Hunty

I watch Cradley...every week we see two tactical rides, every week they do absoultly nothing! We romp away every week, and the fans are now fed up of it! I watched the Lions aswell and they have come from 10points down to win! THATS SPORT! The underdog, the comebcak, the last gasp...these are what make it a sport! Rules are set before a match and both teams no the rules...its up to both teams to make the most of them, when the tactical ride comes the other team can stop it or the can bring the score back but 7 points! They dont fiddle the results at all because its is known about it before they start the meeting. Without those tactical rides there would have been a 4 point gain but the match would not have been turned on its head! Speedway is a sport where when the riders are close the action is better, also when the score is close the action is better! THE PLAY OFFS, the only thing that gets people through the gates... the crowds at those matches are the only ones worthy of the great past times and even then there still a mile off! Without the Play offs leagues would be over before september for some teams, how are those teams suposed to get people through the gate when theres nothing to play for. Id like to point out im 25! A younger fan, my dad is 63 and he still comes and complains about these type of things just like you... I think its a generation thing but i understand there are purists but thats not how it is anymore!

A league like American Football would suit speedway. The only problem is you would have to have a certain number of teams and gaurentee that they would be back each season.

I hate to say it but without Tactical Rides and Play Offs meetings and season would be over for some teams and they would have nothing to race for after heat 8 and after July! They have to stay to make it close, and to make it more intresting!

Wasnt last nights curfew extended, a good way to test the waters!

Super GP...Nicki once again up to his usual tricks (Close Call) but he adds so much entertainment off the track! All night Nigel and Kelvin were saying how calm he was. Didnt last very long! Lots of lines and lots of moves and a pleasnt winner with AJ! To top it all off Woffinden looked good in 3 heats and is closer to Greg but Greg is still healthy with his lead!

The second best team in the league and we go and win by 35points...Glad ive had a season ticket as on the gate would not be good value at all to watch these ommerings everyweek. The extra meetings from the KOC and The Play Offs, works out to be around £6.50 a meeting if we go all the way in the Cup and League. The program notes tonight hinted greatly about the need for the step up and Patch himself admited in his coloum that we have out grew the NL. For the first time in a very very very long while was the issue of the our own track brought up in Starkes page where he said that the management team really were doing the best they can to find us a home. Ive stated previously that I would more than be happy to stay in the NL if...we didnt build such a good side (But then whats the point) or the league was able to be closer but how they would do that is imposable because the benfits of riding for the Heathens outweights any other team. Once again tonight the riders were all given cheques for I think the 4th time this season. PL would make the majoirty happy, but these folks are not used to watching a loosing side and I would hate to see some of there reactions if we on the other end of these drummings, thats one of the issue that worries because some of our fans can take it a bit to far as stated by the club after the visit to coventry at the start of the season! A massive winter ahead, one I look forward to greatly!

Heathens by 18 thats my preidction...biggest test of the year, I just hope it dont end up being like all the other big tests the management build up for us!

A town built for a huge population to live in a modern town but it never had any sports teams! Till now, the football is creating its own history as MK Dons, and the council are keen to have sports in the town as its never happened before!

This post infuriates me so much... becuase YOUR Wrong... The league is there to develop riders to race, to be good enough to ride with other riders when they go out in each heat. If there was no National League and actual competition then why when they get to the gate dont they choose when they go and have four practice laps without the risk of being knocked off by another rider! The league is here for a reason but the difference between teams like CRADLEY and SCUNTHORPE is what causes the debate and the problems. The league needs to needs to bridge the gap! There are so many riders in this league who may be too good...we have two of them in Worral and Starke but nothing can be taken away from how cradley have developed riders through the last 5 years. Max Clegg and Nathan Greaves were our reserves last year, Cleggy is now at number 3 and is looking like a potential to be a number 1. Nathan Greaves is alot better rider than he was last year, because for one he can stay on his bike but thats down the team repaying the faith in him for a second year. Matt Williamson gets regular guest bookings in the PL. Lewis Blackbird career was going nowhere and you give him a regular set place in a team and look whats happened to him this year in the NL. if he wasnt riding for us last year he wouldnt have been given a chance. Were not taking full credit for all the sucsess of developing riders, alot of that goes down to the clubs who have training tracks and actuall gets kids on bikes. This modern era of the Heathens will always be part of our history and if we ever get a track of our own I hope one of the first things we do as a club is have it open for training and maybe have a NL team once again!

The promotion at the track is dire as well, the presenter was desperate for Cradley riders to miss the 2min warning on a numerous amount of times like it was a two min warning to the end of the world. He puts me off going back to Loomer Rd every time he does my head in with his utter rubbish of trying to make everything rhyme and using words that start with the same letter. Then the music they play is worse than Brandon and thats bad, why is it that speedway tracks only play songs up to 1987 and thats it! I belive Stoke new they had a chance at a victory and did everything in thier power to try and make it happen. Is the referee alowed to push riders who have staled because the referee at Monmore has helped many a rider before. Then there was a few dubious decisons tonight like when Starke was excluded for knocking Armstrong off...the way I saw it is that Starke had no way of knowing he was there as he was on his blind side. The Heathens gated and sat still in heat one but it was brought back because a Stoke rider had moved and hindered himself at the gate. Heathens of 5 riders were more than enough for Stoke today and if you put Worrall and Wiliamson back in we would have taken four points easily. Stoke have a good chance at getting to the play-offs and the final and I wish them luck but Im glad im back from the 1980's.

