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Big Al

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Posts posted by Big Al

  5. Posted

    On 10/9/2022 at 11:12 AM, FishersGate said:

    From speaking to a few lions fans last night there some optimism that we can attract some big names. Robert Lambert was mentioned a few times. Although I'd expect him to be off to belle Vue. Everyone wants mountain back pretty much and most would like Richie Worrall. It's a mystery really. And..also nobody think Harris should be there . We love him but has never got on with the track one bit.

    Chris Harris said in the SS last year that he does ok at Leicester, despite it not being ideal for him. Anyway, I'd be surprised if he joins Leicester, despite it only being about 20 minutes from his home.

  7. Posted

    Can't help thinking there's changes afoot for CL which Leicester don't like the look of. Maybe some stringent new rules on team-building aimed at "levelling down" the league, and they've decided this will have an adverse effect on attendances and income and if a major sponsor doesn't like it, that's maybe a large factor. There's also the danger of "same again" becoming the norm and boredom setting in.

    The last time Leicester went up a level it was too soon and was basically part of a vanity project and those rarely have good outcomes. In the end riders didn't want to come to Leicester. Dropping back down saved the club's bacon and it was the only way forward. 

    I'm sure the Bateses and Stewart D. will be doing this for very sound reasons and financial considerations at the top of the priorities.

    As for a team, Sam Masters is king of Beaumont Park, maybe Klindt will be able to do UK, and how's the chances of Szymon Wozniak coming back?

  9. Posted

    15 hours ago, jbell1995 said:

    There's a lot of bashing going on here towards the Gladiators and it's a real shame the season is ending the way it's heading right now. Mark Phillips and Garry May deserve a huge amount of credit for the excellent side they built this season and having been to several meetings myself throughout the season, the racing has been fantastic with crowd numbers sustained from the bumper crowds we saw last season post covid. I've loved getting the itch back to support the Gladiators and it's been brilliant to see the progress on and off the track over the last two years and the club is something I think the city can be very proud of right now. Thanks to Mark, Mattie, Garry and all those connected with the club for getting the team moving forward the way we are right now.

    Of course, the Ben Barker situation is unfortunate to say the least and hasn't helped the side moving into the crunch end of the season. Injuries are part and parcel of a sport like speedway. The injuries for Palm Toft, Andersen, Bowtell and Gilkes have been really tough to take but it's no one's fault. The Eddie Kennett situation is something everyone seems to be an expert on with very little concrete talk coming from the club? It's been far from ideal having a different number one every meeting and I'm pretty sure no one at the club wants or wanted it to be this way as the look to kick on and rebuild the reputation of the club and grows its standing in the sport and more importantly within the city.

    Presumably, with Barker absent for the rest of the season, Scott Nicholls will be the obvious choice to lead the side at Number One with maybe Ricky Wells or Leon Flint being required to fill any relevant middle order positions such as MPT or Hans if needed? Regarding Bowtell's replacement either Ruml or Heeps perhaps? Heeps impressed for Oxford in the CJL last month?

    Leicester won the Championship and Shield in 2019 using a guest for the injured Richie Worrall for a large part of the season. I don't recall there being a huge amount of "flak" being fired towards us for that (there was some, inevitably) but I don't think anywhere near the amount Plymouth are getting over Kennett. Clubs cannot control the timings of their riders' injuries, can they.

    • Like 2

  10. Posted

    18 hours ago, lisa-colette said:

    I am sure there will be! I am certainly not expecting Poole to keep all their HLs, maybe just one of them or 2 if we are lucky! 

    As a Leicester supporter I'd be in favour of restrictions and if anything we're even more top heavy than Poole this year. Also Leicester need Birmingham and vice-versa so there's a self interest aspect as well

    • Like 3

  11. Posted

    Had to take riders left on the shelf for 2022 and many of them injury-prone through their careers, so no surprise the way it's panned out with the team. 

    The manager needs to dial down the volume on the "unlucky" theme music because it starts to get too repetitive and can become self-fulfilling and it could put potential sponsors off.

    Hopefully there haven't been problems with riders being paid this year, and that there will be tighter top-end team building restrictions brought in for 2023 to help level the playing field in the championship 

  12. Posted

    The presenters of the British final were floundering badly after rain brought it to a halt, switching between each other like they were playing a game of pass the turd. This wasn't their fault, however, more likely poor direction belying lack of preparation for something which was very predictable to happen. 

    • Like 1

  13. Posted

    45 minutes ago, crescent girl said:

    Fine, but.....

    If the extra tournament had been staged in springtime, the meetings now taking place would be Championship matches -- with the same number of injured/suspended/unavailable riders missing.

