Sheffield v Birmingham 3/4 Premiership R1

[GeneralMelchett]

10 minutes ago, The Third Man said:

How do you pass when the Sheffield riders consistently gated and the Birmingham riders were no where near them?

The only exception was heat 13 when Holder chased Zagar and nearly caught him on the line

Well you can’t but follow my leader isn’t entertaining . if the Birmingham riders had managed a gate or two we may have seen some - ergo the meeting would have been more entertaining for me and suspect most of those attending! 
 

part way through the meeting I moved to the 3rd/ 4th bend to see my tigers mate - at no point did I see any Birmingham riders trying different lines or trying to claw back ground on the Tigers - they simply sat back and completed the race settling for third or last! 

Edited Friday at 07:48 AM by GeneralMelchett

[4thbender]

We're doing it for Tai. If Ipswich think they've got the Premiership title all sown up, they need to think again. There are more teams that will receive a mauling from a Sheffield team in this mood. Even from his hospital bed, Tai is having an influence beyond all expectations.... and what a captain we've found!

[The Third Man]

11 minutes ago, 4thbender said:

We're doing it for Tai. If Ipswich think they've got the Premiership title all sown up, they need to think again. There are more teams that will receive a mauling from a Sheffield team in this mood. Even from his hospital bed, Tai is having an influence beyond all expectations.... and what a captain we've found!

Even his r/r rides got a maximum

[szkocjasid]

12 minutes ago, 4thbender said:

We're doing it for Tai. If Ipswich think they've got the Premiership title all sown up, they need to think again. There are more teams that will receive a mauling from a Sheffield team in this mood. Even from his hospital bed, Tai is having an influence beyond all expectations.... and what a captain we've found!

I don't think Ipswich think they've got it all sown up, maybe some fans do & not just Witches fans.

Despite lasts nights score, I still feel Ipswich are the strongest team by far, they look like the type of team that can win away without being at thier best. However anything can happen over two legs in the play-offs. So Witches (baring injuries) are massive favourites to top the table, doesn't mean they're guaranteed to win the league.

[Aries]

14 minutes ago, 4thbender said:

We're doing it for Tai. If Ipswich think they've got the Premiership title all sown up, they need to think again. There are more teams that will receive a mauling from a Sheffield team in this mood. Even from his hospital bed, Tai is having an influence beyond all expectations.... and what a captain we've found!

And for the millionth time, we don’t!!! It’s fans of other clubs saying that. 

[Aries]

2 minutes ago, szkocjasid said:

I don't think Ipswich think they've got it all sown up, maybe some fans do & not just Witches fans.

Despite lasts nights score, I still feel Ipswich are the strongest team by far, they look like the type of team that can win away without being at thier best. However anything can happen over two legs in the play-offs. So Witches (baring injuries) are massive favourites to top the table, doesn't mean they're guaranteed to win the league.

Exactly this. After last year if people seriously think we’re all confident of winning the title at this stage of the season and even getting to the playoffs offs injury free, then they’re living in cloud cuckoo land. We’re only a couple of meetings in and look what happened last night at Oxford! Five of the seven were involved in crashes, Doyle’s was horrible and I feared the worst for a few minutes. It’s a bit of a lottery at this early stage. 

[4thbender]

On 4/2/2025 at 3:23 PM, TTT said:

I hope that Sheffield can pull off a win for Tai but I think Birmingham will win due to Sheffield having not ridden a meeting this season.

Tobiasz Musielak knows his way around Sheffield and I'd fancy Jason Edwards to be the highest scoring reserve on show.

You sure about this?

 

[GeneralMelchett]

44 minutes ago, 4thbender said:

We're doing it for Tai. If Ipswich think they've got the Premiership title all sown up, they need to think again. There are more teams that will receive a mauling from a Sheffield team in this mood. Even from his hospital bed, Tai is having an influence beyond all expectations.... and what a captain we've found!

It's wrong (in my view) to think a club is going to win at this stage with most clubs having only completed a single league match - Sheffield will have much sterner tests than last night but they have certainly started well. Unless they sort out the R/R they may suffer again is one of the Holders gets injured - like Ipswich suffered last year losing both top riders, but lets see.

I feel Rowe is a natural fit at Owlerton last night he was out of the gate really quick each time - which gives him a big advantage - likewise Flint looked better than I have ever seen him, he was unlucky in heat 2 otherwise that would have been at least another 2 on his scorecard.

