Bostonian

Well, what a terrific team we have assembled for our first season in the premiership. Nicki is Nicki, I'm sure he'll be an astute rider on home and away tracks. Howarth, Holder, Grajczonek, Kurtz and Lawson are all very quick around Owlerton, so we should be in for some entertainment and big scores at home! Away from home, I worry about a few, especially the reserves, but a new season means a clean slate for everyone, and I hope both Kurtz and Morris can do their bit away from home too. Either way, its an exciting time for Sheffield Speedway and huge well done to the promotion for the team they have assembled. Up to us as fans now to get behind the momentum and pack Owlerton out and prove we are right to move up to the Premiership.

Just out of interest, and with good reports on last nights racing.. Couldn't Tigers run on a Wednesday night next season? (If rules and regulations were to stay the same)

Can't blame him to be honest. The commuting from up north to Peterborough every week must take its toll, plus affecting his time working and with family. Seems like Ged is a good guy, with his heart and head in the right place.. Just hope someone can come forward to take Peterborough on as it seems a great club, and deserves some stability off track. British speedway needs good tracks like the showground too.

I think a little perspective needs to be had with a few fans and about our current promotion. Last season, one of the best for many years as a Sheffield fan. The promotion put together a superb team, drafted in a superb guy in Simon Stead to be team manager, and really gave us fans a season not to forget. This season, unfortunately, has not gone to plan. They obviously had a line up in mind and thought they had Lawson, until he changed his mind and went to Lakeside. Maybe Lasse coming in wasn't the only change they had to make once Lawson decided otherwise? The issue with Josh Bates they obviously got wrong, and I'm sure will hold there hands up too. Gravesen coming in seemed a sensible decision, and he deserved another chance after his great performances last season. Again, unfortunately it didn't work out. Team changes made again and bringing in Broc and Georgie, I thought was a good move. Broc has done ok so far, but unfortunately Georgie struggled. The issue with Bjerre I think has been on the cards for a while! A great rider, but not the easiest guy to manage by the sound of things (I have never met or spoke to the guy so that's just an opinion from the outside looking in). Our performances this past month have not been good enough, and I'm sure the riders & promotion will fully understand the fans frustration. The promotion no doubt will know they have made a fair few mistakes this season, but I have enough faith in these guys that next season they will do what's needed and put together another good side. We have no chance of reaching the play offs, so making team changes is not a bad idea at all. Anderson may surprise a few, who knows, but its worth a shot to see what him and Connor can do now till the end of the season. If they can't show what the promotion are looking for, then they can access that and decide for next season. We do not have squad systems or training etc like most other sports, so the only way to see how a rider is, is the sign him and give him a go in your team! I will be at all meetings for the rest of the season, bar Edinburgh away, and I will once again be there next season no matter what riders we have. I am a Sheffield supporter, not a glory supporter. I will support my club through the good and bad times! Frustrated fans I understand, but fickle fans who cannot accept bad times within a season, are what really grind my gears!

Cannot disagree with this more. Steady's been a top manager over the year and half he's been on board. Can tell all the riders trust him and he makes the right decisions 9 times out of 10. Yeah maybe he should give Georgie an extra ride when necessary, but to say to get rid of Steady would be a terrible decision. Meeting wise, Scunthorpe deserved to go through. Poor from some of our own (bar Nicol who was superb) and the guests were poor. Move onto the next, simple as that. With a full team I'm sure the score would be a lot closer. Lets hope we have both 1-7's available at the end of the month for a good local derby!

Will definitely miss Howarth, especially round Scunthorpe as he's usually red hot around that track!

Excellent couple of meetings on Thursday & Friday, hats to both sets of riders, totally committed and some tough yet very fair racing.I think there could be a bit more bite in this rivalry this year with Scunthorpe having a much better side than previous years. Thought both results were deserved on each night. Sheffield came good midway through the meeting on Thursday and Scunthorpe seem to run out of gas. Likewise Friday, Scunthorpe were always just ahead bar heat 1, and deserved their win. Some healthy crowds to boot as well! Some of the racing was outstanding, although I have to say the video's don't do them justice to actually being their live, in the moment.. Live speedway just doesn't compare to TV! More of that for the rest of the season from both sides, and we could have our local derby via the play offs as well!

Just a slightly different topic.. Is Jan Graversen likely to be snapped up elsewhere? Not seen much floating around regarding other teams line ups with him in... Would be gutted for the man who was superb for us last season, and slightly gutted to not see him return at Sheffield.

Just a thought on the whole promotion/regelation for Sheffield & Leicester. From what I have heard/been told before, you cannot run 2 teams within the same league. I understand Neil Machin does a lot of the work at Leicester, but I'm sure the bates family own both clubs. So would this rule out the possibility of Sheffield going up anyway if the fixed race nights come in next season? Or a switch of leagues from Leicester and Sheffield anyway?

