Islander15

As I said, this isn't about the EL. If Brendan was in twit then I agree that he'd be poor. Anyway Smart retired after he was sacked! I'm not delusional about him, you ask anyone if they like him as a person and they'll say yes. That was my point in the opening post and I said why he hasn't progressing as quick as hoped as speedway put him in a coma! You're the one who's gone off topic.

This is a conversation about the National League and Poole do that to everyone, just ask Lee Smart or Ben Hopwood. Swindon signed him after that though!

He wasn't dropped last season... One rider doesn't make a team. You put Brendan alongside 'good young prospects' and you'll win the league. You put Brendan in a poor team and at least the fans will endear themselves to Brendan!

I know what point you're making but BDJ is a unique example. He had a very serious injury and to be blunt is lucky to be alive after it. So his development, in points scoring ability, has been stunted but he showed before that at Smallbrook that he has potential which is why he's ridden in the PL. Mildenhall got a bit of that as he was on a false average next year but if he's settled I'm sure he will improve his average a little bit, even if there's nothing significant. However the biggest thing with Brendan is he's very likeable! If you want a rider that the fans can relate to then you pick him and I think with being a new NL team you need someone to become a fans favourite as there no-one already there!

Do you mean the Isle of Wight Eagles ;)

Liam's not going for a team spot but hopes to be back on a bike sometime next year. Next signing announced tomorrow morning!

I just learnt after the first attempt that I couldn't do anything else at the same time haha and happy birthday (again )

When he first posted I thought he was on about Jason Bunyan!! Too many aliases to keep track off haha

It doesn't work like that in the NL though as you often have riders who make much bigger improvements that in other leagues simply as they are just starting out. So even though I expect Ellis to be the top rider in the league, there simply isn't a lot of room for him to increase his average, whereas you look lower down the order and Zach could double his average, Perks could triple his and even someone like Extance could add 2-3 points despite not being a eat leader before and how many 5pt riders do that in other leagues! Look at Greaves last season, if you had a 4pt rider outside of the reserve berth for the first time in the PL, would you expect him to finish on 7.12??

The rules state that you use the higher of your your convertered PL average or current NL average. In the case of Adam his converted PL average is higher so he takes that. As greyhoundp says, this has been confirmed by current NL promoters/team managers.

Apparently Williamson is doing a year out on his moto X instead. Atkin is like unofficially confirmed as well!

Surely they're gonna keep Sarj as he's in the EL team and I would have thought keeping Oli G makes sense seeing as he's an asset but the averages wouldn't allow him to. However Crang, Knuckey and Sarj added takes the team over the limit even with x2 3.00 men!

Lets assume he would have averaged that then so I can take second

Hardly a relief. Cradley look like they're going to walk the league instead.

Surely Somerset wouldn't have needed to ask the BSPA in the first place (whether they were misinformed or not) as they were at the AGM where they were told that Aussies were on a 7. Rob said that Scunthorpe stopped negotiations with 2 Aussies for this very reason as teams were told of the average change for this year.

I thought it might be interesting to revisit this thread and see how well we actually did! I think it is interesting that only 1 person did better than the Cradley management!! Over half of us though, including myself, were let down by Freemantle's injury and those people have a * next to their name! 1. In the End 57.45 2. MonarchsMitchy 54.26 3. 21stCenturyHeathen 53.88* 4. bolly 53.21 5. Me 53.01* 6. Steven101 51.61* 7. Frankthepug 51.60 8. Wessex Wanderer 50.43 9. ren 50.4* 10. RocketBen1 50.26* 11. greyhoundp 49.70* 12. Atticus Maximus 48.76 13. Vog 47.62*

Ben Morley

I think you'll find RTD heading your way. So with Armstrong back, I'd expect Payne, McBain and Shuttleworth to be certainties and those 5 leave 9.53 for the final 2 places. That could mean Widman and Knuckey or Andrews, or a 3 pointer and a return for Priest.

You can't double up from NL to PL if you're over 25. The same issue is affecting Bowen at Rye. It would also mean that if they do sign Mills, presumably he isn't getting a PL spot else they'd lose him and be in the same position as Stoke was this year.

But the art of having a successful team is improving your average and who's better placed than Perks to do that?

Atkin 8.14 (Buxton), O. Greenwood 9.22, Sarjeant 8.67, Webster 8.74, Clegg 8.58 (Cradley), Morley 9.06 (Kent), S. Lambert 9.14, Compton 8.95, Bates 7.68, Perry 8.21, Halsey 9.23, Wilson 9.04, Armstrong 7.94, Branford 8.53. If any of these want to return: Reade 7.70, Knight 7.62, Irving 8.17 and Morris if he does t get a PL spot.

That's not why they've ditched it as the meetings are still being run as the Gold Cup.

Mate I was 1 off because I forgot about the reserves' reductions

Well aren't you a nice guy...

Absolute quality and will win the league!