salty

Good point, especially as the story was reported last Thursday in Australia.

Clearly Darcy needs support to help him change his lifestyle. Therefore it has to be a bit of a concern when his club manager publicly makes light of his most recent misdemeanour. Especially so when (as I understand) Darcy lives with said Manager during the season. Whilst one can understand a desire not to criticise the box-office in public, one would hope in private a different attitude is being used, otherwise Darcy will squander what most agree is a rare talent.

Yes. But will there be an index??

Maybe if Phil and the boys ignore the deafening clamour for an index Manchesterpaul could produce a downloadable one so that we don't have to spend countless wasted hours thumbing through the hundreds of pages for the Belle Vue review (which I predict will be about Page 28 - or 10th of the Elite League double spreads).

Please, please do not have an index. Don't waste valuable space on such a triviality.

Sad news. RIP Freddie.

I've been down to Dundalk dogs and the grandstand is very much on the plush side. Hosts both dogs and all weather Horse Racing and had many million Euro's lavished upon it.

The promoter this time, Harry Findlay, is chucking money at it. Tote retentions roughly half of other tracks should make it an attractive night out for punters. Hope it works out for him.

Last 12 months - Coventry opened, Oxford closed.

2013 - Towcester opening - as far as I'm aware no closures confirmed as yet. What do they say about statistics?

I tend to agree with Racers and Royals. Stats about closures/openings are skewed by which time scale you take. Afaik last year Oxford closed and Coventry opened. Oxford was deliberately run down by GRA and if promoted properly would prove a profitable exercise. Greyhounds are not without their problems and the loss of Sky coverage is a rather large cloud on the horizon. The Blue Riband event of the Derby is held at another GRA track which is being run down with a view to cashing in on development and it looks the battle for the 'Stow is now lost. But tracks like Yarmouth, Romford, Sittingbourne continue to thrive.

I With you on this. I've only referred to them as the Heathens. Can see the reasoning behind the naming of the team as Dudley as it was hoped this was more likely to get the council onside in terms of finding a suitable site, but after 3 years we are still waiting to see anything more than lip service.

Just to rub it in on a bad night for Heathens fans, I've just noticed the advert for the dreaded Barratt Homes running across the top of the site. I know advertising revenue is not to be sniffed at but surely the line could be drawn somewhere above those parasites!!!!!

Congrats to Mildy, commiserations to the lads - hope all the injured riders are OK.

Have to be in sealed envelopes. As you say there will be a lot of second guessing as TM's try and get favourable match up's.

Good news about the joker not being used in the last 4. Not so sure about the free choice thingy, any ideas how will that be administered to ensure all is above board?

It isn't impossible. Cradley '83 first the others close behind. We've had this discussion before and it has been scientifically proven that I am right.

Given it's the "British" Speedway Forum, it most definitely not representative of the whole speedway population. One would expect similar type forums in Sweden, Poland and Denmark to be even less enthusiastic about Tai's inclusion. I personally don't think British supporters on here are anti Tai, but are open and fair minded enough to realise that GB don't really deserve the preferential treatment we get. My opinion is that Tai will probably do himself justice next year, however, I loathe the fact that Britain gets a pick each year and I don't really think tai has done enough on the international stages to justify one.

Similarly the influence of sponsors will be increasingly a factor. With Monster's involvement as presentation sponsor's, being one of their stable of riders will be just as attractive as a British passport in the next couple of years if you require a pick.

And me.

Hopefully "the word" is well and truly wrong. If Woffinden gets in over Hampel and Vaculik I'll be staggered (and disgusted).

Currently of the 11 we have 3 Swedes 2 Danes 2 Poles 1 Aussie 1 Russian 1 Slovenian 1 American Hampel and Ward certs and Vaculik's performances deserve to get him a shot. Then it all depends on whether the series "needs" a Brit. If it is deemed that it does then I suppose Tai will get it more or less by default, but given his performances in the WTC and at Vojens I would give it MJJ.

Availability bound to be an issue, but would the crowd be any bigger? Seems to have hit a ceiling now and I'm not sure the state of the championship would have that great an effect.

Hardly any passing and when there is the cameras miss it!

Glad to see KK back up and seemingly fit, just to shut up the harbinger of doom that is Pearson.