4thbender

For the first time ever, I left the meeting before the end. By 9.45 I'd had enough - thought it would never end (it didn't!) Having no ambulance there at the official start-time and keeping the paying customers waiting AN HOUR before we saw any speedway is unforgivable. But then a further 20-minute delay for no explicable reason midway through the match is just taking the p155. There has to be changes before I pay my entrance fee next season.

Lasse definitely wants to stay according to today's star: http://www.thestar.co.uk/sport/speedway/sheffield-tigers/sheffield-tigers-lasse-bjerre-keen-to-ride-on-for-the-champions-1-8813516

Don't understand your thinking here. The present team all claim they've had a great time at Sheffield and team spirit has never been higher. Added to which they've won the league championship. Seems to me that it would be to everyone's advantage to keep the team intact as far as averages will allow. Personally I'd settle for the same 1 - 7 for 2018, but I know averages will get in the way of that. I can't see any reason why there should be a mass clear-out though. Whatever else, the first two signings should be Steady as Team Manager and Howarth as captain.

.....and lived in a cardboard box on the hard-shoulder of the M60.

Thursday night is speedway night and I can't imagine having it any other time. We've had odd meetings on Mondays, Wednesdays and Sundays but for some reason which I can't explain, those meetings have always seemed out of sync with the normal rhythm of life. There is some unfathomable sequence programmed into my inner consciousness which dictates that Thursday night is speedway night and forever it must remain so.

Agree fully. The riders only want doubling-up because it means they can ride in more matches, hence earn more money. If there was a single league of 18 teams, 34 league matches a season, plus cups and one-offs would provide sufficient earnings-potential for riders. As for promoters, I don't think they ever wanted it, but were forced into introducing it by prevailing circumstances.

How about a single "British League" of 18 teams plus existing National League. BL Teams have 6 riders racing over 13 heats (4 rides each plus a heat 13 of top two nominated riders). Each BL team to maintain a 'B' team of 4 junior riders (including the BL no. 7) who will stage a 4-heat mini-match after heat 9 of the main BL match. According to my reckoning, there were 199 riders registered in 2017. If British League consisted of 18 teams of 6 riders, at least one of which had to be a National League double-upper, we'd have enough to go round without losing out on race quality.

Ahead of the annual promoters' meeting, at which all the important decisions are made, now is the time for us - the paying punters - to tell them what we want to see changed. League structures, doubling-up, guest riders and tactical rides are all high on the agenda, but what smaller (less controversial) issues might we want to see changed? My personal pet hate is watching riders spend minutes prior to every race digging away at the start-line with their steel shoes. This has only crept into speedway in the last few years - it never happened back in the day. They'll be arming themselves with shovels next! Track curators should be given the responsibility of paying special attention between races to ensuring that the start-line is firm. flat and with a good covering of dirt, offering no advantage to any of the start positions. The practice of riders carrying out their own 'gardening' should thereafter be outlawed, with a 15 metre penalty for first offences and disqualification thereafter. What blights might others like to see removed?

Well done to Steady, Kyle and the team - you've done us proud! Don't know how the heck anyone is going to decide who rides for whom in the race-off with Leicester for PL status, and not sure if I even want PL racing at Owlerton next year. My hope is that if Sheffield does find itself in the PL in 2018, we can keep the same 1 - 7, which would place us amongst the favourites to win it.

When the two teams met at Owlerton two weeks ago Josh G was beaten twice by opponents: THAT won't happen again. We were also without Josh B who returned like a man on a mission last week, scoring a paid max. I reckon Sheffield will be on fire tonight: it'll be 54 - 36.

Surely the clever money is on a single league + NL next year.

If my memory serves me correctly, we went into the play-offs in 2016 with only 4 fit riders.I'm beginning to fear the worst already with (first) Lasse and (now) Josh G on the injury list. I hope history is not about to repeat itself, but following the experience of recent years I've started to dread August coming round. I couldn't agree more. I was delighted when they made him captain - he's the beating heart of the team. The lad's been a revelation since he came to us from Worky (and some up there seemed quite glad to see him go!) I hope he's the first name on the team sheet for 2018, whichever league we're racing in.

