MD

Stage 1 may be track construction only with everything else being work in progress in future years. With a blank canvas, getting the track shape right should be priority 1 as it was at Belle Vue and not Leicester. Perhaps a change from the Armadale or Powderhall shape is on the cards.

Great meeting, lots of good racing and Glasgow really up for it though we've had harder meetings this season. Leicester had 11 last places and an exclusion with little back up for their top three. Basso was just superb though i do wonder if he didnt get ht15 for his own good. With the rain coming down and the trick becoming slippy the heat time was around 4 seconds slower than earlier in the meeting. Perhaps its time for Cookie to rest up for a week or so.

Kyle Howarth seems a different rider this year. Normally his presence in this fixture is a bonus, for Glasgow, not this year I suspect. Last time out young Dan was r/r for an upset stomach, hope no one is struck down with anything this year.

We need to win ht12. Meeting is delicately poised at the break, wonder if they are grading the track?

Apologies, i have it stuck in my head Ulle started there but seems only rode 5 for the Poole meeting.

No easy answers, we are already sacrificing Brennan at 5 to cover for Ulle who wasnt cutting it there. Brennan is doing ok but can be up and down, putting the pressure more onto Cook to perform in ht13. Bailey deserves his chance at 2, his first time up from reserve. He'll learn from it but will need to go back there to re-find his form.

Great meeting, and a decent choice for BSN to come. Basso shone from the start and Broc looks like he is turning the corner. Typical of Summers to put in a shift like that, we waited all of 2017 for one of those. Dishington too soft with Batch in ht9. Sarj tried the same once with Jim MacGregor and the bikes almost ran him over on the next lap before he put the red lights on. Cook cant ride next week the way he did tonight. His off was unlucky but otherwise not really gating and lacking speed, or is it desire. Wish we could help him in some way.

Kids race takes 2-3 minutes, no problem, keeps our younger fans keen. Its the following 15 minutes of tractor racing that grates.

Something overlooked today was the very minimal grading once ht1 got going. It had no detrimental effect on racing IMO with passing right through to ht15. #ScrapHt10Grading

Fairly decent meeting in the end with Basso, Nicol and Hume getting stuck in. Ulle still too slow with Basso and Nicol rounding him rather than be caught by a Scorps rider after Lambert did Basso in ht5. Jake Allen was fairly poor on a track he's normally decent, Jordan Palin even poorer. Expect stronger opposition on Friday with Oxford.

Think they were very frustrated with him in the playoffs.

Ulle's form is showing no signs of changing. He can still gate but just has no speed. I often wonder if this is his retirement year and he's not investing in equipment. Its gone on far too long. The issue with replacing anyone other than Cook is that their averages make it very difficult. Basso, Brennan and Hume are riders signed on the up, on lowish averages but like so many young riders are inconsistent. I keep trying to convince myself not to panic in June, its the couple of meetings at the end of the season when we really need to turn it on. Its not working!

In those intervening years he has been able to make the mistakes you learn from and turn into the shrewd operator you mention. You can do that when you are both owner and manager, and take your time doing it.

Tungate, totally forgot about him, never seems to be mentioned much these days.

I think we needed that, flattering to deceive for a bit now. Ulle just hasnt got going other than last time over there, Basso likewise and Nicol doing very very little. Danyon had a rare off night though frustrating to watch us still trying the inside line throughout the meeting when it largely died around ht 5 or 6.

95% of heats at Armadale are won from the gate. That was amateur right through the order.

It was the former but see Dan T now at reserve this month. Their potential for away wins from these fixtures has increased significantly.

With Leicester having away visits in the league to Berwick, Poole, Newcastle, Glasgow and Oxford within the next 28 days I suspect its another shrewd move from Dickson to play the system to its fullest advantage.

So that Dickson could install himself as manager and was likely just waiting for the opportunity. In reality no manager, experienced or not gets every decision right.

He needs to be on improved equipment, slow as treacle recently.

Ulle is just slow, his bikes see to have little in them. Noticed last week he got 000 for PB at home. Whatever it is needs sorting.

Its coming, we got away with it against Edinburgh two weeks ago and again tonight. Next up is Edinburgh again! A point from either of Poole's no scoring riders would have made it happen. I expected Ben Cook to get a couple of points rather than zero.

As did Steve Worrall after the first lap in one heat. You won't see that every week!

We usually only win the odd heat after the dreaded re-grade but managed three this time thankfully. We should only be pulling the dirt back if we are using gate pattern A, which has us using gates 1 & 3 three times in the last five heats. No one I can think of grades their track to their own disadvantage. Its this sh!t that almost cost us defeat against Edinburgh.

A better team would have slaughtered us, we were there for the taking. Cook had a rare no scoring ride and Ulle was slow as treacle, despite winning ht13 where it looked like he jumped. Ruml was very good value though frustrating to watch him continually pull the same moves out at the fence and pass Glasgow riders so easily. Ht15 was superb, Cook on his own passing and re-passing Lawson to get the win. We must do better at home.