E I Addio 15,845 Posted October 24, 2014 (edited) With respect Addio i think you are possibly being a bit harsh on PK, I don't think you can blame him directly for Davey Watts scoring, looking at the averages from meetings rode for Lakeside there is only 0.11 difference between the two, they both equally under performed. In my opinion Lakeside took a chance having two elder statesmen in the team and it backfired, of course the new format played its part but its quite damning that both PK and Davey started out as our top two and would have finished 4th and 5th respectively had they both seen out the season as Hammers. Regarding Davey, he is still a very reasonable rider on his day, in fact he can be as entertaining as any but its that flip side of him that appears more often than many would like is the reason i would not have him back, for whatever reason, sometimes he just does not seem to have his heart in it. The club has made good strides in the last season or two of bringing down the average age of the side, hopefully this will continue. I am not being hard on PK or in anyway critical of him . In fact he would be in my team of all time favourite riders, but the unfortunate fact is that 2014 proved to be a season too far for him. This had a knock on effect on Davey because although neither is a full,out No1 but as a joint spearhead they were doing a pretty decent job but when PK's form faltered there was too much weight on Davey's shoulders with no one else quite ready to step up. I know what you mean about Davey going awol. at times but almost every 6/7 point rider is the same. Adam Shields was like it , Bomber has some complete howlers, Rory , Kenny Bjerre, Hans, Bjarne Pdersen, and plenty of other quality riders have meetings where it just doesn't work for them. On the other hand you have to remember that on the credit side Davey has been a good captain when you look at the way he has worked to bring on riders like Richard Lawson, Ben Moreley and Adam Ellis. A lot of captains don't bother with things like that. So all in all I think with Davey the pros outweigh the cons as second heatleader/captain, but having said that, it could be that after 3 years with Lakeside a change of club for him and some new faces in the Hammers squad might be a positive move.,I have some great memories of some Heat 15s with Davey and PK at their best though. Edited October 24, 2014 by E I Addio 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TonyE 822 Posted October 24, 2014 (edited) With respect Addio i think you are possibly being a bit harsh on PK, I don't think you can blame him directly for Davey Watts scoring, looking at the averages from meetings rode for Lakeside there is only 0.11 difference between the two, they both equally under performed. In my opinion Lakeside took a chance having two elder statesmen in the team and it backfired, of course the new format played its part but its quite damning that both PK and Davey started out as our top two and would have finished 4th and 5th respectively had they both seen out the season as Hammers. Regarding Davey, he is still a very reasonable rider on his day, in fact he can be as entertaining as any but its that flip side of him that appears more often than many would like is the reason i would not have him back, for whatever reason, sometimes he just does not seem to have his heart in it. The club has made good strides in the last season or two of bringing down the average age of the side, hopefully this will continue. That is a tad harsh if not just untrue. Davey did see out season and, solely from EL meetings in 2014 and exlcluding bonus points, finished on a 7.37 average. On the same basis, the other four ended up as under: PK 6.43, LB 6.95, MB 7.28 and RL 6.90 (with the latter three all having had rides as second strings and thus weaker opponents). Edited October 24, 2014 by TonyE Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
marko 956 Posted October 24, 2014 you misunderstood Tony as what i meant was had we finished the season without making a change and with the averages i go off the combined ones as printed in the speedway star and in years gone by bonus points counted, they don't now but that's a different story. Much of my disappointment with Davey and PK has been on the basis i still believe they are better riders than their averages suggest, however that is possibly not the case and my expectations of them are now too great at this point in their careers. I think every team should have one rider who is a safe eight point plus man, bordering on nine and that's a concern i have with the Hammers, AJ would filled that void instantly then its perfectly setup to have the initial back up riders around the six/seven point mark, whether that's using a safe pair of hands experienced rider or a younger hare um scare um type rider will down the clubs choice but i know what i would rather see. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bostonian 188 Posted October 31, 2014 No Bridger for 2015, sounds like he won't be riding speedway at all. All his equipment on sale on his twitter also.. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Skidder1 7,637 Posted October 31, 2014 No Bridger for 2015, sounds like he won't be riding speedway at all. All his equipment on sale on his twitter also.. Yes Lewis has confirmed he will NOT race speedway in 2015!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
