Nickinho

I think clubs need to start looking into what involvement their local council can play in terms of the land. I think Manchester City Council contributed a lot to Belle Vue's stadium. In the US, local authorities give HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS of dollars towards financing stadia (the Nevada Legislature approved $750 MILLION to help fund the construction of the Raiders' new stadium in Las Vegas). I know the promotors at Armadale looked into this kind of help and didn't get very far because local Scottish politics is a corrupt cesspit and you're more likely to get the go-ahead for a hundred kebab shops on the same high street than you are to get for a speedway stadium on the edge of town but if you can prove that it will bring money/jobs/tourism/reputation into the local area then some councils down south might just help a bit.

Why can't Poole fans raise some money between them and buy a bit of land off the beaten track and create a track like Workington have done? It doesn't need to be Wembley Stadium. Just one covered stand, 2 air fences, 3 burger vans, 4 portaloos and 5 tons of shale. Get to it Pirates fans! [edit] I just discovered that you can even rent seated stands.

Job Interviewer in 2022: "Where do you see yourself in 5 years time?" Me: "Finally getting to see the restaging of the 2022 Jubilee Trophy..."

I can't see Berwick picking up a single point from this section tbh.

I've had better 6 minutes... ;)

6 minutes if it rains...

Have you tried the pockets of whatever you were wearing that day? Always works for me :)

I'm pretty sure that was 6 heats too but again i'm also pretty sure that at the rescheduled fixture i just handed over my voucher and got in for nothing. That happened more than once last season but it appears that has definitely changed. I think this will make me a bit more wary of the weather when going to Ashfield this season.

Doesn't the rained-off voucher entitle you to free entry at the next meeting? I'm 100% sure that it used to but the announcer was prattling on about getting £4 off the next meeting. Have they changed the voucher system?

Currently pissing it down. No signs of clear skies either. Not good.

I think the reserves race will be interesting and how Pijper, Coles and Stoneman progress throughout the meeting. I don't think Berwick will be any pushovers though and if they can keep it tight at Ashfield then they will have a good chance of securing the bonus point at Shielfield as the tigers aren't really that good away from home at times.

I recieved no such reply.

“When you're overtaking an enemy, do not leave a passing lane free.” - Sun Tzu 'The Art of Speedway'

Thanks. I can't understand why riders block you on Twitter.

Hi Lioness, i messaged you a couple of months ago about pinning the Championship signings thread for this season. Thanks for the lack of a reply and the lack of any action either.

A rider deliberately knocking off another rider has never happened in the entire history of speedway. Down with this kind of thing, Father!

Ben is a talented and very exciting racer but around Ashfield he often rides like a lunatic, sometimes even trying to put himself into the fence. I can understand Cookie's anger as he had to take a lot of evasive action to avoid his front wheel being taken from under him on the third/fourth bend but it's Kyle i feel sorry for because that could have been a much nastier crash for him. He went over on his neck and was extremely lucky not to leave the track injured so a lot credit should come his way for coming out for the re-run.

The weather is really good, not a cloud in the sky so i expect the meeting to be called off at 4:55pm. Does anyone know when the rearranged fixture will be?

I got there early and still ended at the back of the queue. It may have been a Good Friday thing though plus the good weather but i hope that all the new people who attended will have liked it and will come back

About 300 pounds judging by that waistline

For some reason i thought it was 8

Can anyone explain how Chris Harris was able to come in as a tactical sub in heat 14? Is this a new BSN format rule? I didn't understand it seeing that the Tigers were only down by 6 points.

My thoughts on the two teams after last night's meeting: 1 Chris Harris rode like a number one and looks really 'dialed in' for this season. 2 Josh Pickering is the most inconsistent gater i've ever seen but one of the most exciting racers. Frustratingly brilliant. 3 Marcin Novak is terrible on every track that isn't named Ashfield. 4 Tom Brennan has plateaued. He's still young but i don't think there is a 'next level' for him but i could be wrong, i often am 5 A few people in the crowd grumbled about Kyle Bickley but he was on pace all night and was unlucky in heat 2. He certainly won't be the worst reserve in the Championship this season. 6 Ace Pijper would have benefited from one more full season in the NDL as he looks a step behind all the other riders on track. 7 Cookie was sheer class and looks like he's moved on from his miserable final season in Glasgow. 8 Claus Vissing looks every inch the 8 point heat leader he used to be and will play a key part if Glasgow are to push for silverware this season. 9 There was a lot of talk before last night's meeting about Kye Thomson needing to take a step up this season and after his opening ride that talk didn't get much better. However, his set-up was way off in that race, his bike lacked any real speed and he was left trailing and that was clearly highlighted by his following three rides where he looked different class and ended the meeting with 8 points, thus putting an end to any worries. I think he will be a really good No. 3 over the course of this year. 10 Paco was a completely contrary Paco last night, he did brilliantly in every race apart from his usually favourite Heat 14 Is this the new Paco and if so who will step up to keep the Monarchs competitive in that heat? You gotta love his passion though. Top class. 11 Jacob Hook looks like he's made a lot of progress on last season and his 6 points from 4 rides were very well earned. I can confidently predict that he can maintain that kind of score over future meetings, certainly around Armadale anyway. 12 Lasse was well worth his 6 points from the traditionally difficult 2 spot and will easily justify his 4 point starting average when the season really gets underway. 13 Lee Complin spoke a lot over the offseason about his need to come back slimmer and fitter. Last night he still looked decidedly 'big boned' and reminded me of Lee Dicken. Did Cammy get the two Lee's mixed up and re-employ the 'funky chicken' by mistake..? Please note these are just my opinions and based on the results of just one meeting. I may well be eating my words after Sunday... I've been more complimentary about the Monarchs riders but i believe that this is due in part to my slightly higher expectations from the Tigers this year. Benjamin Basso didn't put a foot wrong but i was expecting him to really blaze a trail this season and he probably still will but there are times (except around Ashfield) when he doesn't really seem to have that 'killer instinct'. He scored 9 points from 4 rides so i've no right to criticize him but he really should have been fighting with the team manager to get put out in Heat 15 over the underperforming Tom (yes, i know Tom is the captain but a good captain makes sacrifices for his team). I'm not privy to what goes on in the pits but young Mr Basso has to be more confident in these kinds of matters as well as in his on-track ability which is there for all to see. Good marks though for Chris, Claus AND Ben and they all performed really well in Tiger Red. I'm looking forward to Sunday already.

There's much more chance of Ashfield being called off if last year was anything to go by as it would often rain all week, then the sun would come out on Thursday and stay off until 7pm on Friday night when half an hour of drizzle would usually put paid to the meeting. I don't know why they don't bring it forward to 6pm, it's not like most people work a 9-5 anymore these days.

You're giving Pijper a wee bit too much expectation imo. He will be lucky to have 4.00 by season's end