van wolfswinkel

Couldn't go Thursday but we've enjoyed some good nights at The Stade de Lite this year with great weather and close meetings. Less peeps means lack of atmosphere, more of an Abbey whimper than a Roar now! Who are you cheering for in this one!..nothing! Need to give out free air-horns at every meetings, loads of kids at Blunsdon when they gave out the free Easter eggs. Did this up at Worky about 9-10 years ago when I lived up there, was a fantastic atmosphere for a crowd of about 1200, (which is probably an average Abbey size crowd now). Should look at other sports such as horse racing, which has special family fun days, to attract the fans of the future. Thursday night was a start. Need to build a rapport with the riders, as they had years ago, otherwise it's just any 7 geezers racing around a track in Swindon colours. Cant be much fun watching at Blunsdon if you're a little 'un! So much competition now for the leisure pound speedway has to make more effort to attract the missing hundreds back to this exciting sport. People want more for their 17 quid now than just watching 16 minutes of racing in an outdated stadium. With Greavsie and Worrall on form, and North Dakota on fire, Swindon are more than a match for anyone in the play-offs if, they can get more consistency and all click on the same night they will have the others running scared. GO ROBINS!!!

The track(or it's size) will be a loss for Swindon's home advantage. Cant wait for a new stadium with decent facilties, and decent views, where you don't have to take your own seats. The biggest loss will be the back-straight bogs, perhaps this listed building can be transferred to the new stadium. Or they could sell pieces of it as souvenirs to raise cash They should call it the Rosco Arena, with some sort of tribute to past Robins Greats such as Briggo, Adams, Ashby, Crumpy, Kilbs, Broady. Good to see roads named after Kilby, Richardson, Holloway...should name more.

The yids never finish in the top 4!!!

Easy win for Roscos Rampant Randy Rockin Red Robins...probably puts paid to Eagles play-off place. Should be another top 4 play-off place finish for The Robins...the Arsenal of speedway! Well done North Dakota, Greavsie(especially), Garrity and Batch. Gusto struggling a bit at 3. Hansi able deputy for Peter Killer....would have scored around 7 on current form.

Eastbourne have tough run-in, have to go to Coventry twice, Swindon, Kings Lynn, and Poole, and have KL, Cov and Lakeside at home. Will definitely be Swindon in 4th.place I reckons.

Forecast a mix of sun and showers. Well done to Swindon for providing extra entertainment. Only just beat Eastbourne last time 46-44, with Blackbird top-scoring and Bjarne only scoring 3. Without Worrall could be tight..but Hansi in for Peter the Killer could be a bonus.Swindon must win this one for play-off supremacy over the Eagles, who have lost every away meeting. Hoping Greavsie can have good night again...will go 48-42 to the Rockin Robins

When was this?

cant even remember Swindon winning at Poole! have they ever???!!! Swindon have good record against KL though.

yes it was sad to see Smallmead locked and derelict when I drove past after the sad death of Rico last year. A Rico tribute hung on the rusted gates. Had thousands of fans when at Tilehurst 60s and then Smallmead, 70s/80s/90s.. sometimes getting better crowds than the Royals struggling at Elm Park. Good derbies with Swindon and Oxford. My last visit there was in 2007 when Swindon won easily, Adams and Zagar in opposition, Mad Wellie Reading manager.

may go but don't worry will not be asking any questions about pay!!!

Worrall was superb, they can beat KL and Cov over two legs but not sure about Poole home and away.

KL, Poole, Cov, Swindon...Eastie and Lakeside have too many away meetings.

All sounds so terribly gay young chap...Lakeside and Eastie wont make it unless Swindon implode/explode. If they win at Swindon on Thursday they may be in with a chance and will deserve it but cant see it even though Swindon are so bloody inconsistent....look at the remaining fixtures, bloody tough run-in with so many away fixtures, and they're pants away from home, lost every meeting.

Swindon still have to go to their fav track Brandon, and have 5 home 4 away.... Cov 8 home, 6 away...Lakeside have 7 of their remaining 11 meetings away so more or less no-hopers, Eastbourne 8 away, 4 home..not much hope(both poor away). Poole to beat Swindon, KL to beat Cov in semis.

I have full confidence in Swindon reaching the play-offs but losing to the Knobs in the semis. They will finish 4th. with 54 points, behind Cov with 59, but in front of Lakeside 48, Eastie 47. Derren Brown

A point would be a good return at a track Swindon don't normally ride well(apart from Gusto, who should score at least 18!). Hopefully Batch will turn up.

Riders such as Peter the Killer have higher paying priorities elsewhere, and according to one of his sponsors at Swindon tiredness takes over affecting his UK performances. If I was earning 10 times more in Poland I would save my best for that, and not risk my neck on a poor, bumpy Swindon track!

Well done Peter the Killer, but according to one of his sponsors I was chatting to his European commitments are affecting his EL form because of tiredness. Swindon need to improve their promotion of the sport,( a pile of leaflets on this guy's business counter), a few fans including myself would surely be prepared to distribute leaflets into businesses to get more fans interested locally. Needs someone local to promote the Robins, cant expect Rosco to do it alongside his trucking. They have a massive catchment area but apart from the ever-dwindling Adver readership and BBC Radio Wiltshire a lot of people are unaware of the sport. Need to attract the hundreds of fans that have stopped going since Leigh left, and riders not trying because of non-payment, and the thousands in the area that have attended a meeting at The Shabbey. Was due to a couple of sponsors financial input that kept the Robins going last year. Hopefully a new stadium, if it ever comes to fruition, can get some fans back even if it might not be EL speedway! EL speedway is not a seventeen quid sport.

Pile of Pooe from Batch...

lost a bit of interest as no speedway recently, should be a comfortable home win about50-40, although Swindon have struggled recently and had to rely on last heat advantages after being behind early on which at least makes meetings more interesting. Roscos Rampant Rockin Red Robins need to win this to be in with a chance of a play-off place. As someone said the riders need a decent track to have the confidence to ride on, and hopefully Peter the Killer wont be too tired this meeting.

Well done to Denmark...and especially Peter the Killer.

Will go for an Aussie win narrowly over Poles, then GB, then Danes. Good to see 5 members of the 2012 Champions Swindon Robins, Andersen, Batch, Killer, Doyley, Steady, plus ex-Robin Korneliussen in action. Well done to Swindonian Rosco for his achievement. GO GB!!!

Why did he sneak off, was the food bad or something...did he pay for it beforehand? We know crowds are down and the teams are weakened but a Geoffrey Boycott aint gonna do no good to nobody? Still my fav sport to watch over football, rugby, orse/doggie racing, cricket, ice hockey, and recently we've been sat on the chairs on the grassy knolls at Blunsdon Abbey in great weather watching some superb close meetings, the crowds haven't been too bad either. Cant complain at the good VFM at the moment. Hopefully we will move into the new stadium next autumn(possibly in the PL)but plenty to look forward to.

Also walked back to Cardiff City FC in the west of the city...half hour walk, next year will probably be parking in central car-park for 9 quid, or off side street between the two stadiums for free. Or there's always the train.

Fantastic management from the Swindon truck driver, and brilliant team performance. Get Steady(and Doyley) back at The Abbey next season. Well done to Batch, and especially Greg and the Yanks. Big shock the favs Aussie coming third.