SteelShoe

Think all speedway fans would love the sport to have a sustained massive injection of cash but it doesn't. The fact remains that currently only 5 teams (35riders) are possible participants in the Premiership in 2026. Currently there is no tv deal and with most of the likely candidates having been there and done that then I have my doubts whether a tv deal from a financial big player is at all likely . This obviously has financial implications for the budgets of the premiership clubs and the BSPL. Another question to be answered is with no tv money and only a possible 5 teams do all these teams even want this ? . No excitement and not much variability in 5 teams from where I'm sitting. The truth is the Premiership is not the promised land and most Championship supporters believe that is the better product. Also let's not forget Leicester only joined the Premiership in 2023 and Sheffield in 2021 neither of which have enjoyed financial happy times if rumours of the size of losses are to be believed.

He will really Hearn is money if he can pull that off 😉 Maybe the Donald could help, MSGA doesn't have the same ring to it as MAGA though.

No one should be forced to go up in my opinion simply to make up the numbers and appease a couple of clubs who won't entertain one league.

I watched fans stream out of Wimborne Road on BSN after the 1st leg , 2 things in particular were noticeable : hardly anyone was wearing Pirates merchandise and there was hardly any kids. The age demographic appeared to be mainly 50+. Whether that is representative I don't know.

Nothing to do with his own teams defensive frailities and missed chances then 🤣

Same could be said about the crowd at Leicester and Ipswich . I watched league meetings on TNT from Leicester during the season and I'd be surprised if there were 500 there. The playoffs and final probably helped financially save their season. We were at Ashfield friday and have supported semi finals and finals also at Redcar, this is in addition to paying for a BSN Championship Play Off pass. The reasons we made the effort to attend instead of sitting in front of the tv include an awareness that more than ever speedway needs supporting, you do not get the atmosphere on tv and the prospect of exciting racing, which is more likely at both of these tracks especially as riders tend to give more in such circumstances.

Speedway on regional TV in the North East, Cumberland and the Borders gets virtually no coverage and certainly no regular coverage. It is a real personal irritation.

I thought Poole done well to keep the deficit to 2 points tonight when you consider the tension and excitement of last night. It's looking like consecutive trebles for the Pirates which is some achievement. The consistency of performance at the business end from their top 4 in particular has been very impressive.

Yeah rather strangely there was dust from the get go too.

Yeah and Lewi Kerr should have been in for Rich Lawson. He had beaten Charles in heat 10 and Jason in heat 12.

Great meeting to attend, the fans tried there best to get the Tigers over the line but it was heartbreak in the ill named Superheat. Should 30 heats of league title Speedway really be decided like that ?. You will be lucky to see a better individual performance than that from Bomber tonight. His hunting down and outrageous passes had to be witnessed live to really appreciate the skill and courage involved. He tried his best to get them over the line but ultimately failed. Like you say the Pirates gated better in both of heats 15 and 16 and it did slicken off enough to preclude him repeating his heroics of heat 15. Don't think Kyle Howarth was the man for the Superheat following his performance in 15. His gating also hadn't been great throughout the meeting. The Pirates found enough to do it again,you can only admire them for that but it would have been nice to see the Tigers lift the trophy.

Bob on, the 4-2 Glasgow were on would have won them the meeting.

Perhaps a neutral venue for the league final playoff over one meeting with a pre determined number of heats should be a consideration. It would certainly help ameliorate the situation when one of the teams has a much larger home advantage. A Superheat is not a good way to decide a league title in my opinion.

I feel a pro final is about both winning and being entertained. A Wembley football final doesn't disadvantage one team by the direction the grass has been cut but Poole purposely disadvantaged Glasgow using track preparation. That promoter you mention was complicit in the reduced gate takings because he failed to put a team together that was capable of winning at home on a regular basis.

Poole could still win at home without the track prep witnessed last night. they are very shrewd in repeatedly building a competetive team. Surprised to hear you say you could fill your program in after turn 2 the majority of times at Belle Vue.

Gonna be interesting watch which teams 3/4 pairings comes out on top for sure.

Rich is a very slick gater like his Dad was. Couple that with the experience he has gained over the years and he is probably at the peak of his powers. West Cumbria has produced some very good riders who have generally benefitted other teams.

Do Poole have the wrong mindset here though?. Speedway shouldn't be all about winning right?. Speedway is about excitement from which comes entertainment, that entertainment is created from a number of variables the biggest by far being the excitement generated by riders racing and passing each other over 4 laps. Preparing tracks with the sole intention of quite simply outgating the opposition knowing races will be all over after lap 1 turn 2 just reinforces the view shared by many people that in speedway you know who is going to win after the second corner. This is just one of the reasons detrimental to more fans wanting to watch. Beware self interest and shortsightedness.

Poole have proven they can compete anywhere in the Championship this season. I've watched them break a few Redcar hearts at the ECCO Arena in the last 2 or 3 weeks so I know how tough a task the Tigers face but they can do it. If Poole win again then I'm pretty sure they will earn the due respect.

no they would have said the Tigers outgated the Pirates in the majority of heats.

The performance on Friday of Mr Consistent Lawson is the major contributing factor for me, another 14/15 points and it is Pooles title. My heart wants to see the Tigers do it but as a 7 they need to lift it to another level to achieve it.

Ching Ching

The gauling thing is Poole have riders who can handle a bit of dirt. To sacrifice putting on a more entertaining spectacle for supporters and paying public in the wider interest of a sport that is in accelerated decline is hard to fathom. If Glasgow had gated better that result could easily have been reversed.

The Tigers fans will be hoping Bomber is the best he can be in both legs because Rich Lawson definitely will be. It is hard to call but after watching Poole dismantle Redcar twice at the ECCO Arena over the last 10days it is going to be a tough ask for the Tigers. I hope they do it, nice to share the trophies around and the club and fans deserve it.

Generally I would say racing this season has been close but passing may have been reduced due a lack of track moisture during the very dry weather. Yeah costs are not commensurate with money taken at the gate. Reports of riders not being paid and some clubs running 6 figure deficits isn't viable long term.