Plymouth vs Birmingham : Championship : 16/05/2023

[Sings4Speedway 3,248]

10 hours ago, phillwhitewasmad said:

Understand the Ben and Ben comments but what makes turner a protected rider

Getting Turner over here hasn't been cheap and Phillips isn't going to throw that investment away quickly. Barker is without doubt quality around the Coliseum but he is also a big and often disruptive force, i remember very few teams that he featured in where there was harmony in the squad.

[*JJ 521]

57 minutes ago, GiveusaB said:

Not really....had no idea that they wasn't using a guest for Howarth....I'm sure had he been riding, he would've scored more than his replacement/s score of 3 ?

i'm pleased that we've won, but let's not kid ourselves, luck was on our side for once.

Lets see what tonight brings!?

P.S Can't find yours or Pete CC's posts about predicting a win last night ??? 

No, but I don't always go around predicting doom and disaster all of the time, either. And it wasn't just luck; the whole team rode well. Any home team should be winning heats 13, 14 and 15, but the Brummies won 13 and took  a 2-4 and 3-3 from the others. Alfie Bowtell beat local hero Ben Barker in 14, which I thought was a nailed on 5-1 for Plymouth!

[Fromafar 10,397]

2 hours ago, torpointfanatic22 said:

The worst thing about tracking a team that doesn't win at home is the crowd will walk away. Crowd numbers don't look as good as last season although that's looking on the stream so I may be wrong on that. Starke and Trigger need to be replaced, as much as I see young Ben having a good future in the sport, he's just not there and needs a season or two in the NL to be top rider there first. Starke has disappointed, I had higher hopes but so far just nowhere near it. 

Unless the promotion do something significant Plymouth will be more wooden spoon contenders not playoff ones.

It’s hard to do something significant where Promoters vote for lower points limit every other season.It’s just a hit or a miss with young riders mostly out their depth.They just have persevere with them.Perhaps  changing the heat format with reserves racing each other more would even things up.

[Fromafar 10,397]

33 minutes ago, Sings4Speedway said:

Getting Turner over here hasn't been cheap and Phillips isn't going to throw that investment away quickly. Barker is without doubt quality around the Coliseum but he is also a big and often disruptive force, i remember very few teams that he featured in where there was harmony in the squad.

Spending money bringing rider like Turner over is ludicrous if that is the case.

[Jaizer 2,879]

1 minute ago, Fromafar said:

It’s hard to do something significant where Promoters vote for lower points limit every other season.It’s just a hit or a miss with young riders mostly out their depth.They just have persevere with them.Perhaps  changing the heat format with reserves racing each other more would even things up.

Didn't we do that for a season? Was a kind of polish format had 2 reserve races. Was that during one of the grading/ rising star 5 years programs that lasted 6 months 

[GiveusaB 1,156]

37 minutes ago, *JJ said:

No, but I don't always go around predicting doom and disaster all of the time, either. And it wasn't just luck; the whole team rode well. Any home team should be winning heats 13, 14 and 15, but the Brummies won 13 and took  a 2-4 and 3-3 from the others. Alfie Bowtell beat local hero Ben Barker in 14, which I thought was a nailed on 5-1 for Plymouth!

I don't mean/intend to predict doom/disaster all of the time...I just say what I see...I haven't seen anything 'inspiring' this season yet? ... although I haven't watched any away meetings!

I didn't go to the last home match against Scunthorpe...so my only viewing has been Scunthorpe (opener) and Redcar...the only highlight/hope I witnessed from those 2 meetings were a good bit of team riding by Morris and a fabulous guest appearance by Cook!

I'm hoping for some monetary value tonight!

 

[StevePark 2,796]

31 minutes ago, Jaizer said:

Didn't we do that for a season? Was a kind of polish format had 2 reserve races. Was that during one of the grading/ rising star 5 years programs that lasted 6 months 

1993. 8-man teams with the reserves at 7 & 8.

[Sings4Speedway 3,248]

32 minutes ago, Jaizer said:

Didn't we do that for a season? Was a kind of polish format had 2 reserve races. Was that during one of the grading/ rising star 5 years programs that lasted 6 months 

The same fast track system that was definitely paying all those on the scheme £40 a point 

[Jaizer 2,879]

4 minutes ago, StevePark said:

1993. 8-man teams with the reserves at 7 & 8.

I'm thinking more recently. 2016 maybe, was it just elite league though?

[Brian Buck 65]

The first match which James Wright missed through his injury was Birmingham's offiicial opening fixture on April 19th. Therefore, since last night's match at Plymouth was 27 days later, the Brummies were perfectly well entitled to hire a guest in line with Wright's average, and would indeed if they wished, also be able to use a similar guest in this evening's home match against Edinburgh, after which, the 28 day dispensation period would expire. In the light of this, I don't see how anyone can claim that Birmingham have breached any rules.

