Halifaxtiger

Need, definitely. However, you only need to read the other Stoke thread to see whether they deserve it. When they are doing everything they can to ensure that paying customers are having a good night I'll agree. For that to happen, there will need to be a sea change in almost every aspect of the way they go about things.

I think you are right here but would add that I have no issue with each team having a senior man. Having sponsored young riders, I know only too well the benefit of having someone like Jon Armstrong around - by all accounts, he is simply brilliant with those prepared to listen and I have never heard a bad word about him. Tony Atkin, I believe, is the same. The thing is, though, that they must be of heat leader standard. Its no use having someone below that - whatever their effect - because it can then be reasonably argued that they are taking a youngsters place. At the moment, Atkin & Armstrong are not.

Very best wishes. A top bloke and as passionate a speedway fan as there is anywhere.

From what I have heard and read there should be no issue at all. The one to worry about is Coventry. If that comes off I'd be over every week to watch them.

Sadly, Gem, that was the way I saw it. Some things might have been worth stripping, but why rip out all the seats, smash them up and a few days later offer to buy new ones ?

Nothing more than a guess. But there aren't many who can fit him in, there are his Dad's connections to the club and he looked pretty good there last season........... Yes, I think it will and that is a very good team indeed. We'll see - the good news is that the Colts are running at all.

Jack Smith ?

One of the best individual performances I saw anywhere last season.

Indeed. I'd find it hard to believe that the Warriors wouldn't have wanted him back on 2017 and they did give him an opportunity when no-one else would. Furthermore, he improved significantly at Smallbrook. Not the easiest place to get to but I'd say he owed them enough to go back this year.

They don't. I am very much in the minority, and I am not a Plymouth supporter.

I am not sure Blacklock will cut it at PL level but one thing is certain : it won't be for want of trying. They are the only speedway food I will eat and, indeed, I skip a meal to do it.

Mildenhall won't be the only team with 3 or 4 points between their heat leaders and the second strings - Isle of Wight are already like it, and Cradley are too. Simple truth is most teams will have what looks like a top heavy side because there are very few 5 or 6 point riders available. Its a little early to tell, but I think that's a very decent team. Jenkins is good - and I mean good - Armstrong can improve but the one I think will surprise everyone is Ruddick. He's definitely got some real ability and just needs to channel it better.

This isn't just a question of liking it, though. Its a question as to whether it can be used as a major marketing tool. All of your merchandise will have it on, all your posters will have it on, the lot. My wife liked it. When I suggested that I buy a couple of T shirts for our nephews aged 7 & 9, her view was very different. The thing is Isle of Wight's is tame (I am lot more sold on it than I once was). I don't like Eastbourne's or Mildenhall's much but they are also pretty tame. You couldn't, for example, suggest that they came from an X certificate horror film. Its not easy when the team are the Devils but the old logo was pretty inoffensive. My issue here is that that - plastered all over Plymouth- might attract some seriously adverse publicity.

It would be untrue to say that all of them do. The quote I got yesterday was 'awful'. In any case, its not them that you have to worry about - its the additional people that Plymouth will be trying to attract. As I said, it will be interesting to see what the reaction of the people of Plymouth is to that image being plastered all over the place. One person on Facebook said that his 3 year old daughter laughed it. My response to that would be that maybe he should get a big poster done - say 6ft by 3ft - and put it up in her nursery, then all the little ones could join in the laughter.

Dead right The facilities don't matter that much to me personally (even when, at Weymouth once, I was sat on a portaloo and some kids opened the door) and I can stomach most presentation, even those that are pretty dire. But unnecessary delays and crap racing are too prevalent and really stick in my craw. Its why Scunthorpe hit the nail on the head. Usually cracking racing and no intervals, and I have even heard Rob Godfrey ask the referee to put the 2 minutes on over the mic. Speedway is - like almost all sports - much better live than on the television. We just have to give people what they want us much as we can.

That's pretty much what I thought. It'll be interesting to see what happens when they flood Plymouth with posters with it on.

Dead right about common sense..............and the lazy bleeders who won't clear their paths. Unfortunately, I don't remember much about the serious bits of the talk only that I laughed an awful lot that day. I do, however, recall that he told us about a bloke in a sweet factory who fell into a tank full of marshmallow. Laurel & Hardy stuff, but we stopped finding it funny when he told us that protection wasn't in place and that the chap had suffered second degree burns and been scarred for life.

We had a talk from the Council's chief H&S officer a while ago and he told gave us a couple of anecdotes which tend to put things into perspective a bit. Every year, the Round Table in Hebden Bridge hold a huge bonfire and firework display - stalls, rides, the lot. Every year they are on the front page of the local rag, complaining about H&S saying they can't do this or that. As that simply wasn't true, one year the chap from the Council finally had enough of all the flak he was getting and phoned their top bloke up. The response was: 'Yes, I know its not true but we get a free front page advert'. On another occasion, some old biddy at a bring and buy sale in a local hall slipped over and broke her arm. Turns out the dancing club had asked for the floor to be buffed up and the caretaker went a bit nuts. It was then reported that H&S were closing the dance club down (which wasn't true). Our H&S bloke was eating his tea when his mother phoned him up, gave him a bashing about closing the club and slammed the phone down. The upshot was that a compromise was arranged and the dancing club, which had been on the verge of closure anyway because of a shortage of participants, doubled its membership.

The stadium was sold to Spedeworth who, I am pretty certain, bought the house in question (or what was left of it). As such, I am also pretty certain that this situation no longer exists.

Hate to bang on about Isle of Wight again but check their face book page and 'my first skid'. And, by the way, they also have sponsorship from a local radio station. Things needed to change from when I was younger (I am 51) but its all got ridiculously out of hand. Guards on machinery is one thing, stopping kids playing conkers is very much another.

Been corrected by one of my sources this morning. Webster himself says he's not ready. In addition, Boxall has apparently moved back to Kent - if memory serves me correctly, Canterbury. That's a 540 mile round trip...............on summer Fridays on the M5.

Rode for Isle of Wight last season. Not impressive, but he could yet bounce back. I think the problem more recently has been the quality of his machinery. I know that at Kent, at least to start with, it might as well have been made out of Lego. Having said that, I believe he now lives in the South West, if not in Plymouth. He's an undoubted SBA track expert, got a decent enough average in the PL last season and indeed could well be the NL's top rider. Given where Plymouth are geographically, to have him sitting on your doorstep and ignore him would have been pretty foolish. Word I got was that he has been building up a couple of bikes but needs to lose some weight. Useful rider at this level but would apparently come in on an 8.00 average. You could have Shanes instead.

I think you need to wait and see here. I don't deny its quite incredible that both Shanes and Ayres have been dumped but I'll be surprised if the team isn't a decent one. Stoneman is a major gamble on 7.00. Tore Coventry to bits but couldn't cope at all with Birmingham. The fact that the Warriors have left him out must say something.

Ipswich are the stronger side. Schlein, Newman, Heeps & Mountain all have the edge. Different teams admittedly, but Workington had all on to beat Ipswich at Derwent Park last season.

From comments on the facebook page they are pretty pleased, yes. Indeed, a number suggested that they wanted him back. Its true he lets his throttle hand rule his head a bit and falls off a lot but I think he has real ability. Get someone decent in his corner and he could make a lot of progress. On 3.10 I'd say he is a very good signing.