TheWellBehavedWorrall

I’m of the opinion that the for the sake of the sport’s long-term prospects in this country, the BSPA must insist on a Premiership and Championship merger. I don’t see how “leagues” consisting of six and eight teams is a viable product. ”Let’s move Birmingham here” and “hopefully Workington step up” is the sporting equivalent to running around your house a few days before payday, looking for a lost fiver or some pound coins down the side of the couch to pay the bills. It’ll work, but it isn’t sustainable. Imagine you’re a Sheffield fan, for example, and you’re looking at next season’s fixture list. You only have five other opponents. Five. Zero variety; that will drive fans away. Merging both leagues creates a bit of excitement and significantly more variety than the current set-up which, again, I don’t believe is sustainable.

Buzzing for this tonight. I’m out on the coast, but a friend said it’s raining on the outskirts of Glasgow. Regardless, the forecast is positive, so here’s hoping.

I wouldn’t pay much attention to Poole’s website; it says Danny King is their captain. Tacky kevlars and an out-of-date website. It’ll be a miracle if they win this grand final.

Do you blame them? The term ‘beggars can’t be choosers’ is highly applicable to British Speedway.

I can’t remember what the exact scenario was - my memory is suggesting it happened at Berwick - but I’m almost certain Ian Steel lost his job at Glasgow for a decision he made at Shielfield Park in 2004 or 2005. I’m not suggesting Cami Brown should lose his job; he’s on the brink of a league title, but in a sinister way, he was lucky Pijper crashed in heat twelve. If he hadn’t, I’m fairly confident Oxford would have shared that heat which wouldn’t only have impacted the momentum of the meeting, but the result too. A baffling decison.

I was wondering the same. I’ve never witnessed a rider appear to be in so much pain.

Absolutely. It would be difficult, but I feel it’s necessary. The Championship was a depleted version of its former self in 2023, never mind the Premiership, so I feel like the entire system requires rejuvenated. With Wolves and Peterborough, at least, exiting British speedway, then I feel a two-league merger is necessary.

If the BSPA proposes and is supported in the implementation of a single league set-up, then Poole’s preference would be redundant while Leicester’s preferred race night may be irrelevant. If a practical racing schedule accommodated 21 teams in 1995, I’m confident it could be done with 14.

I’d like to see one big league, like 1995, albeit significantly smaller. There were 21 clubs back then which is incredible to think. I appreciate I’m not privy to the costs and challenges associated with a one-league merger, but I feel it would be the best move for British Speedway as a product. I mean, Wolves and Peterborough are out of 2024, right? Posts above suggests Leicester may join them, so that leaves the Premiership with four or five sides, if I’m not mistaken. As a Glasgow fan, I found it strange that more sides qualified for the Championship play-offs than didn’t; that renders qualification hardly a novelty, so I can even imagine what being a Premiership side and/or fan must feel like; zero variety. I’m amazed and sad that Speedway in the UK is struggling, having left Ashfield on Tuesday night with nothing but optimism for the sport.

I still can’t get over that pop from the crowd when Complin took Kerr wide and allowed Brennan through for a heat fourteen 5-1. I thought those atmospheres were saved for Ibrox and Celtic Park in Glasgow.

Is there an actual rule book description for bunching? I just assumed it was a general term for a coming together on the first bend. I thought unless you were blatantly at fault - Segdmen at Redcar when he took-out Bailey, for example - the you were protected by the referee being conscious of a lack of space in the first turn, thus there’s a higher risk of collision. Jason Doyle during the GP in Torun is a perfect example. He caused two stoppages of the same heat and Stevie Wonder could see he was causing these stoppages by running across and into opponents, but I was under the impression he was protected by the old first bend bunching. If Pijper was the blatant cause of the stoppage, then Oxford have a right to be fuming.

I joined this forum quite liking Robert Lambert, but have been influenced to dislike him. Is he just an ar*ehole? People who put on Polish accents while being interviewed in Poland tend to be ar*eholes.

Is that correct, no tactical substitutes allowed in the grand final? £4? Hook me up with your dealer, Steve.

Sorry, heat twelve.

I don’t want to commit without having seen a replay, but surely Pijper’s crash in heat fourteen was the definition of first bend bunching, no? Perhaps those watching on BSN are better positioned, having had the benefit of replays.

That’s unfortunate. Being a Glasgow fan, I’d never look at it like that, but I can see where you’re coming from. If I was a Poole fan, I’d feel the same. Similarly, had we been waiting for Poole or Edinburgh in the Grand Final, we would be disappointed to miss-out on Edinburgh. Hopefully both sides put on a show for fans who can attend, plus those watching on BSN from home.

That’s an incredible take. The boy first rode a competitive speedway fixture less than twelve months ago and only turned sixteen about 40 days ago, so what exactly is it you’re expecting? In my opinion, based on watching him live on two occasions, I’ve never saw a rider that age gate so competitively or enter corners with so much pace and confidence; his technique is beyond his years. I’m a huge believer in giving youth an opportunity in any sport, but I assume you’re a Glasgow fan, so what are your thoughts on Ace Pijper scoring only 4 points across both meetings in comparison to Boughen’s 4+1?

Grand Final New Date Sunday at 6PM. Buzzing.

Very true. I remember him with Sheffield. I thought he was the match winner last night. He set the tone with not only his enthusiasm for the crowd, but some outstanding riding. I’ll say it again - he bullied Lewis Kerr in heat fourteen. He created a 5-1 for him and Brennan.

If Pijper had participated in heat fourteen, there’s a significantly high probability that Kerr or Atkins would have finished ahead of him, thus adjusting the landscape of the result. Maybe not, but that was a huge risk by Cami Brown and in my opinion, a tactical error.

Poole are also at a disadvantage in the ‘Best Dressed’ category. Glasgow’s team kevlars take anyone wearing them to an eight out of ten, minimum. Absolute Vogue. Meanwhile, Poole are mixing navy and light blue, like they’ve gone; “Hi, Stevie Wonder. Can you design our kevlars?” Sometimes, I worry that Poole prioritise points over appearance.

I forgot to add that the second leg will take place on Christmas Eve. Poole, as you said, don’t want to surrender the second leg, but the Allied Vehicles weather machine has caused 19 postponements of the first leg. Lawson will be out in heat fourteen as a tactical substitute. I also forgot to add that Complin will lap him while smoking a cigar.

What was the script with Ace Pijper in heat fourteen? That was an uncomfortable watch, seeing him in so much pain. I assume the paramedics were the last to reach him because they’re instructed not to enter the track until all bikes are stationary, but that wasn’t nice to see. Also, why was Pijper in that heat? I’m conscious I’m not up-to-date on the rules, but I thought everyone had to have at least three rides - which he already had - so wouldn’t Complin coming in from the start have been the most astute tactical decision? Having said that, I felt sorry for Pijper. He had a tough night. At 17, I was illegally drinking alcohol on the streets; he’s lining-up at the tapes with the likes of Chris Harris and Scott Nicholls. These challenging experiences will be the making of him; he’ll benefit significantly in years to come.

The first leg will be at Poole and the second will be Glasgow. We’ve got a weather machine up here, so we’ll force a second leg at home. I, for one, cannot wait to see Lee Complin perform another erotic sex dance on the back straight, having just lapped Richard Lawson in heat fourteen to secure the title.

Thanks. The forecast is horrendous; the first dry day is Monday, according to BBC Weather. Why don’t we borrow Redcar’s track sheets? They won’t be needing them.