Bagpuss

You are right but that has been talked about for over twenty years and nothing has happened.

Yep fair play, I misread what Phil wrote. I don’t think a draft like that would work but some kind of rider control might although I appreciate you could stop some riders wanting to ride here if they refused to go where told. While I agree with what Stevo has said about solid teams also doing well in previous seasons we don’t want a situation where for example two teams are marooned at the bottom of a seven team league and way under strength because they don’t have any top end power while the best teams have two or three number ones. That does nobody any good.

I have seen plenty of constructive discussion but very little sniping

Doyle isn’t the best example as he wouldn’t be the one leaving Swindon under Phil’s proposal. Word on the street is that Buster has nothing to do with Ipswich.

I think you may be overrating Sheffield a little and if you are including Lynn in the also rans then that’s nothing to do with our spearhead but poor choices lower down the order. In essence though I agree, with such a small league I think the top men probably need sharing round a bit more. If for example Batchelor was sent to Ipswich and Cook to Peterborough the league would be a lot more balanced.

Sheffield look decent but Swindon look quite a way ahead of them on paper, I have my doubts about Pedersen taking into account his age and time away from the UK and their reserves don’t convince me although accept many reserves won’t look great to start with. Sheffield look good for the top four but Swindon are the best on paper without doubt unless anybody else pulls rabbits out if the hat, can’t see it though.

Will start as favourites I would suggest.

I’d be very happy with that team if I were a Tigers fan.

Agree about Wells in the top league at the moment but Glasgow are no fools and like them I can see value in his and Ulrich’s averages especially as they will be aboard good kit.

Hougaard retired I thought.

Yep fair points BW, you could certainly see Nicholls or Andersen doing a good job for a season. Perhaps Nicol (along with Becker and Douglas) is seen as a long term signing who could spend years with the club and probably would have gone elsewhere and settled there if Wolves hadn’t snapped him up.

Maybe not facts but certainly strong likelihood with several of those.

I’m not necessarily saying I agree with their team building if Masters and Thorssell sign but I can understand it to an extent.....there is no improvement in most of those riders named whereas Becker, Douglas and Nicol are all full of potential and you could make a case for Morris sorting himself out. I don’t think a ‘big’ name number one was ever likely either.

So if as seems likely BWD, Hans, Oystercard, Bech, Harris and MPT how many points does that leave?

Lewis was often unable to do that job away from home last year at reserve let alone second string. As I’ve said earlier in the thread it’s a mystery as he is pretty good everywhere in the Championship and knows all the Premiership circuits so hopefully he can up his game next season.

I think this is probably a case of the seven riders they really want within their budget and they must feel that the vast majority of them can improve their averages. You could certainly make a case for all of the bottom four to improve quite a bit. It would be interesting to see who people can name as sensible / realistic names who could have been signed instead of any of the named seven to make the team closer to the limit and look stronger on paper.

He wasn’t sacked he was redistributed

It’s a pretty safe bet that he will increase his average to some degree next year wherever he rides and he will almost certainly be starting at reserve and there won’t be anyone else with his ability and experience at reserve in the Premiership. Riders have bad years and recover the next season, they aren’t automatically ‘on the way down’. Don't forget how well he did in 2018. If he ends up at Lynn which seems fairly likely then my only issue is that we need fresh faces and not with him or his ability, he will make a pretty decent reserve and then second string and is good value on that figure. You look at some of the reserves named so far and he should have a field day early on.

It does but only one maybe two of those aren’t already signed up.

Cook Lambert and Riss will be the three heat leaders and to be fair they don't come cheap. Unfortunately that is likely to reflect in the bottom four though, and cheaper, familiar names although having their merits won’t solve our away form. Its disappointing that the club appear to have decided against freshening the team up with three or four new faces.

It’s pretty obvious why somebody will sign him for 2020.

Is back due to being an asset and being a good scorer and entertainer at home. Trouble is it shows a lack of ambition from the promotion in light of last years away form. The first two signings will need to up their game considerably on the road for Lynn to be successful in 2020 and having been around several years each it feels doubtful they can do so.

This is a good discussion, lots of decent points. The bottom line is that nobody knows how this young lad will do, the jury is out. There has been good evidence from both sides of the argument. Yes he is extremely inexperienced but in his favour his development has been rapid. Will be fascinating to see how he does in both leagues in 2020.

I don’t think anybody should be worried on the 2nd December.

Especially with a long tail, if Swindon were more solid with a stronger reserve then perhaps the pressure on Rowe would be less but he will need to chip in and pull his weight. Rather than those you have named one hopes it’s the making of him and he can thrive in his role.