Bagpuss

If Darcy or any other rider who wants to be World Champion hasn't taken note of Tai and Puk's preparation last season then they want their heads looking at.

I guess its worded that way because Scunny and Poole are the ones putting the £'s into the venture. Hopefully Lord Ford's involvement will prevent decent youngsters being lured away from Scunny as they have in the past, although ironically Kyle Howarth was one of the first when he defected from the Saints to Bournemouth! If one or two can graduate from Stags to Scorpions to Pirates to Team GB then everyone's a winner

If he can grow up, start behaving and stay on his bike a bit more he can win it this year and as many times as he likes thereafter. Big if's though.

You are right but I believe a good team manager can drag an extra few per cent out of riders and help to create an even better team spirit.

Well beating Latvia and USA would be a start

HT is right, its not possible at the moment to pack an NL side with promising youngsters every year. There will be peaks and troughs. The team which reached the grand final last season contained five riders who had their first competitive rides in the UK for the Young Stars and the other two were doing laps round Lynn before they turned 16, and that's something to be very proud of. The team may not be packed with homegrown youngsters for 2014 but it may well be again next year, and let's not forget that the two reserves come March could have been NDL Lightning products had Mountain not been offered more money down the road in Suffolk.

Of course it will but at the moment all he has done is put some money in, Godfrey is the one putting in the hard work as he has done for the last ten years or so. A bit disrespectful to call it Ford's team, a man who has done very little for grass roots or British youngsters over the years.

I think you mean Rob Godfrey's team.

Bo Brhel for me. Would win a race comfortably then go back to the pits, tinker with his bike and be nowhere in his next heat. Arrrrggggghhhhhhh! Fantastic in full flight though.

Mason and Halsey?

Yep he won't be old enough until early April.

Mallett, Cockle & Campos have a 'same old' feel to them unfortunately. The other three are exciting young talents and hopefully the seventh rider will fit into that category too. Disappointing not to see local lad Connor Mountain in the side, much more pressure on him at Mouldyhole where he will no doubt be sacked if he doesn't produce the goods.

And presumably Lynn will be Iversen Woffinden Bjerre Schlein Porsing Kerr Rose

I think he means who.

Probably waiting until all details have been finalised before issuing a press release. Just like the new EL race format there's no rush is there

An interesting concept and assuming clashes with other meetings on that weekend can be avoided this sounds like something well worth attending just down the road! Good to see that the Poles recognise the good work Buster does at the NA and the excellent track we are fortunate to have, as well as his skills as a track man.

There are many, many negative words which could be used to describe Michael Lee but I don't think overrated is one of them.

Proctor will miss less than half the meetings that Morris will and his average gives more scope for a guest, seems a no brainer to me. Same for Doyle riding at number one in the EL rather than the PL, had to be done if he has GP aspirations.

No disrespect to those riders but we shouldn't be giving them jobs over British lads who could do just as good a job.

That's innacurate, I'm pretty sure the 2001 ELRC was live on Sky from Owlerton too.

Hancock, dull as dishwater. Pedersen and Fisher, mucky too often. Gollob, couldn't always be arsed.

Eight years ago and then it was dropped, allowing sub standard foreigners like Edberg, Nielsen, Graversen, Barrett, Lykke, Dilger, Helfer etc to ply their trade here instead. Hopefully the PL will follow the EL's lead in 2015.

Lots of risk in this side through people coming back from injury but if those riders can get back to their best this team will score big at home every week and be competitive away, a big if though. Reserves look very good but I think Nielsen will struggle.

I think the match scoring system is the best decision to come out of an AGM for years. No different to bonus points awarded in cricket or rugby, and any system which rewards an away team for not giving up and fighting to the death must be a good thing.