Tapeworm

The Referee is to be congratulated for pushing this meeting along at a rapid pace in view of the forecasted rain which duly arrived in torrents after heat 14. No need to rely on Mr Vatch for our 4 points this time !

Do they not give "the dumps" to a rider scoring a maximum anymore ? Or has Elf & Safety put paid to that bit of fun too ?

Tonight's farcical 'Glasgow v Glasgow' league match at Newcastle sums the problem up perfectly. The fans want to see the seven signed-up team riders of their local side racing for their team on the scheduled fixture dates...... not away on World Cup, European over or under 21s matches, qualifiers, finals, long track, short track, clockwise track, doubling up or doubling down, GB league individuals, pairs, threes, fours, fives or whatever else our governing body dream up to provide one-off income for track owners or the governing body itself. I appreciate that the top riders probably appreciate the additional income and kudos associated with a title but they should not forget that the bedrock of speedway in Britain are the various leagues and the loyal fans who support these meetings.

And isn't it awful that, in 3 months, Workington have only managed 11 league matches ? They're going to have quite a challenge to complete their fixtures before the cut off.

End of Month 3 :- Glasgow + 15 (M15) Ipswich + 9 (M18) Sheffield + 9 (M14) Edinburgh + 8 (M19) Redcar + 7 (M17) Workington + 3 (M11) Newcastle - 2 (M14) Peterborough - 3 (M15) Scunthorpe - 10 (M19) Berwick - 17 (M20)

I once broke mine at a Quiz Night (but that's another story !!) and the doctor at the hospital said that it was vital to have it reset properly as it plays a very important role in blood circulation to the hand. I hope Mr Worrall has taken good advice before attempting to ride, tonight, with it broken and not in a cumbersome stookie.

Update at end of Month 2 :- Edinburgh M13 +8 Ipswich M12 +8 Glasgow M10 +8 Redcar M12 +6 Sheffield M8 +4 Workington M9 +2 Newcastle M9 +1 Peterborough M10 0 Scunthorpe M15 -10 Berwick M12 -14

Wonderful pedantry but "matches" is a noun and "played" is a verb. Thus, teams play a match. Therefore, either can refer to the particular events chronicled. However, I'm delighted to have lit the blue touchpaper for what appears to be the start of WW3 between yourself and the grammar police ! Calm down, dears, it's only a forum..

Early stages, I know, but at the end of month 1 - 1 Edinburgh (P6) +7 2 Ipswich (P8) +5 3 Redcar (P6) +5 4 Glasgow (P6) +4 5 Peterborough (P5) +3 6 Sheffield (P5) 0 7 Newcastle (P4) 0 8 Workington (P4) -1 9 Scunthorpe (P9) -5 10 Berwick (P7) -12

Well ? How did the big trip go ? At least you saw a real nail biter at The Peugeot Ashfield Stadium this afternoon. Must have been good for a neutral speedway fan.

I know this is a very limited statistical survey but, on the recent close match against Glasgow, gate 4 produced five heat winners, gates 2 and 3 four each, and gate 1 just 2. However, riders starting from gate 3 scored 25 points, gate 2 24 points, gate 4 just 21 points, and gate 1 only 20 points. So, no hugely significant advantage for gate 4 although gate 1 appears, as with most tracks, to be the most difficult.

It would be good to get this trip off your bucket list before you need a passport, a visa, and some Scottish groats to cross the border ! Have a good trip. Hope the weather is kind.

In any case, it seems perfectly obvious to me that, with countless politicians from the large variety of countries involved, all seeking their tuppenceworths, there is diddly squat chance of a deal being struck in just two years. And, if one is ever agreed, its terms will be debated in our Parliament and rejected as being too disadvantageous.......... and another Brexit referendum called in the hope of "justifying" our MPs' u-turn. So sign that petition now.

Right, now we've got all that irrelevant drivel out of the way, does anyone know anything about Glasgow's P&P/Meet the Riders event ? Date/time/venue ?

Any word on a P&P/Meet the riders event ? Date, time, venue ?

