Hamster00

Again though it worked perfectly, 2 x 5-1, 1 x 4-2 and one more 4-2 would’ve happened if it wasn’t for Masters running out of fuel. You could also argue that Oxford at full strength have 1 heat leader and 6 riders of a very similar level so putting the R/R with Masters is a good idea as proven on Saturday.

Just about every team manager uses R/R at 2 these days, don’t understand the consternation around this as in 3 of the heats the replacement is with theoretically the teams strongest rider and then in heat 8 you get to use said rider. It worked nearly perfectly for Oxford last night too as they got 2 x 5-1’s, 1 x 4-2 and would have had another if it wasn’t for Masters running out of fuel. Peter Schroek makes some strange and terrible decisions but putting R/R at two was absolutely the right thing to do and seems to be the consensus thing to do these days. I found it more odd he didn’t use Knudsen in Heat 12 and put Killeen in heat 15.

Well deserved home win, Edinburgh should comfortably make the playoffs imo. Poor team management as per from Dickson, should’ve kept the TS for heat 13 as would’ve expected Wood/Smith could’ve beat Loftus for the 3-3 in 12. I know he expected Killer to beat Sedgy but given how uncomfortable Morris looked I would’ve have had him out of 13. Bottom end far too weak with Smith and then Hagon having to be at 2. If/When Morris gets up to speed it’ll all be way too late to even get close to the play offs.

Completely agree, he’s actually upped his average this season at Plymouth and was just an unfortunate victim of circumstance. I’d certainly have him in over Smith for the rest of the season based on that and his efforts last night, it’s hardly a big risk, his floor is probably the same as Smiths but his ceiling is higher imo.

He does for Smith

Trigger should be in for Jack Smith based on that performance tonight, Smith hasn’t been the same since he was made permanent in the side and certainly struggles if he doesn’t gate. Wood is absolutely fine imo, paid 5 tonight and has routinely got above his average at home, you carry him away but most teams seem to have a reserve like that. The problem when you have a weakened lineup is that everyone has to pick up the slack, tonight only PK really did that out of the regular Bandits, Kemp looked uncomfortable and out of sorts and had his poorest home performance in a long time despite scoring 11 from his 6 rides he didn’t beat anyone of note. JJ will take time to settle in and unfortunately didn’t take to the track like he did last night, hopefully he’ll be better for it next week.

Excellent showing last night considering we were 14 points down at one point JJ and Kemp especially we brilliant. As for tonight I think it’ll be another close run things with two weakened teams, for Berwick it’ll come down to whether JJ takes to the track the same way he took to Ashfield last night as Glasgow could potentially be using Bomber and Howarth for 6 rides each which will prove difficult to overcome unless Drew Kemp has some able back up.

I’ve just checked and he’s actually having his worst statistical season in the Premier League/Championship since 2010 when he rode for Workington. Yes granted he was the best rider in the league for periods at Edinburgh and Glasgow but I don’t think his on track performance can be classed as unbridled success as some seem to make out. You've got to take one with the other and that’s how I see it, I can put up with Kildemand averaged 7.80 or whatever it is as he is no nuisance and generally seems to put in a strong effort. Cooks off track issues combined with his worst statistical season since 2010 but hey we’ve dealt with worse on track so I guess this is fine to you?

I’m actually surprised at how Kildemand has done, I thought he’d struggle far more than he has due to the fact he hasn’t had a team in Poland for a few years now and wasn’t exactly setting the world alight in Denmark, I thought he’d be averaging around 7 rather than closer to 8, he still isn’t afraid to mix it and is clearly trying but his machinery seems slow. Cook you are bang on, interested if he gates otherwise just potters around the white line but I better not upset the Cook fan club anymore.

But why would you sign someone that constantly gives you a headache? There is a reason teams like Workington moved on from him and they’ve been totally justified in that. The fact you don’t know if he's turning up at all to any meeting should be reason enough to avoid him and as for having all these bouts of sickness well maybe the less said the better. On track he’s been bang average imo, he’s nowhere near the rider he was years ago that would mean I could understand the excuses that were made for him. There always is plenty of people willing to defend him and personally I don’t understand it but each to their own.

I would fancy my chances if I was Plymouth, a lot will depend on the guest whomever that may be and the reserves for Berwick. The Cook signing had disaster written all over it from day one and those that hailed it as the best thing to ever happen have certainly got a dose of reality now.

Craig Cook being announced as not riding must win the award for least surprising announcement of the week.

After this meeting he’ll have missed 3 out of Plymouths 11 matches, I agree it’s frustrating but not nearly as frustrating as Jonas Knudsen missing the first 5 Oxford league meetings, plus when Plymouth signed Klindt he had no Polish commitments. However I don’t see you raising an issue with the likes of the Knudsen one so maybe it’s just you having an inevitable dig at Plymouth.

I think it’s maybe his hero worship and idealisation of the Comets and the ownership that means he could potentially have the blinkers on.

If they were going to be reinstated today and all was going to be well then they wouldn’t have needed to cancel their meeting against Berwick tomorrow, forcing Berwick to organise an alternative fixture against Edinburgh. I expect this to drag on for a while.