.

Doubt it makes any difference myself.

As a semi-neutral (I am a fan of the Fish but Charles Wright is an ex-Monarch), I really enjoyed the match. It was nothing like as cold as on the Rye night, but the chips were nothing like as good either so you can't win them all. The track was a bit short on dirt around bends 1 & 2 after a couple of heats so it was usually a case of charge out to the deeper stuff near the fence. Despite that the racing was competitive and far more interesting and entertaining than at the tracks nearest to me - Rye and Ippo. The crowd was down on the Rye match but still looked a decent number (maybe c1200?), though I don't know how that compares with last year. For Peterborough.......... - The Fish was excellent, apart from heat 13 where he looked slow until he made up a lot in a frantic last half lap. He was ahead by a country mile in heat 15 starting from the outside and riding round everyone on bends 1/2, before it was stopped when Nick Morris decided to do cartwheels on bend 2 lap 3(?). In the rerun he didn't get a good start until bend 4 lap 3(?) when he came forcefully under Olly Allen to get ahead and make space for Lasse Bjerre to also get through. - Lewis Blackbird was excellent too. Only dropped a point to Allen and another to Charles Wright in an all action heat 8 where they were both neck and neck crossing the line but Charles got the nod. Might have been in with a shout for a heat 15 ride. - Lasse Bjerre looked another candidate for the "Waste of Space" award after 3 nothing rides yielded 3 thirds. He then came from behind to pass Brady Kurtz for a win. Strangely enough this qualified him for heat 15 where he did the hard work the first time and got past both Rebels before Morris' gymnastics stopped it. He then took advantage of the Fish's efforts to get the second place. - Ulrich Ostergaard was steady but unspectacular for his 9 points. He managed a win over Morris but was comfortably behind Pontus Aspgren and Allen in his others. Might have been in with a shout for a heat 15 ride though. - Ales Dryml was poor and a very strong candidate for the WoS award. He did however manage a win in heat 11 against Morris and was well pumped up when he crossed the line which seemed to show he cares. Certainly having him in this form riding with the reserves, who are not very strong, gives 3 very weak heats. - Joe Jacobs was got great either. I usually get stick for saying this, but after 5 seasons racing he should be doing better. He made a decent start in heat 14 to lead Aspgren, but was easily moved out of the way and the Ostergaard overtook him, somewhat unnecessarily on the final bend. Almost in the running for the WoS, but not quite, thanks to a good point over Wright in heat 14!! - Oliver Greenwood disappointed me - I thought he looked much better against Rye. However he was unlucky enough to be targeted by Rebels for a couple of reserve switches and ended up having to face Wright 4 times. He did at least take a point off Todd Kurtz though. For Somerset......... - Nick Morris was a great disappointment. Didn't make the start in heat 1 when the track was a bit heavy and made no inroads on anyone. Then lost to Ostergaard! Then lost to Dryml!! Made a good start in heat 13 and picked up a 5-1 against the Fish (though it got tight at the end). This must have earned him the heat 15 gig or else it's in his contract that he must get it each week, because most people would have put Aspgren out with Allen. He held Bjerre back for a lap in heat 15 but was at the back when he did his spectacular exit to bend 2. Fortunately he was soon back on his feet. - Todd Kurtz was Rebels' main contender for the WoS award. Totalled the tapes in the first attempt at heat 1. Did nothing in his next two (losing to Greenwood in the process) and then managed to beat Jacobs in his last ride, with Morris protecting his back. Very poor. - Brady Kurtz was better than his brother! But not yet the great white hope, but it is very early days. He has a neat composed style and should be able to hit his new average comfortably. He beat Dryml but only Panthers reserves apart from that. - Pontus Aspgren was a big surprise. In heat 3 he absolutely flew round the boards on bends 1&2 lap 1 to pass Ostergaard and Bjerre and was a mile ahead at the end. He then had comfortable wins against Dryml and Ostergaard but sandwiched in between he lost a 1-5 to the Fish and Blackbird, courtesy of a great start by Blackbird from gate 2 which kept Aspgren stuck on the kerb. Can only imagine it was that loss that kept him out of heat 15 (or Morris' contract!!). Did Garry May actually make a mistake?!! - Charles Wright was another big surprise. He was fast and controlled and full value for his 10+2. I wish Edinburgh hadn't let him go and replaced him with some German non-scorer!! - Paul Starke was slightly disappointing too. However he was swapped out of 2 of his easier rides and never got to face Dryml!! I think he would have scored another 2 or 3 if he had been kept in his programmed rides. So all in all a good match to watch with the lead changing hands several times on the night. Somerset look to be a strong team, especially once Morris and young Kurtz get going. They might be keeping an eye on the elder Kurtz though given the way they like to make changes!! Peterborough are a 4 man team at the moment and Dryml and the reserves are going to have to pick up the pace otherwise they are going to drop points at home. They did play the queen's song which was a bit of a bind when you are expected to stand up on your dodgy knees having just started on a tray of chips and a hot coffee. Does any other track actually go through this rigmarole?

