Steve Irving

That really doesn’t make much sense to me. If a team win away from home 41-49 then of course there shouldn’t be an extra heat, the away team quite rightly take home the points. You may think an extra heat after a draw is absurd, but your suggestion really would be. The rules are clear and designed to award the points for a win on the night. The same if it was 44-46 or 46-44, you already have your winner so obviously no need for the extra heat. If it ends up a draw, then go to the super heat to decide the points! To me it’s quite clear they’ve tried to add something a little extra and it remains to be seen if they stick with it next season and beyond. Obviously it’s far too quirky for some and that’s fine, we all will have an opinion on it. But I’d say Speedway so often gets criticised for being stuck in the dark ages and having the stigma of having an old pensioners following, is it the older traditionalists who don’t like change that mainly have a problem with this? The same one’s that hated the green helmet colour and hankered for the return of the old yellow/black combo? It’s a tense and exciting climax for those watching and is in my opinion a great addition.

Ipswich deserved the 3 points because they managed to do what was needed to secure them. Instead of all the hard done by stories and whinging, if you want the 3 points then just win the damn meeting! It’s pretty simple. Ipswich go to Sheffield on Monday knowing full well if it’s a draw after 15 heats then they’ll have to win a super heat to earn the 3 points. If they don’t then they’ll go home with one. Not one club is being hard done by here and not one club has an advantage over anyone else. The rules are set at the start of the season and every club has an equal amount of home and away meetings to secure as many points as they can within the current rules. If you draw an away meeting but then lose the super heat, tough! Take your point and on to the next.

It’s been a long running joke on here that Lynn have been fortunate this season in the fact that they always seemed to be facing sides who happen to be under strength, but not a peep from Trees about that. But as soon as something pops up that goes against her beloved Lynn she doesn’t stop bleating about it!! Give it a rest woman you lost, again.

But the difference is they’re already top, WITH him having a stinker of a season, others aren’t.

Harsh. Ipswich we’re also missing Starke and Riss at Belle Vue with Sedgman contributing a single point as a guest. Harris was a good guest for Lynn last night, 9+1 is par for the course for Iversen this year. “Fortune” isn’t a word I’d associate with Ipswich this season personally. They’re pretty much had a rider(S) missing in every fixture. Considering a fair few had them bottom, they current sit top and deservedly so. If King gets his act together, they’ll be in serious contention for the trophy.

That’s a bit rich! Nobody’s had more luck than your lot this season picking up points against sides who nearly always seemed to be missing riders! Not to mention the extraordinary luck over “lightbulbgate” perfectly timed when you were struggling with illness and injury!!

I’d hazard a guess that nobody on this forum has the phone numbers to all the riders across Europe to ascertain their availability. It isn’t their job anyway, it’s the job of those who run their speedway clubs. Surely a more proactive signing would be a talented youngster with an eye on the future? The fans would have supported that move I’d have thought even if he initially struggled whilst visiting tracks for the first time. Barker is in his 30’s and will never be more than a 4-5 pointer.

You should delete this and add a link instead Bagpuss. Revenue can be generated through clicks and clubs need all the help financially they can get.

No, it was just crap pure and simple.

Kin ell what is wrong with some of you people? So now your criticism has shifted from the manager to the rider? Firstly, I’d say his effort last night was very commendable no? Unless for some warped reason you’re saying he hasn’t got a perforated eardrum and someone is lying?

I just don’t like seeing riders lock up so much on bend two that they’ve almost come to a complete stop before they get their wheels back in line and get going again up the back straight. Will never look particularly appealing to me. You also had riders taking the wide line on bend 2 who for a split second looked like they were about to pass, who then lost so much ground to the rider nailing the white line that by the time the rider on the inside got to the 3rd bend the bloke behind him was nearly half a straight behind! That can’t be right can it?

When you look at that still it’s incredible how much the track has changed and how much wider it is. This clip from the early 90’s for comparison, night and day!

I’ll answer it. Once again you’re talking absolute bollo(ks and plucking completely wrong statements out of your ar$e to suit your agenda. There was no 25% rule in previous seasons, evidenced by Lynn booting Craig Cook this time last year after 2 meetings.

Exactly, he scored 3, that was his score, nobody is guessing are they? If you’re talking about a different meeting then sure, his score will certainly be different on a different day. So this “if” doesn’t apply to both teams does it? Because only one team were missing their riders and it wasn’t Lynn who were at full strength. Nobody knows for certain that Starke and Rowe would have scored more than the two points from eight rides that their replacements managed, but an educated guess tells you it’s more than likely!

Steady on, that wasn’t Ipswich’ proper team was it? You were at full strength. Ipswich proper 1-7 last night they’d have won, and you’d have lost so not sure your last point rings true.

No problem, you deserved it to be honest with your ridiculous post.

No, an injury replacement is permitted, as per the published rule. Quite obvious really because it would be pretty daft for a team not to be allowed to replace a rider that couldn’t ride through no fault of their own, wouldn’t it? A team that had nearly six months to put together a septet like everyone else, is a different kettle of fish entirely.

Hawkins’ insistence on shoehorning his badly out of form best mate in the side at all costs is I expect the main reason why the numbers didn’t add up.

Heeps having another stinker for Oxford. A single gifted point when Newman fell from his opening 3 rides. Ok he’s never been a world beater, but quite incredible how he’s seemingly hit a brick wall since the start of last year. Something seriously wrong with him.

Louis needs to correct a mistake quickly before the league programme starts. Forget all the new “rules” with regards changes, they can be easily manipulated just like every other damn rule in British Speedway. If a rider conveniently quits of decides to take “time out”, can they not replace him? Of course they will. They can also make an immediate improvement by using Hume instead of Rowe. Such a waste having him at 8 and not being used.

Oh boy good luck Cam sunshine you’re gonna need it! Gonna be a long old season for you I’m afraid as the knives are out already before a wheel has even been turned.

That makes absolutely zero sense to me, none whatsoever.

Of course I’m not, but I’ve been watching Speedway for more years than I care to remember. I know when I’m watching a rider struggling for form and confidence, and I know when I’m watching a rider not putting a shift in. Allen was the latter, and nobody is going to change my opinion on that.

That seems contradictory to me! You’ve described Allen perfectly in that first sentence. Am I right in thinking that you work behind the scenes at Ipswich and mix with the riders? Apologies if I have you mixed up with someone else. So your opinions are not exactly neutral are they? You clearly like some riders over others because of their personalities, and nothing whatsoever to do with their riding abilities. Allen infuriated me this season/last year and it was no surprise he wasn’t retained. I don’t mind seeing riders struggling for form, most go through it at some stage. But what I won’t tolerate is paying good money to watch riders taking the pi$$, and Allen did that this season. If you don’t want to ride, then don’t! Quit, go elsewhere. At times he blatantly wasn’t putting in the effort. Clearly hasn’t gone unnoticed elsewhere either because despite now being on a “cheap” average, nobody else has picked him up either. Belle Vue might, as they’re getting a bit desperate.