Bagpuss

It’s less than ideal and I’ve always criticised the product and people who put it on when necessary but I think the fact that we are going to have any speedway at all in 2021 is by far the most important thing. A six team league is a fair way short of satisfactory but it is what it is for 2021. Needs to be two or three teams bigger for next year.

Cook or Masters assuming Crump doesn’t roll back the years, nobody else in the frame IMO.

Other than Scunny who I would put lower I agree pretty much with that, however I’m struggling to see how Glasgow have ‘clearly got the chequebook out again’ when pretty much nobody has said they look the strongest team. Don’t get me wrong I’d love to see them struggle but I reckon Poole look better than most people think, I certainly see them more than a three man team although as ever it depends a lot on Stefan being injury free. Aussies tend not to fail when they come over so I see them right amongst it at the top.

They’re not the kind of riders the scheme should have been for.

The will to change things has to be there too and I’m not entirely convinced it is.

As Haza says stock cars bring the money in at Lynn nowadays and therefore the track is prepared for them with shale which has a high clay content, unfortunately that makes the track very grippy and as well as giving the rider in front a very fast ride it means the riders behind get pelted with heavy lumps and makes the handling of the bike much more difficult, instead of riders being able to try different lines and race they are almost hanging on to just get round the corners at times. We were promised slicker conditions for 2020 so hopefully that will be the case for this season as the racing needs to improve.

Yep I agree with this, the priority this year has to be to get folk through the door, both previous regulars and newbies although you wonder if that can/will happen under the current regime. As for the league position, I can stomach finishing last as long as the majority of home meetings are won, the racing is good (ie better than it has been) and the away defeats are respectable and not clatterings.

This is the thing, riding a track every week is different to twice a season. Half decent riders adapt to new home tracks.

If he performs better than Bates and Kemp across the whole season I’ll take my hat off to him but can’t see it personally.

Exactly. Poland, Sweden, GP and SEC is plenty.

Always on the cards but happy he is back, one of the few riders who is exciting to watch at Lynn nowadays.

I’d probably swap Sheffield for Belle Vue although there is very little between them. Top four looks pretty clear cut on paper.

That had crossed my mind.

I think we probably will. Does Ellis to Sheffield free up Josh G or is he not coming over this year?

Why would they sign Lambert when there are better riders and extra points available?

And Holder at Sheffield. My team look pretty average but maybe having all British based riders might be a masterstroke

Looks as good as anybody else if not better. Just depends if Kurtz can get in and out of the country ok.

So am I right in thinking the points limit reduction is an effort to get more genuine youngsters and novices into the NL and clear out a few older, ‘professional’ third division riders who have been riding at this level for several years? Or am I misunderstanding?

This team is certainly going to put bums on seats and it has a look of one which could win handsomely or get clattered on any given day.

I don’t think fans of either team would swap many of the others’ riders, that’s the point.

I’d agree that things haven’t been the same since that night but I certainly wouldn’t put all the blame on Buster although he should take a large portion of it, Holder and Batchelor were an absolute disgrace and Lyon & Allit didn’t do anything to try a sort things out. Lots of people who could have put the paying public first did nothing at all and some of the damage done that night was permanent unfortunately.

And 2014.

I think the marginal gains like fitness, diet and psychology are really important nowadays too, Woffinden and Lambert like most other to riders recognise this and they are two very good role models for our youngsters to aspire to. They both rode in all three of our leagues as teenagers as well as getting experience abroad as soon as they could do the example and the pathways are there for Kemp, Rowe, Palin etc to follow if they want to be the best they can be.

Lynn wanted Pedersen but he preferred P’boro apparently. Im not convinced there is too much difference between the teams but what they have done is stuck with riders who are popular with the regulars at the two tracks.....Kerr, Jorgensen and Proctor and Lynn, Hans, Bomber, possibly Ostergaard and BWD at P’boro. You have to remember we are a minority in here, many folk who go week in week out feel loyalty to riders who have been there several years regardless of what they score. I do think we are seeing a ‘spreading’ of resources and if Buster had one track it would be one much stronger team rather than two average ones. Welcome back Lewis Kerr by the way.

I could be wrong of course but I can’t think of anyone else who is available as a second heat leader and all the others must be coming back. Doesn’t look a particularly good team but one within a budget with loyal club men and a mix of local and British based riders.