I know nothing... Super super stuff, as much as the Aussies had a bad night we would still have won!

The Lions will finish 3rd tonight! We were shocking last year and only see it happening again!

Nope...Sorry it was very bland! A fast track but one line all night. Tom Perry took up a wide line to defend a 5-1 with Clegg but he just had no speed on there and slid wide. The racing was better on 60+ victories because the Heathens were missing the gates! Last night was good over one lap but there was no way to pass last night as the track had only one line!

Last night was a big crowd, weather was supurb and it was expected to be a good meeting. Last night I drove onto Monmore car park and thought it may end up being full just like what happens on a Monday! First time ive seen that and its a good sign...we basically need our own stadium! Which even as a Heathen fan, thinks may be out our reach!

I think all thats wanted and needed now for the Heathens and the fans is come sort of competition. I would want to stay in the NL and save the money as you said because that is the real aim in my opinion. The league needs to be have more involvement in British Speedway, the NL AGM is seperate and an after thought to the EL and PL plans when the NL draft has brought the leagues closer than ever. Sort out the NL and it would be fine for the Heathens to stay in the NL. Have a lower average limit around 38 and then also have a miniumum average limit around 35 and all the teams will be around the same standard and the better riders will end up at all NL teams. Small steps lead to big strides!

Built up as the Heathens toughest test....Could have been alot worse! Stevie Worrall only raced 3 laps thinking it was finished on a 5-1 ended 3-3. Tom Perry went wide whilst on a 5-1 a very unusual mistake And Matt Williamson struggled with a couple of falls by just trying a tad to hard! I was a beliver we should stay in the NL but after that tonight and it being way way way to easy its time for a step up!

Really suprised we dont have a thread for this one. The Heathens are looking for a bit of revenge as most of our fans belive we were hard done by in the reverse fixture towards the start of this season. The Heathens took a point but the Heathens crumbled and were anoyed by a referee decsion that was a bit harsh on Max Clegg Should be a good meeting, closeest hopefully of the season but Heathens winning by 12! CRADLEY: Paul Starke, Matt Williamson, Max Clegg, Tom Perry, Steve Worrall, Nathan Greaves, Danny Phillips. COVENTRY: Oliver Greenwood, Luke Crang R/R, Stefan Nielsen, Dan Greenwood, James Sarjeant, Ryan Terry-Daley, Martin Knuckey.

I always forget which countries ride on which days! But putting EL one day, PL another and NL another would still keep the current Double Up for some riders but then the top riders would be more open to ride in Britain if all EL clubs rode on a Monday! Its has to be done but it wont be due to some tracks refusing or unable to!

Really looking forward to this...Nice trip to the Peaks and a good healthy win for the Heathens (Hopefully) Should be a fair few heading up today!

The Heathens will be nicely warmed up for this one!

Stags said they will opperate a number 8 in Jack Hall who will take all the R/R riders for their missing number 1! Im really looking forward to tonights meetings, the Stags match is one sided but there is nothing that can be done! Im looking forward to see what they have to offer and see how well they progress through the sport which is what this league is all about!

To short notice... not able attend and I would have liked to have gone! Cradley have co-operated but it anoys me that it helps coventry out. They can have a run out in a friendly when riders are coming back. Im just a bit narkerd by this, would we have a full team?

The seven Heathen riders are filling there boots week in week out with good scores and therefore wages! If they put the money back into their equipment they will go even faster and a good healthy score in this meeting will hopefully see them have money to spend a little on the buisness end of the season!

Oh I know that they wont be with us next year but thats the whole point of this league and what our current set up should be all about. Ok its nice to win and do well but its not the beginning and end all of of things. Maybe next year we will get another 15 year old lad at reserve and we can push him through the NL into the Draft (It must continue) and bigger things. I enjoy the NL, I am wavering a bit with some of the ommerings as its has caused me to go home wanting a little bit more, but i feel that the NL is forgoten about with the BSPA! Why on earth last year did they have the EL and PL AGMs together but then the NL had its own when the top and bottom leagues had never been so closely linked before. If the NL had more of say in the AGMs of the EL and PL then maybe the draft would have been even more of a sucsess as there would have been more thought on how to bring the 2014 draft riders through in the future!

Another meeting where the visitors once again fail to win a race! However it was still a good meeting and when the Heathens didnt gate it was good to watch them pass through the field. Max Clegg is a class act, give this lad a healthy career and good support and he will go far! Paid Five Ride Max tonight and he only dropped a point when he shredded the tapes and went of 15meters! My favorite rider, he is great with the young fans... always smiling and really has the Heathens at his heart and his speedway home! Brilliant...Thats what the NL is all all about and Ill happily watch that every week if we keep seeing the talent through!