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It's blatant short sightedness by the promoters to allow a system where by a rider on an inflated average from riding at reserve or second string can be replaced by a rider on a falsely low average from riding as a heat leader.

All this talk of guests, I thought you could only have a guest for a number one or maybe a heat leader at best? how on earth is Bjarne suddenly a heat leader?

Will sky bother showing the restating? Will they bother show Belle Vue tonight if it goes ahead?

And history tells us if one semi is postponed and the other runs, the one called off will not be shown on telly when it's restaged.

Hammers fan might go up there to see the new stadium but would they have gone if Aces were still riding at Kirky Lane? there goes another flying pig. There is more chance of Pope Francis becoming the President of the United States than Lakeside winning at Belle Vue, never mind on aggregate.

Biggest disappointment for me about Kelvin was that i expected his involvement would lead to making sure the riders had their setups and engines the best they possibly could yet unfortunately the likes of Robert Mear still appeared at times to be riding on a lawnmower engine, or maybe it was a case of the riders telling him, leave me alone mate i know what im doing? in which case what's the point? I think Kelvin would be far better suited to tutoriing younger riders who are more willing to listen and take advantage of his vast knowledge. It will never happen while the current promotion is in charge as they have made it more than clear they want to race in the top flight only, but it would for me anyway make far more sense for Hammers to be in the 2nd tier creating a more natural step for the youngsters they are looking to build via the hagon shocks academy.

Thing is as much money as Man City and Chelsea have they have no say in the rules of the Premiere League, why should speedway be any different, its like John Berry used to say, its a close shop, the promoters act like they are in their own little Masonic lodge and no one is allowed to come from the outside, judge them or suggest what they are doing is wrong. Speedway will not die, it will always exist in some form, especially in countries like Poland, but over here it is dying a very slow death and they just can't see it or refuse to see it, crowds are falling at most tracks season on season, we all know it, we all know plenty of people who used to stand with us that no longer go, and now even the ones that used to be the ones who would say I will never leave are doing just that.

Yep i would say Poole vs Belle Vue, which is in line with my prediction made before the first legs, i had Hammers to draw or lose by 2 which the Aces abliet by six points more and i had Poole to win by 14-16 so wasnt too far out, Wolves could still turn it around but i think its firmly advantage Pirates.

Now i will admit i have never been a fan of Mr Cook since his exploits at Eastbourne but i really do think he has mugged the loyal Hammers fans off for the last time, he had no intention whatsoever of making a fist of the play offs, he wanted the semi final for the money, claimed he had a plan to replace AJ which was nothing more than a rouse so he could subsequently come out and say because AJ wanted to ride the second leg (guess what KK is now confirmed as the guest) so he could not bring in a new face, just total lies so more of the purse would likely fall into his own pocket and not that of a guest rider or proper replacement. Its one failed promise after another with the man, and the whole thing stinks of its his toy (actually its Stuart toy Jon) and if you don't like it tough, in fact we should be honoured we are allowed to pay to come in and watch, that is the feeling from watching this and recent seasons I have got (even at the start of the this season when things were seemingly going good) its just not the same as back in the Arena Essex days when I felt part of the club even if at times we led a very humble existence indeed. I have no intention of returning there whilst that man is still holding the fort, I can live without Lakeside Speedway, but he can't live without the fans.

Just got through watching that back as I was working during the live broadcast, as always seems the case the track is siht (sic) whenever Hammers are in the play offs, i said rider replacement was a stupid concept and so it proved to be the case, just six points scored from it. Also it looked like the crowd was truly shocking, extremely poor advert for the sport as a whole, can't blame sky for saying F this, why should we cover the second leg, congratulations Belle Vue, you deserve it.

14 points would keep the tie open which would be great but don't forget on Friday we had Nicholls, tonight Scott is in the other side of the pits and riding as a second string, not a heat leader.

Chris Cobby a rider for Arena Essex back in the 80s used to be called Banana Man because he wore all yellow leathers.

