Nutz

Not saying Edberg touched him... But he had to put the bike down or risk going into the fence harder than he did. He couldn't have shut off as Edberg was too close to him so in my view (and I'd say my view from turn 1/2 was pretty decent) was that it should've been all 4 back.

Think most - as much as they say its boring etc., everyone still watches them. Problem is we've kinda taken the EL meetings for granted and whereas SKY have brought fantastic coverage and tried to put it across in a fantastic light, sadly not everyone has bought into SKY's enthusiasm and the product has steadily deteriorated into a money driven farce. It'll be a sad day for the sport if SKY drop the EL - maybe the PL can step in and show the world what the EL tries to but time and time again fails - as has been the case in all 3 PL matches this season shown.

My apologies, I think I was around 1.32mtrs from the apex on turn 1 side...!

Guess we're gonna have to agree to disagree... I was right on the apex of turns 1 & 2 and Carr ran out of room by the riders on the inside continuing to move out. Liam had to put the bike down or risk going harder into the fence than he did. Not inexperience but necessity!

Updated for Craig Cook's 3 x demolitions of the Leicester track record on Saturday night - finally resting at 60.31s (1.3s quicker than the previous) in Heat 15!

Well done to the Lions on beating a rather bedraggled Edinburgh team on Saturday. Too many problems for the Monarchs but you can only beat what's put in front of you. Was plain to see where the difference was - Lions reserves outscored ours easily with Derek Sneddon having easily his worst performance I've seen from him this year. It appears the bike he was using was a rebuild of the one he was on when he was slammed into the fence at Somerset on Tuesday so it's no wonder he struggled. Some good racing from the Lions to constantly pick off the Monarchs on the grippier outside of turns 3/4 which most of the Monarchs (with the exception of Cookie and to a lesser extent Claus) seemed unable to use! Seem to be problems on the inside of turns 3/4 which we generally just decided to ride through and watch as the Lions sailed by on the outside! Pass marks for me (rather obviously) for Cookie, Liam Carr (top guest with a top surname;)) and the very unlucky Jozsef Tabaka. Claus and Theo although each scoring 9 points looked easy pickings when ahead and some points were gifts. If someone had lent Jozsef a bike that actually completed 4 laps, we would've taken at least a point from this meeting as he again showed his liking for the track when he was on the gas. Derek won't have a worse meeting all season. Was frustrated with him getting picked off easily but after watching him pick himself up from the battering he took at Somerset, it's understandable that even if body is fine, the bike took one hell of a beating. Superb crowd at Leicester, must be pleased to be getting gates like that (though not sure it's a weekly occurrence!) and they were all rewarded with a comprehensive home team performance. However I'm not so sure they'd have it as easy should the two teams meet again this season... Karlsson seems to have found his late season form which he does every season and Bjerre (who team-rides like Nicki Pedersen with a headache!) and Eklof gave solid if unspectacular backup. The reserve berth was where it was won and Simon Nielsen in particular was impressive. One thing that bugged me was the referee in heat 14... There's never been a clearer all 4 back decision in the history of the sport, but for some reason Liam Carr was excluded after being pushed wider and wider from the 3 riders on the inside. Very poor decision. Final word has to go to Cookie. 3 track records? Was unbelievably quick, not even shutting off the gas until midway round the turn (though looked a bit lost as to how to get past Edberg in ht11 - probably wondering does he stay in 3rd and let the team fall 10pts behind or not!) Top job but the back-up just wasn't there I'm afraid. Congratulations to Leicester. Better team on the night and deserved the win.

It will be a 2-legged Replay.

This is a must win for the Monarchs if we want 1st pick in the P-O's. With only very tough matches left now (Leicester, Newcastle, Workington & Ipswich Away and Ipswich at Home) this has to be targeted as a must win. However, normally when we're expected to win, we disappointingly fall short. I can see the Lions rallying around for this one...

Agreed - CC dropped the clutch too soon in ht11 and Josh bought it... In fairness, it was the only way anyone was going to get out of the graveyard gate 1... Only CC will know if it was deliberate or he just reacted... You been watching a different meeting to me. - Heat 14 was a classic unsatisfactory start with all 3 riders going for the same piece of track. No issues. - Morris was correctly excluded for bringing Sneddon off coming into turn 3. Pointless really as Morris had the speed to pass Sneddon cleanly but chose to wipe his front wheel out on the quickest part of the track. - A fantastic heat 15? Really? Apart from Cookie throwing everything at Scrabbleman, it was a standard 5-1 FTG. Maybe we should've put Cookie off of gate 3 - he could've then got to what little dirt was left on the outside, quicker and split the Rebels... Hey-ho! - Davies had a good ride in heat 9 but was bang out of order with an over-zealous move to slam Sneddon into the fence in heat 14. The meeting was very good for drama though was far too drawn out which is unusual for Somerset. Very pleased to see both Max and Stefan get up from a bruising fall in heat 8 when the ref made the only wrong decision of the night to exclude Nielsen. This accident was caused by Newman cutting across the track to challenge for the lead in the inside leaving Nielsen and Fricke absolutely nowhere to go. Rest, the ref got spot on. He's the bravest rider out there on the night and this is how he's rewarded? Top work!!! Agreed... Probably never going to score maximums but for guts then he'd have gone through the card last night. This probably makes the Rebels slightly stronger at Armadale on Friday night for the return leg... Another backs to the wall performance required from the Monarchs...