FYI, Glasgow is NOT in England and never has been. If you look at your school atlas, you'll see a line from Gretna across to Berwick. England is the bit below that line. But keep sending us more than our share of UK tax revenues !!

Correct me if I'm wrong (and no doubt you will), but the most obvious prediction is that the majority of riders will increase their GS average in 2017. With an unchanged 90 points available at each meeting, a mid table team, for example, should be accumulating 45. But with the team aggregate being set at 40 this year (ie the expected team total for a match), there are more points 'available' above this expectation. Last year, with the team-building aggregate set at 42.5, there was still an excess......... but this has now doubled ! So the good riders will find it easier to raise their starting average and the weaker riders will find it easier to maintain theirs. This will make team-building for 2018 even harder and several 2017 individual successes will become victims of the 'numbers game' and find themselves without a 2018 team position. Let's hope that this doesn't lead to manipulation of averages by faking poor performances in late season matches, either by the rider himself or under his team manager's instruction, in order to make 2018 employment more likely. So, my prediction is that, by late summer, the majority of riders will have increased their average. Then matters will become depressingly interesting.

How often could we lose Jack Smith's services on a Saturday night due to his various U21 and U19 aspirations ?

That sounds the berries. Do they also do grandstand seat heaters, foolproof car immobilisers, and tractor headlamps ?

Comparison with the Clan is not appropriate. They play indoors in a beautiful, warm, well-lit arena with no wind to affect comfort. Also car parking is possibly safer at Braehead than in Possil. Regular night-time racing may work in balmy southern England but not for me in Scotland. This proposal will be a big inconvenience to fans with children, those relying on public transport, the elderly, and fans and riders who have to travel long distances home after meetings. Imagine what time Danny would have reached home if this had been in place this year. I've been a great admirer of everything the Promotion has done since the Facenna's take-over, but this is a BIG mistake imo. I'll certainly not be there at the start and end of the season so they'll need to find one new fan just to stay at the same crowd level ! I hope and pray that the Conference refuses the application.

From a Glasgow Tigers point of view, this is all becoming very silly. As it now stands, we've got 5 matches to play in 6 days (and if Sheffield is postponed on Wednesday, it becomes 5 in 5 days !). Then, with any luck, another 2 in the next week........... if the weather holds. All these matches are "important" except for the outstanding league fixture against Edinburgh (with perhaps 3 Edinburgh riders and 3/4 guests). And with any luck, we'll be in the play-off final before this meaningless league fixture is settled. Why not just cancel it and save the risk of injuries/exhaustion affecting our performance in matches we've worked all season to reach? And will there be 14 speedway riders left in Britain who have not retired or gone home or been injured to fill the team and guest positions required for the remaining semis and finals ? This situation is making a mockery of the cup and play-off formats.

It would have been nice if the appropriately-named Master Bates had posted his apology on this forum for a "heat of the moment" loss of temper by himself and his mechanic. But, no, that's not the modern way of behaving, is it ? It takes a man to admit he was wrong.

Rule change, effective immediately :- “At all meetings held in Scotland, where the promotion is too frugal to pay their electricity bill, bikes shall be fitted with head and tail lights, and riders shall wear Glowstick collars of the appropriate colour (red, blue, yellow, white). In addition, all spectators shall be issued with a torch to enable reading of programmes/scorecards, starts will be by battery-powered laser beam, public address will utilise old-fashioned metal megaphones, and musical entertainment will be courtesy of the local Boys Brigade pipe band. First Aid teams must be prepared to deal with mass hypothermia. This rule shall not apply to Glasgow where meetings are sensibly held on bright, warm Sunday afternoons.”

Worrying signs of austerity at Ashfield ? 1. Only 2 starting grid girls yesterday 2. 50:50 draw prize kept "in house" 3. Smaller engined red tractor taken over "round and round and round and round" duties to save fuel 4. Roary not needing to be paid to perform start dance 5. No prizes required for cancelled tandem race Must be to pay for all the points money the boys are earning !

I've got it as Barker from Andersen from Garcia then Payne on my score sheet but may have lost interest by that stage and missed Michael's or Jim's line-up change notification.