[Heathcote]

Probably the most boring meeting I have ever attended at Owlerton, one pass, Flint on Jeppeson in heat 8 and the rest you could fill your programme in 30 yds after the tapes.  I doubt even if Birmingham had gated more often it would have been much different as the 2 times that MJJ and Zagar did pop out in front there was still no way Josh or Chris could pass them as the track offered nothing either inside or out.

Maybe with last years injuries sustained at Owlerton, the constant slagging off of the Owlerton track for too much dirt building up on the outside and the recent injuries suffered by Tai, maybe the Tigers management and track staff took this onboard and produced an ultra smooth slick track....all in the interests of rider safety, which I'm all for.

Although to part with cash for fuel, car parking, programme and entrance as well as my time, then sorry I demand entertainment for that kind of outlay, thankfully next week will be spent watching the "racing" on BSN

[LagutaRacingFan]

Does anyone else think speedway would be more interesting if the home team started a few metres behind the away team?

I think this would make the racing better in every single match.

[4thbender]

33 minutes ago, Heathcote said:

Probably the most boring meeting I have ever attended at Owlerton, one pass, Flint on Jeppeson in heat 8 and the rest you could fill your programme in 30 yds after the tapes.  I doubt even if Birmingham had gated more often it would have been much different as the 2 times that MJJ and Zagar did pop out in front there was still no way Josh or Chris could pass them as the track offered nothing either inside or out.

Maybe with last years injuries sustained at Owlerton, the constant slagging off of the Owlerton track for too much dirt building up on the outside and the recent injuries suffered by Tai, maybe the Tigers management and track staff took this onboard and produced an ultra smooth slick track....all in the interests of rider safety, which I'm all for.

Although to part with cash for fuel, car parking, programme and entrance as well as my time, then sorry I demand entertainment for that kind of outlay, thankfully next week will be spent watching the "racing" on BSN

Sorry to hear you won't be with us next week ...(honest!) Speedway can do without fair-weather friends who turn up just to slag-off the racing, the track, the riders, the management, and the fans. If you don't like it, go and pay sixty quid to watch a bunch of multi-millionaire fancy-dans kicking a bag of wind.... or you could pay a bit less and watch the women's version (nicer legs!)

However, I must correct you on certain matters about track safety (I've said this till I'm blue in the face), but ALL the injuries sustained by Sheffield riders in recent seasons have been sustained on tracks elsewhere. These alleged injuries sustained at Owlerton last year are figments of people's wildest imagination. There was a single unfortunate incident suffered by Ben Cook who came a cropper on bend 2. He was knocked out cold but was riding again within ten days! To find a serious career-changing injury occurring at Owlerton you must go back to 2014, when Taylor Poole suffered a fractured femur which put a premature end to a promising career.

I can therefore say without fear of contradiction that Sheffield has one of the cleanest safety records in speedway.

[4thbender]

6 minutes ago, LagutaRacingFan said:

Does anyone else think speedway would be more interesting if the home team started a few metres behind the away team?

I think this would make the racing better in every single match.

Why not handicap riders with weights strung to their backs like they do the horses? 

[GiveusaB]

9 minutes ago, LagutaRacingFan said:

Does anyone else think speedway would be more interesting if the home team started a few metres behind the away team?

I think this would make the racing better in every single match.

Yes, if the track had dirt on it! 

Reading between the 'lines' (pardon the pun) it sounds like (from forum posts) Sheffield set their track up for gate and go, knowing how incompetent B'ham riders are at starting?

[SPEEDY69]

4 hours ago, GeneralMelchett said:

Well you can’t but follow my leader isn’t entertaining . if the Birmingham riders had managed a gate or two we may have seen some - ergo the meeting would have been more entertaining for me and suspect most of those attending! 
 

part way through the meeting I moved to the 3rd/ 4th bend to see my tigers mate - at no point did I see any Birmingham riders trying different lines or trying to claw back ground on the Tigers - they simply sat back and completed the race settling for third or last! 

So, very much  like the Ips-BVue meeting I witnessed.

[SPEEDY69]

7 minutes ago, 4thbender said:

Sorry to hear you won't be with us next week ...(honest!) Speedway can do without fair-weather friends who turn up just to slag-off the racing, the track, the riders, the management, and the fans. If you don't like it, go and pay sixty quid to watch a bunch of multi-millionaire fancy-dans kicking a bag of wind.... or you could pay a bit less and watch the women's version (nicer legs!)