So these ridiculous theories and abusive comments have found there way onto social media and even into emails to Sheffield speedway! Unbelievable! To bring a statement out like that, they must of had some disgraceful comments/messages/emails... Lost for words! Can't imagine what the bates family are probably feeling right now, after the serious amount of graft, time and work they have put in to both clubs.. To keep Leicester speedway alive and to bring silverware back to Sheffield after 15 years.

I'm sorry but if you thought last night was fixed you are deluded! It was clear to see on Steady's face that he was disappointed, angry and a bit lost for words when Brando was interviewing him. Ideally, Sheffield are better suited to the premiership, and I'd hazard a guess that Mr Bates, would sooner rather Sheffield were in the top division, than Leicester. I'm lost for words on some of these posts I have seen. To forget we won the league only a week or so ago, and the pairs victory on Sunday.. Some of the comments towards riders and club is embarrassing. You cannot stop doubling up. Riders cannot afford it, clubs cannot afford it, and its here to stay. I personally have no issue with it. As long as I see the same riders each week for MY team, I've no interest what other clubs they ride for.

They definitely said last night that it's Redcar next Thursday. Guessing it could change though depending what happens with the play-off second legs.

With Harris and Holder there, going to try my best to get to this.. Should see some good action. Be interesting to see crowd numbers.. I much prefer a Sunday evening and much easier to get to, plus more chance of higher amount of away fans. But, will see what the public of Scunthorpe prefer!

Really felt for Godfrey, track staff and anyone else who mucked in, they worked their conkers off to get the meeting on. Felt Rob's frustration on the mic, constantly apologising for the weather distruption, but there was nothing he could do about that.. And it just seemed he was masking the frustration he had towards certain riders. I'm really not one for having a go at riders, because at the end of the day they understand track conditions more than us fans, I have little knowledge of bikes or track preparation etc, and I don't for one minute want to see any riders get injured because of conditions.. But what I can make judgement on is what I see, and to me the track looked ok, albeit dicey and wet in the early races. Towards the later stages, it actually produced 1 or 2 half decent races (Williamson and Douglas was it? had a good scrap around heat 5/6) and the track seemed to be only getting smoother as the racing continued. Cookie stormed to a win in the race he actually fancied, but to me it was clear certain Workington riders just didn't fancy it. Ideally as a fan, you want to see better racing than last night, but from what I could see, the track was only getting better and it seemed pretty clear, Workington wanted it off as soon as a result could be declared. Auty rode it superbly, hats off to that man, as did every Scunthorpe rider. I saw Kerr having a dig on twitter but he rode it well too, especially heat 1 which looked very tricky. So this offers the question? Are riders to soft and don't want to race as soon as conditions are less than ideal? I know a few got filled in but surely they've got to expect that racing a DIRT track.. Or, are today bikes just not cut out for tracks like last night anymore? Or, was it simply a case of certain riders just not fancying it?

As other posts mention, that is how to run a successful double header! Hats off to Sheffield Speedway and the fantastic venue that we are lucky to have. 2 minutes on as soon as the riders got back to the pit gate, no farting around between races, and it was clear that the referee/riders/mechanics etc were all together in getting on with it. Don't think we had 1 fall or disqualification all night and only a short wait between meeting 1 and 2. Thought the first meeting was a bit drab, due to the fact Edinburgh only had Ricky Wells scoring well. Pleased to see Georgie Wood looking faster and more comfortable, new engine perhaps? The second meeting was much more tense and the score line was so tight until those last few 5-1's for Sheffield. Seemed that you were very rarely guaranteed a winner in any race.. Connor Mountain for example winning heat 4 with Schlein 2nd and Howarth 3rd. A few bikes issues for both teams which I thought evened itself out over the night, Lasse's ride in heat 9 was unbelievable.. No idea how he didn't get caught in the air fence going so wide, but then darted up the inside of Schlein on the last corner! Last few heats we pushed on and walked away with 3 5-1's.. Which lit the crowd and atmosphere up too. Special mention to Jan Gravesen who has been possibly the signing on the season since the 1-7's were announced. Seems to have got Owlerton dialled in and getting some huge scores, plus takes the pressure off Georgie Wood. Ipswich and Sheffield are definitely the best 2 teams in the league, so hopefully we will see these 2 compete in the grand final in a few weeks. Lets hope our 3 heat leaders stay fit as does Mr Gravesen and will be an awesome few weeks coming up.

