Al Stewart

I just can't see Michael Palm Toft being the kind of rider who would pick and choose meetings without good reason. In my limited experience of him he seems a very genuine guy. It's easy to understand how he might try to ride last Thursday, struggle, then pull out of Friday. However if he rides on Monday I would have thought he has to ride the next day or forfeit the facility.

I understand we tried to arrange a second ambulance but there was not one available.

Completely right. At the other end of the thing, the RS system has forced some teams to use riders who either were not ready or who never will be, doing nothing for these guys or the teams they were in. Redcar fans should remember that another effect of the Rising Star system was that Edinburgh were forced to make changes they didn’t want to make which sent James Sarjeant to the Bears. I’ve got nothing good to say about the Rising Star system.

Not originally. When it was first run it was the only playoffs and it was the leading teams. EG in 2001 Edinburgh knocked league champions Newcastle out of the Playoffs and lost to Isle of Wight in the final.

I would never use such dramatic language as KJ but basically I agree with his sentiments - Playoffs stink. I yearn for the days when the league was the league - Poole winners - and the Playoffs were the Young Shield. It's not just an American obsession of course - English club Rugby is the same. Almost always in speedway it has been the league winners who have taken the title eventually, in the second tier anyway, though I regret I don't think that will be the case this year. Edinburgh have done their bit to keep things neat - three Playoff finals, won the two when we were top of the league, lost by 3 points in the year when we came 4th. I am sure we will comply again.

2015

Now that I have remembered where this post was, Luke Crang did score in his 14th ride for Monarchs. The rider who also had 13 non-scoring rides before scoring was Mike McLuskey, a rider who was excellent on grass and who could have done better in speedway with a home track that wasn't as tricky as Powderhall.

Obviously we can use him. He is one of a very small number of suitable candidates.

He’s allowed a maximum of two matches guesting for any team in the NDL. No go in the Championship.

The Leon Flint fiasco continues. No blame to Leon himself, quite the opposite, it is his great progress which shows how poorly thought out the rules are. Leon scoring good points in the Premiership but able to guest at reserve for Championship teams, standing in for riders on much lower averages because of the Rising Star system. He will be constantly in demand for the closing Championship fixtures, the Playoffs and the KO Cup and could decide the title. One of the few teams he definitely can't ride at reserve for is Berwick!

It's not a rule at all. He just doesn't want it to happen.

A bit more than that I understand. But I agree, not enough to pay an outside company. I've seen your stuff thanks to your helpfulness and I'd say you were not far away. We do have exceptional technicians there is no doubt about that.

I often feel there should be a limit to how long the paying public should be asked to stand around waiting for a meeting to start. I understand all the ramifications only too well but it must be a miserable experience for the fans tonight.

Nobody could possibly argue with that, having just watched the Facebook post. Report completely wrong, must have been the reporter's imagination.

Any reason why this meeting has dragged on past 130 minutes?

I can certainly say that the 1975 and 1976 British Finals were two of the greatest meetings I have ever seen, with four qualifiers and names like Collins, Louis, Simmons, Kennett, Wilson, Ashby, Jessup, Pusey, Wyer, McMillan, Morton... Fantastic. But I'm old and it was a long time ago. I enjoyed this year's meeting as well. I don't blame anyone really for the sport's decline, it's just what has happened. Several vastly inferior sports get more press and TV coverage, speedway with noise and dust, no female and no ethnic minority participation is very unfashionable.

I understand all the problems highlighted by Mikebv. Re Buxton and IOW I just want to see the sport’s authorities trying to find some way to stage speedway, even if it is the kind of event staged on the Island (not that that would appeal to me much). There are problems of funding at all tracks in the UK I think.

I’ve never given all that much consideration to all this stuff, but I certainly think that the BSPL first and foremost should be trying to keep as many tracks as possible operational. I was never particularly sympathetic to the IOW’s reasons for pulling out of the NDL but I don’t like them being ostracised. Every effort should also be made to get Buxton staging some kind of racing. It’s all a big problem to which I don’t have answers. I always thought it was wrong to let Birmingham and Eastbourne drop into the third tier of British Speedway but we can see what’s happened to them by trying to race in the second tier. One problem is that too many highly paid riders are allowed to ride in the second tier which should be set at a lower standard. But try telling that to fans at that level. Meanwhile, Connor Coles of all people suffers.

I started investigating and found rather to my amazement that of the 301 riders Edinburgh have used, a remarkable 63 have failed to score on their debut. This merry band includes the following: George Hunter Bert Harkins Dave Trownson Rory Schlein Max Fricke Dan Bewley Here are the longest running initial non-scorers prior to this season: Jye Etheridge 9, Sean Courtney 8, Paul Gould 8, Lee Dicken 8, Aaron Fox 8, Dan Bewley 7, Bert Harkins 7, Gary Phelps 7, John Paul 6, Dudley McKean 6, Michael Lowrie 6, Marcel Helfer 6, Tommy Fenwick 6. But there is one other – with more than 10. I’ll tell you who it is once Luke gets his first point, hopefully tomorrow. One thing the investigation shows is that it is often some of the best riders who make a slow start – but are persevered with.

Management and fans as well though.

This is far too negative a view. I’m not saying it’s easy but it is definitely something which should be worked on by every club. Even with the risk of keeping a few folk at home who might otherwise have attended, Edinburgh have certainly made a good few thousand pounds profit from Live Streaming this season.

As ever this match can be Live Streamed via the Edinburgh website. With Harris, Riss, Shanes, Morris and a strong rider replacement it will be a hard one for the Monarchs who in spite of away match heroics are not a solid side. I see Grobauer really is riding this week.

He tested positive in both the first week and the second, so should that not be ten days from his second test? Or is it just when he eventually gets a negative test? Who knows? He'd certainly have to get a negative test.

This is a little misleading, he hasn’t just been in contact with someone who has the virus, he has tested positive for it. That will have to change.

I've never tried. Theoretically yes.