waco 1,026 Posted December 5, 2011 (edited) Im on the middle ground on this one..Obviously it is good to bring on as many youngsters as possible,,but they need to be at a stage where they are on the pace before being given a team place ,,because as Shadders and others have said they want to see competative racing,and no fans means no speedway..I stand by my view that if all teams used one such rider it would work ok.. But if some teams have two and others none you have a total imbalance that will produce poor racing that fans wont stand for and will not attend such meetings... Edited December 5, 2011 by waco Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tocha 308 Posted December 5, 2011 Im on the middle ground on this one..Oblviously it is good to bring on as many youngsters as possible,,but they need to be at a stage where they are on the pace before being given a team place ,,because as Shadders and others have said they want to see competative racing,and no fans means no speedway..I stand by my view that if all teams used one such rider it would work ok.. But if some teams have two and others none you have a total imbalance that will produce poor racing that fans wont stand for and will not attend such meetings... Lakeside have announced that they will not be running a NL team in 2012 after all. Can Marc Owen and Shane Hazelden be fitted in I wonder? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
waco 1,026 Posted December 5, 2011 Lakeside have announced that they will not be running a NL team in 2012 after all. Can Marc Owen and Shane Hazelden be fitted in I wonder? That is a real shame as they seemed so positive at the end of last year....I believe Shane and Marc are both fixed up for next season though i cant say where,, as no official announcements have been made yet.....Start guessing ? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rockets 61 Posted December 5, 2011 I can't see Owen being back.He was talking before last season about a possible PL spot and to be honest by the end of the season I thought he was one of our worst riders. I dont know what has happened to him. One injury too many maybe? Certainly if he gates he flies but he seems incapable of mixing it these days. Maybe hes bought a bike from Steve Boxall. I'd love to see Shane back. Such a trier aand he would be one of a strong top four. On the point of blooding rookies i think Waco made an excellent point. All of these riders want to win the league or the cup and its unfair to a top five who have that ambition to be held back by rookies if there is not a rule across the board. They will get demoralised and that will affect their achievement. I think rookie matches as a second half to a PL meeting over five or six heats is the way to go. We get to see how they improve and it does nt hold the Raiders back. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GARRYH 9 Posted December 5, 2011 That is a real shame as they seemed so positive at the end of last year....I believe Shane and Marc are both fixed up for next season though i cant say where,, as no official announcements have been made yet.....Start guessing ? waco not sure where you are getting your info from but shane is not fixed up for next year yet Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
waco 1,026 Posted December 5, 2011 Sorry Gary if i have been misimformed,,I did however state that there has been no official announcement of any confirmed signing...I have no doubt a rider of Shanes ability will be fixed up shortly.. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GARRYH 9 Posted December 5, 2011 no problem but just think of the implications of such a posting, as any promoter looking would think oh well thats shane out of my thinking for a team place as his fixed up with a team when he isnt Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rockets 61 Posted December 5, 2011 I cant understand why Shane was nt in Lens thoughts unless he thought he was Lakeside bound. A very good prospect indeed. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Halifaxtiger 5,318 Posted December 5, 2011 (edited) For goodness sake stop attacking a certain manager . That manager has more knowledge of Speedway at NL level than you'll ever have . Word I had (and that is not from that 'certain manager' but someone at Stoke ) is that young Mr Sarjeant needs to look a little closer to home for the source of his problems with the management last season. He was one of the most impressive riders I saw last season but I'd think twice before signing him. Edited December 5, 2011 by Halifaxtiger 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ben91 1,743 Posted December 5, 2011 Is that the official statement from Len? If that is the case then the entrance price should reflect that and be half of what it currently is Does it look like I've quoted him? I do agree though, just like the PL team the NL team is too expensive to watch, there's no two ways about it. It looks like Nick Lee and Jed Collins are two names being mooted from the promotion looking at this press release http://speedwaygb.co/news.php?extend.13798.6 with Collins being the name better of the two if this is to be believed. Perhaps something along the lines of this would be feasible: 1. Mason 2. Owen 3. Sarjeant 4. Hazelden 5. Morley 6. Collins 7. Freemantle 8. Lee Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Baldy 69 Posted December 5, 2011 Word I had (and that is not from that 'certain manager' but someone at Stoke ) is that young Mr Sarjeant needs to look a little closer to home for the source of his problems with the management last season. He was one of the most impressive riders I saw last season but I'd think twice before signing him. He really impressed me too and was very surprised that Stoke did not make an offer for him again for 2012. I don't know anything of the behind the scenes going on's and don't want to; just hope that a promising rider is not derailed by off the track antics. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rockets 61 Posted December 7, 2011 GarryH - glad to see Shane is coming back along with Lee Strudwick. A good top 5 with three of them very capable of raising their averages. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GARRYH 9 Posted December 7, 2011 looking forward to it rockets as you say a good top 5 and shane cant wait for the new season to come. like all riders he is looking for sponsorship but for shane this year more than any year he is in need because of his own personal circumstances have changed and he needs as much help as he can find. So if there is anyone that can help him in any way however small or large it will make a big difference to him as things are tighter than ever this year. anyone interested can either pm me or email me. garry_hazelden@hotmail.co.uk thanks Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BossMan 8 Posted December 8, 2011 There was a time when I went to every home match regardless of it being PL or NL - not bad for a non-Rye supporter. Unfortunately Len no longer gives value for money and last year I missed quite a few meetings at Rye - it's not a bad top 5 but if the team is let down by the reserves then I will pick and choose the meetings I attend. I don't go for all this rubbish about blooding the youngsters / it's for the future of the Rockets etc I'm a Professional sportsman myself and the youngsters in my game work hard and make it impossible to leave them out of a team, and yes it does cost them money? I do like the NL and it can be better than the other leagues but the team I watch needs to be competitive. All just IMHO of course Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
waco 1,026 Posted January 12, 2012 (edited) Has anyone attended the training schools to run an eye over the proposed trainees that will supposedly be lining up as the reserves in the Raiders team,,, if so in your opinion are they on the pace for this considerable step up ,as some of the other teams have far more experienced riders in these positions....Len has put together 5 riders all with potential heat leader qualities,,Mason,,Morley,, Strudwick,,Hazelden and Sargeant,, it would be a shame if the reserves are not on the pace...... this would not be good for those riders who actually want to be successfull and win something,,The fans too need this season to have a team with exciting possibilitys to maintain their interest,,which is vital in my opinion....To attendences....... Edited January 12, 2012 by waco Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
