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You guys are splashing out thj suits for riders and paying over the odds on wages.

Hume as mountain struggles to get round foxhall and Danyon is very popular with the locals with his efforts

Yes Geoff there will be team suits this year for the boys... Regards THJ

Superb to have Dougy back for 2023 he is the No1 at Scunny and arguably the Leagues top rider imo. Given the constraints of the 40pt the Management had done a great job. I had every rider on my sheet 1-7. Theres "improvement" right down the order and looking around rival 1-7s this has to be the most justified I have felt in saying we must be real challengers for top spot !. MPT is a key signing; if he can stay clear of knocks theres an 8pt + rider there. Jakes return likewise. We havent seen the best of Jake since pre 2020. But given a winter back home in Oz plus him securing a Prem place with Leicester. I really think we could be seeing the best of Shakey again. Theres a lot to be optimistic about in the the middle order too. Conor Mountain is one of the up and coming British racers. He comes in on the back of a great 2022 at Leicester & Prem Sheffield. Really unfortunate not to keep his place with Sheffield this season. Hes a bit of an EWR specialist and it will be interesting to see if he can put pressure on MPT-Jake for a heat leader spot. Lambo is Lambo; great clubman and skipper. Hes capable of big returns around Scunny. Ok the away scores may sometimes let him down. But gives nothing less than 100% and a really important part of the team. Zaine; its great to have him back after that shocking crash last season. He was finding good form when that happened and ended his season. From the reports in Oz hes going well and recently ran Dougy close in the Brisbane Open meeting. No pressure; I do expect Zaine to up his average this season and starts as reserve ! Finally Joe Thompson another up and coming British racer. Put in some great scores for Leicester last season. At times he was out scoring twin brother Dan who had looked the one developing the faster. JT knows the right way around Scunny haven ridden countless times at Development, National & Champ levels. He could be a real trump card at reserve. So like I say, we must be up there with a line up like this. If not something will have gone badly wrong. Lets look forward to a great 2023 I honestly think it can be our time. Merry Christmas & Happy NY one and all. Þ

My prediction abilities are absolutely dreadful. So bearing that in mind I predict Edinburgh will win the league next season.

I’m still hearing the Emil deal is finally sorted. But I won’t believe it till it’s announced

So you made a lucky guess, not like you have any insider info lol. Oh and you got two wrong

None taken, anyone is entitled to believe what they wish

Got paid by someone to keep it down

Sure someone on here mentioned one more meeting for Marcin and his average will change to over 6. can’t find the post so perhaps I’m waffling which to be fair I’m good at that.

Great move, from word go makes a team look a team, can't believe it doesn't even help with team bonding as well. Slightly more cost but worth every penny to me.

Thought Doyle had packed in totally when I first saw the headline!

They would only be able to have a stroke if they could see it

Because that’s his average.

How I'd quantify it is that Sam in particular has been a 9 plus man for 10 or more years in the champ, Dougie had a great season but if wants to usurp masters he'll need to do it consistently

I prefer the printed edition.

The return of Ben Hopwood.......

He wouldn't get done for indecent exposure, as it would get thrown out of court for lack of evidence lol.

Nice to see we have a couple of bitter Diamond fans on here what happened to Christmas good will to all men and that

Masters proved he is the Leagues Top rider.IMO

Some teams would love the disappointment of reaching two national semi finals while supporting two riders in their first UK seasons

Not sure Oxfords top 3 is far stronger than Redcar's..... Masters is certainly the best of them but not sure Nicholls and Kerr are stronger than King and Wright

My worry is most agree Birmingham are for the wooden spoon so what's there chances of finishing the season

Rides on a British passport I believe. He's also rode in the NDL (Belle Vue Colts), so must be eligible for the 2.5% reduction.

Think we all know skidder knows the team but he is good at throwing in lots of red hearing's alot?

If 5-6 sides are near equal we could have some excellent meetings this season.Don't want any one sided matches they are about as exciting as rock climbing.

GOOD Edinburgh -> Solid side with lots of improvement throughout the 1-7. Glasgow -> Strong top 5 but they'll have to be firing on all cylinders to compensate for the reserves. Plymouth -> Top 5 as strong as any other team in the league, Get the No.6 right and they'll be challenging for silverware. Poole -> Always put together title challenging teams and 2023 will be no different, Potential Reserve pairing of Newman/Roynon will be the strongest in the league. Redcar -> Brilliant side apart from James Shanes. Get rid of him early for someone like D. Thompson or Kemp and then Redcar will become title favourites imo. MIDDLE OF THE ROAD Scunthorpe -> Sitting on the fence with this one, Jake Allen will have to recapture his pre-covid form and if he does then Scunthorpe could put in a solid challenge next season but if he doesn't recapture that form then Scunthorpe won't be posing a threat on the teams above. BAD Berwick -> Very weak at reserve, TJ on a highly inflated average, How long will Schlein take to settle in? Too many issues with the 1-7 overall to put in any sort of challenge next year. Birmingham -> Awful no matter who fills the No.6 position, No firepower and lacks race winners, James Wright & Stefan Nielsen as a 3 & 4 is a huge worry. Oxford -> Very unbalanced and pretty much hopeless next season despite the HL trio because the tail is far too weak to put up much of a fight.

