mikebv

Which can be after the final has been ran...

Put Woffy in the team, and,with Magic finding his form, and a final between these two could be close... Kowalski's away form needs to improve massively, but he is definitely moving up into the next level...

Brilliant from Laguta..

We gave up priority on Thursdays so the Poles would let the UK use "their riders"... Eg Tai, Emil, Chris Holder, Kvech etc, (and even some Poles!!)... As the UK knew that getting more top riders back would grow their crowds significantly.... A good plan...

To be fair, what you accurately describe is pretty much "par for the course" .... Quite happy to ride away with a "weakened team" but always want their top riders at each home meeting... Pretty standard practice....

Great News! It could have been so much worse... As for the track? Only saw the incident on TV, but it was clear that the outside resembled a "ploughed field", so surely something should have been done about it? Seen the same thing happen quite a few times at Sheffield, which makes an already narrow track become even narrower as the vast majority of riders wouldn't use that outside line.. You would think that the referee could quite clearly see the massive difference in "slick" to "heavy" from their vantage point wouldn't you and seek some corrective measures... I would be amazed if heat one would be allowed to start with the track in that condition so why is any other heat different? Best Wishes to Emil, a true entertainer, and a great ambassador for the sport...

I sincerely hope that whoever did the press release, stating that running such a meeting would have lacked credibility, was laughing their knackers off as they typed that bit out...

Does Freddie need a certain average for the play offs?

You have a level, so aim to be the best at that level, until you organically can handle going to the next stage... Birmingham for example are not a top flight club fanbase wise, so let them ride on Mondays in the 2nd Division.. Poole are the opposite. Clearly a top level team infrastructure wise, so let them be in the top league riding Wednesdays if they so wish... It might need guests for both the above to happen but (breaking news), most matches use guests each week, so it won't really matter... Clubs over stretching themselves can never be a good thing, and, no disrespect, whoever wins any competition this year will hardly be lauded by thousands locally will they? With almost no impact to the following seasons crowds....

Hard riding there from Vaculik.. Great to watch...

Maybe riding in front of more than 1000 inspired him.... Great crowd, and great support for him from the fans..

Rowe five paid six after three rides.... Doing well...

How did Glasgow do?

F'naaaar, F'naaaar..,... (One for the Viz fans)....

I went to Sheffield with my, then, 19 year old lad, a couple of years ago and he mentioned how many races were "in memory" of someone. And then the next time at the NSS, with those thoughts in our minds, we picked up on the same... The demographic of the fanbase perfectly summed up I would suggest. And it shows the challlenge faced by promoters in replacing those sadly departed very loyal regulars...

The days of testimonials for doing ten years st one club are long, long gone.. "Do I go well there? How much will they pay me? Is the priority criteria I would suggest from many when deciding where to ride.. Averages moving up and down year in year out just means moves for riders to go from one club to another... And tonight in the UK, weekend in Poland, Tuesday in Sweden, and Wednesday in Denmark must dilute the riders "riding for the badge" outlook.. And, as we know when getting interviewed during a meeting, not many know the score, which suggests that they don't feel that "bond" to any great degree...

Hope Sam tells them the score before Ht 15!!!

But were you on two hundred quid a point?

As has been said.. The majority of riders are focused on their own races and points money.. Getting battered as a team, but scoring a double figure personally is a "good night"...

You would think that the competitors involved might already know the score too.. Those interviews with the riders are always great when they get asked "Do you think you can still win this?" And the oft used answer is "I don't know, what's the score?" I bet they know the score in Poland.. And their own score too, including bonus points......

And not running it like a hobby, and instead running it like a bona fide sporting competition, also helps them 100%, and ensures (one million percent), that the massive TV contract stays in place..

I remember an interview with Chris Holder in the SS from a decade or so ago saying he got ten times the money in Poland compared to the UK... You can see why the Poles are so protective of "their" riders, and (several) riders, when riding over here, take it a bit cautiously, now and again, when track conditions are not quite to their expectations... You lose a lot if you get injured, and I also remember contracts in Poland covering off no payments if injured riding in another league, and returns of signing on fees, (which can be well into five or six figures)..

As many said on here, before a wheel was turned, the averages were set up to make the Birmingham team appear competitive against the other teams put together.. And this was also in a league that this year saw more current GP, and recent GP riders than for a good many years, therefore the "mean level" of rider has risen..

It's a development league... Not many outside of the followers of the sport will be able to name 3 speedway teams of any level, let alone who the "Champions" are.. The majority of NDL lads will never make a living out of the sport so either ride as a "hobby" or ride in the hope that maybe one day they will get to pro level... If they are not there, then there isn't any racing to watch...

The vast majority are... The old Kirky Lane track went similar after the first decade or so.. The NSS, Glasgow, Scunthorpe, Redcar and the new Worky seem to be the ones that can handle the modern machinery and provide decent racing.. And don't forget, winning at home is key, NOT the entertainment level...