Plymouth's Team Manager is widely regarded as a very astute man who rarely misses a trick, but in hindsight, he probably blundered in opting to use rider replacement for Howarth rather than employ a guest, so he will probably be pilloried for it! In truth though, he was still able to use Plymouth's best on the night riders, Worrall (twice), Barker, and Gilkes in all of Howarth's scheduled races,  so it was hardly Mr May's fault that these lads only managed four points collectively in their extra races..

To suggest that Birmingham only won the match because Plymouth were so poor is insulting. The Brummies won through some determined teamwork which helped overcome the first race loss through injury, of Stefan Nielsen - and although some of the usual contributors to this forum will continue to look for excuses as to why Birmingham won a match which they were confidently expected to lose, I think it was a thoroughly deserved win from a team which has not deserved the criticism it has received in recent times.

Well done Brummies and thanks Plymouth for an enjoyable match.

 

 

Edited May 17, 2023 by Brian Buck

[marko 956]

Playing devils advocate though, just because a lot of riders would seemingly be available, doesn’t mean they would in fact be willing to take the booking.

Their bikes might be in pieces, the distance to get to Plymouth could be another factor.

I personally wouldn’t drop Starke, he is often such a battler and no rider is immune from having a poor run of form.

This meeting shows just how much of a fine line often exists in sport, Plymouth we’re 0.08 off from fitting Bowtell in, would have uttered last night on its head.

[GiveusaB 1,156]

6 minutes ago, marko said:

Playing devils advocate though, just because a lot of riders would seemingly be available, doesn’t mean they would in fact be willing to take the booking.

Their bikes might be in pieces, the distance to get to Plymouth could be another factor.

I personally wouldn’t drop Starke, he is often such a battler and no rider is immune from having a poor run of form.

This meeting shows just how much of a fine line often exists in sport, Plymouth we’re 0.08 off from fitting Bowtell in, would have uttered last night on its head.

Plymouth is also not the best track to lose form on....'just keep turning left'!

[Ghosty 500]

4 hours ago, torpointfanatic22 said:

The worst thing about tracking a team that doesn't win at home is the crowd will walk away. Crowd numbers don't look as good as last season although that's looking on the stream so I may be wrong on that. Starke and Trigger need to be replaced, as much as I see young Ben having a good future in the sport, he's just not there and needs a season or two in the NL to be top rider there first. Starke has disappointed, I had higher hopes but so far just nowhere near it. 

Unless the promotion do something significant Plymouth will be more wooden spoon contenders not playoff ones.

Cant we congratulate Birmingham on their win? well done the Brummies. Fact is the choice to use R/R for Howarth didn't pay off, Paul Starke had a mare of a meeting & Complin didn't score the points one would have expected. We need to move on enjoy the racing @ Plymouth which I'm told is ten times more exciting than Poole! 

[*JJ 521]

2 hours ago, GiveusaB said:

I don't mean/intend to predict doom/disaster all of the time...I just say what I see...I haven't seen anything 'inspiring' this season yet? ... although I haven't watched any away meetings!

I didn't go to the last home match against Scunthorpe...so my only viewing has been Scunthorpe (opener) and Redcar...the only highlight/hope I witnessed from those 2 meetings were a good bit of team riding by Morris and a fabulous guest appearance by Cook!

 

Well, there you are then; you haven't seen anything, but you still criticise!  The last two meetings - Scunthorpe at home and Redcar away - could both have been won, but for two falls (home) and a disaster for Morris (at Redcar). Justin Sedgemen was invincible at this last.

Make sure that you are there tonight ...

[Mike0310 662]

2 hours ago, Brian Buck said:

The first match which James Wright missed through his injury was Birmingham's offiicial opening fixture on April 19th. Therefore, since last night's match at Plymouth was 27 days later, the Brummies were perfectly well entitled to hire a guest in line with Wright's average, and would indeed if they wished, also be able to use a similar guest in this evening's home match against Edinburgh, after which, the 28 day dispensation period would expire. In the light of this, I don't see how anyone can claim that Birmingham have breached any rules.

Plymouth's Team Manager is widely regarded as a very astute man who rarely misses a trick, but in hindsight, he probably blundered in opting to use rider replacement for Howarth rather than employ a guest, so he will probably be pilloried for it! In truth though, he was still able to use Plymouth's best on the night riders, Worrall (twice), Barker, and Gilkes in all of Howarth's scheduled races,  so it was hardly Mr May's fault that these lads only managed four points collectively in their extra races..

To suggest that Birmingham only won the match because Plymouth were so poor is insulting. The Brummies won through some determined teamwork which helped overcome the first race loss through injury, of Stefan Nielsen - and although some of the usual contributors to this forum will continue to look for excuses as to why Birmingham won a match which they were confidently expected to lose, I think it was a thoroughly deserved win from a team which has not deserved the criticism it has received in recent times.

Well done Brummies and thanks Plymouth for an enjoyable match.

 

 

Or was it Brian the owner didn’t want to spend the money and use a smokescreen of giving his riders more track time like he did when worrall missed a meeting a couple of weeks ago.