Grachan

Just seen that they are going back to the aggregate bonus point. Speedway gives in to the grumpy old online whingers and does what it thinks that fans want. The 3-2-1-0-1-2-3-4 scoring did the job perfectly and was relevant in every match rather than just a second leg. Still, they'd already buggered that up, so I guess it doesn't really matter any more.

If I recall correctly, Ipswich had 2 rising stars in their team a couple of years ago but one of them - Anders Rowe - had to ride as a proper team member.

A great signing for the end of season dinner and dance.

I see Alun Rossiter and Lee Kilby are no longer listed on there as "advisors". I wonder if they asked to have their names removed?

It's actually pretty easy to find. Turn off the M4 and head down the M32 to Eastville. Look for IKEA on the right. It's just underneath there.

Teams didn't get an extra point for winning by more than 6. They lost a point for winning by less than 6. That's what was taken away. It was 3 for winning by more than 6. Now it's 3 for winning by any margin. It was a good system. They should have kept it.

Looking at the difference between the two teams tonight, I very much doubt that.

I have a question. Aside from the craziness of having this on a neutral track, what is the point of having a place called "The National Speedway Stadium" that provides brilliant racing and then - the first time it might actually be needed to be called into emergency use - having this meeting at King's Lynn?

Of course it shouldn't. If that was the case, any side who tops the table but loses heavily in the first leg away could just decide not to stage their own leg and be declared champions. If any side fails to stage their leg of the final, then the title should automatically go to the other team.

Atmosphere looked good on social media. What a shame Eurosport seem incapable of getting that across. Sheffield were unlucky with Adam's exclusion - which was a bizarre decision. Should have either been all four back or Brennan excluded. Tobi's exclusion was a bit more 50/50, but I also thought Sheffield were unlucky there as it looked like Kurtz leant onto his back wheel. Sheffield learned the same lesson as Swindon did in 2007. You can't just put together the best side and become league champions as a result. You need to suffer first. Makes it all the better when you finally do it, though.

It will be interesting to see how many Robert Lambert gets tonight. Undoubtedly the best rider on view, but his gating hasn't been great, and Sheffield doesn't have as many overtaking lines as Belle Vue offers.

They wouldn't have known the correct rule if they had.

Lambert wasn't even close to missing the 2 minutes in heat 15. As I learned myself yesterday, on this very thread, the rule is as follows: "Riders must, at the expiry of this time allowance, be on track, under power, proceeding without stopping towards the starting gate." So, he still had about 30 seconds left when he came onto the track.

Really? I'm sure they used to have to be ready to race at the end of the 2 minutes. That's a bit daft then, if they can still do that after the 2 minutes has expired.

Isn't that pretty much what happens anyway?

Clear space? There's only seven of them left.

I've only watched a couple of meetings on there, so I assumed they were a more regular pairing. Just looked and it was the Championship League Riders Championship - 24/8/22.

I've watched a couple of BSN matches, and I agree that they do a better job than Eurosport. Eurosport seem to base their presenters on how good they were as riders, but I think Adam Roynon is the best rider/presenter/commentator I've heard. He also works well with Dave Rowe as a kind of counter-balance to Dave's full-on delivery. We also don't get long, lingering shots of tractors going round or wide shots of quiet stadiums - of which we get too much of on Eurosport. I hate to say it, but Eurosport coverage often makes speedway look boring. They could learn a lot from BSN.

Definitely. I think there are questions to be asked about his part in this - such as why he tried to sneak the closure through without anyone actually knowing about it and it only became public after it was leaked on here. Like others, I certainly wouldn't rule out the possibility of him getting paid off.

Swindon had to fit him in on a 13.5 average once.

The first race I ever saw at Swindon Ashby beat Olsen and broke the track record. I also remember a dead-heat between them - probably the following year.

Well, if anyone questions why the top British riders opt out of the UK to concentrate on Poland, I think we saw why last night. Lambert was a class above all the others - even Jason Doyle. No matter about the rights and the wrongs of Belle Vue bringing him in at this stage of the season he was great to watch.

That there Premiership Transfer Window what opens after 25% of the League fixtures are complete and then closes again when 75% of League fixtures are complete.

Interesting. That's yet another interpretation. I was thinking that it is saying you can make changes outside the transfer window for long-term injuries but, yes, you could be correct that it means you can only make more than 2 if you have a long-term injury.

Actually, I've just realised that if you read rule 12.2 as it is written, the transfer window doesn't actually allow any transfers at all for proven long-term injury. "This permits changes to the team on 2 occasions, except for proven long term injury." Sheffield and Wolves should get a lawyer onto that one!