What does b*ggered mean?

You noticed! So much raw talent - just needs to get back on the rails. Still only early twenties. Has won heat 15s away at Newcastle, kings Lynn, etc. And now on a steal of an average.

Double figures for Kalle !!

You may well be right, I wasn't there. However it was Kalle's first meeting after the horrendous facial injuries he got in his comeback meeting at the end of last season (a comeback that only lasted a few yards and followed a longish period out of the sport). So it would take a few meetings to get his form back. He may not even get back to his previous level but if he does, there are few more exciting riders in the league and he is certainly heat leader standard. Remember he is still young, but needs to be kept in check to keep him away from the liquid distractions!! I hope he has a great season and wish he was in the Monarchs lineup.

Sounds like there is only one moron around here and it's not you or me!

Diamonds - of course you can have an opinion. I just disagreed with it. And then got called a moron as a result by Robin thingy. So I responded to him. Keep having your opinions.

Language please. What happened to attack the post not the poster? So what is wrong with my post and the others? Kalle is proven heat leader standard but went off the rails a couple of years ago. Young lads sometimes do. Charles & Ashley have been riding for heaven knows how long and are / have always been reserve standard. If I made as many idiotic posts as you do I would keep my head down.

No way Jose!!

Told ya!! Kalle must be the strongest reserve in the PL. See his score from the match at Kings Lynn in 2010 (courtesy of Monarchs Chatzone)........... King's Lynn Stars v Edinburgh Monarchs (Premier League) 01/09/10 KINGS LYNN 'Warnes Transport' STARS...42 1. Oliver Allen 2,6,2,1¹ = 11+1 2. Lasse Bjerre 0,2¹,1,1¹,0 = 4+2 3. Chris Mills 0,2,1¹,1¹ = 4+2 4. Kozza Smith 1,0,2,2 = 5 5. Tomas Topinka © 2,2,6,2,1 = 13 6. Adam Roynon EF,0,1,2,1¹ = 4+1 7. Cal McDade EF,1¹,0 = 1+1 EDINBURGH 'Scotwaste' MONARCHS...53 1. Ryan Fisher 3,3,2,3,2¹ = 13+1 2. Matthew Wethers © 1,1,3,0 = 5 3. Kevin Wölbert 2¹,1,Ex,3 = 6+1 4. Kålle Katajisto 3,3,3,3,3 = 15 5. Andrew Tully 3,1,3,0 = 7 6. Ashley Morris 2¹,0,0 = 2+1 7. William Lawson 3,0,2¹,0,0 = 5+1

Really? Kalle should be good for double figures if he has fully recovered from his crash.

But not tonight.

Kills this thread stone dead!!

Just to add my tuppence worth (from the days when two pence was worth tuppence and not like nowadays), I don't think that the "modern generation" really do embrace a team ethic. I think it's every man for themselves nowadays. Personally I prefer individual racing colours ahead of the team suits so that you can recognise the riders better. This is particularly important at the likes of Ippo, where the lighting is so bl**dy awful, and there's a stock car track between you and the speedway, that you can hardly make out any of the suits let alone the helmet colouirs and where the racing numbers are so small that you can only see them when they pass in front of you. Racing styles are now much more similar than they were in the olden days so again there is less chance of recognising individuals from that. The sport needs characters, not clones. That's what gets people interested. There are so few of them around nowadays. Thank heavens the Fish is in the PL again!! Why did Cookie get grief last year? Because he was so bl**dy good and dared to have day-glo wheels!! Let's have more characters in individual racing gear!!

