leander

Six agreed, just awaiting the appropriate signatures on contracts etc., rather than just drip feeding riders. 90% there with the 7th. That's what I heard anyway. Rob also said he reckoned we'll have the strongest reserve pairing in the league, so no Danny Phillips!!!

Biggest problem would be the fact that the rent would still be the same and put an even bigger hole (percentage wise) into the budget.

Yes.

They certainly were, but for some reason southern fans just never took to it, and qualifiers cost southern clubs money. Remember you need to pay for 20 riders instead of 14 (4 x teams of 4 + 4 reserves), and teams are usually composed of the top riders (i.e. the most expensive).

It works in American Football. Numerous conferences (leagues). They play everyone home and away in their own conference and a selection of teams from the others to make up the season. Top teams in each conference + a number of "best" runners up" go into end of season play-offs.

I am not too bothered what the limit is. I just hope they don't make the stupid decision to increase the points limit halfway through the season as they did this year. For example it turned a very average Redcar side into a very good side, by ditching a second string and replacing him with another out and out number 1 ( Erik Riss). There was no way they could have done that without the limit changing from 38 to 40. Fair play to them for that, but it probably cost Berwick (who were over the 40 point limit) a place in the play-offs.

Lasse needs to dump his dad as engine tuner. At least six, that I know of, engine blowups on the stand before the match even starts says a lot. Kenneth Bjerre took a different route this year and had one of his best seasons in years.

Actually it did have an impact on the result. Ulrich picked up "dead" arm injury in that collision. Which was how he went from 2nd to 4th on bend 2 lap 4 in heat 13, thus the 1-5 would have been a 2-4. Newcastle would only have been 2 points behind on aggregate going into heat 15. Ulrich would have been in heat 15 had he been fit. I'm not saying Redcar wouldn't still have won but it would have been a lot closer.

Also the referees scoresheet shows the reason for the exclusion as XO i.e. disqualified for a reason other than dangerous or foul riding. If he had been disqualified for bringing Ulrich down it would be shown as XD, as was Barker's disqualification shown on the refs sheet. (Not that I 'm saying that decision was correct). Being the guilty (in the refs view) of causing another rider to fall is always shown as XD. I rest my case.

And the replay is available where?

??? The Barker exclusion could have gone either way. Wright was excluded for having both wheels on the centre green, not for colliding with Ulrich.

Having been to every home and away meeting bar one this year I would say be careful what you wish for. Roy is by far one of the best centre green announcers, in my opinion, in the country. Having had to listen to some of the drivel at other tracks, or lack of it, when things go wrong, at least he tries to keep folks entertained when there are unexpected and unavoidable delays. And he's respectful of the opposition. maybe if you turned up at 10:00 on a sunday morning you would see what the "hangers on and freeloaders" get up to prior to the meeting starting. Most, if not all, have put in an 8 hour shift (for nothing except free entry) before you turn up. I don't suppose you would work 8 hours on a sunday for £17:00. And i know for a fact that some have season tickets.

Sorry, but my vote for rider of the night was Max Clegg by a country mile. He rode far above the standard he is currently at, and inflicted the only defeat of the night on Erik Riss. FROM THE BACK! Gating tart he ain't.

Seriously, I don't know what people expect Newcastle to do. Nobody on here really knows if Lasse is ill or not. He will certainly have to provide a sick note for us to be granted a facility. The weather hasn't done us any favours over the last few weeks. Getting a guest, especially on Lasse's poor average, to score what he would potentially score at this late stage of the season was never going to be easy. Most riders have packed up for the year with the foreigners, by and large, already moved out of the country. Sarj scored 6+1 when he was here with Glasgow, and did feature in a glasgow 5-1 beating Danny and Ulrich. I, for one, am prepared to give the lad a chance. He's on our side so will be getting some advice from our regular lads, which he wouldn't get riding for the opposition.

Canvas is not 100% waterproof.

Speedway covers, by there very nature, need to be WATERPROOF. The dog track covers don't. They only need to keep the Shale off the dog track and can be pervious (i.e. not necessarily waterproof).

Anybody know who Redcar are using as a guest for MPT as last weeks guest (Lewis Kerr) is not available this week?

Yes but some of the signings are "subject to the outcome of the conference". It wouldn't be the first time promoters have looked to have sorted everything out pre-conference. Then gone home and thought about it and realised that it wasn't such a good idea after all and gone totally the other way at the Conference.

I'd wait until the end of the conference to see what the league structure. Those riders who have signed for clubs already will work in either the current structure or a one main league structure. (e.g. Chris Harris has signed for Birmingham :- Is it as No.1 for a Championship team, or 2nd/3rd heat leader in a single league). Nobody appears to have signed for a team in both divisions. It's not beyond the realms of possibility that Max could be no. 1 and Danny 2nd or 3rd heat leader next year.

Only with the Brits.

I can see this happening IF and it's a BIG IF, there are only two leagues next season 1. A watered down Premiership/ watered up Championship combined. Berwick could possibly run at that level if they abandon fixed race nights as it will surely include Glasgow and possibly Edinburgh and Redcar. 2. A watered down Championship (with whats left)/ watered up NDL.

They'll be brilliant when we are in the NDL. Personally I think one main league is more likely next year than this year. Can't see the premiership running with 6 teams. There fans aren't keen on seeing everyone twice let alone three times a year. And they can say goodbye to what little TV money they are getting.I can't see anybody making the jump from the championship as it is at present. I can see it being one league sort of in the middle of Premiership/Championship level plus the NDL. I can't see Newcastle being in that. For one thing the Premiership stars!!! that are retained won't want to come to Newcastle on a sunday once a year, never mind us signing someone so that we can be remotely competitive at that level. I hope I'm wrong but..............

Very true. But we also had 4 or 5 blank sundays early in the season when we could have comfortably run a first round fixture. The fact is the BSPA need to allocate a specific week in the season for each round to take place, irrespective of whatever the teams involved want to run championship matches if they think they can get into the play-offs. Newcastle and Edinburgh used the League dates earlier in the season to run the KOC and rescheduled the League fixture for later on. Eastbourne and Redcar could have quite easily done the same but they didn't for whatever reason, preferring to run the cup match in september (still before the cut-off date).

And the revised NDL Riders championship line-up does not include Max or Danny so Newcastle are unchanged. The only question mark, unless I've missed it, is Redcar's guest for MPT.