mikebv

Was it? If so, no surprises there then.. I also seem to remember the Aces having two absolute cracking meetings against Messrs Rickardsson, Gollob, Nicholls et al that season.. Played out in front of comfortably the two biggest crowds of the season.. Sometimes having 'the team to beat' arriving at your venue can be truly money in the bank... As a Man United fan who regularly used to go watching them all over, we used to sing to the home fans "you've only come to see United". A reference to the fact that when we played them a sudden 10000 or so above the average crowd level would turn up, (for one week only it seemed).. Speedway needs a level of aspiration be it beating the best to be the best, or moving up the leagues through organic growth based on performance, rather than having "what league do you want to be in this year?" as the measure.. The same for riders too... Too good for the NL? Then you move up to the Championship. Get too good for that and you then move up to the Premiership.. Become one of your countries best riders in the Premiership then you get picked to ride for your country in Test Matches.. Perform well in those and you then get nominated for GP qualification and SEC rounds at individual level and SON/SWC at team level... The bar getting raised through constantly improving, not standing still, or even worse, constant regression..

No disrespect but Poles are highly unlikely to tune in to Eurosports possible UK coverage in great numbers given the amount of top level Speedway they get bombarded with each week, so I don't see how Polish companies will see a positive brand message for themselves by attaching their businesses to UK Speedway.. Bomber Harris v Charles Wright (for example) might mean something to us British fans but won't I would suggest inspire too many Poles to look in on match night.. I would think that Eurosports coverage in Poland would get a similar following like the saturated football coverage does over here for non league football.. eg Torquay v Chorley will get watched as you flick through for a while if nothing else is on, but not many other than the fans of those two teams will watch the whole match with any degree of interest as non league football is dwarfed by the Premiership and Champions League saturation.. And, as quoted often, the scheduling and production of Eurosport is often a shambles at times..

No, if that happens you could still decide it's 42.5 for the League so Ippo could decide to keep their seven or use the extra points available... If though another team over 42.5 wins the league they should be allowed to keep their seven too if they so wish, and that figure becomes the maximum figure.. It's ridiculous that fans become attached to riders who win leagues (especially younger fans who you want to engage more than ever) only for them to be often left out the year after... That simply doesn't equate to a sensible business model... You also have the nonsense of TV mentioning that a meeting involves "last year's Champions" when maybe only four of them are actually in attendance... British Speedway desperately needs some aspirational attainments, and dumbing down the leagues means no team has to aspire to "beat the best" because "the best" invariably gets diluted...

Wasn't it rumoured a couple of years ago that a club got over £20k to let 'their rider' miss a meeting on a Sunday to ride in Poland? If true, that suggests serious, serious money is coming in to Polish Speedway which will inevitably get reflected in salaries.. When TV and Radio Companies out do each other for rights to broadcast your product, then that suggests you have got a very solid operational and marketable model that is very much in demand..

I fear it may be even longer than that.. I believe he is currently in Poole General holding a bed side vigil for Jack Holder... The diagnosis isn't good either.. A specialist was heard to say to one of the nurses that one of Jack's toes had "gone to market", whilst one had "stayed at home", another had seemingly had "roast beef", whilst another toe sadly "had none"... Most worrying though was that it is believed that the smallest of Jack's toes had gone "wee, wee, wee, wee, all the way home"!!!!

Seven man effort from Ippo.. Three man effort from Poole..

Grapes of a certain vintage?

Wonder if he will come on and mention it...?

In all of this piss taking of Poole... Respect to Klindt, Josh G and Covatti.. Not 'superstars' and probably never will be (nor ever think of themselves as such like you feel some would).. Especially Klindt.. An alleged 'gating tart' who seems to be evolving into something a whole lot more.. Including leading a team... Wouldn't mind seeing him at the NSS next year.. Anyway, compliments over.. Let's get back to taking the piss out of Poole...

#prayforpiggy

Have they managed to get the helicopter on the centre green to airlift Jack to hospital?

I hope not... Two of the most over rated riders in the League... Both have had potential for far too long... They need to start to realise it...

Well the tide definitely turned tonight...

Breaking News... A new rule has just been drawn up... In Heat 15 of any play off any team six or more behind the other team can go for quadruple points.....

Who else can we find to interview to mention that the rain is coming...?

Unless there is a crash and your bike gets damaged, the bike you start the race on is the one you start the re run on.. Straight round, no stopping... If after lap one an incident happens then riders can return to the pits gate, stay on track and review fuel only... No messing with anything else... Cant be too difficult to implement..

Not a bad shout.. Especially in a comp with no Tac subs... Cricket has its Duckworth Lewis Stern so not like it would be an unreasonable way to sort a result..

Just read this and checked the timeline when it appeared.. It said 22 hours ago.. It really could have said 22 years ago and many would stil have nodded in agreement.... How about starting with whoever becomes Champions gets their average used as the limit next year? An aspirational level to be attained by the rest.. And meaning the Champs don't have to release riders if they don't want to... And hopefully meaning their crowds, who have built an association with the riders who have brought success, can keep that so important emotional attachment that team followers desperately need..?

Thank you Mr Chunky, my good man. Kind words indeed. i will try and explain my rationale for said articulation. Your words took me back to a particularly bleak and grey night at New Cross a great many years ago. A night full of mist and drizzle (mizzle if you will), and one where I remember dear old Sverre Harrfeldt (a true gentleman), saying to me "Open that door for me will you I've got my hands full" as he arrived at the track carrying his leathers in a bag. We remained on me knowing who he was terms for a great many years. Many more than either of us would care to remember I am sure. Note "leathers", I said by the way, and black ones only too, not some garishly coloured garb that looks like they give no more protection than a common or garden wincyette nighty. As I say a true gentleman was Sverre, no tattoos or holes in his ears for him. In fact, as a case in point I remember Split Waterman one night at West Ham saying etc etc etc

Mmmmm. Interesting Iris123 and thank you, indeed, food for thought. I have a question and its a pertinent one. Is this service available via one of the true wonders of the modern world, that is to say, the telephone, perchance? And if that it is indeed the case in point, do Messrs WHSmith accept postal orders as remittance (in part or full) for said purchases? Personally I cannot wait for the Internet to be invented whereby I can eagerly, and enthusiastically, look forward to the day companies decide to sell their wares "on-the-line", as I believe the correct parlance may well turn out to be.

You see, you are giving up far too easy.. Simply tell Buster that as an Ipswich fan you know the only way for Ippo to get to the final is to prepare the track devoid of dirt.. Basically tell him that Ipswich need a billiard table type smooth surface with hardly a smattering of shale.. A 'gaters paradise' if you will... That way you can guarantee a track with six inches of loose stuff that you could grow taters in...

Plenty of riders, drivers, tennis players, snooker players, darts players and showjumpers have won three Grand Prix in their chosen sports.. And Lewis Hamilton has won many, many more than three.. You need to go back and tell her.. This young lady will feel foolish I am sure..

With no TacSub rides I would suggest ten points is doable.. Particularly if Ippo rip up the track and make it heavy... We saw tonight how Poole struggled until the track went slick so maybe Ippo need to take advantage of this.. At least it makes the 2nd leg interesting for us neutrals.. (As much as we are neutrals).. Fair play tonight to Poole for digging deep, and overall not a bad advert for the sport...

Think Ipswich need to make it a 'tad grippy' on Saturday. ..

If that had been Nicki P taking THJ out I would think there would be somewhat of a different understanding of the situation on here.. Good old Bomber...