GeneralMelchett

well he is included in the line up so lets see

Well this a disappointment - Laguta having a decent night for Wrocław - 9 from 4 so far - I am hoping maybe he will be there it was mooted before that he wouldn’t appear for an away match and he did so fingers crossed otherwise it will be a bit of a biffing - I do get the trying to stem losses thing - but openness and transparency do matter too!

if Riss has a stormer there - which he is capable of then its possible but i agree in principle i have the Witches as winning all their remaining fixtures except that one!

Whilst is is still possible for the Witches to qualify they should pursue this all they can - the table is skewed by two things in my view 1/ The Witches run of late has been because they have been riding against the bottom two and they also secured a very good win at Leicester (which is how they started the season winning away in the cup) - other sides had stacked uop points against KL and 'Boro previously giving them a points advantage which the Witches are now reeling in a bit 2/ The home loss V Wolves didn't help at all. Belle Vue is perhaps a different matter. I still think if any team will fall out of the top four its actually Leicester as they have a trick(ier) set of fixtures with more away than home. I had them down as winning at Peterborough (yet to do) but I didn't think they would get a result at Wolves. So in summary who knows form can go out the window. End Result - Witches will fail by a point or two to get in the playoffs - which given how they started the season will be a blow / disappointment / wasted opportunity (delete as you see fit!)

dodgy dinner night before! Rew at R/R possibly makes the Witches stronger - whilst this should be a routine win for the Witches i plan to be there and you know my record at Foxhall this season!

Jinx went at Sheffield the other week when I saw them beat BV at home - let’s hope it’s for the same Foxhall

Reminnds me of Tai's debut at Owlerton 0,0,0 next week he got 11 or 12 both from reserve - I was there for both meetings and couldnt believe the difference, apparently it was all done to a better bike the following week if i remember correctkly from his autobiography

oh my grandstand assumption is a bit off then as it said 3700 seated on a search.

I could actually do the chapel route - which involves turning off before the snake and making my way round and coming via Stockport - but i might try that one! Anything that avoids Mottram - its just a nightmare unless its the middle of the night!

I hope he does as I want to see some races between him and Emil! This could be the vfirst home win when i have attended this season for the Witches too!

I had this down as Ipswich either just squeezing into the playoffs or missing out by a point - it hinges really on Leicester and them winning at Peterborough and beating either Sheffield or Wolves at home! Given their performance at Wolves last night i still think they will just manage it - but whilst it is possible then the Witches need to go all out and try to qualify. I think Sheffield will win enough home matches to see them through - although I hadn't considered they wouldnt finish all the fixtures in time before the cut off.

I do want to go to the NSS - however for me it would involve going through the snake on a Monday night and hitting the Glossop and traffic as you head up to the M67 - its always a bottleneck and every time i have thought about it i cant face doing it! It theory it is an hour door to door for me but i would have to be out of work sharpish to get there. What was the crowd? The Grandstand holds 3700 it says - and it was what half full, maybe 60% full? That's approaching 2k people with a decent number down the back straight - so the crowd was 2500 maybe more? In these times thats not too bad an attendance. I the two times i have been the Owlerton this season the crowds have probably been about the same - possibly higher. There was one or two races that would have been great to see live, particularly heats 13 and 15.

As I was watching the match on TV I was not watching the updates site I was only getting updates every 4 heats or so - its far to say at the halfway stage i was beginning to think the Wiches might have blown it but they didn't!

Conversely however what a night for Erik

sorry i got the fixture the wrong way round - i think Wolves will win tonight

Thanks - yes they do seem to cover them on the local radio - I listended in to the first match was seems a lifetime ago in late March

No Tarasenko would mean a weaker Panthers for sure - reckon you are right for either scenario - if Witches win it at least keeps the pressure on Sheffield and Leicester - Sheffield likely to lose - Leicester probable win, but witches need them to lose this to keep the hope alive!

Glorious sunshine this side of the Pennines this AM lets hope its the same over the dark side! Looking forward to this tonight - think Belle Vue will secure the win

The old NL fours was one of the highlights of the season - I also remember going to the Pairs at Hackney sometime in the late 80s as well Arena who were never really in it for the league title (until the T Russell era) at least punched above our weight in the fours coming 2nd a couple of times and also winning in 1992

It has - years ago country cricket was dying in its backside so they came up with new versions - it’s irritated and lost some of the purists however but gained a new generation of followers - sadly lot more money in cricket! Speedway has - to be fair - made many technical changes and also other ‘innovations’ over the years - just last year the golden heat caused much debate - many in here seemed dead against it - but when I witnessed one of these in front of about 2000 people at Foxhall it was a massive hit! same with the playoffs they merely followed the trend of other sports - again many are not a fan of them yet they are the most dramatic and well attended meetings of the entire season

I still maintain (as someone who has watched a lot of other sports live) that a decent speedway race is still, for me, the best and most exciting thing! This thrill of seeing another rider chase down and pass another at 60mph is still exhilarating! I feel lucky that at both Foxhall and Owlerton this season I have seen a fair few decent passes like that.

To be fair I wil be making my way to Owlerton to see him ride - its just annoying that next week (Thurs 10th) I am at Ipswich weather permitting! I actually remember his debut!

Still weren't gonna come last tho was he!

If i recall that one Kurtz (the wee stinker) popped out of the gate in heat 15 and stayed there - the track had dried out badly and if Doyle and Emil can't reel you in then no one could have! Given him his due that was a captains ride!

There is undoubted truth in that too - I had a team mate at football once - you could have given him 10 comments over a game - 9 would be entirely positive one negative yet he would home in on the negative and react to it!