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So we had two planned meetings on Thursday. One went ahead on a damp track and the other was called off. Some supporters have said that the meeting that went ahead should have been called off and at the same time others have criticised the promotion who called their meeting off for not trying to run. Seems to me that whatever the two promotions had done they would be told they had done the wrong thing! I constantly read that promoters don't have a clue but when there are only two possible actions in a situation both courses of action are criticised. Maybe this shows just how difficult it is to run a speedway track and maybe we should accept that while we all think we understand how things should be run, we are not the ones who can lose a fortune running the sport.

Finally JL getting the deserved recognition, and CL too

Whys it matter… signed before Christmas weren't they?? Can they not spell his name or something is that why its not released

In which case they deserve credit for getting the call right and saving everybody loads of time, effort and money I'd have thought?

I believe a rising star has to be number 7, unless their average takes them in to the top 5.

I agree Poole look a strong Team .

Have to agree with you… Birmingham showed plenty of fight there and I hope their fans repay Nigel tolleys efforts by turning up in their droves.

A bit sad that a genuine, forward-thinking initiative by the League is being dissed by the regular Eeyores on here....

Has the Grand final been streamed yet, just wanting to see the Bomber masterclass one more time.

I reckon you can hear one without farting.

Think one trouble is Oxford have such a packed schedule this year any rain offs could seriously effect everything

Also Oxford don't seem to like an early call off (based on last couple of seasons). Which sometimes means a half 7 call off which can upset some fans depending on how far they travel. But a lot of time they get meetings on when others probably would have called it off. It seems a lot of teams decide things on the forecast, where Oxford tend to keep it on until the track is under water. I assume they have a good base or drainage which can take a bit of water.

I mean I wouldn't want to be making the decision as you're never going to please everybody but I'd have thought there are far more variables than just similar forecasts......type of surface, drainage, water table, how much rain there had previously been etc etc. If Oxford was King's Lynn I personally wouldn't have taken the chance last night and would have been happier with an early call off like Leicester but each to their own.

Crazy flint wasn’t replaced in 14 shocking management.

In all fairness the track probably evened everything out plus oxford are brand new to the league. I didn't think it would be a thrashing but fair play to the legend himself Scotty Nichollls.

Amended

I have no issues with the Ben Fund meetings being postponed, I had no plans to go to the Ben fund, it's still hockey season and that takes priority for me. But the meeting on 31st, I was 100% going to attend. It's the delay in announcing the last rider that's getting boring now. I'm not even a Workington fan and the radio silence is deafening. I don't care if 16 amateurs race or 16 of the worlds best race, if the racing is close then it's a good night out. If it's Freddie Lindgren vs wobbler 2 and wobbler 3 I'm not interested. If I wanted to watch riders riding alone I'd go to a practice session. Bicker about important stuff, but when it gets personal and people are bickering about quite literally nothing, or getting at eachother's throats, it turns the whole forum into a sack of rubbishe, which is a shame because it's the best place to get news in speedway... I hope Northside is as good as people make it out to be. I'm sure I'll be along at some point during the season when I find my interest again. Few meetings at Redcar, the best track in the country, should do it...

Northside GT tyres arena

Bit of an overreaction don’t you think? The weather has been atrocious all week up here so correct call to PP the meeting. As for next week being off too, I’m sure you’d soon complain if it went ahead with a field nowhere near as attractive as was planned? No pleasing some folk. As for the bickering, it’s a forum, people can write what they want, whether you agree/disagree, like or don’t like, is on you.

There is precious little benefit in having a speedway season ticket in most offerings so Id say good on them for this - a perfect way of offering some extra value for the commitment shown

About time too!! The sport really shouldve been pushing for John to receive recognition such as an OBE/MBE by now........

Well I was really excited to head to Workington for the first time within the next few weeks, but I've lost all enthusiasm now. Delay after delay after delay and now just constant bickering on here... Whatever.

Agreed. Phil Morris and league need full support.

Totally agree with that but can you imagine the howls of indignation at how the field was not the standard that had been put together for the first try at running? Another case of whatever a speedway promotion does, it is wrong in some people's view.

its not just what he reckons, 177 posts and all of them garbage.

Emil Ellis King Rew Doyle Jenkins D Thompson the riding order. At least to start with.

Bit baffling why the Aces are featured 3 times in the first 2 months. They arent that strong this year although the Bewley factor could have something to do with it. Oxford also featured 3 times but as new to the league and having Janowski is a much more attractive reason to feature them.

Totally agree! Very refreshing!

I was there and it was drizzling on and off until about 8pm. Certainly don't think it could be called 'heavy', though, and don't think the meeting was ever in any danger. The track started to dry out pretty quickly. One thing that was refreshing was the speed on the meeting. Was all over in just over one hour and 15 minutes - not one track grade!

Will only need a couple of meetings.

Last year they got slated for having everyone queue up and the track wasn’t racable. And they get questioned for calling it off early when a weather forecast correctly says that it will rain a fair amount 1 hour before start time. Fans might be annoyed but say it got to heat 3, and a bike hits the grip and takes off, you have Dougie or someone break their shoulder then it would have been “Why did they not see the the forecast?” And you’re team is knackered. Early call off, 14 riders stay out of ambulances on the first day. Also, wet tracks usually help the away team as the home advantage disappears, so there’s a good chance Belle Vue could have smoked Leicester anyway.

