King Jamie

Dear Mr Wonder Kye Thomson wasn't in heat 5 when Dame Edna crashed

Would you care to list and provide details of these "several occasions" you refer to? My memory isn't as good as it used to be. That aside, all the very best to young Max. A rider who I first saw pootling around Owlerton as Sheffield mascot and whose scores I followed from a very early stage of his career, even more so after discovering he was a Wayne Carter protégé. One of the few riders who can say they've won a race with a broken leg! Was absolutely delighted when he signed for the Monarchs in 2015. One of the most entertaining riders to watch at sunny Armadale. There were quite a few meetings when he achieved more successful passing manoeuvres than the rest of the riders put together. Mundane fixtures could be brought to life when Max was on track. Granted, he could also be quite frustrating to watch at times. While there was no doubting his talents, his generally poor gating did appear to hinder his scoring, especially on away tracks. However, I always defended him when others seemed intent on criticism. An excellent servant to the clubs he rode for throughout his career. Pleased he collected so many medals, team and individual, and I hope he has lots of happy memories to look back on from his time in the sport. Good luck Max

Paul McStay-esque.

You still hold that opinion?

I trust we're all in agreement that we'd rather sign somebody Finnish than somebody who's finished.

Perhaps it's his best Richard Lawson impression?

I still have vivid memories of the day my gloves froze to the wall at Shawfield during a Clyde vs Hearts match Sad to see another victory for the Green nutters

It doesn't always work like that. I well remember the 2007 season. We had a number of injuries and finished near the bottom. That year, the likes of Andrew Tully, Matthew Wethers and Derek Sneddon were 'stalwarts'. William Lawson had also featured for a while and, albeit not part of the declared 1-7, Aaron Summers was used as the equivalent of what's now an NL guest on a number of occasions. Roll on to 2008. Kaj Laukkanen and George Stancl were replaced by Ryan Fisher and THJ, joining the 5 named above. The result? A brilliant season. Strolled the league title and added the Premier Trophy for good measure. I should probably collect stats as to how many winter changes teams make on an annual basis. Sadly, I can't be bothered, so I can't actually say whether the above is the exception to any potential rule!

I entered the times below in my programme. Possibly one or two may be slightly out. As you said, it was quite loud. Heat 1. Awarded. Heat 2. 62.62. Heat 3. 63.12. Heat 4. 62.32. Heat 5. 61.62. Heat 6. 62.06. Heat 7. 62.75. Heat 8. 64.87. Heat 9. 65 13. Heat 10. 65.88. Heat 11. 63.19. Heat 12. 64.25. Heat 13. 63.93. Heat 14. 64.06. Heat 15. Absolutely no scoob whatsoever. Sorry.

"we", as in myself and any other Monarchs / speedway fans who may agree with me. You appear to not be in agreement with my thoughts. That's not a problem. Fair play and all that. It may well be that I am the only Monarchs / speedway fan to whom it matters. Not really something we could prove either way. You're more than welcome to undertake a fan survey in an attempt to find out? I'm well aware what my name is m'dear. The difference being, this is an online forum for, amongst others, terracing nobodies such as myself. Nothing official about it. By comparison: British Speedway website - he's referred to as Josh. In the Monarchs programme, it's Josh. Monarchs website - it's Josh everywhere I've looked, apart from in the live updates for some reason. Official channels should stick to official names at all times and on a consistent basis. I've always been annoyed at the use of inaccurate ID. It goes back a number of years. For example, several tracks have printed / announced riders by referring to them as: Dalle Andersson (instead of Daniel) Thomas Jonasson (missing the vital H in the middle) Rusty Harrison (instead of Russell) Willie Lawson (instead of William) Paco Castagna (instead of Michele) The list is endless. A poor show.

He's been paid, week in week out, for doing his job throughout those 7 years. What further public thanking are you expecting? Fishing for platitudes is a sad way to live life. At least we won't be subjected to any more "Joshie" nonsense in the updates.

Poole's change was due to injury. Unavoidable. Glasgow's change was due to a rider being told to go home. Unavoidable. Oxford's change was an attempt to strengthen their team. Wholly avoidable. Bad Oxford. Cheats!

Makes a difference from the usual saggy old cushion

I hope you didn't hold your breath Monarchs achieved the grand total of 15 points from 16 meetings. Being crowned Champions on the basis of the final 6 meetings would be nothing short of embarrassing. Thankfully, it won't happen. I'm going to put the above down to a transposition error and say well done on your correct prediction.

I don't think you'll need to touch any wood (Dayle included) in order to get your wish. Neither side deserves a chance to claim themselves as Champions this season. Here's to Poole winning the group and going on to clinch the title. #Peoples'sChampions