Fourentee

I suspect there's a tacit acceptance among promoters that if Fred Bloggs is an asset of Club A but wants to ride for Club B, by and large it's in the interests of the system for the two promotions to agree a loan fee and let him get on with it. Next year Club A may be casting covetous eyes at Joe Smith of Club B anyway.

I don't think even Freddie believes they are necessarily the finished article yet. But he felt the Gerhard suited his style and had development scope. Obviously the advantage there is that, if you're the 'name' rider associated with the product early on and it's going well, then you have a potential advantage to start with and you're best placed to keep the project moving forward in the way you want it to. Fair play to Freddie; he committed to it in a big way and that must have been a risk.

Yes, you're right. I've also seen him remove the helmet once or twice in the pits following heat 15 away defeats for Wolves and smash it into the bench. All the more startling for being such a largely undemonstrative man, but an indication of the passion bubbling beneath. Edit: Helmet off on the lap of honour at the Olympique last night.

When he got really excited he would sometimes raise his left hand just above the handlebars in acknowledgement of the crowd. Even his fist pump after winning that heat at Belle Vue in the play-off final only travelled about four inches. The classic mix of Black Country and Swedish, a delight for the connoisseur!

Funny you should mention that...CVS tells the tale that PK was scouted and invited over to England; they hadn't met at that time. CVS had forgotten which day he was coming; came the knock on the office door and there stood a tall, suited and bespectacled figure with a briefcase. CVS thought he was an insurance salesman.

To give the opposing view, a young developing rider I spoke to recently said that if he has a tumble and wants a confidence booster he has a blast at Scunthorpe because it's fast but not technical. The throttle twists both ways, you know!

Now if you hadn't coughed to it... ...this wouldn't have happened!

Given his smiley, I'm pretty sure Perton Wolf was on the scent anyway.

Fair enough. Nicki Pedersen always thrived on being booed at Wolves. One year some Monmore fans cheered him to the echo during the introductions in the (as it turned out forlorn) hope of destabilising him psychologically. Worth a shot!

Yep to both of those. The only small caveat I would note is that, precisely because people put such great store by the success of the T/R, the 3-3 and 8-1 might have a bigger psychological impact than the 6-3 and 5-1 despite them having the same effect on the scoreline. I've been in the pits and seen the effect on riders after an 8-1 for their side (bear in mind that many riders have only a general idea of how a meeting is going rather than knowing the actual scoreline, so the 8-1 is perceived as a huge boost).

You gave it away with the word 'meeting' (my bold, italics and underline). They weren't losing the meeting. They were losing the tie. As pointed out elsewhere, in effect what you're saying is that the team riding away in the first leg would be the only one able to use a tac. Again, as mentioned elsewhere, surely you either stick to the rules used in the league or decide that, given it's a one-off aggregate two-legged match, no tacs at all. Reluctantly, I'd say keep it as per the league -- team managers' roles have been diminished enough already. Full agreement on your most important point, though: Tremendous meeting. Have only seen it on screen -- was at work on the night -- but must get to the NSS next season. Wonderful track and stadium by the looks of it. PS: Just a general observation on Cook's interview. Did really well to keep his comments controlled despite his obvious bitter disappointment. Very impressed by his passion.

Ringer: "An athlete or horse fraudulently substituted for another in a competition or event." I think the word you were actually looking for was "replacement".

Nice touch to put PK in heat 15. Well done Wolves, commiserations to Belle Vue who have had a fine season.

Steady...!

It might be acute!

Finish? Finish??

For goodness' sake cheer up man, Poole will probably win the thing again next year.

Well, however it finishes up I'm pleased Belle Vue have had a good season. Their performances on track and, of course, the new stadium have brought some much-needed lustre to one of the sport's great names. Poole set a high benchmark season on season and, in some respects at least, represent the level to which other clubs must aspire. I'm sure they will be there or thereabouts next season.

Amazing guy, always good to hear the legendary dry Karlsson humour expressed in those unique Swedish Black Country tones! Am I right in recalling that his first Swedish individual final was about 1985 when he was 15?

An unusual and surprising miss on the part of Matt Ford.

Gemini will sort that out for you. I'm not one of the people harping. The reason Woffinden has a lower average is because the last time he rode he didn't do as well as he should. As for Doyle, if that hypothetical scenario had taken place -- and we're ignoring the fact that riding here may well be what helped him develop so well anyway -- and Poole had signed him on a bargain figure, I wouldn't call it crazy. I'd call it clever.

You can't have it both ways. Wolves fans had to suffer during the season in which Woffinden attained that average. Now they get at least some benefit.

I bow to your superior inside knowledge concerning the hirsute qualities of his legs, while declining to speculate on the information gathering process contained therein...

Not much between them at Monmore, IMHO. You'd always want to go with your own rider when possible, but if not then Harris would be an excellent choice. Had plenty of gritted teeth pleasure down the years watching him in opposition race jackets, would be a welcome change to see him do it in black and gold!