A lot of people are expecting the same performance as the league meeting... However the Rebels are in much more dominant form around the OTA with Morris and Davies in particular the two that have upped their game significantly since then... Pessimistic maybe, but if we can hit 40pts, we may still be in the tie - I don't however see us hitting 40.

Potential tanking on the cards tonight... Not a very happy hunting ground for us at the OTA and with ex-Rebel missing it's a backs to the wall job for the Monarchs against a very much in-form Rebels at home.

Very very tricky match in prospect... Rye House are in form and go very well at the Dale. Potential banana skin (as is the last league match against the Twitchers) but full house is needed tonight. If Garrity rides - which it seems he will, he may well be a handful at reserve with good performances behind him at the Dale. Same performance as against the Rebels last week needed... No slip-ups...

You didn't get what I was meaning. I don't disagree that the 3 mentioned are exciting (and sometimes out of control) riders on a bike...However - where are the riders with the character of Pedersen or Gollob? You need pantomime villains in the sport... Kasprzak from the way he's ridden at times this year wouldn't have made him too many friends... That's what people also pay to see... I'm not doubting the ability of the up and coming riders but they've not got the character to match.

More importantly, who will be the big crowd pullers in years to come? I don't see any rider with the combined ability and attitude of a Pedersen/Gollob to really put bums on seats. Yes, Ward, Sayfutdinov, Woffinden are entertainment on a bike but I don't see any riders (them included) that have a character about them that make people look forward to seeing what they're going to do next. Pedersen and to a lesser extent Gollob are still the box office in the SGP series. But when they've retired gracefully, who's going to come in and really light up a meeting with their antics on and off track? I don't see anyone with that nature and that kinda saddens me. As good a riders as the likes of some of those named previously are, most have the personality of a fish! (That's not Ryan by the way whom, if he could ever get to GP level, would certainly be a "crowd pleaser")! The younger of the Pawlicki's has a bit of character about him, as does Kasprzak if he stays in the top 8. but I can't name one Dane, Swede, Aussie or Brit that you can guarantee will leave you talking about a meeting. Sad times...

I'm sure at the start of the season there was a tournament for teams finishing positions 7-12 - may be wrong though!

Agreed... However, if you look at the facts, there are only two teams that have picked up points in every away match so far... That's Edinburgh and Ipswich (though I do say this before our trip to Owlerton on Thursday!!!!!!). 41pts away from home means no league points whatsoever (unless there are points missing) so you might as well score 21 as 41... Prior to the Play-off final of course, otherwise nothing else matters. Newcastle, Ipswich, Somerset and Edinburgh all have very similar records. Rarely beaten heavily away and prominent at home. Top riders heading each team in Cook, Worrall, Doyle and Tungate and solid back-ups. Of the other two (Workington - my second team and Redcar), although very good sides, you feel they could be vulnerable every now and again. As for Rye House overhauling them??? A win at Leicester against a weakened team doesn't make you play-off contenders!!! You may well challenge Scunthorpe for the 7-12 position cup thingy but nothing else. You're right which is what I said - and if Newcastle finish outside the top two, then they'll be chosen last of the 4 teams as I don't think anyone will want them in their group. Think this makes finishing top, absolutely critical if you want to get to the final. However, I can see Newcastle finishing easily in the top 2 (probably alongside Somerset) so it may well be that we are last to be chosen.

Would depend where you finish in the league... If Newcastle finish outside the top 2, then they'll be last to be chosen by the top two clubs. Therefore whoever finishes second in the league will ultimately get Newcastle I think... For me though, I can see Newcastle and Somerset occupying the top two places (this weekends Northern tour for Somerset will go a long way to deciding that) and for me, Newcastle will plump for Workington and Redcar with Somerset taking the Twitchers and being left with us... Either way, it's a fantastic finish to the season... Never known it this competitive...

Here's hoping you CAN match an extremely good Somerset side in 6days time...

I'm sure he will... Why should he descend a second time to Barker's level? There were too many passengers on Saturday at Berwick to come away with 3pts... However with still the best away record in the league, it's over the course of a season where championships are won and getting top spot in the play-offs is what it's all about so we can choose who we want... However I think that accolade may go to Tyneside...

I think we all expect we know what Louis and Simmons will say in the programme... They're not going to say their rider was in the wrong or it was handbags that got out of hand or anything are they? Just as, I'd not expect our own to do it in the same situation to be honest...

Lol: My apologies... Was just wondering in my own mind which Rocky "Roland" was referring to...

Was a regular attendee between '97 and '06. Unfortunately then moved with work and only get up when I can... Have to say the Dale has it's own micro-climate too... However I've never even been as cold at Armadale as what I have been at Shielfield before... Chipping dogs off lamposts in July is the norm around there, isn't it?

Rocky!! Love it!!! I always thought he had the looks of squirrel type animal who befriended a Moose! Poor old innocent - wouldn't say boo to a goose Barker???? backed up by those two honorary monks Louis and Simmons? Nah, gotta be getting confused!!

Time will tell!!! I'm up in the North this weekend so will be across at this meeting... The main question is what will the temperature be at Shielfield? It's the only place I know where it can be 30deg 20miles away only for it to be 10deg at the track with a windchill factor of -10deg!

Home win but with Monarchs grabbing an away point in this one for me... I don't think we've got enough firepower to trouble Berwick at home and our Shielfield form is patchy to say the least - can always prove me wrong though!