theblueboy

Nothing like a good conspiracy theory. The bottom line is nobody knows whether Swindon have finally found the Fat Maud rulebook or not (Chapter 1 - Skullduggery - could be quite long tho' ). I think cheating in any sport is disgraceful no matter how you dress it up and if Swindon are guilty then we should have the rulebook (not Fat Maud's because Chapter 1 is massive) thrown at us. However, that said I didn't think to myself I was watching an average manipulating performance. Belle Vue gave Swindon a gating lesson - it's as simple as that. Only North and Zengi looked like they had a clue. Batchelor had ample time to blow an engine or do a 'Holder' by pulling wheelies at the back but I doubt he is stupid enough to do it with 3 riders immediately behind him. That's asking for trouble. As for betting SCB - people bet on horses and dogs all the time and will continue to do so. We know its bent and horses and dogs win when they are given the right circumstances. Speedway is easy to make money out of if you have half a brain. The Adams scenario you highlight was something my brother and I loved particularly when he was with someone off gate 3 or 4 who he could shepherd round. Many an oi oiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii on bend 2.

As that wise old sage, David Brent, once said 'some days you are the pigeon and some days you are the statue'. Now stop bleating...you are sounding like an extremely sore loser. Move on.

I know...but why do you have to populate the forum as well?

come on Steve...it's only one big defeat. The fact it is against the bottom team is just a minor detail. Lindgren making Miedzinski look like the signing of the season. So, now is not the time to lose the faith. Hang in there buddy. There will be plenty more of those big defeats for you to get even angrier about before the end of the season. It was looking so good for 4th too....

No point made at all. The team with no number 1, who put up their 3rd heat leader at 1 and give their 2nd heat leader permission to mess about and not take the match seriously still won with 2 heats to go. Had the Robins had a proper 1-7 I think you could have been right there it would have been embarrassing. However, the most obvious reason why Coventry actually got close to the Robins was Danny King. Normally he can't beat an egg at Swindon and a race win for him at The Abbey is right up there with 'a Seb Ulamek pass'. To be honest, I just think Dan has found Eddie's old Coventry tool box...

oh yeah... . Apologies to Mr Kerr. My point, irrespective of which Lewis I mentioned, still stands. Signs last week of improvement particularly in his gating is a much needed positive. He rode some poor lines last week, which didn't help, however, he hasn't exactly been helped on track by more senior riders who have left him to fend for himself when some team riding may have been more beneficial.

Morris at 1 will be interesting. Has been sensational this season and has taken another step forward in his development. Liking the way the team is riding at home and if Kerr, with his best engine back, can get some decent points then I expect a fairly comfortable evening. Hans has been exceptional when guesting so I am surprised he has struggled on occasions for the Bees. I don't expect that to happen this evening tho'. Having seen Cup of Coffee and Harris earlier in the season I am not worried that either will cause us too many problems. Both rode poorly and Harris, in particular, seems a shadow of the rider that used to tear round the Abbey. King never gets many no matter how well he is riding and now that Chas is getting used to the track I am confident that he will nullify Garrity. I think the Robins will win this comfortably. 51-39. According to SR website take up has been 'excellent' for this fixture. TBH, if it wasn't then there would be major implications for speedway in Swindon. Anyone know roughly how many tickets sold?

I think you may have missed a decimal point after the first zero...

Didn't they do that against Wolves recently? Not sure what to make of this meeting. Robins have potential to win this meeting but I think that would only happen if both Zagar and Cook failed to turn up, which is unlikely. Howarth and Morris to inspire Robins and run Aces close. 47 - 43.

Anybody in the locality able to give me an up to date forecast please?

I am not sure that is strictly true. I have owned 3 greyhounds and owned them over a 2 year period. In that time, my trainer told me stories about what goes on and that he was no angel. I could name you, from that period, 4 trainers that I was aware of that would not run their dog on its merits. You would also see the trainers in the betting ring so for you to say it's a small element I think is untrue.

Any news on the weather front? Looking to pop down for this match from 'Pig Hill' but would like an update on the local forecast before I commit. thanks in advance.

What date is the Somerset leg of the final scheduled for?

Birks - seems a rather apt replacement and would fulfil the criteria.