As Frost/Mahoney found out when he was allegedly real box office. He wasn't the answer at 36 so buggered if I know what the question is that those singing his praises at 46 are currently tackling.

A think you could be right there, Glasgow couldn't win a goldfish at the fair!!!,,, and there normally free.

young riders are learning that moving to different tracks help them really improve you have to learn all types of tracks rather than being a one track pony

Oooh yo are awful but I like you... however its not costing the club a penny... a very generous sponsor has been found who will be paying for the suits... Yes and no... not trying to be elusive but it will be a Saturday and me personally would like it to be a couple of hours earlier but the consensus seems to be later not earlier (seen your Rugby clashes) and this is to accommodate any locals who may be working a Saturday morning shift... floodlights would definitely make it later... just have to wait and see what transpires after the new year... And a butt plug for you... a very large one at that... However the other bonus will be Steve Lawson in the pits who will be there to offer advice... and if these young kids (and their mechanic's) don't grasp that with both hands and listen to what the legend is saying they will definitely miss the opportunity of a life time... Regards THJ

He also said a lot of riders don't like how the starts at Poole are prepped and the Poole riders always have the set ups with the start in mind.

Think 2 points under is bold. A lot rests on Ablitt getting to grips with Iwade, Joe finding his pre injury form and the others riding sensibly. Theres a lot of potential in the tail but equal potential to throw points away. Good news is that they should all get on and have good morale.....bad news is they will need it.

Scunny have a not bad team but to even think Douglas is in the same league as a rider of masters, Lawson, and both worralls Is delusional will he be,maybe, at the moment masters is in a league of his own and a lovely bloke with it.

It’s like saying there’s no home advantage at Belle Vue when clearly there is masses of it.

Thats true. Oh and don't run to close to any old ladies, some might have a stroke

Let's hope it's not a cold day for you,could get embarrassing

Hard to argue with the merits of the Scunny side MPT, Allen and Mountain all easily capable of putting a point on their averages, a good number 1 and reserves that actually put a sting in the tail. Season could hinge on what stage Kennedy and Lambert swap places for the reserve berth and if the management continue with the honourable but tactically questionable better reserve staying at 6. Even so injury free its a good team.

I much prefer printed mags. Speaking as I find, my take on online content of any kind; when it works, it can be incredibly useful and bring so much enjoyment & pleasure. When it doesn't; it can be the biggest frustration & waste of space & time possible. Or: on whatever platform / service: I have watched live sports & accessed Sykpe, Tik-Tok, etc from USA, Aussie, Japan, Russia, etc, we've prob all done it, it was just like being there in person. At other times it can be quicker to print out and physically take documents by hand to locations anywhere in this country or even across town. I work with I.T. BTW, while I'm certainly no Elon Musk or Mark Zuckerberg (sp) I am surrounded by knowledgable anoraks / geeks / nerds / tech wizards so expert help is readily available, but when online stuff don't wish to work, it just don't.. So, yeah much prefer printed versions.....

If I had to choose I would say King and Wright slightly stronger. But obviously Masters stronger than Riss, so 2-1 to Redcar. I think Redcar top heaviness is similar to Poole's last season, where you have a strong top 3 but also one strong-ish reserve. That is where Oxford have got it wrong but with their top 3 they don't have much of a choice!

