Halifaxtiger

I think Coles is an astute signing. At the start of June, he was averaging around the 5.5 mark in the NL and at the end of the season about 7.1. It doesn't take a genius to realise that in the latter half of 2016 he was up around the 8.5 mark and one glance at this scores for Mildenhall will tell you that he was superbly consistent home and away. He also didn't disgrace himself in guest bookings for Ipswich & Plymouth either - a win over Wolbert springs to mind.

That's a good team. A very good team.

I think that is just as important as the team if not more so. Last year it was awful and that's a crying shame because it can be very good indeed. Sheffield and Belle Vue are the two tracks closest to my home and I know some top people at Owlerton. The fact that I went to NSS on twice as many occasions in 2016 is a direct result of the quality of the speedway My advice for the promotion is let Graham Trollope get on with it without any interference from anyone. That's what happens at Scunthorpe and I am sure there will be many a Sheffield fan who would like to have the standard of racing that they have at EWR.

I'll make this my last post on this subject as my view is clear and everyone can get back to discussing the team. The problem I find with official club forums or facebook pages is that they are like a form of Soviet media - praising those in charge or a specific viewpoint is allowed, criticism is not (however justified that criticism might be). Do it too often and you disappear. I have had experience of that, getting booted off a facebook page for simply giving an opposing, critical view. Sadly, I find that any decision as to who is being excluded is often subjective when it should be objective.

Where Barncooseboy is concerned, I am not blamimg you at all. Whether his post is mali cious or not I don't know, but clearly you have attempted to resolve it. The ball is in his court now. But that's not the end of the matter, because he has referred to others. I'd say that with the new start, all bans should be dropped. That is particularly true of Dad's Army, because they are Plymouth's most passionate and committed supporters. I have seen them at Glasgow, Workington and Sheffield, lnow they do renovation and maintenance work on the close season and some have made financial contributions. If they can't post, who can ?

That there is some error. I doubt very much that Keyham would come on here and be so blatantly untruthful. Then again, I don't believe that you would either. My advice is to contact him direct - as he has said - and get this sorted out. Its not doing anyone or anything - particularly Plymouth Speedway - any good.

In this case, yes. This is about moving on from what has happened in the past and starting again. I have a number of friends at Plymouth but none of them are feeding me here. I don't know how I can convince you of that, but its true. As to taking his side, I am doing nothing of the kind. If this is mischievous, then I condemn him as strongly as you do. I just don't know that for certain whereas you, apparently, do. I don't know who has been banned but what I do know is that 'Dads Army' are passionate and committed Devils fans that rarely miss a meeting (home or away) and make a significant contribution to the club off track as well. If anyone deserves a place on a Plymouth forum - whatever they may have said - its them. I think its quite clear that bans will not be lifted, even if you haven't the honesty to directly say so. At least one person not prepared to move on, then.

Are all bans being lifted ? After all, Barncooseboy mentions others, not just him.

He is either being deliberately mischievous or is genuinely mistaken. I am hoping very much it is the latter. I think it is clear that Barncooseboy is speaking the truth when he mentions that he is a major sponsor. As such, if he doesn't want to be part of Plymouth Speedway in the future it is most certainly the case that it will be as much the Devils loss as his. In this case I am not being fed by anyone (other than Barncooseboy) and am simply saying that in the case of a new start all bans should be lifted. In the circumstances, I see absolutely no reason why not. You might not take a potential major sponsor seriously but I most certainly do, every time.

I take it that any ban left over from the past promotion will be lifted, because Barncooseboy has mentioned others - including at least potentially some of Plymouth's best fans. If this really is a new start - and I think it most certainly is - then the slate should be wiped clean and everyone allowed on. I don't agree and I doubt Laurence will either. The simple truth is that while this is a new start for Plymouth Speedway everyone should be embraced whether they were part of the old promotion in anyway or not. It simply cannot be the case that old grudges or disagreements are put above the future of the Devils.