Do you think the season is long enough?

Great to see Oxford doing livestreaming and glad to hear it was good. I shall definitely be watching in if I can't make it this season. Rising stars have to be riding at No.7, so Cook can't ride there (unless Flint gets an average good enough to enable him to ride in the top 5).

Thought Kilby/Schlein did a great job with the livestream! Thought the track was rideable, but not raceable (may be the last couple of heats)....unless you're 'Bomber'...who can race on anything ! I for one predicted a heavy loss for B'ham (like most others)....not sure what the need is for admitting that, when the posts are there for all to read? May be we should all be patting szkocjasid on the back for getting closer with his prediction? Going forward....if a reserve cant replace a reserve in Heat 8....then B'ham would be better off having Cook at No.7 (IMO)

Agreed. We have to remember that promoters lose money by calling a meeting off. I forget exactly how the system works but Jon Cooke used to say that once you get to a certain point the losses run into several thousand pounds so that money is saved by earlier call offs. Cooke used to have about 3 or4 weather forecasts from different sources before calling a meeting off. It’s a difficult decision for promoters and they sometimes get it wrong. A pain for the fans when meetings get called off, but when the sport is being run on a shoestring anyway it hits them hard in the pocket if meetings are called off too late.

Fair play to Brum. They took the home team to the final heat despite having to carry their ‘No.1’. Early days, but if this what the Brummies can deliver, the league will be all the better for it. The closer the scores of course, the more interesting the return fixture becomes with regard to the bonus point.

When the ‘experts’ predict a 60-30 type score. :-) Well done to the Brummies taking it to a last heat decider. Milik can only get better as well. Good result.

Thought it was Swindon

So how many people are going to admit to being wrong about Birmingham's team tonight I wonder?

Sudden Sam's first bit of clownery this season, No way should Flint have been in Heat 14 over Z. Cook.

no zack for leon in heat 14?

Perhaps Sam can take you along to break the news to the riders? "Hey Leon, go out there lad, and screw your chances of earning some points money, I want you to touch the tapes so that someone else can get the chance to earn some more money instead. Be a good lad a and do as you're told, there's a good boy!" I'm sure you'd relish that job, eh?

In the good old days when most clubs ran weekly meetings an early season start with challenge matches etc. to get race fit seem to be the norm. Now with a much smaller league and some clubs running once every two/three weeks, I really do not understand why racing starts in March and then you have the lack of meetings in the height of summer. I accept that riders have more European meetings etc and demands on the track time in each country but surely it is time that the idiots in charge of the sport in this country worked out a formula that catered for the UK market/punter. Who wants to stand on a cold wet terrace in March or October. Yes it had to happen years ago because of the number of teams but the sport today is a shadow of its former self and many of today’s promoters would not have coped in the 70’s, 80’s and even the 90’s. Today a meeting gets called off on a forecast, not actually what the weather is like and they wonder why punters, think the sport is a joke with riders who cannot be bothered and promoters who not only fail to promote but can’t even get a meeting on when you have a bit of drizzle. It is not as if many tracks attract the opposing teams supporters, not many travel to away meetings so call offs could be left to the last minute as it is mainly only local support trundling along to see the match and very few turn up hours before the start so ample time to inform all of a call off. Is it any wonder no one outside the diehards credit speedway as being professional. Exhilarating it maybe but that in itself does not make up for the rest of it failings.

It’s a refreshing Berwick line-up.It will be interesting to see if Schlien and Kerr can win the big Heats at Home.The rest of the Team compare well with the rest of the League in other departments.Should be an interesting season for the fans.

This Berwick team is one that could do very well. Good top 2. Etheridge capable of maximums at home (helps with aggregate wins) two improving Brits at second string & Borke at reserve who should do better at Shielfield than he did at Armadale. If everything goes to plan, they're good enough to challenge for the title.

Just back from P & P, and as per usual they all look super quick and very professional. Lovely having a catch up with everyone, ready for next week now, bring it on.

I think we all understant that is a possibility, & as the latest update states the group have"considered their strategy under every likely circumstance". However you view the situation there can be no doubt that the group have performed a minor miracle getting us this far, with huge support from the council, MP's , the residents of the local area, &supporters from UK and futher afield and deserve massive credit for what has been achieved to date.

Variety the better for me. One league with as many clubs as possible. Reduce to 5 or 6 riders per team with the mandatory requirement of atleast one young brit at reserve. Get rid of the big name riders and let the clubs pick there own race night. Have a league system that whoever finishes top is the champions with the knockout cup having a play off system to make it more meaningful. Keep the national league running also allowing commonwealth riders to join the league. This should add more choice for clubs to pick a more balanced side along with more options for guests if injuries take hold on teams.

One big league for me, with rider numbers in each team to suit rider availability, 6 rider teams or whatever. Clubs to run on the night of their choosing. The 7 team PL is a joke and the CL is fast approaching the same quantity so the time is right for OBL imo

I predict that Richard Lawson won't