Big Al

Decision time fast approaching with the return of RW, from what I think he said last month? In the perfect world he will get straight back into the scoring groove but that can't be presumed and even more tricky with him having to return at No.1. But he's also going to need track time, so the two home matches v Gla and Som, plus two away, and Poole matches would be important for him to get that track time ahead of playoffs/finals in September. Trying to come back straight into playoffs & finals wouldnt be too good.

I would question whether some of the team changes made at Leicester in 2018, especially towards the end of the season and which had the outcome of the team plummeting to the bottom of the league, were "in the best interests of the sport"

Who's the stand-in for Worrall on Saturday? New British Champ possible if he's avsilable? Maybe need to try and avoid giving Somerset and Eastbourne riders any more track time at BP from now.

Hope that dates for the Shield final can be sorted out soon, with enough time allowed to promote it well, but not shunting it too far to end of season. The scarcity of available Saturdays could be tricky in achieving that, but if it can be given the priority, and if the final is won with good attendance (and it's a competition Leicester has dominated, so why not) then a trophy on the shelf and in the media locally won't do much harm.

Reads pretty much like routine stuff to me. Problem for me is more the number who became turned-off during the Hemsley era and have stayed away.

Graczjonek, Procter and Morley for Worrall, Nicholls and Bates? Would that get it to under 40?

It's difficult to see how it can be done without having to shed points from the current team total and re-calibrate at a sub-40 total unless there is some very clever manoevring done, something that Dicko is good at. But we have a No.1 whose average is going downwards whilst other sides look to be strong up in that department, and a No.2 whose return is still uncertain.

So Adam Exstance has been involved in both Thompsons suffering bad accidents within a week. I am not pointing an accusing finger at Adam Exstance here but it unfortunately illustrates the point. But the lads will have hopefully learned to be wary of which riders they are trying to get past. It looked like last week Exstance wasn't all that aware of Dan coming past between him and the fence although I wasn't looking from directly behind and the ref decided to exclude Dan and someone has suggested that Exstance slowed up and it caught Joe out, who was probably quicker. Dan performed a stunning overtake of Ben Wilson last week, edge of the seat stuff, but Wilson is an experienced rider who would be expected to have good awareness and he did duly allow Dan the room to complete the pass safely.

So are you saying that because Mr Thomas inferred at one point in time that he was owed money, that was applicable over a longer period of time to more than him? Your comment refers to "riders" - in the plural - so you're going to have to come up with a lot more than this to get out of the hole you've dug yourself into.

Not strictly by law illegal no, probably because it hasn't been adjudged so by a court yet. But it is absolutely wrong, and I repeat it is the system which allows it to be done,that is wrong. We have one situation whereby a rider who is not currently engaged by a club at the time in question, is not allowed to work by undertaking guest bookings. We have another scenario whereby a club, that is not currently employing a rider, is allowed to prevent him from working in the UK. Make of that what you will, but it seems to me that slavery is still well and truly alive. And it's just plain daft, and wrong. It is not as if the "restraining club" is even paying the rider a retaining fee with those conditions built into it, or at least I presume not.

Well we await the reply from Pep on that matter, to give substance to his inference. I'm not going to be waiting up all night for it, though. That's if he/she hasnt been ejected by now.

Dunno - no idea what arrangements Leicester have for payment to riders! Do you?

For your information, I have always thought the asset system is wrong and actually illegal, and have made that opinion at various times in the past!

You have missed the point. I was saying that it's the system that is wrong.

No problem with that at all. By the "system" its Glasgows choice if they decide to prevent one of their "employees" from earning money whilst they are unable to give him paid work. Maybe Victor can get a spot of voluntary work whilst he waits for his employers to let him earn money somewhere it suits them more!

Not likely to be a Pole because their governing body doesn't allow it, but you never know what strings Dicko can pull! So more likely a Dane then? The one who impressed me most at the recent U-21 final was Mads Hansen as he outshone his more well known team mates. But whoever it is, it's a fair old challenge to come into a league/country mid season and get into it straight away. Maybe Dicko has someone who rides Glasgow especially well, that would be sweet!

The second Swedish Victor of the current era. Did Peter Ljung suggest him as a Lions signing after his short stint at BP in 2014?

Sounds like an opportunity for someone to begin buying engines off riders to make them into "upcycled" fancy doorstops to sell to (the large number of) people with more money than sense. I'm sure they'd go down a storm with Shoreditch hipsters and the like.

Even if you go along with Rossiter's reasons for Bewley not taking part, GB could have considered taking two riders who are between 21 and 26 years old, in addition to Cook and Lambert. BUT who would they have been? I'm struggling to think of anyone. To me, that's the problem.

If the Lions need to replace both Worrall and Bates, would they be limited to making like-for-like changes where each new rider has to have an average below the one being replaced, or can they combine the averages of Worrall and Bates and bring in two replacements whose combined averages are less than that total?

You need to cut Wells a bit of slack here, that injury he's trying to ride with makes it extra difficult on tighter cornering tracks and I'd guess it's why he was put at 2. I've seen many other riders have the same problem and it improves ok in most cases, but in others it has to be dealt with by surgery.

Who was out practicing soon after heat 15? Looked like he was wearing a set of NZ kevlars.

Anyone know what the layoff time is for a concussion that follows soon after a previous layoff? The last one was 9 days, so will it be more than that? So at least 4 matches with limited r/r options seems very possible, maybe even 5

Swindon v Leicester on Saturday 28th August 1976, only Doug Underwood a Lions rider, the other 6 were guests.

But it seemed like he chose Leicester (technical track) above Sheffield (big track) - but was that all front??