Terrace Grumbler

I was just wondering who has that accolade at present. I ask only because now and again the rabble who come to Brough Park with me [ok, my family] award the title "Master of Brough", - the subject happened to come up while watching the Sky match from Wednesday and I recalled that a relatively recent "holder" was James Grieves (in his first season)

Well, look on the bright side - the season will now finish in late August instead of mid-August...

I don't know any riders socially and do not claim to be "in the know", but I do know a ranking bad performance when I see one, and that is what we had this evening. Oh, and quite what a "purist" (= speedway snob?) could take from the efforts of most of the Scunthorpe team, I do not know. To the non-purist, they stank for place out.

On a much lighter note than yesterday, if my hearing wasn't playing up, didn't I hear Roy mention that Ludde's girlfriend is selling t-shirts? I'd buy a couple if I knew where to ask.. Can anyone help, please?

Mr. Blobby, sorry I can't get my phone to quote, but to reply to your post, the point isn't why Benko is not here (everyone will have nothing but sympathy for him and his family)but the Plymouth promotion's failure to replace him. I wouldn't have commented if it were not for the history of Plymouth no-shows (i don't remember Ben Barker ever turning up). Lewy, why would the position have been different if, God forbid, Benko had been injured? My point is that turning up without a full team is poor. Possibly an unworthy thought, but I wonder if more effort might have been put in if this meeting had been at Plymouth.

Yes, the latest example of Plymouth's disrespect for the paying public of Tyneside: will the BSPA coffers be swelled by a fine? 15-9 and 4 heats, incidentally.

I don't quite "get" Rosen - lots of people whose opinions I respect are full of how good he is but it seems to me that most of his points are won from the gate, and he's not particularly quick anyway. Funny how different people see riders in different ways : Ludde would always be the first name on my team sheet, but I guess he's like Marmite. (But please can we have an outside line for him?)

I think we're too far into the season for changes to have much effect. The position is not surprising but still disappointing; it looks like another season as also-rans and we're getting close to the time when you look at the fixture list in the programme and think that there aren't many meetings left...but it seems the season only started a few weeks ago. Such is life.

Although we've pretty much stopped going to away fixtures, I'll be in Yorkshire this afternoon and will go if I can - I love Owlerton, it's so different from Brough Park...and the chance to see Wilko in a Diamonds race jacket again!

I'll look forward to seeing Newman again but think that how competitive the meeting will be depends on which Ryan Fisher turns up (I hope it's the take-no-prisoners panto villain one). None of the other Plymouth riders has any great rep (or any at all) around BP...remember when Morten Risager was the next big thing - what happened?

While I should say at the outset that I don't particularly want to see team changes, I don't think it's right to describe the team as you do. Rather, I think we have three of what used to be (in the days when the top three in a team's averages were heat leaders) third heat leaders, one (hopefully) improving second-string and a rider who probably isn't as good as he has been and is unlikely to improve at this stage of his career. Kerr and Worrall may - and I hope they do - train on: for me, on his day Ludde is in a different class to either but is hopelessly inconsistent - healways has been, and probably always will be (though he is by far the most entertaining rider we have, imo, and long may he remain a Diamond). If a change is to be made, were all bridges burned with Neddy? 100% gater but always gave his all.

I think it's just that our riders are in and out: they have 7 point averages because, unlike the top guys, they can't and don't deliver every week. Such is life, and if there is no money to make changes, so be it. Robert Lambert's performance is testimony to George's ability to spot a rider. Last season would probably have been very different with RL and the King of Kings in the team. I thought last night saw the best racing of the season at Brough and I'm looking forward to next week, though I do wonder how competitive Plymouth will be.

Interesting - do you have a link to the heat formula?

Same for us. We gave up season tickets last year, but the only meetings we missed were when we were on holiday. But people who have stood near to us for years and years have drifted away and just don't come any more. I guess they may all have different reasons but at the end of the day if it's not that they can no longer afford it, the reason must relate to the quality of the product, whether of itself or in comparison with everything else that's out there. Speedway can get under the skin - my elder son is 23 and lives in London, but every Sunday I have to text him the teams, the condition of the track, who the ref is, and the weather, and then after every heat!

Newcastle were outgunned yesterday, I think it's as simple as that. decent meeting, though. I also think that there is a direct relationship between the number of people [not] on the terraces and the ability of the promotion to strengthen the team - so we'd better batten down the hatches for a tough (and possibly short) season. On the upside I imagine many of the matches will be close. We normally follow the team to away fixtures in the north, but are giving it a miss this season as I can't see the team being competitive away from home, especially as other clubs strengthen up.

What about "Two Tracks" Tully? Has he retired?

If there are no funds for changes to the Newcastle team, so be it - that everyone has to live within their means is a lesson which, over the years, a number of promoters could have heeded. When all of the team are fit and have their best bikes with them, we should be able to give most a run for their money at home, although I think only Ludde has the outright speed needed to take on the ten point boys. Last night's meeting was as poor as the Glasgow meeting was good. With the current standard of riders in the PL and the prevalence of gaters in all teams, it's a crap shoot. I enjoyed seeing Birks bully Rose last night - good experience for LR, and turned the clock back to the days of Banger.

Afternoon all, It's back to the days of sacking Grant MacDonald and Will Beveridge because (as I recall) someone couldn't count. Hopefully the team will be strengthened when King gets a PL average. But in the meantime the MC (again) hasn't done us any favours. The only positive I took from last night was that Greenwood was increasingly on the pace as the meeting wore on - I hope that he can gate and/or pass, though. I thought I'd never think twice about what to do on a Sunday evening, and holidays apart I haven't missed a meeting for a long time. Now I'm no longer sure, really, which is a pity, but there it is. (How many more times will we see Redcar this season? None may be scheduled but they and Workington appear to be on rotation and I bet they're back).