PersonalResponsibility

It's shocking really for someone with his track record of success...

I do think team managers get it in the neck unfairly sometimes, because there's not a great deal they can really do and they're probably volunteering to some degree. However, I think that goes out the window with Shroeck. I don't believe I have seen a worse team manager in all my time watching speedway. In fact, I think he must be a social experiment to see how bad one manager can be before fans begin to lose it. Has he got Ant & Dec in his ear or something?

That's British speedway in a nutshell, isn't it? If it contravenes the agreement - like, actually does, not just a feeling - then stand firm and order him to ride at Redcar. If it doesn't, then fair enough. Can you imagine Poland buckling and letting a Pole ride in the UK instead of his Polish club, even if we'd agree not to do that?

So have Allied just propped up Workington until future notice then? The interview with James Denham appeared to point that way - whether intentionally or not. It was even mentioned that they'd started the kids race as it "had worked well at other tracks...Peter does it at Glasgow". Made it sound like the Facennas are running the show now.

Funnily enough, I found one of Jeff Scott's books yesterday before watching the Derby. In there, I was reading about a meeting at Newcastle in about 2005, where there'd been some controversy, a couple of crashes and a fight. Apparently they went to great lengths to ask all fans for calm, and then after Newcastle won - in a bonus point runoff - they announced there'd be no victory parade so to not incite any of the fans. Imagine taking that approach with ZG and Gorzow? I couldn't believe it. Naturally, the next paragraph said that after the announcement there was to be no parade, fans began packing away their flasks, deckchairs and picnic blankets...

If it's too much trouble for him then just do him a favour and ban him from the UK for the rest of the season. I assume his Visa will be fine without an employer or sponsor in the UK? It's a terrible indictment of how far we've fallen that a bang average 27yo, riding in the Polish 2nd division, can mess around one of our top flight clubs like this. Laguta was bad enough. Ben Cook? Dear me. Makes you wonder how much Leszno are paying him to allow him to ditch Britain at the first sign of a bit of success. Too much it would appear. He was happy enough committing to Britain while he was a decent Championship rider. You can make the argument that this seems to happen a lot to Kings Lynn, but in their defence, what can you do when riders behave like this?

I don't like to say that was one of the dullest meetings I've seen for a long time...but it was, really, wasn't it? I don't know if it's just me, but this fascination that WBD have with absolutely rattling through meetings just does nothing for entertainment. They seem to have decided that, because fans wanted slicker meetings, they'd just bang out every 4 heats at the speed of light. There's a balance between endlessly dragging a meeting out and where we're at now. What's the rush? The speedway is the attraction, where we all hurrying off to? I don't think it helps that we don't really get much connection to the riders. I used to love U21 racing. Seeing the next generation coming through. Now, it feels like we just watch a collection of riders appear in a handful of heats and that's it. Barely any interviews or anything else. Maybe it's because they don't ride in GB much these days, so we don't get to know them? All in all, bit crap IMO. Hopefully the GP is better.

Do their contracts state they're being hired for the season? If they do, then fair enough, but otherwise this is a crazy idea. It's the same in almost every business - if you're contracted and you're not adequate or don't deliver then you'll be chopped. If a rider's contract doesn't state they're employed for the season - and are therefore at risk of having the contract terminated - they could always just not sign it.

It's funny that people have demanded for years that PL reserve spots should be for Brits, now we've effectively got that and they don't even realise it. Even funnier is that the one foreign reserve - Gusts - has just qualified for the GP Challenge and yet Oxford aren't absolutely nailed on to win the league. How can your team have a rider of such ability at reserve - at this level - and still not do anything?

I comsider myself a dedicated speedway fan - not as much as I used to be, but still - and will watch virtually any speedway meeting, but good grief that was possibly the worst meeting I've ever seen. Zero racing, crap track, crap home side...it genuinely had nothing interesting. I genuinely feel for Birmingham and their fans, but in all honesty, what's the point at this stage? That team clearly isn't bothered, they'll struggle to win another meeting all year, and they're not even entertaining. I don't know what the answer is, but this ain't it. Also, I'm in full support of some atmosphere in British speedway (christ knows it needs it), but what was "barmy army" stuff all about? Just sounded like 2 or 3 annoying fans shouting incessantly.

Indeed. I think getting Fred West in as a heat leader would cross some promotion's minds. Nick Morris' offences are a drop in the ocean really, but people are still allowed the opinion that he should be banned permanently.

.

It worked for Rob Lyon in 2021.

I don't think there's ever been a case of "ah, just give them a facility and let them get on with it" than this. I can see it being extended until the end of the season - standard season, Birmingham's ended months ago sadly - unless Brum want to replace MJJ.

Maybe Zmarzlik is just so far ahead of the rest? If you removed him then I'm sure Lindgren/Holder/Bewley/Lambert/etc. would share world titles between them, just like previous generations had multiple riders pushing each other. I'd enjoy watching Zmarzlik against the top 5/8 from 20 years ago, too, in fairness. I think he'd be very competitive. Laguta had 4 seasons to beat Zmarzlik btw, and managed it once. I don't think he was a genuine long-term challenger, he just had the season of his life. Like Chris Holder did in 2012. You can't take it away from him, but he won't go down as a true great, I also don't think he'd have won another.

I thought she did herself proud. Her gating was the main thing that let her down, once she was racing she seemed pretty competitive, and certainly not afraid to race/pass. It makes more sense after reading that she was somewhat hesitant due to the conditions. There have been worse U21 riders in the past. Hopefully she gets more chances to improve.

Lady luck sorted us out there in fairness. Kujawa was an anomaly but imagine looking back at Tomas Suchanek as a World Champion? Kasprzak flattered to deceive a lot but dear lord.

We've currently got a 30 minute delay while we wait for the rain to pass. If it's been 30 minutes, read this message again.

I don't expect this to restart, the rain radar looks like even worse is on the way. Not the greatest meeting so far.

Streaming pass to watch all qualifiers + final (+ today's SGP2 qualifier at Glasgow) on here 👍 https://fim-moto.tv/sgp_challenge

He also said on TNT/BSN (can't remember which) that he was more bothered about winning a 4th British title than getting the Wild Card, hence why he went for it and ended up last in the final. There's nothing wrong with that attitude at all, but to then be offered and accept first reserve doesn't seem right.

We'll have to make sure Hagon gets the reserve spot for our SGP2 round then, unless...? I can almost, almost, get the argument that people want the best riders competing, but you have to draw the line somewhere, surely? Harris has made 103 GP appearances, is this really the best choice for British speedway? Sam Hagon might finish last, if he even got a ride - but so will Harris most likely - at least he might learn something from the experience.

Harris and Ellis the reserves for BV, then. I'm sure any experience Harris picks up in his 104th GP appearance will stand him in good stead for 2026.

I hope they can at least see out the season, at least to have a proper farewell/send off meeting for the fans. As for a winless season, the last one I remember was Mildenhall in the 2nd flight in 2008. You won't believe who their TM was.

It did get me thinking after my previous post about Grim Reaper Rogers...MJJ has ridden less than 50 meetings in the UK, and by the end of this season, all of his previous clubs will be defunct. I'm sure you could probably make this point with a lot of riders in the last 20 years, but it seems he and Rogers are a duo you'd want to swerve at all costs!