Bagpuss

Referees should have the power to award races if the cheating is blatant. It’s the only way it will get stamped out.

You wouldn’t be surprised. It can’t stumble on with only seven clubs.

We won’t win at Wolves (or Poole) while Buster has a hole in his bottom. Unlike last year we are nowhere near good enough on the road this season.

I’m not comfortable about Sheffield being hammered for dropping a British rider, they have to pick the seven who they believe give them the best chance of winning meetings regardless of nationality.

We didn’t even win there once! Soundly beaten on the second occasion.

They have to be exceptionally good to rock up and only drop a point or two though. It’s difficult enough to do that on a home track they know like the back of their hand.

Iversen hasn’t ridden the Foxhole for years, I can’t see him cleaning up tomorrow night. Nine or ten would be a decent return.

This is a very civilised and quiet thread so far, expected far more childish bickering

Thing is on paper Ipswich looked on paper by far the worst team. Credit to them that they have got to the position they are in now.

Small comforts

At the risk of repeating myself it’s completely different material, we are good at home as it is unique stuff. Personally I think the score would have been even wider yesterday if the track was as normal, we were crap and surely would have been picked off had there been passing. However having a big crowd in and preparing a track on purpose to be gate and go (if that’s what happened) is a pretty short sighted thing to do. You would hope any first timers will come back despite it being a pretty dull meeting. You would like to think the track curator was caught out by the weather.

I’d love to know how Puk could have been fitted into the team without chucking out Cook or Lambert (pointless) or having two weak reserves (pointless).

The guy is a businessman, he will want one of his teams in the Play Offs and the big crowd which goes with it. Hence the Ipswich signing of Iversen.

In theory we could get in by winning at Poole and Wolves but highly unlikely. Word on the street today was that they were caught out by this morning being cloudy and not sunny. It happens. I’ve been to Belle Vue over a dozen times now and that’s only the second rubbish meeting I’ve seen, the rest have been excellent.

Completely different type of muck unfortunately. Bit of pride restored in heat 13 which illustrates how hard it is to pass but it’s been a pretty awful performance.

Very, very flat performance by Lynn. Awful from the gate and not quick enough on track. Lambert obviously not fit and riding within himself. Not good enough unfortunately. Racing poor too making it a depressing afternoon catching up with one or two old friends at least so not all bad.

Track very grippy, track record broken, racing quite processional. Am sure it will improve though. Lynn need to gate better, Aces heat leaders having it too easy at the moment.

What time are you guys setting off Trees? Must be an early start especially for you

STARS IN HUGE MONDAY CLASH Sunday August 25, 2019 INSPIRATIONAL skipper Robert Lambert is back for King’s Lynn as they head to Manchester for a massive Bank Holiday Monday showdown (midday). Lambert is back in action after a month out with injury and will lead the side against Belle Vue with both sides needing the win to bolster their play-off hopes. It’s now the biggest meeting of the season after Poultec Stars completed their run of three home meetings in a week with all nine points. Flying Fin Tero Aarnio once again comes in as a guest for Nicklas Porsing at reserve. Belle Vue, meanwhile, welcome back skipper Max Fricke after he successfully made his comeback from injury by booking his place in 2020 Grand Prix series after finishing third in the Grand Prix Challenge on Saturday. Jye Etheridge makes his first full appearance of the season for the Aces after signing in place of the injured Nikolaj Busk Jakobsen. Poultec Stars boss Peter Schroeck said: “It is probably one of the biggest meetings we’re going to have this year because it could be the game changer. The good thing is that we’re going there this time around with a very solid team being very positive and they’re all getting stuck in so it should be good. “We just have to keep going and concentrate on our own job then if we get ourselves up into the top four then we start all over again in the play-offs because this team has still got a lot to give. “We are looking to use Tero Aarnio again if we can because he rides Belle Vue very, very well and I would like to give him a crack up there as I think he could be a game changer. We have just got to be very selfish at the moment and do what is best for the whole team. “Robert looks in good shape; he had a practice in Germany and then he has also done two meetings so we have pencilled him in for Monday and I think it is a really good track for him to come back on too.” BELLE VUE: Max Fricke, Steve Worrall, Dan Bewley, Dimitri Berge, Kenneth Bjerre, Jaimon Lidsey, Jye Etheridge. KING’S LYNN: Robert Lambert, Michael Palm Toft, Erik Riss, Thomas Jorgensen, Craig Cook, Lewis Kerr, Tero Aarnio.

Would normally wish for Poole to get a good hiding but in the context of Play Off qualification an away win would be ideal.

Once upon a time the bottom half of the series automatically went into the challenge. As others have said if you exclude GP riders you risk weakening the field for the series. I too would like to see some fresh faces in the GPs but if they can’t beat the old guard in the qualifying events then perhaps they aren’t ready or good enough to get there.

As I said in an earlier post Lynn has a unique, clay rich surface which makes overtaking very difficult and requires a particular bike set up as the starts are very grippy too. Since he joined Lynn a couple of years ago TJ has been good at home, the surface suits him and he is able to make good starts. The shale used is for the benefit of stock cars which now seems to be the primary sport at the stadium, speedway doesn’t bring in anywhere near as many people or as much revenue so has to play second fiddle. It could be a great racetrack again but only if the type of shale is changed.

You have to gate well at Lynn if you want to score well. Very little passing nowadays.

There is no way he can be fully fit after fracturing vertebrae only a few weeks ago. However he rode on last night after elimination so presumably is intending to resume his season. His health is obviously the most important thing but a half fit Robert is probably better for Lynn than guests.

Well done Max Fricke, great to have some permanent new blood in. Hopefully Robert Lambert can follow suit this time next year.