Following eight wins in a row, it's not too early to start considering what might happen if we reach the play-offs and actually come out tops as League Champions. That would mean we have to face a race-off with the bottom team in the Premiership (probably Leicester on current form) for a place in the 2018 Premier League. What do people think about Sheffield racing in the PL? (personally I think if we could keep the same 1 - 7 we'd probably win it). But these possibilities throw up a conundrum. If Sheffield face a race-off with Leicester, whose colours will Josh B and Lasse be wearing? The prospect of them racing for either side and bringing about the demise of the other seems ludicrous. Bet the SCB never thought of those implications when they introduced promotion/demotion this season!

Reckon by tomorrow night (Saturday) it'll be 4 teams Lawson has ridden for in 4 days: Somerset (Wednesday), Workington (Thursday), Sheffield (Friday), Glasgow (Saturday). Obviously a busy man.

Bjerre is a major loss and I fear the worst.

But he opted out of the "Fours" at Peterborough because he was "feeling his knee". Hope this is just a blip and not something that's going to dog him for the rest of the season. We need him!

The Championship form-guide is as follows: Sheffield + 24 (M23 - 10H/13A) Glasgow + 22 (M22 - 10H/12A) Ipswich + 11 (M26 - 14H/12A) Edinburgh + 9 (M24 - 14H/10A) Redcar + 6 (M25 - 13H/12A) Workington + 1 (M17 - 9H/8A) Peterborough 0 (M22 - 12H/10A) Newcastle - 5 (M22 - 11H/11A) Scunthorpe - 12 (M25 - 12H/13A) Berwick - 25 (M28 - 12H/16A) This is the point at which Sheffield's season has fallen apart for the past 3 years: August is the month when injuries have started to take their toll. I think it's vital for the league run-in that we keep a fit 1 - 7, and if we can do so the title is ours for the taking. It's worrying that Lasse is already carrying a knee injury. Steady should be wrapping his riders in cotton wool for the next few weeks.

Sheffield + 24 (M23 - 10H/13A) Glasgow + 22 (M22 - 10H/12A) Ipswich + 11 (M26 - 14H/12A) Edinburgh + 9 (M24 - 14H/10A) Redcar + 6 (M25 - 13H/12A) Workington + 1 (M17 - 9H/8A) Peterborough 0 (M22 - 12H/10A) Newcastle - 5 (M22 - 11H/11A) Scunthorpe - 12 (M25 - 12H/13A) Berwick - 25 (M28 - 12H/16A)

I'd feel much more confident of taking points off the Moanarchs if we had Josh G. at no.1. Every visiting team this season has arrived at Armadale with a patched-up team. It gives them at least a 5-point 'start' in every home match, and this one's no different. I still reckon we'll come away with at least a point though.

It's 10.45am and it's a bit cloudy. Expect a rain-off announcement any minute.

Heard it on the grapevine that all the pubs up West Street put together a petition to STOP Sheffield offering student concessions because it would cost them too much in lost trade on a Thursday night. (Only joking!)

Match called off this morning due to "adverse weather conditions". It's now 3.45pm, the weather's fine and dry, the sun is out and there's a brisk drying wind. Looks like perfect weather for speedway and the Met Office forecast is not predicting rain. Does anyone agree with me that the policy of making early decisions about match abandonments is wrong more often than it's right? I had hoped for an evening away from the wall-to-wall election coverage, but it looks as if I'll be stuck in front of the telly.

Really sad about this. Adam is the unluckiest rider in the league with injuries but has a great heart for speedway. Had every respect for him at Sheffield. Hope he is not lost to the sport altogether.

This was a spot-on call by the management. I am 4 miles from the stadium and at 6.45pm - my normal time to leave for the speedway - the sun was shining out of a blue sky. The rain started at 7.30 on the nail, and within minutes was bucketing down. If they'd not made the early decision the match would have been called off before heat 3 and a lot of people would have been heading for home with re-admission tickets.

Is Bates fit to take part? (Rumours he has a hand injury sustained whilst guesting for Ipswich at Newcastle.)