Terrace Grumbler

Er, why don't you just enjoy what we have while we have it and leave this to the close season?

Decent meeting but the whole thing was hostage to the weather: when the track is a dustbowl there's no passing on the bends and to an extent it was a gating contest. I'd take Barker over Jorgensen any day of the week.

Reality check. If having Danny Phillips in the side is the price for keeping Newcastle open (and I don't know if it is or not), it's a price very much worth paying in my eyes.

I don't think there's any shortage of effort.

Ostergaard for Bukhave is a very good change. I feel sorry for JB but that's life I'm afraid. If we can get Bjerre and Jorgensen fit this looks a good sextet.

He wasn't that good. These things happen in speedway: unless you're Poole you're bound by the maths of the points limit. I've got mixed feelings this evening - I don't like the rumour about people not being paid, but this signing is excellent.

In a word, yes. As for 2020, Bukhave has been around the block already and I don't see a vast improvement being very likely. Steve ( I ask you in your role as Mr. Memory) do you recall Ulli burning it up at BP in the last couple of seasons, possibly as a guest? I'm sure he did but can't find anything.

Berwick? Great, we haven't seen much of them lately.

Thanks for that, Steve, but I thnk our reserves are nailed on to the end of the season (which will be upon us before we know it).

Danny Halsey was going to be the next big thing at Rye House about ten years ago but he never made the jump to PL standard. I wonder what Mark Blackwell and Sam Dore are doing now.

I agree. This doesn't feel like a Newcastle team to me - I know that may seem nonsensical but that is how I see it. Maybe the lack of home fixtures hasn't helped....one or two performances certainly haven't..

I am disgusted with the decision to "postpone" the 90th anniversary meeting. What a kick in the teeth. My sons (who now live away but who held season tickets for years) have arranged to come home for this weekend, specifically for this meeting, which will now not take place. Still, they can watch a Scunthorpe select instead, which will be fine with them I'm sure; it will have to be, won't it? If the promotion chooses to treat its hardcore support with apparent contempt then it must expect the consequences which may follow. Gentlemen, if you choose to run things heedless of the consequences for others, you may find that in time those others choose to vote with their feet - it's your choice. Of course, we may now never know which riders had been booked to ride on 7 July - if any had been. I know that things could be worse; I know that we are probably fortunate to have a club at all. I thought I could not be more disillusioned with this sport, but I was wrong. Onwards and downwards.

Ladies, Gentlemen A reality check, please. These are the Poole "Special Dispensation" Pirates. They can do what they like, they always have, Good Old Middlo etc. Dreadful meeting on a shocking track. Thst bulls hitter Pearson will get a CBE for turd polishing in the next Honours List.

I don't see any alternative. I've stopped keeping programmes but my recollection is of his scoring quite heavily round BP within the last 2 or 3 years and Roy offering the view that he couldn't join us because we run on Sundays: however if I'm wrong about that, I apologize. My recollection is of him and the Australian Scott Smith doing laps in the second half around that time.

Thanks, PTBAB - I was aware of that but was trying (perhaps unsuccessfully) to make the point that if the Newcastle team is to be strengthened it's not only one of the reserve berths that might be looked at.

It's all about opinions. And you've got a lot of 'em! :-) I'm no statto but iirc Ulrich's record round BP puts Tommy Gun's in the shade.

Ruffy, if you were -- just for the sake of argument - putting together a Diamonds team, would you consider Ulli to ride, say, at no. 5?

You've lost me there, sorry.

I don't know, why were they? (Only joking...) Face it, Berwick is usually Baltic. Good atmos at Shielfield generally tho, which is why we attend fairly regularly.

Dandelion, may I suggest you take up watching Love Island? You've been on Fantasy Island too long. Does anyone know if we had any interest in Ulli before he signed down the road? Unlike some I could mention he goes round BP like a train.

Everything at Berwick is always cold, where are you keeping the polar bears this season?

As I've been trying to say, there may be a bigger picture here which makes this a pointless (no pun intended!) exercise. We'll see.

He was only impressive in comparison with others on Sunday. Very decent though, yes. However unless my memory fails me he was riding in the Conference for Redcar ten years or so ago and didn't make the step up. For my money the discussion on our reserves is academic. We shouldn't let the perfect be the downfall of the good.

Marginal decision - viewing at Redcar can be tricky if, like us, you arrive close to the start time. I'll keep an eye on the weather and on the field, I think.

Happy with this signing...hopefully some tall scoring from reserve.