1. Poole - If the rumoured team is correct, Pirates will be the team to beat again. I am taking it as read we all know the expected lineup. Top two are number ones and pretty rock solid. The Cook brothers improved beyond expectations. Ben Cook rode like a heat leader and still has plenty more to show. Zach was very impressive from mid season onwards. Both riding the Premiership will give them even more track time. Jack Thomas is a steal on a sub 5 average. And if it is Kyle Newman and Adam Roynon at reserve, they will have the beating of the majority of their rivals. After the first set of GS I wouldn’t be surprised to see Kyle and Jack swap places. 2. Redcar - Looks a very good lineup. Strong heat leaders in Riss, Wright and King. The second strings are not as solid as Poole’s. James Shanes lives in Dorset so a long way to go for home meetings. Hume still has a little more to give. The reserves are not as strong as Poole’s. Edwards likely to swap with Shanes. Weak at 7. 3. Plymouth - Strongest team they have ever had and likely to go through the fixture list unbeaten at home. Will hand out some thrashings as well, meaning they will pick up lots of aggregate points. Howarth, Worrall and Barker are good heat leaders and Starke is on a bargain average. Gilkes returns from injury but showed great form around Plymouth before he hurt himself. On his travels not so good but lots of room to improve. Reserve Trigger looks a weak link and it depends who the final name is. The worry for other teams is keeping it close at Plymouth to be in with a chance of progressing in the playoffs. Plymouth could get an Exeter sized home advantage and the new points system is in their favour. 4. Glasgow - A good looking team, but not title favourites for me. Harris, Basso and especially Brennan are very good. But CH is not young and for BB this league is not his priority. Brennan has lots to give though. Vissing is well past his sell by date. Nowak should be solid at home, but away? Not so sure and Poland his priority. Complin is a very decent reserve. Pjiper will struggle away. 5. Oxford - Good heat leaders in Masters, Kerr and Nicholls. Masters likely to top the league averages again. Kerris good around Cowley. Scotty is now in the very twilight of his excellent career. Is this one season too many? Hopefully not. Heeps is a poor signing imo. Has done nothing in the last couple of seasons and surprised he got a berth. Dan Thompson would have been a much better option but team building points clearly gave Heeps the gig. Atkins and Killeen are very weak reserves. 6. Edinburgh - Not as good as lasts years lineup imo. Cook and Pickering are solid heat leaders but CC is not the rider of a few seasons ago. Thomson, Fredericksen and Castagna are at their level and can go AWOL at times. Hook and Bickley are decent reserves and better than several clubs. Not a team to challenge. 7. Scunthorpe. Ryan Douglas is a great number one, but he lacks backup. Allen and Palm-Toft blow hot and cold. Mountain is far better than his average and should be a solid second string/third heat leader. Lambert is what he is, a second second string, and could well be swapping places with Kennedy at reserve. Joe Thompson is a decent number 7 and should improve. 8. Berwick - Jorgensen, Flint and Schlein will find the going tough against other clubs heat leaders. Flint is really a second string and Rory has had a year out. He sold all his gear so new machinery which could help or hinder him. Knudsen is a good second string with a future. Etheridge is at his level. Coles and Stoneman could both struggle against other reserves. 9. Birmingham - Nick Morris is a good number one, but the rest of the team are journeymen, and I can’t see them getting off the bottom of the league. Each on their day will have decent/good meetings but up against the top teams should be beaten handsomely. I know that Brum have a limited budget but success brings in good crowds. A losing team and fans stay away. Getting the balance right is important and Brum are a heat leader short of that. I wish them well. Poole the team to beat. But the real danger is the team Plymouth have built to get a huge home advantage. It would not surprise me to see 55-60+ scored at Plymouth on a regular basis which would be devastating to other teams in a playoff situation. Of course this prediction doesn’t take into account any injuries which May/will occur to teams during the course of the season. Roll on March and let’s enjoy!

Unless you knew what was happening when it was happening I don't think you'll ever know! I didn't realise there was a problem til he was sacked. But apparently neither party will talk about it. I think the only thing that was said at the time (maybe by Poole fans on here not the Poole management) they were worried about it potentially affecting team spirit. And Poole regard team spirit very important so I can see that being a deal breaker if they thought it was going to be under threat imo.

Interesting fact. Jack Thomas only ran 4 last places in 2022 on his home track. All four were against Poole. In the first meeting he had bike issues in his first two but came out with 8 from his last three. He then made an attempt to come back from his wrist injury in the B fixture which resulted in two last places before being withdrawn. Looks like a rider who once dialled in can be a real force on his home track. Needs more consistency away from home and if he stays clear of injury could be very popular quickly with Poole fans. A sub 5 average needs to be improved or he will be at reserve after the first GS.

For dark horses don't rule out Plymouth, they've gained 2 top 10 riders in Richie Worrall and Kyle Howarth, and with Ben Barker that's 3 strong heat leaders and they will be pretty much unbeatable at home. And away, with those riders plus Dan Gilkes etc they're going to run a few teams close. Glasgow, Redcar and Poole will be the teams to beat I fancy.

For the love of god, no! He's bang average at Plymouth and crap away. We should be nowhere near him if we have aspirations. Roynon would be good at Plymouth but I worry about his injuries which puts you back at square one. A new 4 pointer would be good but I imagine the promotion are looking to keep costs down hence going all British so far.

Can all the whingers on this thread please give it a rest!! If you are that concerned about the delay in delivery of your print magazine why not get a digital subscription or better still go round to your local newsagent and buy a copy of the Beano that other great comic.

Lidsey is so far improved from the one that achieved the average he comes in on its like a different rider The dictionary in 2023 will have his picture next to the word 'ringer'

Why? There’s a rather unsavoury witch hunt going on over in the championship threads over young Drew which is a bit out of order. Absolutely fine not to rate a rider, I don’t rate Zach Cook for example, but some of the stuff being said about Kemp is rotten.

Leon Flint got his first double figure points haul in his last home meeting. He’s coming along nicely. If it weren’t for the rising star programme he wouldn’t have got his chance. As it stands if it is dropped next year, he will still be one of the first names on the team sheet.