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Having read the preview for the Sheffield Ipswich meeting, it was blatantly obvious that little effort was going to be made from an Ipswich perspective. “Should put on a show for the paying public” etc etc, but Ipswich have far bigger fish to fry and the reality is it’s natural to hold back and not risk injury with a grand final less than a fortnight away. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if the Ipswich riders were on some sort of staggered guarantee for that meeting, helped by the sponsor. From the managers comments, they certainly had little interest in exerting themselves.

Doubling up was a great idea when it was first introduced. It allowed a second tier rider to share a reserve spot with a top flight team. It’s now gotten massively out of hand and needs to revert to what it was a couple of lower league riders sharing one position in the next league up. long term the sport here needs to become a mix of amateur, semi pro & pro riders. Developing enough riders so that teams can have a type of squad system. using the structure we currently have. MDL solely for amateur riders who ride in the uk using standard cheaper equipment so opening the sport up to more participants. The top MDL riders could hold squad positions in the second tier but no more than 2 per second tier club & only 1 can be used at any time. The second tier a mixture of amateur & semi pro riders with controls on equipment costs to allow riders to compete & not have to pack up because of costs. Again the top riders can hold a squad position in the top league a maximum of 2 per top flight side & only 1 can be used at a time. The top flight a pro league along the lines of what it is now. As a rider if you wish to be a full time pro then you need to have the ability & desire to progress through the ranks to a point where you can support yourself as a pro. However before you can expand & develop your rider base we will need to do some sort of merging of the league to stabilise the sport for the next 2 or 3 years . My thoughts require a long term commitment to a strategy that will hopefully begin to grow the sport.

What did he say?

He was outstanding. Zmarzlik wouldn’t have caught him in heat six. I thought stopping to fist bump Harris as he celebrated after heat fifteen was complete class. Human instinct would be to disappear back to the pits.

I would say the answer to the two questions are the same.Money,fans and pride.

Totally agree. Ive said elsewhere that it’s the rules & lack of credibility that does more harm to the sport than the racing. The racing is just as good now as I’ve witnessed in the last 35 years however it is much faster. I’ve also watched plenty of highlights on you tube from the golden years of the 70s & 80s & it certainly wasn’t any better. As with any sport if you have a competition that people want to watch so atmosphere is generated & businesses are willing to invest the actual visual product plays second fiddle.

You see I don’t get this argument and I never have. When doubling up, you’re not riding for two teams that are in direct competition with each other are you? They’re in completely different leagues. Going by this reasoning, riders shouldn’t be riding for another club in Poland, Sweden or Denmark either? What is the difference? Chris Harris for example rides for Kings Lynn and Glasgow. Kings Lynn and Glasgow are not rivals/competitors because they ride in completely different Leagues. What’s the issue? Guests are far worse because you’re borrowing riders from a direct rival you’re competing against.

And guesting has become the all too easy go to solution for missing riders... You don't need to develop riders to a certain level when you just share around the ones already riding at that level on an ad hoc basis... A "troupe" of usually the same riders earn more money, and clubs can even improve their teams by using them.. Everyone (short term at least), is happy... Long term? With Brexit also now also impacting visa's, a lot of challenges ahead as an ever ageing "mid level" rider base will inevitably one day wind down their careers..

I was hugely critical of Kye Thomson at the start of the season as I felt we weren’t getting enough from him. He’s been brilliant in the second half of the season - real aggression and speed in his racing. He’d be the first rider I’d have back next season. Great to see and made me eat my words.

It felt in hindsight a waste of Sedgmen on r/r but highlight is 20/20

Despite the various pros and cons, some of the vile and nasty comments he has had on social media are totally unacceptable! I hope his mental state is OK.

Integrity is something the sport lacks a lot of sadly. Over half the top tier teams qualifying for the title play offs is ridiculous, in much the same way that 10 of 16 GP riders qualify for the semi-finals these days. It renders so much of the racing that goes before things pointless. I’m more convinced than ever that one league is the way to go. The standard will drop but the things that have got the sport into this mess need to be ironed out asap. Treading water like we have for about 25 years can’t be the answer yet again.

The biggest one of the lot.

The standard will have to drop sadly. Through necessity rather than desire. Britain isn’t producing as many riders as it used to and that next tier below the elite names isn’t as good as it was 10-20 years ago. There are still enough riders to fill teams, they’re just not as good as they used to be. The way the sport has been run is to blame for that. A big part of which has been doubling up. It is a massive stain on the credibility of the sport.

Speak for yourself. Come on Tiger’s lad and you Witches.

It isn’t just those teams that will be disadvantaged is it. Any club that has a big hitter that visits these tracks on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, will also be either running rider replacement for their top rider, or an insufficient guest. I say insufficient, because all the other top riders will be missing and riding in Poland also so a guest will be one of a lesser quality therefore weakling their side. It just won’t work unless weekend clubs change their race night which I’m not sure any of them would willingly do. One of the biggest bugbear of fans seems to be guests but if you run one league and let clubs keep their weekend race night, then it would become even worse! It isn’t just the top boys that ride in Poland either is it. It’s unworkable.

The Ipswich Bitches . Christ what will you be like if Doyle dosent get his wildcard . The worst part of your lot coming out of the woodwork into a final is the likes of you piping up with your garbage. Come on Max and the Lions . Everyone but the bitches are rooting for you.

Not sure if it ever happened was spoken about

I think one league will be a good solution as it will bring more variety and competition. The main issue is, as has been said, is how riders are graded and allocated. If some of he big guns do ride it will put teams who ride Friday, Saturday and Sunday at an immediate disadvantage as due to other commitments they wont get the riders and the could be very unbalanced.

His team manager in Poland I think

Who is Marek and what did he say?

Well done too Tigers deserved the win.MonarchsNo1& 4 let them down badly .Great sportsmanship from Monarchs at the end. That was a local derby!!!!

Agreed. I thought the Edinburgh riders and fans were a credit to their support tonight. That heat six stoppage was the most amateur thing I’ve ever witnessed in sport. Also, both Monarchs left the track and returned to the pits before the re-run of heat one. Isn’t that an exclusion? Then Palovaara 100% missed the two minutes. Dreadful night for the referee. Accidentally pressing the red light is an absolute shambles.

Touch of class from the Edinburgh riders after the meeting. Says a lot about the guys and the club they represent. I presume it was good viewing for the neutral on BSN, which is what it is all about. Both teams gave it their all but I think despite making hard work of it the right team made the final. Glasgow could have put 1,3,4 or Howarth in 15, they were all outstanding. Dan Thompson electric all night and Leon Flint while not gating was fantastic to watch again after midweek.

What a meeting. What a night. I’ve just watched the meeting back on BSN and it doesn’t even come close to being there. If Ashfield had a roof, it would have come off after each of the last three heats. What a track. Inside, outside, first lap, last lap. Pure entertainment. Harris on Sedgmen, Harris on Palovaara, Howarth on Sedgmen, Howarth on Palovaara, Flint on Palm Toft, I could go on and on, but the value for money is remarkable.