spanner47

Not too sure who the best 5 riders in the league are at the moment, but by my reckoning most of them wont be there. Ever since Ipswich went PL, we've hardly ever been able to put out our best riders due to the rules, I assume we cant send our most entertaining rider (Gino), Newcastle cant send their best rider (King), how many other teams are in the same boat? I suppose they made these rules because the EL teams kept taking the P*** out of these meetings, but the PL teams wouldn't do this, and should be allowed to send their strongest pairs on current form, but the rules don't allow this. Once we had to send Doolan to the PLRC when Lasse was easier our best and most entertaining rider, come on Gentlemen, have a look at these rules, they don't help!!!

Good point, last time Edinburgh had a really good side didn't they almost go bust? I'm told that if Edinburgh are top or bottom the crowds don't change that much, so a really good side banging up big scores doesn't get rewarded through the turnstiles, is this still the case? If this is the case then narrow wins away and 10-20 pt wins at home should be affordable.

Fair point, but most of the guests in the PL are due to the doubling up thing, most of the guests in the EL are due to the riders not being available due to more important things. But quite frankly who cares anymore, until we have an independent body running the sport, it will remain a mess.

Let's look on the bright side. With the imminent death of the "guests and r/r" league, hopefully next season all teams will have their own riders. Bad news for the bank accounts of the riders, but at least us fans will be able to watch the same seven each week.

Had every intention of going to this, but although the forecast isn't horrendous, It's certainly not good enough to risk a 630 mile round trip. Haven't seen a "real" table yet, too early as some teams have barely started, but I reckon we must be looking for at least a point to keep our play off hopes alive.

Also not too sure how meetings Adam would miss. But I suppose it's all about the play offs (if we make them) and by then all the elite league is raced on a Monday, so at least he'd be available when the business end of the season starts.

We were discussing this at Foxhall, and the two you mention were the only ones we could come up with. But I assume as they're Swedes they are usually busy on a Thursday night, so if anyone can find a decent 6 pointer, please let us know as I reckon Chris would consider a swap for Adam.

You could well be right, but we'll never know. But I cant remember clubs losing fortunes before sky came along, it's the same in football, the smaller clubs chase the glory and end up in trouble. Problem is, for every £1 sky give to a sport, the riders, players agents etc want £1-20 of it. I'm told that the signing on fees have rocketed since sky came on board, that's where the money has gone, if sky hadn't come in the crowds would still be watching and riders would be earning a sensible amount, probably, maybe, who knows? But it did seem a more sensible sport financially before they came along.

As much as I hate to say it, and I obviously feel sorry for the genuine fans, but losing a track or two wouldn't be the end of the World for the sport in this Country. There's too many tracks and not enough riders. Most fans are moaning about too many guests, most teams are different every week depending on when the fixture was arranged, It's a bloody mess! But let's face it, you aren't going to attract new supporters when you cant even offer them a seat, this is 2014 for Christ's sake. Not many parents would take their kids to sit in a bar for two hours, and the thought of standing around that long for 15 mins action is hardly appealing, especially when your forking out for sky and you can watch it on the box. Sky and a lack of modern facilities are killing Speedway as a spectator sport.

Well that was an entertaining evening. How ironic there's a thread elsewhere pleading with the Leicester Promoter to change the track shape, thank God Chris did it when he did. P.S. Thought Gino was excellent, we all love him!!

Certainly not the case in my view, it was rubbish when there were premier league. I've been to almost 200 tracks and there's only a handful I've said "never again", but i certainly said that when i walked out of there. But i was hopeful things would change, he was making a lot money with big crowds, and i assumed it was a case of where he would invest the money, build a decent stand, or improve the track, sadly he did neither. Me and the wife stood under the cover on the back straight, when the racing started and they all stood uo at the front, all we could see was the helmets as they went past, so we moved to the 3rd bend, so not only was the track a massive cock up, no thought went into that stand either.

