40-38

Sounds pretty much like for like then Anybody know what Lewis Blackbird is doing...?

Should have been Nielsen if anybody was going to go, much as I like him and enjoyed watching him ride last year before his injury his confidence looked shot in the first few meetings, apart from a decent last few rides against Redcar.

Taken from the Leicester Lions Facebook page: "Lions sign British Champion The Lions have completed a deal to bring Robert Branford to the club and he will make his debut in their Premier League fixture at Somerset on Friday. Branford currently rides for Coventry’s National League side and at Wolverhampton last week the nineteen year old was crowned British Under-21 Individual Champion. “I have been monitoring Robert’s situation well before our season started and was impressed with how he performed against some Premier League standard riders in a meeting in Australia just before he departed for the UK. I was not at all surprised to see him win the British title at Wolverhampton and we are pleased that Robert has agreed to ride for the Lions” stated Team Manager Glyn Taylor. Leicester were all set to enter the season with a squad of eight riders with Lewis Blackbird and Lewis Kerr sharing the number seven position until Newcastle offered Kerr a full team place. “Ever since we allowed Lewis Kerr to sign for Newcastle we have kept a watchful eye on emerging talent and Robert fits the bill. His presence will generate competition within our team” added Taylor. Branford will retain his place in Leicester’s team for the Bank Holiday Monday meeting at Ipswich and Lewis Blackbird comes back into the side for the trip to Berwick on Saturday 11th May and the return fixture at Leicester against Ipswich the following day." Thoughts anybody? I can see the reserves looking slightly worried as of now...

They would have been better calling the Edinburgh match off and running it when the weather was better, it was an abysmal night and many people haven't forgotten getting soaked twice while waiting for matches to be eventually called off in past seasons. Add to that getting walloped up there the night before made it even more pointless for some. I remember the exhibition at the BBC Leicester station way back when the idea was first mooted, in fact I went to it on my lunch break at work the day it opened despite having never seen speedway in Leicester. From there on I joined the supporters club, went to Kings Lynn, Swindon and Sheffield for the challenge matches, went to the local meetings with residents to add my support and also attended other exhibitions at the shopping centre, signed petitions etc, you name it I went as I so wanted it to happen. When it finally opened I was there on opening night, I bought the merchandise, I watched some truly appalling performances like the 62-28 drubbing by Glasgow but even that didn't deter me. I've only missed about four matches since the day it opened and at times I had to beg and borrow money to afford to go when my wages wouldn't cover it. Yesterday at 5:30 I sat at home and I really didn't want to go, I'm at the sharp end of my pay packet and the prospect of being bored rigid didn't seem worth it anymore, but I did go, because I love the noise and the smell and the spectacle, but after reading Hemsley's rant and watching yet another procession I wondered why I'd bothered. I'm not am armchair fan, I don't pick and choose my meetings and I've spent hundreds of pounds since 2011 so I'm clearly not out to sabotage his business, he seems capable of doing that all by himself with his other promoters the nodding dog and Comedy Dave Darcy. I'm sorry Mr Hemsley but the track is terrible, truly bad. The entertainment is abysmal, the value for money is rubbish and I'd be too embarrassed to bring any new fans along to that, they would never come back. I'd never convince the sceptics of speedway at Beaumont Park. I've no doubt I'll be there next week, spending my money to be told I should be grateful for what I've got but it's truly worn thin this year and if things don't change by the start of next season there will be a gap where I used to stand.

Well my night was rather spoilt by the verbals I got off a Redcar "fan" for cheering Lewis Blackbird past their faltering tac sub.

Embarrasing

I'd rather it was the other way round thanks.

According to Radio Leicester there was a bust up in the pits during last weeks meeting. So says the co-promoter anyway. Seems like Hemsley might be sticking his oar into the team again (that didn't work last time remember, he had no rapport with the riders at all). I think he maybe needs to realise that what works for him as a cycle speedway rider doesn't fit everybody else. I also find it very odd that someone on here seems to think that sacking your old track man for comments about changing the track and then re-hiring him as team manager seems to be a perfectly normal course of action. What on earth made Glyn Taylor want to come back I don't know and you only have to look at Sheffield forums to see that Boocock really isn't that much of a boon signing these days. I've no doubt he's a genuine and honest bloke that said, and I'm sure he won't take any crap from the management either. Despite what ballroom says re Jason's experience or lack thereof he did have a good rapport with the riders and that's as important as any tactical nouse. Last year it was a revolving rider policy now it's revolving track staff. We want a settled side, settled management and a settled season please David, if you're listening...

if we were that desperate to field a team I'd just not bother tbh!

