40-38

Before the BV match I'd have said yes, but now I'm not so sure. One swallow not making a summer but he certainly looked more competent than he had for a long while and it reminded me why he was an initial improvement on Thompson.

Good understanding with Fricke as well, and that's quite a rarity.

Any idea what Allen's final average was? I'd possibly take a punt still at a 7, but I'm always wary of the commitment of Polish riders, I think Dicko is very much the same as well.

You're right, I am disappointed, and I still don't think it was a great meeting, nor awesome as per Dan Bewley, but I'll make it plain in case it's in doubt; Belle Vue were a much better team last night. You always know Bewley will go well, and Kurtz to some extent, but I was impressed with Lidsey despite his year not having been the kick on most people expected, hopefully he'll keep on going now. I also love Norrick Blodorn, his ride was the best of the night. I wanted to see a track with both teams going hell for leather, and that isn't BV's fault, nor the tracks, but as I've said, I just think it could have waited and been better for it, regardless whether we subsequently would have got mauled even more or not. I feel like Isiah crying in the wilderness on here but it's my honest opinion.

Would love to see Wozniak back here.

I'd like to keep Lawson because I think the pairing of him and Fricke at home are really solid, even if he won't increase his average. Becker I've been a bit disappointed with, but he certainly has more improvement in him than Masters who's probably on the downward slope now so I'd plump for him at 4 and look at options for 3 and 5 if Douglas does go elsewhere. I wouldn't be too disappointed with Sedgmen at 6 but I do think Cook offers more if his head is in the right place.

I just think running your showpiece meeting after the country had a months rain in a few days was silly. It wasn't a quagmire, Belle Vue rode well, Leicester weren't interested, I don't think it was entertaining. All of those things can be true at the same time as far as I'm concerned.

Oh my God everyone, Leicester's track is crap, who knew?!

I often think it takes two riders to make an exciting race, and ours didn't want to know. Now that's their fault of course, but you were under no danger of being passed back were you? It's like watching the back markers getting passed by Schumacher, inevitable but not exciting.

I'd be surprised if we can get it rideable never mind raceable with what's forecast, looking at how difficult it was to get it to drain by the kerb against Ipswich once it rained again on an already wet track.

I don't disagree that there was passing, whether it was exciting I guess depends on your POV, it wasn't for me, partly down to the attitude of my team but equally I don't think that riders getting filled in like that is entertaining. Had it not started raining again I think it would have been a better contest, as it did look like it was developing nicely in Heat 4 when Bewley went out to the fence.

I've no idea where the Fricke and Masters thing came from, probably just mischief making, as I'd not have picked either anyway, although you should be able to rely on your no.1 in pressure situations. Fricke has form for that though. In terms of what I meant by buggering off, once anyone got past they were half a straight in front at least, everybody else got filled in and dropped back. Clearly the Lions didn't want to put it in and the Aces did, but I still think running that meeting in those conditions was a travesty for Speedway, although it'd hardly be the first one. I know I'm in a very small minority but I don't think it was a good meeting, and not just because Leicester had no balls.

Bewley is fantastic at full chat, and he could ride the NSS blindfolded. If he could be more consistent in the GP he'd be World Champion, but I get the feeling he just loves doing it and maybe the desire is more for the actual riding than the goal, if that makes sense. Let's face it the Lions didn;t really make it difficult for them to pass anything, we looked abysmally slow and uncertain. The fact that whoever got in front even after passing just buggered off was evidence of that IMO. In response to Eurosport I don't think it would be that much of a loss if they didn't bother, BSN is a better product. It's undoubtedly the best race track in the UK, which isn't too difficult let's be honest, but for my sins I enjoy smaller tighter tracks better. I'm probably 50 years too late for that mind.

No, you can't, and that's the Lions fault for not being up for it, and I'm annoyed about that. I've never seen a good meeting on a wet track since I started watching in 2007, so whatever people did in boiler suits back when Noah was a lad is irrelevant. I just think it's a shame that it was decided in those conditions, and I still don't think it was a good meeting, it's not the racing I like to see. I'm certainly not blaming the BV riders for that, they were exceptional.

I still think it would have been closer, but we'll never know now.

Well we might, and I'll be there as I always am because I'm a glutton for punishment, I have to be to put up with BP since 2011 let's face it. I just think that it was a poor rushed meeting in chronic conditions when it could have waited to see if it improved next week. Nobody, BV fans excepted, is going to take that DVD home and re-watch it are they? I think it would have been a better atmosphere, more exciting and a better spectacle on a dry track. I'll be mightily annoyed if we race in anything like it on Thursday.

You had plenty of chances to beat us thoroughly at that ploughed field somewhere outside Ipswich but still couldn't do it 😉

You'll find that I've put the boot into my home track since it opened, so you're hardly going to get a win with that.

I never said we did. But I think we'd have done better on a dry track, simple as that. We'll never know now though. Anyway, at worst we're still the second best team in the league. I'll take that.

Well we were constantly told by riders that they liked the Leicester track when it opened, so I'd take their opinions with as much salt and pepper as I can get sometimes!

I'd sooner have him than Becker or Masters to be honest.

Still doesn't make it awesome though. And that's me saying that BV coped far better, and were much quicker than our wobbly 1-7 with some small exceptions.

There's nothing wrong with the timings just the weather. We've had dreadful weather across the whole country. I just wish it could be decided on decent weather. The NSS can clearly take more punishment than a lot of tracks. Ironically Leicester used to be really good for that until the alterations as well.

1. Fricke 2. Lawson 3. AN Other 4. Masters/Becker 5. Douglas 6. C. Cook 7. Hagon

We don't like the wet, especially not around BP. We've been dire every time it gets too damp.