Islander15
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Posts posted by Islander15
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I agree with Mikey. I think it looks better than the last couple of years but clearly isn't going to make the play-offs. If Davies can continue his improvement (which would mean holding his average as presumably he rides at #5 he'll face better opposition then they have a second heat leader. I think I saw Jensen's 'real' average was about 6.50 so now he has some experience of being over here I'm sure he can hold his 7.00 if not slightly improve. Barker is Barker at PL level. Again he's sure to hold his average. Newman has always seemed better on the tighter circuits for me and I can only see his average going up (albeit slightly). Benko is awful and will have done extremely well to stay above 3.00. I think Reade has had enough chances to score a true average now, even if I expect it to be 3 something. Plus riding for the Demons will help him get dialled back in to the track. That leaves Kalle who I genuinely believe can put the2 points on his average needed to cancel out the 2 points lost by Benko, especially when he's at reserve. So a team with a roughly overall of no increase but no decrease in average isn't likely to do well but probably won't come last. However you then get Benko alongside Reade at reserve, and 2 men who are both basically 3.00 men which gives no cover to an ok top 5 and Kalle is banging in the points anymore that's when I think they'll struggle. But hopefully Reade will be up and running by then, over his injury and having ridden lots of SBA laps this year to be alright at home which will keep the home wins coming.
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How can you have RR for a rider yet to ride for you this year?
Because he was declared in last years team I think.
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Ritchings, Perry, Clegg, Sarjeant or Morley would all do a better job than Lykke, and I bet they're cheaper.
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Are they? As long as they are lined-up for the first meeting whats it matter? I remember in the Hull days one year they left it till the P&P Day to announce their final rider.
But that rider would have known he was in the team. The press release suggests they haven't decided who the final 3 are yet so the riders themselves won't know, and in terms of the added costs involved in league racing compared to just practices and second halves I'd have thought the riders would want to know that they have a team place for longer than a couple of weeks before the start of the season.
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Arron Mogridge makes it 4! Leaving it a bit late for the last 3 to prepare aren't they?
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Whilst that is true to a degree that cannot be an excuse for promotors (not aimed at Stoke here, the sport in general) to hold fans to ransom by offering a poor product then saying "well it's better than us pulling the plug." To make your business successful you have to maintain a customer/fan base, not expect them to be there.
Yes I completely agree.
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There's a lot of negativity on this thread and lots of it I haven't witnessed first hand so cannot comment. But one thing I am sure of is you'd rather have some speedway, even if it drives you crazy, than none at all!
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I agree, as long as it is no more than one per club.
Although the NL is a development league, for at least half of the teams its a business too and its one that has to be viable (or at least with sustainable losses). The introduction of one foreigner can act as a draw card for paying spectators, and I need only to point to Cameron Heeps for that.
I know people who went to speedway meeting just to see him ride - a brilliant 15 year old whose reputation was certainly proven by the performances he gave.
Putting the foreign riders on a 7.00 average will mean that they don't take the places of British youngsters, more those riders who have been in the NL for years and have made no progress whatsoever (because, lets face it, the league is full of them).
As an example (and no offence intended) a young Australian like Brady Kurtz could replace David Mason in the Kent line up. That in no way affects the development of young British riders and will almost certainly lead to more spectators going to meetings.
Win win, I'd say.
The NL has been foreigner free for about 3 seasons now (and mostly foreigner free for years before that); its made absolutely no difference to the numbers of foreign riders in the EL & PL. There's absolutely nothing to suggest that having a British only policy in the third tier has encouraged the two more senior leagues to bring British youngsters into their teams.
I know you only used it as an example HT but I think Kent missed the experience of Mason when he left and I don't think it was coincidental that they improved massively when he returned. From their point of view how does Kurtz improve the other riders? He may pass on experience etc but even if he ends with a 12.00 average I very much doubt that he will be able to give as much information to Freemantle, Blake and Chessell etc that Mason would.
Good luck to Jones. I hope the score he posted in the illegitimate Scunthorpe meeting will be more like his scoring this season as opposed to what he posted for the Islanders. But having said that, he experience will be massively beneficial which is what the management want
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To be accurate Jacobs wasn't ours to keep but I take your point.
To be fair he performed OK over the season, raising his average by >0.50 points which is not too shabby for his first year in the 2nd top flight.
On balance I wouldn't have had him back if it had been a straight choice between him and Ringwood, based entirely on what I thought they could do this year, IMO.
Fair enough. As others have said I remembered him being linked to a permanent transfer and obviously Ipswich were happy with letting him go. I haven't seen Joe at Ashfield but having followed his NL progress closely I'm confident that his 2014 average will be in excess of 4.00 and nearer 5.00 than 4.00. He has a lot of talent and has often beaten the biggest name in the league, I just think he needs to find a bit of consistency and with having the same men behind him at Peterborough as he had at Coventry last year and going back to Mildenhall I'm sure he will. Having said all that he bucked the trend of the 'Brits don't want to travel' trait and I'm sure he'd have been more than happy to stay because my impression of Joe is simply that he wants to race and will put in the effort wherever in order to repay the faith someone puts in him to race.
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Nick Morris? But that would mean dropping another rider.
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You should have just kept Jacobs.
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I think you're right SKJ, which means Rob is referring to an NL rider who will count as a 3.00 NL guest. Nielsen doesn't as he has achieved an average of over 4.00 in the PL. The likes of Ritchinfs, Morley and Sarjeant look good to me.
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It seems to have been unclear for a while as to whether Branford will or will not return to Britain next year. If you remember he didn't start last season with a team place as he was in a similar situation.