What riders want and what fans want are entirely different things however!

I expect Dugard didn't think he'd be motor-crossing over the centre green. The way he hit the wet patch looked spectacular. I hope he's not too badly hurt though, must have knocked the stuffing out of him a bit. Same for the lad who hit the fence, looked like he was heading over it for a split second!

It's all very well quoting the Glasgow expense but if it had been done properly in the first place it wouldn't have cost anything to put right would it?!

I don't think he meant to scale, more the shape of Blackbird Road and the space into and out of the turns. I remember when Chumpman Jnr was involved he was all for building something akin to Scunthorpe size.

That's assuming Garrity doesn't fence Bunyan first!

Given the fact there are about three polish GP's anyway they're hardly lacking in opportunities.

You know it's funny, if you listen to any long term speedway fan more often than not someone will have a story about "That 'Crazy John Smith' the ex rider who fenced opponents for a living and what a lark the fisticuffs in the pits were, I well remember him lamping that foreign rider Uja Nikabolokov and the bikes going down like dominoes! And what about that local derby where Bodgers Badgers beat the home team to win the league and they were surrounded by irate fans banging on the cars! Oh great halcyon days! The charecters! Now where's my pen, I'm going to write a stern letter about this despicable fracas last night, should all be banned and flogged, think of the children, the humanity of it all!!"

It just totally disintegrated, I've never seen that happen before. I'll be damned expensive for him.

Well from what I saw I think Crump probably should have been the one excluded in the Jonsson incident as it seemed to me at least that he turned back in on Andreas more than Crump being taken out. As far as the Harris one goes I did think he made some contact with Hans but you expect that in the first corner and being the semi-final surely all four back would have been best? Same with the Pederson one really, all three back would have made more sense. I did feel that both Anderson and Pederson seemed to go down easily though, looking at replays you almost feel sometimes as if they're looking for it when they aren't in front. As for the amateur boxing I think like most people Emil needs to grow up a little bit, there was nothing in that ride from Nicholls which wasn't a cracking display of how to ride speedway, in fact he seemed bar one race to be off the boil totally tonight. Even so perhaps Scotty shouldn't have retaliated and let Emil get all the flak, but it did liven things up a bit, I was more disappointed that they turned the live footage off the screens in the stadium!

I'd be inclined to agree with this team actually. Also I don't think Nicholls should be captain. In fact i don't think there should be a set captain, perhaps if we have a team of captains for once we might actually get somewhere.

According to today's Speedway Star it's a Queen tribute act!

September? Giving people plenty of time to sort their finances out then. Evidently nobody has anything else planned until next year then

I'm 23 and I have no issue with Max Bygraves or Danny Kaye and I knew the words to Wonderful Copenhagen too. In fact if the songs had all been old I'd have been even happier with it. If somebody wouldn't set foot inside a speedway stadium 'cos of the music then they can't be that interested anyway so what's the point?

I think the music was pretty good. I haven't been to Cardiff before yesterday to base it on anything else but I like the signature tunes for certain riders and the music in between was a hell of a variety, and most were the sort of songs that get people singing which certainly added to the atmosphere. The criticism that people are levelling about the music still being on in the first turn sometimes was more down to the fact the riders kept messing about and turning round, and I have no experience of presenting music but you tend to want to fade music out at an appropriate point rather than just turn it off dead. It's just a shame the sound system itself was a bit poor and because it was so loud it came across a bit tinny but that's the stadium to blame there. Oh, and the Ivor Biggun song I didn't actually hear but I also didn't hear any disapproving gasps from around me so I think the fourth bend seemed ok with it.

It certainly wasn't capacity. The price of the tickets is responsible for that. I appreciate it costs to put it on but if they were a bit cheaper you'd probably more or less fill it up. Also needs advertising better. Billboards in cities up and down the country. It's the neutral sports fans we need to get in, the type that will go to Rugby and Football and Cricket finals.

How on earth Bjarne was excluded in that semi as well is beyond me even now. I've read pages and pages about how crap the track was, how crap the ref was etc. but from a first timer point of view I enjoyed it, the cheering, the booing, the faltering mexican waves and the atmosphere was electric. I've never been to a football match with that sort of intensity. I was also impressed with the way Harris, Nicholls and Kennett went, I was worrying all week they were going to be awful but they upped their game well and Eddie looked better as time went on. One thing I must know is...what Cardiff karaoke bar did they find that singer guy in? Sure he could sing but Born To Be Wild?! LOL.