Should be a comfortable win for Rockets.

Decided to pay a visit as a neutral to welcome P'boro back to the fold and enjoy watch the Fish again. £10 OAP admission is a mega bonus. Cheeseburger was not the best, especially at £3.70. However the chips were by light years the best I have had at any speedway venue. Large, crispy, thick - better than I could ever make at home. Needed all that and a hot coffee because it was a wee bit chilly, but not so bad in the stand compared to out around the track. Looked a huge crowd - seldom seen the stand so full and a good number out around bend 1 too. If the stand holds 2000, as reported somewhere, there must have been getting on for 2000 spectators in total because the stand looked 3/4 full. Track was a bit light on dirt compared to previous visits, so there were more FTG's than I expected and no rewards for the big blast round the outside. Fantastic to see that a 7.30pm start actually meant just that, with the introductions/parade starting just before 7.20pm - other circuits please note. It was a good close meeting which could have gone one way or another. The main negative was the big delay in getting the air fence sorted after the nasty coming together between Lewis Blackbird and Steve Boxall in heat 6. It must have taken a good 45 minutes to get it sorted after they had to replace 3(?) panels. There did seem to be a lot of people not doing anything but I was watching from the stand. The big relief however was that both riders avoided serious injury and indeed took part in the rerun. For Panthers.......... - Fish looked imperious in his first 3 rides but was outgated by Kennett in his last 2 and had no way of getting close. - Blackbird looked on the pace and better than his 2 points suggests - Bjerre was disappointing - needs to kick on this season for Panthers to do well - Ostergaard did better than I expected - held on really well when the bike reared on the last bend in heat 9. Boxall nipped past but amazed to see Ost. stay on - Dryml was poor - I thought he was meant to be a great gater? Made one decent start, against Kennett, but was not at the races in his others. As no.2 in the averages, really needs to up his game. - Jacobs - never been his biggest fan but apart from sliding off in his first ride, he was steady and had a good 4th ride in the 5-1 against Bowen & Lambert - Greenwood did better than I expected. Didn't think he would score at this level but he was on the pace and steady for his 4 points. So Panthers' season is going to depend on whether Bjerre and Dryml can get it together and consistently. Not convinced but it's their first meeting. For Rye`......... They must have felt at home when they found there was no dirt on the track!! - Kennett was actually better than I expected and rode well when he made the starts. Maybe he will hold his average after all? - Tresarrieu was quite impressive.Apart from his blob against Bjerre/Ostergaard, he was always a threat and prepared to mix it. Should be very good value on a sub-6 average. - Garrity was a huge disappointment. Maybe he hasn't been practising yet but he was never in it and seemed to want to ride it like he would Rye, slinging out the back end, but you don't need that that at the Showground. - Boxall was very impressive, particularly after writing off his best bike in heat 6 - 11+3 from 6 - could be just what Rye need this year - a bargain average - Bowen - again never been his biggest fan either, though I've only ever seen him at Rye, but he seemed more composed than I remember and rode well for his 7+1. Didn't expect this on a big circuit. - Lambert - a win, a paid win and 3 lasts probably sums it up. I just think he seems so awkward on a bike, even on this big track. Not all tall riders are awkward!! So maybe I have misjudged the strength of the Rye team. I did think they looked like cannon fodder with nos 2-6 all averaging in the 5's, but maybe, just maybe Uncle Lenny might have got it right this time!!

Thanks Baldyman. A sensible voice.

Like I say - watch the video. And then watch it again and again. Put it on slow-mo / freeze frame / whatever. You will never see 1 frame which ties up with what you want it to show. As for hurt someone - if he has any slight weakness it is that he is not aggressive enough.

Plonker - try watching the video.

Better explanation here - http://www.speedwaygb.co/news.php?extend.23734

Need Brady to get a 7 plus average.

Only if he can get a tier 5 visa.

Ty Proctor in for Jason Doyle.