Newcastle 2013

[Chewbacca 653]

Pleased the twins are on board but Tully is a major gamble

[bobh 8]

Would like to see a fit Jason King complete the line up.

[speedy19902006 52]

Pains me to say it but would of rather had Nedermark than Henry, I really like Christian but I think the upside of Claes is higher, if imagine its financial giving that Christian lives in Newcastle

[Tsunami 10,219]

As TWK said a few pages back, put your trust in George and the promotion and they would give us a decent team and, hey presto, they have.

Sorry about Mark and Ned not coming back this next season. If I was a speedway rider I would probably be Mark and I wish him well where ever he rides this year. Ned was never on my want list last winter, and I said that his late form, and the circumstances, made it easy for the promotion to drop him for 2012. But his superb form in the second half of the season, first at reserve then back in the team, took everyone by surprise, and I, along with most, thought that he would be first one picked for 2013. It is not to be, but I hope this is not the last we see of Ned in the future but that he is getting more practice in on another track and returns a more complete rider.

Nice to see the bulk of the riders being retained from last years successful team. I think it is what everyone hoped for, which then brings me to Tully. A very good rider on the night but prone to dips at certain tracks. I hope with this track change he knuckles down, takes his riding career seriously and I think if he does, we will see the very best of him. He is a decent talent and with consistency he could be the surprise package of the season.

That leaves 4.14 for the seventh man. I know who I want to see at 7 but I think it is best to wait and give the promotion the chance to select the best man for the job all things being OK.

I do think we will miss Mark captaining the team, he was good at it, and very helpful to all the riders with his knowledge and advice. I think possibly Stuart and Christian should share the task of looking after their teammates and keeping the group together as a team.

We did well last year, and I don't see one reason why we can't emulate that or even improve on it.

Edited November 27, 2012 by Tsunami

[Chewbacca 653]

It looks a sensible team fulk of Brits and locally based Aussies with a Sweded with whom we can share travel costs with an EL club.

 

 

Just got to hope the twins broken legs haven't affected their confidence and Tully quickly gets the hang of Brough.

[StevePark 2,781]

Pains me to say it but would of rather had Nedermark than Henry, I really like Christian but I think the upside of Claes is higher, if imagine its financial giving that Christian lives in Newcastle

 

Claes is based in Darlington, which isn't exactly a fair distance away.

 

It's a decent looking 6 so far, with Andy T effectively replacing Lemo and Richie replacing Claes.

 

The seventh signing could be crucial, but, whoever it is, is joining a solid looking top 5 and a decent 'top' reserve, so there might not be as much pressure on them as there could have been.

[ruffdiamond 6,115]

I have to say am disappointed to not see Ned in there, but happy that the majority are back :-)

I hope Claes gets a place somewhere, but if he's got some spare time on his hands, am aware that some Santa's are still required in the local department stores, like Farnon's n that,,,

[scaramanga 904]

i make that 4.14 for last rider so proberbly only jason king or charles wright from experienced riders

ritchie in the body of the team coming back from injury might knock him back if hes struggling for fitness and form early on but on last years form he should have no problem

[bamber 53]

Where can i find the riders finishing averages for 2012 Russ ???

[scaramanga 904]

Where can i find the riders finishing averages for 2012 Russ ???

bspa website under prem league at top of page then 2012 averages then bottom of list is final 2012 averages

[SCOTLAND1314 121]

Glad that Andrew has sorted a team place so quickly. Good luck I hope the move allows him to improve. He's shown he can shine on a variety of tracks over the years and he just needs to add a bit of consistency to his game. Easy for me to say harder to resolve.

Regardless good luck chap.

[NJC71 388]

I'm not sure at all about the inclusion of Tully. Certainly a capable rider and on his night he can beat anybody. But over a season will he outscore Lemo (even the 2012 version) and does he have more potential for improvement than Ned? I'm not convinced but time will tell. I have been proven wrong many times before.

 

Happy to see all of the others back, particularly the Worrall's. The success of this team could well depend on how well both come back from injury, particularly Richie. If he rides and scores like he did up until injury last year we'll be very strong again, but that is a big ask and this looks a team that has been built on the assumption that he'll soon be back to form rather than one that can cover for him if he struggles for a while.

 

All in all it looks like a team that (injury aside) will do very well at home but it could be a different story on the road and that's where I think the absence of Ned will be felt. I would back Tully to probably outscore Ned at Brough but on the road Ned was very good last year, particularly in the second half of the season when he was probably our best rider with several double figure returns due in the main to his superb gating. Tully (and also Lindrgen for that matter) will really need to up their games away from home if the Diamonds are to be successful.

 

As for the last place, well Jason King is the most obvious choice but he needs to be 100% fit. We'll already have Steve coming back from injury at reserve (as well as Richie) and we simply can't afford another.

Edited November 27, 2012 by NJC71

[StevePark 2,781]

Where can i find the riders finishing averages for 2012 Russ ???

 

 

http://www.speedwaygb.co/issues12/pl12_issue_24.pdf

[wjm 261]

Pretty decent side, in theory…stronger than the one that actually raced on track for a large part of last season.

 

Same as every winter though, some teams announce early and get stronger/weaker the more sides that come out.

[ShadowCaptain 57]

Successful teams require two elements to be successful - an injury-free season, and riders whose averages improve.

 

Robbo is a class act, and, after a difficult season with some horrible injuries, could improve his average and be the number 1 rider that this team will need.

 

If unaffected by their injuries, the Worralls could improve their averages massively, and Ludvig (another class act) has visited all the PL away tracks, and should give extra impetus to our away record (lots of near misses, but...)

 

Happy to be proven wrong, but suspect that Claes may not improve during the season. He came to the Diamonds with a reputation of being hit-and-miss, and his great end to the season gone did not fully mask some very poor meetings previously. The question whether Andrew Tully has also reached his potential could be pivotal to the success of this Diamonds team.

 

I am with the others on here about Jason King. Given his ability, he could be a tremendous reserve for the Diamonds, but only if he is fully fit, and wants to race. So many boxers want a fight too many, and get hurt. I do not want any rider to get hurt because they ride a season too many, or ride when they have lost their keeness for the sport, but get persuaded back into it.