leander

Well it's looking better than last year, but still a bit underwhelmed.

I seriously hope the "two rising star" plan for next season is dumped, otherwise we are going to be woefully understrength again. Assuming your top 5 can total 35ish (with two rising stars), as per the original intention, then we have room for an 11 point man. like they are ten a penny, not. If it is the same as this year, then the limit will be 39 for the top 6 (assuming Archie is or rising star, or possibly 38 if not. That gives us 14 or 15 points for the last two.

Unless things change at the conference (which wouldn't surprise me) teams are required to have two rising stars next season, so Connor wouldn't fit at 6. Bringing Connor back now would probably make us weak points wise again unless the limit is drastically cut, and Matty becomes 2nd heat leader. A pity, as I would have like to have seen Connor return, as he will only get better. Adam rumoured to be Plymouth bound.

Plymouth bound I would think.

Connor is unlikely to be eligible. He wasn't this year (although the promotion hoped he would be), and his end of season average is on a par with James. I would still like to see Max and Connor back in the middle order as they will both continue to improve. They realistically improved over the season, whereas James and Adam were on assessed averages to start with, and they both averaged 5 -6 from the start to the end. It would leave room for two decent average heat leaders . With James already confirmed as captain it would seem that Matty won't be returning. Maybe he's decided to retire, I don't know.

It was said that Rob wanted a 3 or 5 year agreement, and was told by the Stadium owners "NO. 1 year or nothing!". Relations appear to have improved as, I believe, a two year deal for next season is on the table.

No it won't. Wolves have publicly stated (in last weeks Star) that they won't run in a six team league next year. So the top league will need 1, probably 2, teams joining the current six. That either means somebody moving up from the Championship (unlikely in my opinion) or Swindon and/or Oxford joining. It is by no means certain that Swindon will return next year. They took this year out to allow the stadium to be rebuilt, when in effect they could have ran as this work has only barely started. Oxford? Maybe, if they open up which league will they want to be in. If none of the above happens, will it be one league? I can't see the top division running with 5 teams. If so, at what level, and could we lose some more teams. As an aside if it goes to one league, of say 16 teams, where will they get 32 rising stars from, and how many "top" riders will jump ship to Europe?

Not a chance. Would do it again, without hesitation, if needed.

As one of those who gained free entry over the last three years, I will do that willing if you stump up the £3000:00+ I have saved the club by not charging for services provided. And I did pay every week this year as these services were not required. ( Saved a fortune).

One questions as to why there is NO mention of this on the official Newcastle Speedway website!

I seem to remember an interview with Claus in the Speedway Star at the tome (or maybe it was a twitter post from him on the now removed Newcastle thread on here) where he was quoted as saying that he sympathised with Newcastle's decision to release him, he was disappointed and couldn't understand why they left it so late, giving him little opportunity to find another club. He says' they could have told him in January that they COULDN'T AFFORD him, so that he could look somewhere else. So I wouldn't say that he couldn't commit to Newcastle. In the same Official Newcastle Statement Rob also mentions the need to reduce overheads for this season. As a business man you should know that your biggest expenditure is nearly always staff wages. Newcastle have had the proverbial "Begging Bowl" out twice this season already, and we're only halfway through, so to imply that wage and travel costs aren't an issue is just rubbish. If we've tried to sign ELEVEN riders in the last six weeks then I would say that wages and travel costs very probably do come into it to some greater or lesser degree. You can believe what you want to believe, and I'll believe what I read in official statements and press releases. In other words we'll just have to agree to disagree.

Newcastle Speedway website in April :- “Regrettably we have had to let Claus Vissing go, as we simply do not know what the travel restrictions are going to be, and with the guy expecting to travel a lot, it could have caused major issues for availability and push the travel costs very high indeed. Looks like travel costs were an issue to me!

True. but the reason given for Vissing's release was they couldn't afford to fly him in and out of the country. So that rules everybody based in europe out (even if they are British!)

It's rarely anywhere near as exciting as a cloud of black smoke.

Not entirely true. Yes they cannot bring in any foreign rider who hasn't previously rode in this country, but they can sign anyone who is/has already ridden here. For example, they could have signed Troy Batchelor when he was available if circumstances permitted. They also had the Dane Claus Vissing as their number 1 before they decided to dispense with his services a month or so before the season. That had nothing to do with brexit. We have effectively swapped Claus for Archie, so it's little surprise that we are struggling. No disrespect to the young lad who has a promising future ahead of him.