Grachan

Maybe he should buy them all. Then it's all equal again.

One thing I don't quite get is the 3.00 minimum average - and no assessments. What happens if a rider is under 3.00 and gets injured, thus needing a replacement. Can a 2.47 rider be replaced with a 3.00 rider as 3.00 is the minimum? And as no rider can be assessed at 3.00 do you need to find a rider that is averaging exactly 3.00 to stop going over the limit?

A shame Sheffield couldn't be tempted up too.

And now they aren't. How strange. So there are 7 teams in the top league then? Whaaaa.....

???? Somerset are still shown as Premiership on the Speedway GB site.

Interesting to see the quote from the Chairman of the Planning Committee here: https://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/news/17221029.swindon-speedway-stadium-and-dog-track-plan-in-swindon-is-approved/ Gaming International didn't even turn up. He said: “It’s been incredibly frustrating trying to get this stadium delivered. “I don’t want to see another house constructed on the site until Gaming International deliver a new speedway stadium that is good for Swindon. “It shows the esteem the developer shows this committee that they can’t be bothered to turn up tonight - it’s disgusting frankly. He added: "I don’t really trust them not to build more houses and then not deliver the stadium and just sod off, basically. We need to put a line in the sand because the developer is still in breach of the previous section 106 agreement. We should say what enforcement we’re going to bring.”

Definitely a positive step - particularly the bit about no new houses. My guess is we'll be riding on the shorter track in the current stadium for a while yet before any new stadium gets built. Hopefully the "no houses" clause will, eventually, mean it will all get built. Not a certainty yet, but at least there is no excuse not to build it.

Bernie was the first Swindon rider I was aware of, as his picture was in the Speedway Star that I bought before going to my first match. That was also 1974, although David Ashby was riding, so Bernie isn't the first to go from that side.

I see there is more in Speedway Star this week with regards to Sweden taking Thursdays. Surely... SURELY!... British speedway needs to take this night as its second fixed night before Sweden (quite justifiably) take it off them. That would leave British speedway with just one priority night instead of two because of being voted down by lower teams. This should not be allowed to happen! The top league should take Thursday as a fixed race night immediately, or else they will lose it.

Which fans should they listen to? The ones who want one big league at Championship level or the ones who want a stronger top league? The ones who want 13 heats and a second half or the ones who think that 15 heats in a match is better value? The ones who want the play-offs or the ones who don't want the play-offs. The fans who want modern music or the fans who say the music isn't important as it's all about 4 blokes on bikes without brakes? It's all very well saying "listen to fans", but in the end they'll just agree with whichever fans give an opinion that they, themselves, like. Because the fans don't all have the same opinion.

I thought I'd watch this on catch-up after seeing this here. Good luck to Blair. I hope he gets himself sorted out in the rehab that they sent him to. I wonder if this is one of those cases of someone involved in sport desperate to regain the adrenaline rush that they have lost after finishing their careers. I felt very sad for him watching this. He wasn't your typical "Jeremy Kyle" type guest who comes on screaming and shouting, and his family were clearly a bit embarrassed to have to resort to putting him on the show. He looked emotional throughout and seemed to genuinely want help. No way did he come across as a "scum bag". I think he is lucky in that his family clearly care about him. I hope they do some sort of catch-up programme in the future and he is doing well.

Phil Morris did a similar thing once on a show hosted by Donny Osmond.

I hated Premier League at Swindon. On the few occasions I went, the crowds were tiny and they had the most irritating way of putting junior race every 4 races, which totally ruined the flow of the meeting.

We didn't use Thursdays as a fixed race night, and they know it. So they will have no reason not to allow Sweden to have priority on that night, as far as I can see. Not sure about consecutive nights. Suppose a team has 2 matches in a week, it's probably better to space them out a bit.

Except that the UK, despite having Thursdays, don't use them so it would leave us with absolutely nothing. The UK are using Mondays though, so I guess Sweden can't fairly have a claim on it. If Sweden do get Thursdays, it's just more proof of what a major cock-up last year was by going for Wednesdays. The UK need to jump in and set Thursday as it's race-night NOW - or they will lose it.

Definitely. And if the UK is not using Thursdays, then Sweden have a good case for claiming it, leaving us with just one priority night. We need to step up and set Thursday as a race night before it is too late. But, of course, we won't.

I think you have misunderstood what people are saying. Nobody is saying Darcy's injury didn't affect Chris Holder. What people are saying is that the ability to overcome an obstacle such as that is part of determining how great a rider is - such as Peter Collins overcoming his own fears that he had in the immediate aftermath of Tommy Jansson's accident.

I would argue that it does. Take Peter Collins as an example. He was so affected by the death of Tommy Jansson that he didn't turn up for a meeting afterwards. But later the same year he won the World title. It's all a part of the mental strength that makes you a champion.

Keep up. That's last year's AGM.

I think Dianetics sponsored Wolverhampton too, for a while.

Herbalife, I think.

Didn't Preben Eriksen have "Lose wieght (sic) now, ask me how" written on his backside?

I like the team kevlars. I think they look professional and make it look like two teams. However, it was easy to pick out, for example, Woryna when Poole were riding so I think there are real advantages to race jackets too. So, either is fine. Definitely, though, it is easier to identify riders if they are not all wearing team suits.

Wasn't that Shawn McConnell?

Second and third only won in the final. Woffinden was unbeaten in the first leg, in which finishing second and third was irrelevant. I think sometimes people just don't want to see what is right in front of them so refuse to believe what is staring them in the face.