vog

I notice the Sheffield riders luckily managed to get drawn at Sheffield Still, I should be there, looks a decent line up!

Ok...That's just a stupid notion. Home track advantage is evident with riders on approximately the same average, or of the same skill level. A rider who practised at Sheffield all his life would struggle at Rye, in the same way a rider who practised at Rye all his life would struggle at Sheffield. There isn't a massive amount of home track advantage when you are lining up next to the World Champion...

That team would struggle against most PL sides,let alone picking any 5 for the world cup!

Stoke hardly has a massive amount of home track advantage, you only need to look at how well opposing teams number 1's do around there! Unfortunately, we have some horrendous facilities!

Over the last few weeks Sheffield have been ravaged by injury and terrible riding. Ricky was a prime example in the defeat to Edinburgh, destroying the tapes, falling and being off the pace bar a single race win. As for proven home advantage, you only need to look back thru the seasons, even when Sheffield have had an average team, they have generally gone unbeaten at home (This season aside as Redcar seemed to build a team that was Sheffield rejects!)

No, it's not bad manners and bad sportsmanship, it's called a discussion on the merits and drawbacks of using a track with a proven home advantage to stage the most prestigious individual event in the Premier League! Yes, Ricky did well to win, there can be no doubt that on that track, on that day, he was the best rider. Unfortunatly, due to it being his home track, there will always be people questioning if he could have repeated it on any other track in the league!

So...if it had been at KL...and people had said it was home track advantage had Darcy won, we shouldn't blame him as he didn't pick the track? I appreciate that they can only ride the track they are given, but if one rider rides that track every week, the chances are they are going to perform better than if the meeting is held at any other track. I applauded Ricky when he won, but I still can't help but feel that a) He isn't as good a rider as some of the previous winners, and on any other track in the league the result would have been a different one.

2006? Andre Compton crashed out when in second position in the meeting after 3 rides each. Would he have gone on to win, who knows, but he was acquitting himself quite well. 2008? Compton again, scored 4 from 2, then had a fall that by all accounts was a heavy one, and an engine failure in his final race. His fall was when attempting to go around Parker for the lead, his ef was at the start of his final race. He would probably have finished on 10 or 11 points, enough for a semi final place. So i'm going to stick with you having home advantage in both of those years, but falls proving costly, which can happen to anyone. And also the fact that Woffinden had probably done more laps of the Sheffield track than most in 2008...

Eh? Inside the stadium? If so, that was Mckenna...if you mean in the pub...I actually don't remember any blonde lass!

Not the best meeting in the world...infact, not the best meeting I have seen at Sheffield this season. Track seemed to dry out pretty quickly, which made passing pretty difficult unless you got lucky or the rider in front messed up. From a Stoke perspective, felt sorry for Bunyan, not the best gater in the world, and when the track is that dry, he was always going to struggle. Congratulations to Ashworth, top scorer in the heats, and won the final, but I can't help thinking that he wouldn't have won it anywhere else. This just proves that, on a given day, he was the best rider around his own track. The averages over a season don't lie, he is still the 3rd lowest number 1 in the league (Ahead of Larsen and Fisher) Still, congratulations to him, but can we please get it on a neutral track that isn't down south! Coventry would be ideal!

A completely shameless bump so that people see this...

I think people were saying about 1? I know that's what time I'll stumble down there for!

It's looking highly likely! It's only a short walk

Some of us have uni the next day! I'm not one of those people, I have mondays off

I may stagger down to this!

Wow...in a field of 20 riders, 6 of them used to ride for Stoke (7 before Tom Brown withdrew!) No point in me noticing that, just made me smile!

Not going to the meeting then?

Just to go slightly off topic, the Jets are pretty good, I know that their defensive co-ordinator is also the DC of the Sheffield Sabres uni team, and a couple of players play for both!

I should probably get my ticket at some point...

I think because I know you it's why I suggested it

How did I miss this! Don't do it Mrs Squall Sandie will lead you astray!

I'll take a large stick,just incase

I originally thought that,but Birmingham managed 2 heat advantages in heat 15...surely this isn't a good way of deciding it!

By knowing the secret handshake

Thanks Seems like Klaus has carried on his form, he is riding really well for Stoke