The Weasel

No......you've got Adam Ellis a 3rd HL in the PL, 4 x PL reserves in Worrall, Allen, Nicol and Kurtz and 1 rider that isn't anywhere near PL standard in Gilkes. I'm not sure if you're a troll or one of the idiots that thinks all is well with CL speedway in the UK, but the F***wits that keep on about all we need is 4 blokes going round in circles is the reason the sports on its knees in this country.

And people really think there's nothing between the PL and CL!!

Convenient though......did it get a mention on BT last night? I haven''t watched the recording yet but an audience of 100-150k watching at home, rather than the 10-20k regular speedway fans that follow the sport closely and would have seen the news already on social media or other Internet outlets, if it did get a mention then I'm with Hyabb it achieved Ford's goal of getting poor old Poole's plight out to a wider number and took away the spotlight from the all conquering Robins. By the way you still laughing? back in June when I said we'd all be hailing King Rosco come the end of the season after the usual pessimists were bemoaning another away defeat, you put up a laughing emoji.....he who laughs last and all that

I'm heading out now for the 2nd leg but wanted to post this before I go......I'm not looking to knock the Ipswich support just trying to validate my own opinion, I'd have said there was 2-2500 there which ins't a bad a crowd at all and I'm not sure Swindon will get that tonight, it's just a sad sign of the times when 2500 is deemed to be an incredible crowd.

To be fair it is a sizeable stadium and i was expecting someone to come back with c12k for the capacity, perhaps I was deceived but I just didn't think it was 1/3 full, especially as a third of the stadium wasn't in use. I'm not convinced that stand hold 3500, is that definite? i can see it being 3500 seats across the 2 large stands but 1 wasn't in use.

That seems a tad optimistic to me, whats the capacity at Foxhall?

Whilst I can't dispute your figures for this years rainfall and how many PP that would have caused, the simple fact is, October sees more average rainfall than September, so if you start the Play Offs in September you give yourselves more time to get the fixtures in and we don't end up with the farcical situation we currently have where there's only 2 weeks left in the season and the fixtures are run in poor conditions and whenever we can fit them in to the detriment of the sport and its supporters. How many people booked last Monday off work (Wolves v Swindon) and then couldn't go on the Weds? likewise this week, how many booked yesterday (for the biggest meeting of the year) and have to miss out because they can't get out of work the following day? Swindon have managed to fill a coach despite only knowing on Thursday that they'd definitely be in the final and with it being PP yesterday have managed to fill it again for today, how many coaches would they have filled if they'd had fair warning of the fixture? 2? probably 3? likely 4? possibly, the sport is missing out and doing itself no favours, forget all the usual nonsense about yellow helmets and 1 big league, the first stop is just better organisation all round.

Sounds like a job for Re Run Productions 'Blue'.

I like your posts Mike but I'm with Shovvy on this, I have missed 1 home match at Swindon in 10 seasons (and that includes NL matches/Ben Fund/Bob Kilby Memorials the works) but if this was the regular line up I'd seriously have to think about attending, with any sport most people pay to see the best, as a sports fan you can appreciate the effort put in by competitors at all levels whether it's watching your children play on a Saturday/Sunday morning in the U10s or it's the top echelons of the competition at a professional level but expecting people to part with their hard earned to watch what would be largely amateurs is a big ask, I'll support a NL match once or twice a season to see the development of potential future stars and to show support to the promotion at Swindon but I don't want a full season of it.

I see you're moaning again, you don't want the season to finish in September, you don't want the Play Offs and despite not going last night you're complaining about paying £20 to get in, what is it you actually want? and before you respond, a return to 1974 isn't an option.

I don't see your point, all you're doing is dragging the season out, what extra fixtures do such teams pick up in September and October at the moment? an 8 team league means 7 (once) or 14 (twice) home fixtures whether the season finishes in August or October, people don't want meaningless fixtures after the cut off date as attendances prove but if Promoters want to continue through these months there's nothing to stop them arranging some extra meetings for themselves.

It's not simply about the wet weather though is it? It's also much colder in the evenings in October which affects crowd levels and track preparation, clubs are always moaning about the precarious state of their finances so surely it makes sense to run the meetings during the optimum months for the sport? As for those that don't like their season finishing in August.....is the sport as a whole supposed to suffer to accommodate their wants? given the average attendance at most clubs, how many people genuinely feel like that? a dozen at each club? I attend every match at Swindon and whilst i'd be disappointed if our season finished at the end of August, I'd gladly take that to see the sport run in a more professional manner where the greater good of the sport is the main concern and not the wants of a few hundred people up and down the country, too often this sport has pandered to the few over the years and look at the state it is in. There were 12 home league matches in the PL and even less in the CL, do people really want that strung out over 7 months? are people really going to complain about the season being 5 months instead? surely people can find other entertainment in the off season? for those that want to watch more speedway how about attending fixtures at other clubs or attending the away matches featuring your own club? There's bound to be a few that do that already and attend 60+ matches a season but I can't believe a majority favour Speedway in October.

Might as well get on, 2019 all done for the Pirates.

On such a great night for British speedway why not just join in the celebrations!!

I couldn't agree more with this point, every year the same people come on here bemoaning a lack of fixtures and continuity issues and the simple answer is to condense the season, start the 1st of April and get league fixtures done by the 31st of August, Play Offs, Cup Finals and any extras to be all done in September, this alleviates the fixture situation and saves the oldies avoiding the cold months of March and October, it's a summer sport after all.

Forfeit Home Leg. Taps beat me to it.

Where's he been sticking his big toe??

Good.

I expect he might, seen leaving Wimborne Rd earlier doing the 'steel shoe walk' but with no steel shoe in sight. ££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££

But less than Humphrey Appleby.

Edited for accuracy.

I think having the meetings in the run up to the Play Offs is a good thing for Swindon, keeps them race fit as it were. A coach load of Swindon fans will be making the journey to the NSS after an agreement between the 2 clubs to lay on transport at presumably subsidised rates and fair play to both promotions for agreeing to this, many get a raw deal on here but that is some welcome planning and something I would like to see more of.

The Steve Shovlar of Ipswich?

When Swindon trounce you Home and Away in the Play Offs you'll be looking forward to it.

I'd say he's a picnic short of a picnic.