This is extraordinary and I can only think there has been some mistake or misunderstanding. It is seems totally unbelievable to me that one of the clubs best sponsors and some of its best fans are being banned from the supporters forum.

Just about spot on. Saw him ride for Scunny a couple of times last season and he was anything but disgraced. On a 2.00, he's a steal.

If you did that, at a rough count you'd rule out no less than 22 riders or about a quarter of the riding strength. Do you know of 22 others ? I'd maintain that there is a case for the provision of one senior rider in each NL team. Lanham, in my view, would be an excellent signing for some team packed with young riders desperate for experience because he'd be out on the track with them. As I have said before, I have never heard a bad word about Jon Armstrong and both his enthusiasm and willingness to assist younger riders and I have heard an awful lot of good ones. That, alone, is grounds to have him there. What you can't have - if at possible - are teams packed full of them because the NDL is just that. Having said that, it should never be forgotten that the NDL is not just a training league - for most of the clubs, its a business and requires a product that will attract paying customers. Having a team utterly composed of total novices would send those clubs to the wall, and that's why I have some sympathy with Stoke. What looks like a Dad's Army team was, to a degree, forced on them by circumstances. Personally, I think most teams in the NL get it pretty much spot on which is all to their credit.

I am surprised that some are underwhelmed. Campton is questionable but there's more to come from Williamson and Jorgensen is an excellent signing. What pulled me to Workington last season was the quality of the racing and providing my chauffeur is still at the track I'll be coming a lot more in 2017.

In my experience (which includes being in the pits with the Young Stars) he's not only a very decent, reasonable bloke with a passion for speedway he's also a damn fine team manager as well. Thoroughly deserved

Very well said indeed . I have said elsewhere that I know no-one whose passion even matches Laurence's, and it never wanes despite the kicks he has taken.

Three very good signings so far. If Howarth continues the way he ended, he could yet become a genuine no 1.

Brilliant news Delighted for my pals in the Devils on Tour, wouldn't have been the same without them.

24/06/15 Cradley 40 Birmingham 49 Kirby 9+3. Cradley faces down that night

I think he'd just see riding NL as a step back in his career after 2016 was the most successful one to date and I really don't see what he'd gain from it.

I don't think there's any doubt of that whatsoever. Everything I have had from Devon has said NL. The other thing is the nearest track in the PL is now Ipswich - probably 250 miles away, and at least half of the others will be more like 400. Not only will that mean that they will have a travel expenses bill of massive size, it will also mean that the other teams won't want them for the same reason. There will be some long hauls in the NL, but the furthest will probably be Buxton and that's about half the distance of Edinburgh. I have had it on good authority that there will no issue with the BSPA and that initial, positive talks have taken place with the stadium owners.

I don't think it matters how much notice they take - although if you do have a 'fractured relationship' maybe they take more notice than you think. I'd say some of the criticism of the Star is harsh and certainly wouldn't say it is a cipher or mouthpiece for the BSPA. Sometimes, though, I get the impression that it turns a blind eye to the abuses that exist rather than confronting them head on.

To be fair, Adz, you could say that about anyone. To be equally fair, you're absolutely right that it was a tough ask. What we know for certain is that Coles is capable of riding at an average that's about 1.5 higher than the one he's on. With respect to Armstrong, Halsey & Mountain, that can hardly be said of any of them.

That's correct. Personally, I think Mildenhall will be crazy to leave him out but clearly its him or Mountain unless the points limit changes. At the beginning of June, Coles was averaging around the 5.5 mark and at the end of the season 7.1. It doesn't take a genius to work out that he was very consistent in the second half of 2016 - averaging just over 9 at home and just under 8 away for a figure of around 8.5. No reason why he can't do the whole of 2017 like that, which means you get an 8.5 rider on an average of 1.5 or so less than that. If Mildenhall do leave him out, with that potential I doubt if he will be without a club for long.

He was a different rider - as others have been - at Isle of Wight and was very popular there. As Islander has pointed out, he's a 3.00 rider who averaged a point higher. Taken together, that's definitely worth a team place.