Steve Shovlar

Doubt the management and riders see it that way. Finishing clear at the top means anything other that winning the final will be viewed as failure. Either Somerset and Poole will go into the final as plucky underdogs.

Just saying it as it is. Kings Lynn finished top so the pressure is all on them. No mind games needed. If Poole make the final against all the odds (bottom in July) they will have done a remarkable job. In doing so Pirates will have “the peoples vote” as the team to support.

Kings Lynn are massive favourites with the bookies to win the title as can be seen. Can they cope with all that pressure?

Yep. Unless Middlo is thinking Harris will be out of his depth at one and will need Josh to back him up. Other than that Josh at 3 is a no brainer.

I was going on the team position changes from Somerset. Harris at one on the new GS so Kurtz goes to 5. Josh at 3 worked very well so why go back? He is on form and his meeting isn’t run by heat 10. If Josh is at 2, it leaves us vunerable at 3 and 4 imo.

50-40.

Depends on which rider was missing.

We finally agree on something. As I said Somerset are stronger with r/r.

Clearly not done deliberately but Somerset benefitting by the timing.

Depends whether the riders who are going to take his rides are likely to score more than him. In this case, looking at the other riders scores at Poole this year, the answer is a resounding yes.

Absolutely 100% correct. It could easily be sorted privately at the patients preferred date. Both Somerset and Peterborough could have helped arrange this. Hardly going to cost thousands removing a plate and screws. It has to be wondered, in Somersets case, that they were happy with him going ahead with the opperation in the knowledge he would be well covered by r/r.

Dear oh dear oh dear. You really haven’t done your homework this time. In our first meeting against Somerset Allen score two wins in his 6 from 4. Lawson scored paid 8 including a win. Covatti scored paid 8 inc a win from 4. All in the same meeting BWD scored 5 from 5. How does the loss of BWD make Somerset weaker? In our next encounter Lawson scored 8 from 4. Covatti paid 8 from 4. Summers paid 4 from 3.Allen 3 from 3. BWD scored 5 from 5. How does the loss of BWD make Somerset weaker? In our last encounter Covatti scored paid 8. Neither Lawson or BWD rode. Now tell me, how does the loss of BWD make Somerset weaker?

Sorry but it really does. BWD scores 5 from 5 on average around Poole. Summers, Allen, Covatti and Lawson should easily do better than that. Absolutely in this case.

Do you think he can ride 4 days after the operation?

Yes it sounds a cliché but Somerset are stronger without him. He isn’t a big scorer at Poole. Summers, Lawson, Allen and Covatti taking his rides do not weaken Somerset at all. His scores are 5 from 5 and 5 from 5. I still believe Poole are good enough to go through but his absence makes it tighter.

Wow, have they visited the local morgue to get a crowd? Never seen such a passionless gathering!

Hence my cool shades emoji.

Give me racing at Wimborne Road every day of the week, month and year over the boring spaced out from the gate garbage served up at Saddlebow road.

Harris is at 1. Kurtz is at 5. New GS for October. Josh moved to 3 to bolster middle order. Much better than Josh at 2 with his meeting over at heat 10, unless picked for heat 15.

Whilst speedway may be a small sport compared to football etc, it is still much bigger than many sports people who do get nominated. Speedway is huge compared to netball, womens cricket, womens swimming. It’s down to what sports the bbc covers and the make up of the panel who chooses the finalists. If Woffinden was chosen as a finalist he would outscore the Peatys, and the bloke who spins around on a wooden horse, by the proverbial mile. The get to be a finalist in a tiny sport. Speedway as a sport is vastly bigger in every way. But that has no impact on who is picked. The bbc is now obligated to shows the voting. Woffinden is more than capable of getter enough votes to make third with the amount of fans in the uk. They just won’t have the opportunity to vote for him.

If we ride to our potential, we will be back a week later for the first leg of the final against Kings Lynn. Make Doyle work to do his thing, and no last places. Middlo needs to get in their heads again, and remind them again how Somerset were going to smash us. Should be a hell of a tough meeting but we need to hit them early and don’t allow them a way back we will make the final. Harris rides at one. Brady goes to five. Harris Woryna Josh G Klindt Kurtz Worrall Jackobsen

Belle vue rider being a very bad loser.

Coventry won it in 2010 by the same way with Shamek smashing in similar scores.

As a neutral I can say there is absolutely no chance of Belle Vue making it through to the final. It’s called a foregone conclusion, meaning “a result that can be predicted with certainty”. Belle Vue fought well but once the Lynn riders got dialled in to the track there was only one team in it. Even if Cook declares himself fit to ride it won’t make any difference. I am reading some Lynn fans not wanting to count their chickens before they have hatched but really, they surely have to believe the job is done?

You are 8 points up going into the second leg. At home. I think you can start to celebrate making the final. It won’t come back to bite you on the jacksy.