From your list Knight and Hazelden have retired, Fenwick isn't riding speedway this year and N. Stoneman has turned down offers of team places. It may or may not happen obviously bit I'd like to see Blacklock and Priest at Buxton and you could potentially add Branford to that if he comes over.
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He tweeted that he had some offers of team places but turned them down. I think he'd rather mechanic for someone than race.
And star shooter he rode for Mildenhall last year until he was dropped about August time.
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Rob Lambert & Lewis Kerr?
Cleggy and Greavsie?
=3
No but one of your pair is on the list.
Ellis/Widman
Ellis/Stoneman
No, Ellis got 12 5-1s but with 6 different partners. There is an Islanders pair though.
Nielsen and Halsey
No. There's one more Mildenhall pair but not including those two.
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Blackbird and greenwood, blackbird and Starke. Blackbird and Morris
=3
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If it's 5-1s as opposed to 1-5s, I'd imagine Armstrong & Bates has to be pretty high up there
Yes that's what I meant. They're at 1.
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Yes sorry SCB I stole the idea off you but you haven't posted one yet so I thought I'd go for it. Name the pairs to have scored the most 5-1s in the NL last season. I'm not sure on SCB's requirements but I've used league meetings only.
1. Armstrong and Bates (11 times) - Mr Mungo
2. Blackbird and Morris (9 times) - phillipsr
=3. Blackbird and D. Greenwood (7 times) - phillipsr
=3. Lambert and Kerr (7 times) - Ommer Mon
5. Blackbird and Starke (6 times) - phillipsr
=6. xxx and xxx (5 times) -
=6. xxx and xxx (5 times) -
=6. xxx and xxx (5 times) -
=9. xxx and xxx (4 times) -
=9. xxx and xxx (4 times) -
=9. xxx and xxx (4 times) -
=9. xxx and xxx (4 times) -
=9. xxx and xxx (4 times) -
=9. xxx and xxx (4 times) -
=9. xxx and xxx (4 times) -
=9. xxx and xxx (4 times) -
And as a clue, 1 rider appears 3 times!
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1. Stefan Nielsen 8.00
2. Luke Crang 4.78
3. Liam Carr 6.87
4. Lewis Rose 6.76
5. Steve Worrall 7.09
6. Brandon Freemantle 3.00
7. Danny Phillips 3.00
39.50
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I think Scunthorpe will have one or two 3.00 men who will significantly increase their average! It's your thread greyhoundp and you haven't had a go yourself
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On another note if they do borrow all 7, I hope Chris Widman is one of them
I am not sure you why you have written this - Chris Widman is riding for Stoke in 2014 and that will include the National Trophy.
Malcolm Vasey
I wasn't thinking about which club he rode for at that point just that he's from near Leicester. Mr Mungo was obviously thinking solely about locality as was I.
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When this team was rumoured a month or so ago I said something similar Vog. You're asking Webster to score big points when he's had a while out, Reade to hit form coming back from nearly all of last season out, Smart to be a third heat leader when he deteriorated badly last year, Bates to possibly increase his average as he's likely to be partnered with Smart who may or may not get back to his best especially as Smart has EL duties now, Stoneman I'm sure will improve slightly, Shanes should continue his development and by starting at reserve will probably improve the most and Andrews is a strange one, he's been around for a fair few years now and never really progressed and I would have preferred them to have gone with a new 3.00 man especially seeing as it's a development team maybe someone local like Tyler Govier. Apologises for the poor grammar and for the negativity but it's a team that has a real Plymouth look about it, but not one that I can see challenging this season, but in Shane's and Reade they do at least have 2 potential stars.
What's your thoughts on the team Mikey?
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Must admit the thought of a Dudley B Team did cross my mind...
So the Isle of Wight 2013 are back
It just makes a joke of the competition though. Why should they agree to do 6 fixtures (Potentially 8) and cherry pick a team.
What happens if, as can happen, meetings get called off, and they only get to run their final 3 trophy meetings after the new averages come out. Do they pick from the old averages? Or the new? Or a mixture?
It's just ridiculous. Yes, if you want to join just that competition, do it, but don't talk about having your pick of the NL, and hoping to use a couple of riders where possible. IF you are going to do it, pick a team and stick to it.
Presumably as Malcolm said, they will have a 40.00 limit like everyone else and stick to those riders the whole season. The press release also says they want to use 2013 Lions riders but Kerr and Blackbird are ineligible now so maybe Branford has decided to come back over or Sarjeant will be included. I think their problem is how can you contract a competitive side who will ride only 6 or 8 meetings all season? If those riders are good enough they are going to sign for league teams. There are riders out there that don't have league spaces but after a good performance for Leicester, are you going to let him sign for a league team... I think the idea of borrowing riders in principle works but maybe if they come up with their own 3.00 men if there are some around the Leicester area, or give 2 MDL riders a chance at reserve and borrow 3 to supplement Perry & Clegg. At the end of the day those 2 MDL riders could become full-time National League Leicester riders next year and you're already quickening their progress.
On another note if they do borrow all 7, I hope Chris Widman is one of them.
They're using it to gauge support to possibly enter the league next year. If Cradley ran there then it wouldn't tell them how May Leicester fans would turn up. And anyway I thought it was said last year that you had enough dates at Monmore for PL racing so you must have enough to do the NT as well.Why don't Cradley just enter and use The Tigers track! I'm pretty sure you will get fans from Cradley travel up if I was a weekend fixture!
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Leicester have joined the National Trophy and will track Perry & Clegg as part of the team. Hopefully Lions fans you will turn out to support our next generation and produce some exciting British talent!
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Best Pl Reserve Pairings
in SGB Championship League Speedway
Posted
Carr will average above 4.00 I'm certain of it... Don't forget Scunthorpe have Douglas or Jorgensen or even Howe.