mikebv

Blodorn has had cover at second string since being an Ace with Tom B and B Cook.. This year, with Z Cook taking a good while to get going he has had more pressure... Other years he has been able to drop down to reserve one or two times a season to help him regain some confidence if needed.. This year with the two Aces reserves running so low averages he hasn't had that opportunity...

That's the thing about "3 and 4" that many don't get... It's their total points when together that can change a meeting.. Both positive and negative... Doyle was moved for exactly that reason when Dan T was put at four... Ipswich were far more confident he would cover Dan than Tom B would... Lidsey wasn't the issue, the issue was clearly the bottom three who are quite possibly the bottom three riders left in the competition... When you go into any two leg race off against a "good side" you simply cannot carry that level of rider and hope to prevail... As I have said, I am amazed the Aces won given how out of their depth (and that is at home, not even away), almost 43% of their team are... So, fair play to the other four for the win on the night...

He seems to be criticised for not passing when not making the gate.... File his name with 90% of all riders then..... Not many riders were passing last night and the racing was pretty rubbish... Stadium two thirds empty, meant zero atmosphere, (I must have missed the local marketing focus over the weekend).. And did Ipswich have a taxi load of fans in attendance? (Get a good few away fans at these events and you may get some atmosphere)... An increase in prices was "genius" too.... The Aces are a four man team at home and a three man team away so no chance in the away leg, with the Aces, even with TS's averaging just 36 at Ipswich.. Let's hope Brady and his "wing man" Dan don't take any undue risks and ensure they are both ready for Saturday...

Really? Four of the six points lead came from a Blodorn and Mulford 5-1.. Let that sink in.... Beating Danny King!!! As I say, the Aces are a four man team, with three of the worst riders left in the competition making up the septet... And still, you couldn't beat them, even with a recent British Champion at reserve!!! Dan T is sadly exposed at second string away from home, (apart from Leicester maybe?) and Adam Ellis needs to do the job Dan T did when at reserve (covering the middle order).. Danny King, as we know, can have horrible nights, especially when the pressure is on, and if Dan T and Ellis are not on it, then that pressure will 100% be on him.. From being a "shoe in" for the title, I now think both the Lions and the Tigers will be fancying their chances massively against the Witches..

He always is.... A shame the racing was poor tonight, as the four World Class riders never really had the chance to show their capability... Heats 13 and 15 being the two stand out races whereby fourth wasn't almost a straight behind first..

Oh Well.... Theres always next year..... Whatever next year will look like!!! To be honest, given how poor the Aces are (their bottom three must be close to being riders 26th, 27th and 28th of the 28 riders left in the play offs), I am amazed Ipswich didn't beat them comfortably, let alone actually lose to them, and I sure many Ipswich fans must have some concern about coming up against either of the other teams who have much greater strength in depth... Sheffield and Leicester must have watched and gained confidence.

Cook has covered Lidsey tonight, unfortunately the bottom three haven't been anywhere near play off level all season... Hawkins' Genius coming to the fore in his tactical changes...

Decent Race then..... Emil very fair in not doing a block pass on Kurtz...

It is a bit rubbish so far isn't it?... The outside wasn't working and then it has now become the only line to follow... As for the match, going pretty much to alll predictions... The Aces bottom three struggling (apart from in heat eight, Danny King, what were you doing, a gimme surely?).. Heats 13 and 15 will need a 10-2 for the Aces to take anything like a decent lead I would think...

Just drilled down on the website and the £35 seats were the max.... When you go on there the pricing states from £27 to £35... Not great marketing when you have just seven seconds for someone to formulate an option of anything, making them do the leg work isn't a great plan... I just thought SEVENTY QUID for me and my lad.!! To sit and watch Speedway!? Efff That!!!! The £35 seats, with the cushions, ironically though are the ones sold out... He has just had it delivered in an Uber...

