SlicktrackSandy

Check out his Facebook page - he mentions it there. Loads of good wishes rolling in for James. Have enjoyed watching him over the years since his Coventry days. This year never really took off for him - too many injuries and a legacy of too many past injuries are bound to question why you are still doing it ?

If a temporary reprieve did materialise for 2023 - can't think many would take issue with the title of a farewell event that was planned some time ago based on the knowledge available at that time. Would have thought that "rejoicing" for most Speedway fans would be the immediate response. Maybe one of Bill McLaren's "They'll be dancing in the streets of Armadale" ( and elsewhere ) quotes would be appropriate if this does turn out to be the case. Fingers crossed.

Possibly less of a gamble now than in previous years. Certainly looks more like doing what he is capable of..

Very well put. Am sure many would agree with that - he has been a great asset to UK Speedway over the years. A high speed Ulle was always great to watch and gave his all. Like many great riders though - serious injuries have blighted their careers and with Ulle the last two seasons in particular have maybe signalled to him that it was time to bow out gracefully. Always enjoyed his races with Glasgow, Peterborough and others before. He might actually make a good T.V. pundit in future like Tony Rickardsson, Sudden Sam and Chris Louis as he had a wealth of experience behind him ? Happy retirement and thanks for the thrills !

Overall the much anticipated Play-Offs in both leagues have been disappointing this year for various reasons. Hope the Finals are a bit closer. Tigers were beaten before they started tonight anyway - maybe some Allied taxis will be required before next year ? Really thought they would have done a lot better than that though. Poor show over both legs hard to take for fans.

It's one prediction that Nostradamus certainly got right !

Most impressed with Connor Mountain this season. Rode like a demon in the British Final too. 17 + 2 from Leicester's #2 and #7 against Monarchs 3 + 2 equivalents were a big help for them. Not a great day the office for Monarchs overall though and maybe even got off lightly as Lions had both the Thompson boys below par. If that is to be the last Monarchs match ever at Armadale after 26 years, as seems likely, it just adds to the rather empty feeling of disappointment. However, if our Peugeot pals in Red can rack up a decent home score against the skull and crossbones lot, we may still see a Scottish team in the Final. So for now at any rate - it's .......Give us a "T "

It's gonna have to be a "Give Us A T " on Sunday then !

We now have to move on from all that and not lose sight of our main priority of continuing to keep the sport alive in this ( or other ) area.

If that is the case ( allegedly ) , then the good news would be that continued brown envelope production has not been adversely affected by the energy crisis. There's always winners and losers. Nothing changes.

Would echo all of that. Looked as if 4 rides was more than enough for Sam, especially with the track conditions as they were. Nothing is ever certain in Speedway but Paco was going very well and confident & may have added an extra point - who knows. Has to be said the Kerr/Lawson duo were very strong towards the end. For me though, perhaps the key to to Redcar's success ( in keeping the deficit to just 4 ) was the 14 from their reserves against our 7. I guess that Lasse with only 1 from 3 helped them also, Should be another close one down at theirs but if everyone chips in with points as per usual away form we have a good chance of doing well.

Sad news indeed. A personal favourite from his 1960s Middlesbro' Bears days, along with Eric Boocock, Clive Hitch, Johnny Fitzpatrick, Brian McEown and Kevin Torpie at Old Meadowbank, Edinburgh. Great rider and a bit of an entertainer too - can recall him once doing handstands and walking on his hands on the Centre Green encouraged by Ian Hoskins. Many a great tussle with Dougie Templeton and others. Great memories of Eric Boothroyd.

Indeed and almost two Turnips for the books on consecutive nights - but quite clearly the better team deserved the draw. They'll be dancing in the streets in Lilliput Land tonight for sure.

Indeed - and this could possibly be one of those matches where some ( Blue & Gold ) EMTV viewers may be watching from behind the sofa ! If anyone is old enough to recall "Captain Scarlet and The Mysterons" way back in the day, that suggestion may make sense.

Indeed - second all of that. If Nicholls had have been fit he most likely would have added another 5 at least to Flints score, but he wasn't and they did well with what they had and deserved their point. As expected Dillon Ruml 's 13 really kept them in the hunt and does seem to enjoy this track. Apart from Sam and Josh, who are imperious just about everywhere, the backup has been frustratingly inconsistent for most of the season. if Monarchs do win through to the play-offs that would be a reasonable bonus for the 2022 campaign, as early on some on here were predicting a bottom 2 finish for the 5 times League Champions..

Sadly so very true these days. Not exactly a cheering few lines of verse - typical of the 1600's ( allegedly ), but content bears an uncanny resemblance in mirroring the continued loss of UK Speedway Tracks in favour of more housing developments. Summer Of Discontent.odt

Monarchs have 7 Championship matches remaining and still have a chance of squeezing into the play-offs. The kind of injuries that Lasse and James have do take time to heal properly, so returning too soon could be counter-productive both for themselves and the team. If neither rider declares himself fully match fit by 1st July for the final 6 matches, then maybe the replacement(s) option would be the way to go. Would have a greater chance of making it into the top 6 with a fully fit squad and hopefully no r/r's. There do appear to be options available if necessary, but only the management know the latest on Lasse and James injuries situation and are no doubt will be weighing up the pros and cons after this weekends round of Championship matches. With Lee Complin now a Devil, maybe this Friday would be a good chance to have him also as this week's guest reserve - he did look pretty handy on a very difficult track last week.

Can recall that night. Was standing just behind him and his small ( numerically ) entourage at what is now the 3rd/4th bend. Just looked like a regular very young wee fella wearing classy shades. Most were pretty shocked to learn that he had a change mind with a list of complaints to support. One rumour was that he also wanted someone to do his clothes washing for him ( allegedly ), which was turned down. If that was true the guy must have felt devastated - honestly who likes to do their own washing especially when you are only 16 !

Look on the bright side - one day he will make the right call and deserve the hero's badge !

Very much the case - positions 2 & 4 looked to have been our potential weak spots since early on and with our senior reserve being injured also adds to the reliance on the other 3 to come up with big points for any chance of success. Not an ideal combination if we have aspirations of being in the top six at play-off time, but you have to play with the hand that is dealt - so will have to wait and see if it is good enough.

Fully agree with that and indeed 26 years is an eternity in Speedway terms for a club to be able to have continuous residence at the same venue for that amount of time. From memory , the only current Championship teams who have also managed that milestone are Poole and Newcastle. Berwick are still at Shielfield but they did have a break before returning. From that point of view I guess we have been fortunate to have had such an enjoyable and successful spell at Armadale. Whichever part of the Lothians they end up settling for the third time - am sure the Monarchs will survive.......again !

Just 9 points and 2 bonus from 4 Monarchs on their home track is not a statistic to remember fondly - even against a title challenging team like Leicester.

Pretty much crucial that they do just that. Looking at latest green sheets and current form - limiting Leicester to just 1 league point would be a success I reckon. In addition, our top two will have their work cut out against their top three who are all capable of double figure returns. Potentially the best match this season so far as the day's' decent weather appears to favour ideal track conditions.