therefused 819 Posted October 31, 2014 (edited) Maybe Bridger should look to Woffindens mentality and fitness and look to emulate that if he does return in 2016, and finally reach the potential he does still have. That is, if there is still a league for him in 2016 mind. Edited October 31, 2014 by therefused 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mjolnir 184 Posted October 31, 2014 Yes Lewis has confirmed he will NOT race speedway in 2015!! It's a shame for us fans, as he was without a doubt one of the most entertaining riders to watch at Lakeside the last couple of seasons. Best of luck to him though, and I hope that he'll rediscover his passion for the sport and we'll see him back on a bike in the future. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Agrotron 955 Posted October 31, 2014 Mind he can probably see what a joke Speedway has become and opted out can't say I blame him at all. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Trees 2,814 Posted October 31, 2014 Who are you Pirate Oliver, perhaps u need to change your name to Pirate Negative?! 6 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dave Stummings 126 Posted October 31, 2014 Bridger, no great loss. He needed a mentor and to be ultra professional like Tia Woffinden or Nicki Pedersen Unfortunately for soeedway he thought he could party and still be world class, 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
stevebrum 6,824 Posted October 31, 2014 Sad to read about Lewis, but he has clearly not been in love with the sport for a few seasons now. If he lacks the commitment and drive to compete there is little point but as others have said if he followed the Woffinden example he might just find some of the answers he is looking for. He certainly has the talent and ability to push his career on if he wanted to. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Agrotron 955 Posted October 31, 2014 Who are you Pirate Oliver, perhaps u need to change your name to Pirate Negative?! Who am I, well I am someone who sponsored LBR also negative yes what is there really to be positive about the sport if you can call it that is a joke in this country this last year even more so. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Daytripper 1,123 Posted October 31, 2014 It's a shame for us fans, as he was without a doubt one of the most entertaining riders to watch at Lakeside the last couple of seasons. Best of luck to him though, and I hope that he'll rediscover his passion for the sport and we'll see him back on a bike in the future. Certainly in the last half of last season he was showing the sort of form around Lakeside that mark him as a terrific talent, and this year he has had a good manager and some mature people around him that have managed to keep him more or less focussed. Lewis gets a lot of unfair criticism from people who don't know him, but having said that, he does seem to have a self-destruct button that goes off every time things start going well. Messing up and missing two flights to Poland after getting himself established as a fans favourite out there is a classic example. It will be a great loss to British speedway. If he carried on the way he was going at the end of last season he could realistically be British No 3 behind Bomber and Tai, next year with further progression after that. He is an enigma, no doubt about that, but I doubt we will see him back on a speedway bike again. One person in speedway Lewis absolutely respected was Lee Richardson and my personal view is that deep down Lewis has probably never got over losing Lee, although we'll never really know. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BluTiger 21,701 Posted October 31, 2014 Big shame Lewis not riding next year. It would appear it's not only the fans who are drifting away from the circus... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mjolnir 184 Posted November 1, 2014 It will be a great loss to British speedway. If he carried on the way he was going at the end of last season he could realistically be British No 3 behind Bomber and Tai, next year with further progression after that. He is an enigma, no doubt about that, but I doubt we will see him back on a speedway bike again. One person in speedway Lewis absolutely respected was Lee Richardson and my personal view is that deep down Lewis has probably never got over losing Lee, although we'll never really know. I'd say that he definitely has the potential to claim the 3rd spot in the GB team, and was on course for making it his. Not only was he racing regularly in Poland but I'd say his EL form was much better than any other rider that might have been working towards it. I think a lot of people underestimate the influence that Lee had on Lewis, both before and after his death. Even his bikes look remarkably like Lee's did. I could be wrong of course, but I'd say I agree with you. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