Taking into account owners/leagues and general knowledge of each team, looking at new season - Premiership Swindon - Stadium under threat? Should be a Starter Wolves - Banker, Starter Belle Vue - New promotion, Starter Poole - Banker, Starter Rye House - Under good promotion, Starter Somerset - Solid club, Starter Kings Lynn - Big announcement next week, Possible Championship/Non Starter? Leicester - Promotion/Relegation possible? Is that still happening? Starter Championship Sheffield - Under good promotion team, Starter Glasgow - Under good promotion team, Starter Ipswich - Solid promotion team and sponsors, Starter Edinburgh - Solid promotion team, Starter Redcar - New'ish promoters, Starter Newcastle - Didn't they sign a new lease for the stadium for another 5 years last season? Starter Peterborough - If Ged is still happy to carry on, Starter Workington - Sounds worrying, Possible Non-Starter Scunthorpe - Again sounds worrying, attendances the issue? Possible Non-Starter Berwick - New promotion team, Starter By that, I'm guessing 3-4 teams are not guaranteed for next season... Worrying to see. I'm sure they'll be plenty of twists and turns over the winter, and some of these may be in better/worse state than made aware of, but thought I'd give my opinion on it for what it's worth. I do hope that this winter is positive and a proper plan can be set out by the BSPA for the next few seasons. Regular race nights that suit each club, a system to in-cooperate DU riders, a suitable rule for guests and a proper marketing plan to move Speedway into the 21st century. (I know, shoot my down, I'm hoping for miracles here!)

Another anti-Aussie post on SBF. Next please... British speedway already struggles to get a good standard of riders to ride here, without banning Aussie's because they apparently moan to much!

Looking forward to seeing Nichols having a blast around Owlerton tonight. Think we'll have to be on the metal to beat Lambert tonight who scored a full max for Lynn last night. Can't see much else to worry about with the Newcastle side, maybe Robson at a push. Hoping for another good win for the Tigers.

JPB's still a really young lad finding his way into regular speedway. Doing well for Birmingham but it's a big step up to ride in the championship. Plus, he's got the added pressure of riding for his hometown club who he supports too. I'm sure many Sheffield fans have high hopes for him but again, that's added pressure on young shoulders. No harm in him doing a few guest bookings until the end of the season, and then hopefully back into the tigers 1-7 for 2018.

A little harsh no? £1 for a colour printed race card to fill in and a bit of news, plus advertisement. What more do you want for a quid?! They don't charge £2 for second halves, it's when it may be a youth championship or another big event, they never charge extra for meaningless second halves. Toilets.. Use the toilets near the entrance, much nicer. Problem solved!

I thought the same thing yesterday Eric, I always presumed that a reserve had to have 3 riders, even if injured? Also, since when has the SGP warning rule for jump starts been brought into our leagues? Rob mentioned it over the tannoy yesterday after Branford had moved on 1... As for the meeting, it really came to life at about heat 10. Poor from the Tigers to not even pick up a point but when it was merely a 4 man team, it will always catch up with you in the end. Don't agree with the criticism on some riders get though. The reason Kurtz and Branford are on such low averages is down to consistency. Rob's a reserve on a very low average and Todd has been on similar average for a few years now.. That's how you have to build teams with big scoring heat leaders. Chopping and changing riders so much just because they have a bad meeting now and again, especially on away tracks, is not the answer in my opinion.

It was actually good to see a couple of heated moments here and there, least it brings some more excitement to the meeting. Personally thought Barker did ride wide in Heat 15 from where I was stood, but in the video you can't really tell. Certainly ruffled a few feathers but it was entertaining! Great pass by Bates on Garrity, and equally by Barker on Kurtz who seemed surprised that he came through. Some good races here and there and a decent meeting overall. Have to agree regarding the interval.. Started late yet still had a interval! Much prefer what Scunthorpe do and just crack on with minimal breaks. One of the most entertaining parts of the night was seeing Hall and Wright have 2 races fighting for 3rd place, and then nearly started round 3 after the race and in the pits! Not often you see it between 2 team mates!

Still going strong for Stock Cars at Skegness from what I know. Haven't been for many a year but pretty sure they still do alright from it

Agree, Josh was a miles better rider when Steady was trackside with him. Did it for him at the end of 2015, and last season when he was out injured he helped Josh, he started to score better again. Think with Steady as TM, he could again bring the best out in Josh. When he doesn't over ride he's as quick as anyone around Owlerton. Looking forward to finding out the last 2 tomorrow morning. Think they will of been sorted a while but most clubs like to keep the fans interacting with them by releasing signings slowly. I personally think its a good idea as it keeps the off season interesting and also gives us lot plenty to talk about each week!

Pretty sure they've won track of the year within the past few years.. Disagree with you on that, I've seen some of the best races this season down at Scunthorpe. Track is wet yes but it suits the track to be wet. Think riders like Kerr and MPT who turned their seasons around by signing for Scunny will put half of it down to winning races again on a good track.