However, I must correct you on certain matters about track safety (I've said this till I'm blue in the face), but ALL the injuries sustained by Sheffield riders in recent seasons have been sustained on tracks elsewhere. These alleged injuries sustained at Owlerton last year are figments of people's wildest imagination. There was a single unfortunate incident suffered by Ben Cook who came a cropper on bend 2. He was knocked out cold but was riding again within ten days! To find a serious career-changing injury occurring at Owlerton you must go back to 2014, when Taylor Poole suffered a fractured femur which put a premature end to a promising career.

I can therefore say without fear of contradiction that Sheffield has one of the cleanest safety records in speedway.

Wasn't Sayfutdinov's injury sustained at Sheffield?

[Steve0]

7 minutes ago, 4thbender said:

Sorry to hear you won't be with us next week ...(honest!) Speedway can do without fair-weather friends who turn up just to slag-off the racing, the track, the riders, the management, and the fans. If you don't like it, go and pay sixty quid to watch a bunch of multi-millionaire fancy-dans kicking a bag of wind.... or you could pay a bit less and watch the women's version (nicer legs!)

However, I must correct you on certain matters about track safety (I've said this till I'm blue in the face), but ALL the injuries sustained by Sheffield riders in recent seasons have been sustained on tracks elsewhere. These alleged injuries sustained at Owlerton last year are figments of people's wildest imagination. There was a single unfortunate incident suffered by Ben Cook who came a cropper on bend 2. He was knocked out cold but was riding again within ten days! To find a serious career-changing injury occurring at Owlerton you must go back to 2014, when Taylor Poole suffered a fractured femur which put a premature end to a promising career.

I can therefore say without fear of contradiction that Sheffield has one of the cleanest safety records in speedway.

Although not a Sheffield rider, I would say that Sayfutdinov would disagree with you! 

[Steve Irving]

2 hours ago, 4thbender said:

We're doing it for Tai. If Ipswich think they've got the Premiership title all sown up, they need to think again. There are more teams that will receive a mauling from a Sheffield team in this mood. Even from his hospital bed, Tai is having an influence beyond all expectations.... and what a captain we've found!

Think you need to calm down a bit. Enjoy a resounding win of course, but it was Birmingham at home. 

7 minutes ago, 4thbender said:

Sorry to hear you won't be with us next week ...(honest!) Speedway can do without fair-weather friends who turn up just to slag-off the racing, the track, the riders, the management, and the fans. If you don't like it, go and pay sixty quid to watch a bunch of multi-millionaire fancy-dans kicking a bag of wind.... or you could pay a bit less and watch the women's version (nicer legs!)

However, I must correct you on certain matters about track safety (I've said this till I'm blue in the face), but ALL the injuries sustained by Sheffield riders in recent seasons have been sustained on tracks elsewhere. These alleged injuries sustained at Owlerton last year are figments of people's wildest imagination. There was a single unfortunate incident suffered by Ben Cook who came a cropper on bend 2. He was knocked out cold but was riding again within ten days! To find a serious career-changing injury occurring at Owlerton you must go back to 2014, when Taylor Poole suffered a fractured femur which put a premature end to a promising career.

I can therefore say without fear of contradiction that Sheffield has one of the cleanest safety records in speedway.

Is there a reason you’ve conveniently forgotten about the Emil crash that ended his and Ipswich’ season? There was a very real safety issue there last season whether you choose to deny it until you’re blue in the face or not. Your very own riders criticised the track live on TV, we all heard it. Again deny it all you like, but the dirt pile up by the fence WAS dangerous for anyone brave enough to go out there. The majority wisely chose not to.  

[Steve Irving]

10 minutes ago, SPEEDY69 said:

So, very much  like the Ips-BVue meeting I witnessed.

And the one last evening at Oxford. I think this is quite common early season though to be fair. Normally improves when things settle down and you get in to the season properly. 

[Steve Irving]

23 minutes ago, LagutaRacingFan said:

Does anyone else think speedway would be more interesting if the home team started a few metres behind the away team?

I think this would make the racing better in every single match.

 

14 minutes ago, 4thbender said:

Why not handicap riders with weights strung to their backs like they do the horses? 

It’s not as daft a suggestion as it seems. No it won’t happen of course, but would it improve the entertainment if dialled in home riders started behind the visiting riders? 100% yes. 

[Aries]

12 minutes ago, SPEEDY69 said:

Wasn't Sayfutdinov's injury sustained at Sheffield?

A convenient spot of amnesia there!