Working this evening so will have to record this, interestly the tv guide says 19:30 to 21:30 hmmm i dont think sky are going to be able to fit 30 heats plus all the reruns from jumping the start in two hours. Predictions: Poole to win by 14-16 points, Hammers vs Aces a draw or 2 point win for Aces, Next Monday will be a mere formality on both counts, semi finals tend to be one sided affairs, the money match is Poole vs Belle Vue and will be a cracker, scores to settle and what not.

I am sure their were fiddles and what not going on back before the internet, i heard rumours of things long since forgotten, but today nothing stays secret, someone will talk or drop something in a text or whatever they shouldnt. But here is the thing, all those on here who don't go anymore are potential fans of the future if British Speedway changes to where the whole show is appealing and a can't miss product, a lapsed fan can always return, the fans who don't go and no longer follow the sport in any way shape or form are gone forever, you will never get them back.

After the GP whether he will be fit on the Monday i have no idea but i bet you he will be stiff as a board on Sunday and probably on pain killers too.

It's not just the rider replacement rides you have to cover though and on a good day I can only see us getting about 75% of what AJ would from his programmed rides, but who do you go with in heat 15? Kim and who else? Six rides for them, that's another problem of rider replacement and if God forbid one of the others was to get injured your really in a mess.

Yep based on the known facts I thought the weather would win but that area got lucky, never had any doubt Arena would win on the night if it went ahead, just a case of how much. Hammers may well scrape a win on Wednesday but trying to match AJ's points scoring is almost impossible, I think Aces will take it based on Nicholls form last week, and the fact that they will have one of the Worrals at reserve.

They said they had a plan Tony, clearly they didn't, the choice of guests were limited I admit but running R/R puts a massive strain on man and machine of the other six, they can't afford to have a single rider off form now.

Exactly as I thought it would go Steve, all they cared about was making the play offs and cashing in on it, R/R saves on another riders travelling expenses etc. Sorry Poole, Wolves fans and neutrals alike, this tie will be all over as a contest very quickly.

Ive been going to Arena Essex (never accepted the name Lakeside) since 1988, and there was a lot of ups and downs and plenty of the latter in the mid 2000's but it was'nt until the last three or four years that my interest has become very fragile, In 2014 i lasted about halfway then decided nah i can't be bothered with this, in 2015 i went to only one meeting which was the final one, this season i have actually been to 12 meetings at Arena (not been to away tracks since Arena went Elite) but then suddenly I have hit a rock again even though Arena are in the play offs I'm not really that bothered (I cant go anyway because of work) I think this sort of thing is always going to potentially happen to those who have been watching the sport for a long period of time and then to see the early days through rose tinted specs, maybe its just me but my most enjoyable seasons following the Hammers have always been when they were in the 2nd tier (1988-1991 & (1997-2003) but even when I don't actively go to watch the sport I still follow it on the TV or via the speedway star, so I never truly walk away, I just don't put any time or money into it.

BCD is spot on, every year we hear the same thing "this is the biggest AGM blah blah blah) nout ever is really done, some minor tinkering that is all, the rest of the time they are too busy trying to find a way to change a rule which will allow them to field a team they have in their minds, always for the good of their own clubs and not what is in the best interest of the sport, stick another plaster on it and it will be ok, the patient though needs a major operation!

You mean like how Poole used Tungate as a guest at Belle Vue two days before he was due to ride the place with his own club

Any other time of the season this would have been off already

Dont be fooled, every promoter in the land has a win at all costs mentality just that some of in a better position to take advantage of the rules than others. Even Jon Cook who seems to have adopted a hollier than though attitude since leaving Eastbourne (where he was part of a promotion that tried every trick in the book to win) has had odd moments of playing politics, an example being forcing Poole to visit with a heavily weakend side, althought that came back to bite him. Why do you think hardly anything gets done at AGM's? its because they are too busy trying to feather their own nests whilst in the process of trying to find new loop holes to stop the others from having an advantage.

Trying to look at this as neutrally as I can, the argument is all about averages in a league where by through sheer incompetence of those who run the sport the averages of most if not all the riders are heavily skewed in the first place because of an ill conceived heat format, at this stage I couldn't care less if Antonio comes in on a three point average.