Just drilled down on the website and the £35 seats were the max.... When you go on there the pricing states from £27 to £35... Not great marketing when you have just seven seconds for someone to formulate an option of anything, making them do the leg work isn't a great plan... I just thought SEVENTY QUID for me and my lad.!! To sit and watch Speedway!? Efff That!!!! The £35 seats, with the cushions, ironically though are the ones sold out... He

Just drilled down on the website and the £35 seats were the max.... When you go on there the pricing states from £27 to £35... Not great marketing when you have just seven seconds for someone to formulate an option of anything, making them do the leg work isn't a great plan... I just thought SEVENTY QUID for me and my lad.!! To sit and watch Speedway!? Efff That!!!! The £35 seats, with the cushions, ironically though are the ones sold out...

Shush.... This is only the first one.... Personally, I am missing Bomber...

£35 to sit down?.... Paid £54 for me and my lad to stand.... Barmy pricing for such a tiny sport...

And a sat nav....

Sounds awful.... Best Wishes ..

Not many teams ever get put together where you have quite probably one of the best two riders for that position in the league... The top two are both genuinely World Class... Brennan is a perfect third HL level rider, not quite good enough to be a one or five yet consistently, but ideal at Number Three... Both King and Ellis can be very inconsistent as a 3rd HL, but, again, perfect top level second strings when matched against all the other twos and fours... And, in Dan T, they almost had a cheat code at reserve given his development this season... Add in the RS was the best available, (shouldn't he have gone to Brum under the rules?), and you had a team well above the team limit by brilliantly using UK talent in the main... A huge advantage in team building versus the other three in the play offs, (especially when Woffy got injured), so it means all the pressure is on them to deliver now over the next few matches... If they all click then, statistically, they win comfortably., however, they won't possibly ever get a chance to put such a team together again, so, that in itself, will bring some added pressure to deliver the trophy.

Akin to team riding with Charles Manson...

Lublins reserve strength has been severely impacted and just may give their opponents in the final a chance... It would only take one top 5 rider to have an off night and it could be close...

Ipswich must have a bit of a concern that the engine room no longer has Dan T to cover them, like he has done several times this season... Adam Ellis at reserve will be key, and "should" be a difference maker over two legs...

To be fair, they only had 123 slots in 41 collective Monday and Thursdays, (giving GP week a miss), to complete 82 meetings... And that was with no September meetings planned as well... They must have reserved the 41 slots not used for the KO Cup and the odd Thursday that Poland took.. Better safe than sorry..... They were actually very lucky that Oxford were not in with a chance of qualifying as otherwise it would look even more ridiculous...

58,000 views on YouTube alone... Probably more than double who attend every UK track... Need a bit more of this....

The Aces' Polish contingent normally turn up with their Polish kit for the play offs... I can see Tate having some "different" kit too... Still clearly Ipswich's to win given their advantage in averages for the team they put together at the start of the season... However, with that clear favourites tag, can come great pressure... As a genius once said... "Its squeaky bum time"...

Seven teams, riding 12 home meetings meant eighty four matches in total.. If you started in April and finished by August end that is 43 Mondays and Thursdays combined.. 43 Monday and Thursdays on which to run... Take out the GP week and that leaves 41 nights for UK Speedway... Six teams racing twice per week, one home and one away meeting, (which is perfectly feasible given fixed race night priorty was the reason for having them), and that would allow a maximum 123 matches to take place during that 41 evening timeline, (3 matches Monday, 3 Thursday).. We needed to complete just 84 matches, not 123.. And that would still have left September completely free.. Given those munbers were so heavily stacked in their favour, and even with the KO Cup, (which starts at the QF stage), and Poland just using the odd Thursday whenever they saw fit, the optics of a "professional sport" not completing any league, let alone its "flagship league" doesnt look good does it? Some tracks went three weeks without a meeting, which, given you can make lifetime habits change in just 28 days, that is also a risk to its attendance numbers, let alone league completion... Loads of fixed nights on which to race, yet we will still have meetings potentially ran after the winners of the same competition have been declared..

100%..... And put together a fit for purpose IRR system and you could easily work around the rare occasion when riders get injured early in the meeting.. A fit for purpose RR system would also help massively should riders be missing, however, if five rider teams, then there should be plenty of "unattached" riders to temporary cover any gaps..