mikebv

Have an overall team average too... That way no one can sign the "best" within each grade...

They picked the hotel because they had heard it has plenty of "guests".... I'll get me coat...

Imagine how many meetings Bomber could ride in? He diary would be so full he could end up guesting for himself....

They need to declare by then so the fixture compilers can complete the fixture list.. Having five, instead of six teams, in the league, will mean that they need to plan in a completely different number of weeks' extension to the season....

That must be a spoof account surely? Cannot believe anyone would put out such a response... If it was him, then those in charge should treble the extraordinarily lenient ban...

Pretty much this... Not many media outlets will bother with it... Some sponsors might get a bit peed off though... Most are speedway fans, so will know all the details given that they follow the sport, and might not want their name associated with a rider "done" for cocaine....

They do seem to do "quite well" for such a relatively small amount of testing don't they?

I think the Nag's Head's "achievement" that night means even more than winning any UK Speedway Team Trophy.. Unless, of course, they had fielded a team with players from the Dog and Partridge, The Crown, and The Hope and Anchor, all guesting for them...

Didn't Glasgow's promoters sponsor the league last year too..? Maybe they are investing all that money they saved by not needing to pay Poole any "first prize cash"?

One of the major issues that the sport has had is a self inflicted lack of focus on UK riders.. Due to "journey men, after journey men" being brought over via a revolving door.. "He didn't work, so bring the next one in and see if he is any better"... Both reserves and at least the lower ranked second string in Div 2 should be a UK rider...

How? "Let's keep Greyhounds at Perry Barr?" They want rid of the sport, so they won't campaign to save it at Perry Barr... Indeed, ARC could argue that the brand new facilities are "state of the art" when it comes to the welfare of the dogs, so a big move forward as to how they get looked after compared to the ageing infrastructure at Perry Barr.. Fair play to the Brum Promoters for giving it a go, as they certainly seem to have given it everything, but, at some places it just isn't viable, no matter what you do... I have been three times and each time felt "young" such was the demographic of their fan base, with around a hundred it seemed "wearing the club shop", so a loyal fan base was in place.. But now, around ten years or so later, I would imagine many in the stadium at that time would now no longer be able to get there, given their ages... When you are only getting crowds of 600 or so, it will always be a struggle, unless you run NDL...

Of course it is.. But. How can anyone expect anything else... Or. Even be surprised... Fans pay money all season to watch competitions that may not even get completed.. So. You have to ask... What is the point of them?

Thought I was mistaken when I thought Adam hadnt been too good around the NSS.. The BF apart obviously... But, no disrespect, to win the BF you are not racing against any overseas top talent, just your own level of rider (Dan apart)... If the Aces sign him I presume it will be to strengthen away? But, to be honest, I would keep Charles Wright as decent away and, can be, box office at home...

Might explain why some have said they were planning to drop Div 2? Although "sponsors" might be able to top this up maybe?

He is riding for everyone else...

Wieslaw Jagus.. Rode for several years at the very top echelons of Poland's averages in Div 1.. Yet, never really made the transition to Global level.. Kolodziej, a simlar story I would say..

Maybe should have typed this in bold... A true font of knowledge and someone who truly lived through the halcyon days of the sport and covered it too... Always good value on here to get a debate going, and often, stirred up..! RIP John...

Surely, as it was so obvious, the penny dropped the moment what was announced came out...? There is a very good track, with a brand new stadium, in a town that has supported a Speedway team for decades in more than decent numbers... Surely all they now need is a promoter to run a Speedway team there...? Wonder why someone hasn't come forward?

If only the Swindon Promoters had a venue to continue the sport somewhere in Swindon.. Ideally a venue with a main stand and a track would be ideal.. Anyone with any idea where there may be one being constructed within the Borough Of Swindon..? Maybe someone locating one could get say a 20% finders fee for finding it...

More than who didn't, unfortunately, for so many things... It does though give the UK Speedway Promoters a huge opportunity to become "self sufficient" and no longer rely on "journeymen, after journeymen" coming over to take team places... Just think, loads of UK lads riding in Div 2, and maybe higher, and all down to a clear development path using team places previously given to the Speedway equivalent of dozens of "Carlos Kickabouts"...... Maybe even growing the UK sports profile with the GB Team being consistently successful at international level due to plenty of strength in depth... Who just said we need a five year plan?

It was, and it was in a large part, down to lots of Commonwealth riders coming over to the UK to take places in Div 2.. And also lots of European potential superstars, or simply just journeymen, being given Div 2 places... With the European lads in particular getting replaced often with much of the same standard of rider, coming in and out through the revolving door.. Nowadays, with Brexit, it is far more difficult to just "open the doors" to those lads and fill your teams with them... Therefore, we find ourselves short of riders of the standard both leagues want to race at, hence doubling up/down is now part and parcel of the sport.. With that shortage of riders, in a major part, being down to UK lads not getting opportunities when journey men European and Commonwealth riders were constantly being brought over... A vicious circle excellently led and delivered by those in charge, who had no plan for any future growth and development of both riders and sport, bringing us to where we are today... To You. To Me, To Me, To You. etc etc etc

If clubs that are of a level to run in Div 1, choose to stay in Div 2, then they have to expect controls to provide a more level playing field.. As we know, averages often don't do that, given all the random variables involved that contribute to a riders average, including even subjectivity when using assessed averages... The lower average basically will prevent teams from using 3 Div HL's , or two HL's and a strong Div 1 SS.... It should therefore mean that each team have at least two "good" Div 2 level riders, which means all should be at least competitive.. Which has to be the ultimate aim of any sport that doesnt have promotion or relegation, or delivers any great financial rewards for winning any title, or cup...

Hopefully it wont... Especially as they have nearly 70 years to plan it...

Walking down by Poole Harbour and just been stopped by a bus driver... He has been booked to drive an open air double decker bus around the town at mid day to "celebrate a cup win or something" he tells me, but no one yet has arrived... He wants to know if anyone is turning up, or can he go home..?

You cannot have a "ghost" team but a team full of "guests" is more than acceptable...