Never seen a rider fall and look up to see who's in front, never seen anyone rolling at the start, never been to a meeting where I have seen several engine failures or a future GP champion pulling wheelies at the back of the field whilst a certain rider with a 'bad shoulder' is stood in the pits, never heard of any club 'pouring' water on to their track in the middle of the afternoon on a baking hot day whilst their number 1 is invariably delayed in some foreign land and I have never known any club text a rider to say they ride for their club even though they ride for someone else. I am not sure what the wider BSF community would say, however, in answer to that little conundrum you have posed I would say no.

You should be ok in Coventry if you want to go down this route. Northampton is a bit far to watch football That sentence is sooooo tempting... First things first, we need to get rid of the old farts that run this sport. Try to get young people involved and let them bring enthusiasm and a different perspective. Easier said than done but whilst these clueless idiots continue to run and damage our sport there is absolutely no hope whatsoever. Everyone on this forum more or less knows what is required to take the sport forward but the BSPA won't listen. There is no engagement of fans or meaningful discussion. Self interest perpetrates the sport and all clubs are guilty. One night, every 2 weeks and a squad system is a must. That should be the starting point.

There is no harsh reality! We are poor. That's it. You could have put 2 monkeys in a GB racesuit and they would have scored just as many but that's not King or Stead's fault. They tried and that's all you can ask. What people should be looking at is how Peter Kildemand has managed to go from the PL @ Workington to riding in the Extraliga and scoring good points in 3 1/2 years? There are plenty of our British riders who PK has just gone right on by in that time, many of them in the GB squad, so I think that should tell you all about Rosco's options and the ability and ambition of British riders.

You have to be in it...to win it. You cannot win it finishing 7th Of course it was embarassing, however, what is more embarrassing is reading that people think we should have done better by putting riders in that aren't ready for that level of competition simply because our own pool of riders is so poor.

Starman, you're a betting man. When you looked at the 4 teams did you not think, Group class, Group class, Group class and selling plater? That was the gulf in quality. It's about class. We had 1 rider that would have got in all the other sides. Every other rider would have got in ours!

To be fair Sidney. Woffy was riding in the Extraliga with Czestochowa at 18. How many of our Brits will be doing that now?...or in 5 years time?

The good news for British riders and supporters if you look at those teams in say 4 years time: Poland: Zmarzlik, Przedepelski, Janowski, Pawlicki, Pawlicki Denmark: MBJ, MJJ, Michelsen, Kildemand Australia: Ward, Holder, Batchelor, Morris, Fricke Britain: Woffy, Worrall, Lambert, Kerr, Garrity where do people think we will finish now? People forget that there has been so much damage to the sport in terms of bringing talent through we will not see any improvement in our riders for 5-10 years and that's assuming the BSPA can be arsed!

There's a world of difference riding in our Mickey Mouse league and doing it week in week out. I will give you Iversen and Doyle as 2 names who have taken an awful long time for the penny to drop and for them to demonstrate that they are decent riders at the highest level. Lambert has potential...like Bridger...like Kennett...like Barker and where are they now? All of them touted the next best thing. Lambert is better learning his craft and stepping up in to Sweden and Poland when he is ready. He is very young and could well be a top class rider but putting him now could do more damage than good.

Look at what the Poles, Aussies and Danes all left out and tell me what Rosco could and should have done? Are people saying Stead and King should have been left out at the NA and replaced by X and Y? Christ we just about scraped past Australia C. No Stead and King and we would have then been in the run off and failed to qualify for the final. Rosco would have been slated for being no better than Middlo! Or should he have said thanks to Stead and King but we don't need you for the final and watched Lambert, Worrall or whoever trail in half a lap behind? The exact same thing people moan about regarding the fast track riders in the EL. It would have been men against boys...literally. We are mediocre with 1 decent rider. Throwing in Lambert, Worrall, Cook or anybody else you care to mention would have done nothing for them or their confidence. I mean, all those named struggle in a watered down EL, however, I will say Lambert is showing promise but now is not his time. The only way we will compete is when our own riders ride against the best, in their top league, in their own backyard and can mix it regularly. Until then people will just have to accept that is all we have and that we will only ever finish 4th or 5th at best.

Haynes and Greenidge...could always rely on this opening pair no matter what the conditions - home or away.

Evil Knievel? Seb Ulamek in the play off final v Coventry in 2007