freddyfivetoes

Scottish mentality. A good year for Hibs is beating Hearts four times, even if they then get relegated! As for Rangers and Celtic.........

Possibly more right than wrong there, but geography will also come into play. How many will play safe and pick a lad whose career and abilities have already flat-lined? Liam Carr of Buxton/Berwick came on a ton in the final two months of 2013, and a truly alert EL manager should have an eye on him for a lower-order place.

Oliver Allen would be a superb Bandit - and a Number One for Shielfield Park - and he apparently made it clear in September how much he likes the track, and people. The only trouble is one of distance from his home, which might well mean that other, less-prudent promotions with deeper pockets could lure him elsewhere.

A post which hits the spot! Plenty of "likes" and posts of approval, but deafening silence from both owners and directors. People clearly want to help here, and a meeting such as Lulu advocates (a serious one -- if you can't help, don't come) is crying out to be held, sooner rather than later. Also, no word from any of the directors on their losses of "other peoples money"?

Indeed it might, according to this morning's Red Alert.

Well, there's new Red Alert out today. and it doesn't make good reading. Forgetting the bar disaster (it was insured, wasn't it?) it looks as though Alun and Gordon have done all they can. Interesting that for the first time, the Red Alert is signed only by the two owners, and the four directors are left off the message.

Their obviously English, leave them alone, they're not worth it......

In the latest Bandits' Newsletter, not long received: WEATHER PROSPECTS: Looking good! According to local radar, Saturday will be dry all day, average breeze coming from the from south-east and an evening temperature predicted to be sitting at a pleasant 14C as racing begins, slipping back to a more-autumnal 11C by the end of the night.

BSPA website mentions the meeting today, with nice quotes from John Anderson about generosity of suppliers, giving free service and rent, etc.

Berwick released him from the agreed pre-contract when their plans were changed and they couldn't fit him in. This was to ensure he would get a British club, as he did of course. He is a Sheffield asset.

The lighting of the blue paper here was Lord A's observation of how good two matches were on Monday, and that riders were racing out of their skins. He didn't say they weren't trying in regular matches (no professional paid-on-results sportsman isn't trying to earn as much as possible in every event) but that there was exceptional effort being put in. In a football match, doesn't the professional concentrate harder, run faster and tackle harder in a deadlocked, needle Champions League fixture than he does in a mid-season, mid-table match when his team are three goals up, or down, with ten minutes to play on a wet Wednesday night? I'm not saying he won't still be trying to score, I'm not suggesting he'll be cheating the public, just that he will not be playing at the impossible-to-maintain level he will strive to achieve on the bigger stage. Indeed, I think anyone who feels this isn't the case is being unrealistic.

Good post! This quote has been dangled in certain people's posts before, yet no-one seems to be able to attribute it to any of what you call "members of the promotion"...... Can you either name the promoter (there are three of them) who you claim has made such a statement or stop shirring the stit?

Is that you on the insurance all winter now?

There are probably those who feel the sad fate of Leicester in failing to qualify is the result of bad promotion. Of course it isn't, but don't let that stop the long-running, senseless campaign of ill-feeling against the people running the Lions by a small but vicious bloc of critics.

Sensible groupings, in that the two Thursday, and two Friday tracks have to be kept apart. Somerset or Newcastle in Final, against Edinburgh or Ipswich?

At last! A reason to talk about this meeting, which seemed to have slipped under the radar.

It isn't "Berwick fans" lionking. It is a couple of dissidents, who delight in stirring the rubbish. I think you have one or two of the same ilk at Leicester, no? Berwick fans will give their backing to any rider in black-and-gold, and will agree with you that Alex Edberg was a cheerful and popular member of the team, albeit restricted by injury. (Edit: Actually, I didn't write "rubbish" in this post. The BSF policepersons automatically changed the word I typed!)

I think the salient point in the above post is that there are too many double-uppers. The Premier League clubs could, and should, break away completely from any alliance with the "upper" level, and get back to running their own successful show, like in the 1980's.

On sale at World U-21 Final practice on Saturday. Admission free, but everyone invited to make a donation, get a wristband. Will also be in track shop during the big meeting at night.

How about Michelsen, Dudek and Bellego?

Absolutely correct. These are for media desks, not sad anoraks.

Understand the Russian rider Vladimir Borodulin has withdrawn from meeting because of injury. Is there an automatic promotion from his qualifier, or another wild card?

Think you are being a little hard on your team. Two early 5-1's for Berwick went to 3-3's when Bellego and Starke fell (in rock-solid second places) on a track the riders were clearly finding difficult early on and these two heats alone (had the Bandits prevailed to the flag) would have given them the league point they still had a chance of lifting when Heat 15 went to the tapes. Indeed, had Bellego not been injured and withdrawn, Berwick might well have collected even more than just one point. I agree races are over 4 laps, and don't want to take credit away from Edinburgh's fight-back, but Berwick were surely good value on a circuit they traditionally don't do too well at. Certainly, given their collection of falls, they can't be accused of not trying.

Apologise to a heater? Hardly necessary.

With Kozza the match-winner in last night's Ashes Test, and Ricky England's top-scorer, the Bandits might just be up for a point here. If they can set Cookie's blue touch-paper alight after Heat 1, they might get more!