Wee Eck

It’s probably splitting hairs but it looks like the promoting company, Glasgow Tigers Speedway Limited does not own Ashfield Stadium. I suspect you’re correct that ownership lies somewhere within the Allied group

I think that Australia should replace Fricke. He only scored 4 after all. Any country with a rider who can only score 4 should replace him straight away. Does Chris Harris have any Aussie ancestry as GB don’t seem to want him

The change in the GB set up from beer and pizzas to the current professionalism has shown it’s value. We struggled for so long as a nation to provide any impact and now we have eclipsed Sweden and may well also eclipse Australia and Denmark. Although Adam Ellis’s score was less than some wanted, (though few expected different) his heat 1 win against the current World’s second best rider set GB up for a positive night when we were never headed. I am sure he’s already analysed what went wrong and is working within the team - fellow riders, team managers, sports specialists and engine tuner to help him improve on Saturday. Flying in a substitute rider now, whoever that might be, has the potential to undermine the whole team on the grounds of “we don’t believe the group of people who have got GB to the final are the right group, so need to make a change” I don’t believe for one moment that dropping Adam and bringing in a replacement will suddenly make GB a gold medal team. Time will tell…..

Is it Stead that makes the decisions? I thought it was Ollie Allen with Simon as back up?

I think you have got lost in your own argument, with your well known anti-Middlo feeling and by using provocative language. Most teams ask their track curator to prepare - not doctor - the starts to suit the home riders. Note, the starts, not the gates. In the same way, the whole track will be prepared - not doctored - to suit the home riders. There is surely nothing wrong in that? Indeed, it would be crazy to prepare the starts and the track in a way that didn’t suit the home riders.

I assume it’s Andy Meredith, track curator at the NSS? I gather he’s been helping Glasgow for some time now. TBH Glasgow’s track has been consistently better than Poole’s for some time now although Poole’s has been a bit smoother, and for some that means better, these last couple of years. I like them both - Glasgow is fast and suited to riders who enjoy fence scraping, hence why Bomber and Basso score well there. Poole’s is an old fashioned track - it can be rough and inconsistent but, if the opposition are up for a fight, can make for really exciting speedway. I prefer that sort of track to the Polish bowls which tend to be all about speed over technique.

Are you hinting at something?! I can’t make up my mind as to which would be stronger, as they are or Newman at 2 and Rowe at reserve. Indeed, would it make any difference?

I agree. And yet some still do

I was thinking more of representing GB in FIM or FIME events in Europe rather than a challenge match in Scotland. So when did he last represent GB in Europe or has he never been asked and has always been overlooked?

Most, if not all sports have drug testing. Much of it random and unannounced. Many carry out “out of competition” testing. Only if there is a positive or suspected positive result is anything publicised. To do so would involve daily meaningless bulletins. Why should speedway be different? It is not a secret that drug testing takes place in speedway, both in the UK and elsewhere so what purpose would be served making details of negative tests public? As I understand it, testing is carried out by an independent organisation so, at a guess, even SCB members won’t know when and where though it’s likely they will be informed of the details after the event.

From his FB post, I’d say Wright wanted to be in the GB squad. But some have suggested his unwillingness to take part in other events involving GB has gone against him. That might be wrong but when did he last represent GB?

Even for you, that’s a mad one. You don’t like Poole. We know that. You think it’s funny misspelling the name. We know that. But to put something positive on a thread that involves Poole about a retired rider who rode for Rye House, juniors and seniors, Mildenhall, Eastbourne, Coventry, Swindon, Berwick, Lakeside, Ipswich and Plymouth (I’ve probably missed one or two) as well as Birmingham and Poole seems as if your final marble has been lost. Please revert to type and start being rude about Poole again. You being positive is just not normal

It is surely a natural reaction in a competitive situation? Fans don’t cheer crashes, just individual fallers when it’s an opposition rider. And rarely, if ever, if it’s a heavy fall. The same fans will also be the ones who applaud a fallen rider when he gets back on his feet.

My recollection was as someone else has said - the ban starts when he pays the two grand fine. Which he’s never going to now after what must be over 15 years away from the sport.

Protocol should be that his own federation, Motorcycle Australia, suspends his licence meaning he can’t ride anywhere

When would they practice?

I’m more of a neutral these days but I think Poole does provide exciting racing. I accept I’m old school, but I don’t find the fast Polish bowls exciting as it’s all speed. And I know I’ll get slaughtered for saying this, but the NSS - to me - is the same. There may well be passing but everyone is well spaced out. I prefer a track where success requires skill and aggression not just speed. If you look back to the Holder and Ward era, the track was probably as bad as it could be and yet the racing was hugely exciting. Glasgow, of course, is another exciting track these days and it was a huge surprise that they gave in so easily. 6 out of 7 riders should have done better. The only one who could hold his head up was Ace Pjiper. Was he also the only one who hadn’t been there before? If so, perhaps the others were beaten before they started, the manager included?

Yup. Same shape and everything…….

Other than 2011, Glasgow under Dickson weren’t very good. Perhaps he lacked support when it came to team building?

Tigers to win 63-27 and the Glasgow faithful to claim it was a great meeting!

72-18 is technically possible.

That’s better - it didn’t take long for Blobby to revert to type, defending the indefensible. 5 Monarchs scored 18 points between them because that’s all Glasgow allowed them. How much better did you want or expect Glasgow to be? Armadale is never an easy track for visitors and much has been made of Nowak’s dislike of small tracks but he scored the same as the Monarch’s second highest scorer so why diminish his efforts?

What do you know that no one else seems to?

100% agree. How dare business owners try to protect their own businesses? Especially when these businesses are already struggling. They should just let anyone in who wants to join, regardless of whether or not they can afford it. And bring back rider allocation. That was such a huge success. Or would have been had promoters not fought to hang on to their best riders. As Greta Thunberg never said, how dare they? PS Can I take my tongue out of my cheek now?!

Out of curiosity, what other word would you suggest was used? I don’t think that “ask” is suitable as, from PC’s reaction alone, it is clear it wasn’t a request.