Agree with that, certainly the last bit, a few times he hasn't taken a rider out when he might have done, but his decisions never affected a result. Too much is made about the managers role in speedway, they say Pete Adams is a great manager when Wolves win the league, but they dont call him crap when they finish bottom. Switch the odd reserve, pick 2 riders for heat 15, and chuck in a double when needed. As for the motivational thing, i dont see it, no points = no money, that should be all the motivation a rider needs, especially when half of our team dont have any other income, to the best of my knowledge.

Thanks for pointing out my deliberate mistake, couldn't be bothered with a programme, especially when there was so many changes, I'd have spent half the afternoon writing instead of enjoying myself. I think the only fans who reckoned it was a poor meeting would be the ones from the black Country, everybody I spoke to enjoyed it.

Decent meeting, plenty of passing. Just a shame that one semi was much stronger so the best 4 teams didn't end up in the final, but nobody could be blamed for that. Well done to Stoke, excellent team riding to keep Dan Halsey at the back in the last race.

I think most people missed it. They did hold the inquiry and the guilty party had to pay a hefty fine to compensate sky. I think we all know who the guilty party was, and it wasn't the stadium owners. Well. that's what I was told from a reliable source, and it seems that the right decision was made. I can only assume the BSPA didn't publicise the result of the enquiry, just in case the supporters who also lost money chucked in a claim against youknowwho.

I see sky have bitten the bullet and decided to take the cameras to Leicester V Eastbourne on the 14th July. Not too sure what Kelv and Nige will think of it, one thing for sure, I'll be watching it later with the remote ready at 1st lap 2nd bend.

Very enjoyable Weekend watching these two meetings, it wouldn't be Finland without getting soaked at one of the meetings. Was hoping for more from young Nike Lunna, but the boy just couldn't gate.

Great performance from the lads. The grippy track made the Somerset riders look like novices, on the odd occasion they did make the gate, it didn't take long for our boys to pass them.

As well as hoping for a good home win, more importantly i want to see the track in good nick tonight. After a couple of weeks of crap weather where track prep must have been difficult, no excuses tonight, been dry all day and lets have like we expect it. Plenty of drive up the inside in the early part of the meeting, and then a decent wide line later. PLEASE

I reckon Presenter was going to tell us what the vast majority of us already know, Chris is very approachable and more than willing to answer anything chucked his way, weather it be via the website or to his face. But if some want to twist things, then let them do it if it makes them happy, little things and all that.

15 heats of National league racing and 6 heats of that other stuff, and no reruns, got to be a first!!!

I suppose Worrall got the nod in 15 as he won 13. But we cant moan about only winning by 2, seems like we had a huge slice of luck in heat 12 which gifted us the points.

That's one way of looking at it, but he didn't look very ambitious on the telly Monday. But the point Gavan was making was justified, all riders want to win, but the vast majority can shake a hand and accept defeat, sadly Cook doesn't appear to be able to. Some may call it ambition, but most would say he's a bad sportsman that cant accept it when he loses. No doubting his ability, but most riders can accept defeat in a sporting manner. Goodnight.

Just like to thank Sam Masters for gifting us a point I never thought we'd get. As usual with a draw you can point to this and that, but why he didn't get off the track in heat 13 when Cook was leading is anyone's guess. Not too sure if he was hoping that a Witch would be excluded, but even Babs couldn't screw that one up. Richie, becoming an enigma, rubbish then brilliant Gino, good lad Morten, good lad Cam, oh dear, not good enough!! Rohan, good lad the reserves, not good enough. I reckon even we could win there on Sunday as there probably wont be any opposition.

When one team has secured max points and is trying to get it postponed, and the other obviously wants to carry on, then why not give the ref a simple rule that he can go by. If the track has been "raceable" all evening, then one team says It's only "rideable", then surely the times will tell the ref the truth. At Foxhall last Thursday Ht 12 was 6 seconds slower than Ht 1, that tells me the track was only rideable by then, and it was rightly called off, I cant find the times for last night, but Ht 11 looked an excellent "race" to me.