    Birmingham (and Plymouth) have been blighted this season, with every effort to replace long-term absentees thwarted by total unavailability of new riders.

    The real reason for the drastic rider-famine is Brexit.     Any speedway fan who voted for it must now be realising what a monster they helped create.

     

    I don't agree completely with that. There is a current dearth of British riders of age approx 25-35 because of a lack of co-ordinated rider development initiatives. Reasons for that? Easier and cheaper to bring in foreign riders and the money from TV being spaffed up the wall on ridiculous money to star riders - again, mostly foreign. 

    The Brexit argument you forward is only responsible for some of the shortage 

    • Like 3

  15. Posted

    1 hour ago, False dawn said:

    Max Clegg's gate and 1st and 2nd bend in heat 11 was top drawer. His blast around the outside was straight out of the Bomber play book. It truly stunned the crowd and we all watched in real surprise as he put 4 faultless laps together in the 6th fastest time of the night. Kyle wasn't covering his back or holding up Bomber. In fact the three were quite spread out by the end of the race. 

    I've had my own doubts about this signing. But credit, where credit is due.

    Max Clegg - enigma! Beaten by Cole in heat 2, then pulls a corker in heat 11. Sort of did the same at Scunny. 

    I recall a story (I think it was true) of Martin Rogers holding a toy gun to a rider's head as a way of motivating him to up his game on one occasion. It might have been Greg Szczpanik who was usually scoring 000 but on that occasion Martin's methods worked. So I wonder which method Stewart Dickson is using to get Cleggy motivated later in matches?

     

     

     

  16. Posted

    1 hour ago, False dawn said:

    There are arguments for and against here.
    The way I see it, is that the team results have to expunged from the league tables since there is no fair way to leave them in.
    The rider averages are, however, a measure of their current riding ability whether the races that contribute to that average are from expunged meetings or not.
    I don't, however, see why new averages should be subsequently calculated at year end removing the expunged meetings (if that is what you're saying happened last year reference Eastbourne).

    A bit like Schroedinger's Cat, then

    • Haha 1

  19. Posted

    2 hours ago, HGould said:

    Whatever the rights and wrongs of the issues last night, one thing seems to have been completely overlooked

    RIDER SAFETY.

    A weakness in any fence is as murphys law dictates like a magnet. 

    Sheffield is one of the fastest tracks in the Country, phenominal speeds in to the bends and often in the high dirt line.

    You CANNOT compromise that for TV, for the Public, it's the one aspect that is NON NEGOTIABLE.

    We saw before air / foam fences how exposed lamposts and posts were a magnet, the losses of the likes of Gary Peterson; Denny Pyatt, Vic Harding to name but 3 sadly and forever missed and even with Air Fences riders have been badly hurt by Posts hit after going underneath or totally depressing the bag given the speed of impact.

    Had that meeting continued with an ill-fitting or incorrectly fitted bag and someoe have been hurt or worse as a consequence then the raminfications would have been FAR MORE serious.

    Maybe too before keyboard warriors and those who have never taken any responsibility for anything in their lives belittle and troll, may be consider the Track Staff and Track Volunteers who make speedy repairs 99 times out of 100 and always walking away with the responsibility of the repair they have ensured in their minds right the way through the meeting until the final race is run.

     

     

     

     

    As at least one other poster has said, Eurosport should have switched to informing the viewers about the role air fences play in rider safety, and how sometimes fixing them isn't a straightforward matter. This could have been done by Tatum and Nicholas instead viewers were treated to semi-coherent Sam and Abby from the crèche. It was only when Chris Louis came to the rescue that any semblance of order was restored, but again, they could have asked him to talk about rider safety.

    • Like 1

  21. Posted

    1 hour ago, Lenny Lion said:

    Someone who is currently at another club but is being released in early July. Deal is already done with Leicester & his Lions race suit has been ordered but there is no rush to announce the rider because Lions have no match after Oxford on Wednesday until 16th July. 

    Well if you're right, that's what I'd figured to be the case. Possibly the rider who is going to displace the Lions in-comer is Anders Rowe?

  23. Posted

    1 hour ago, kopite92 said:

    Plymouth very, very unlucky tonight. Poole made very hard work of grabbing a draw against a 5 man team, at least after heat 6 anyway. Plymouth would’ve won with Palm Toft by a good 4-6 pts if it wasn’t for his crash. Fingers crossed he’s only got away with concussion (as per Mark Phillips when interviewed).

    Concussion is not a minor matter. Especially with someone who's already suffered one no so long ago

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