Blackadder

Only went to Blackbird Road twice; good racing from what I remember. The last time was in May and it snowed on the way back. What happened to Soldier Boy?

Article in the Sheffield Star saying a deal is close to completion with a rider who has never ridden for Sheffield before. The outcome of the talks will influence the lower end of the team, with Andre Compton and Damien Koppe both in contention. They are talking to 2 high profile PL riders plus 1 from abroad who has never raced here before. No mention of Facu.

Hyde Road, The Shay and the County Ground for me.

Doug Wyer and Jim McGregor came up with a simple solution for the problem with the sun on the 3rd bend - put tinted goggles on. For some reason, it didn't go down well with the riders. After seeing him in an old Heartbeat on ITV2 yesterday, I will put Paul Cooper's name in the hat for the Team Manager's job.

Opening date announced - Thursday March 27th. Press and practice day March 20th.

Jack ran a lot of the second halves at Owlerton last year.

If we were to go top heavy, I would prefer Ty Proctor, but even his average of 9.22 (I think) would probably be too much.

Pleased to see the sale go through, some new shale has been ordered and there has been a good start to team building; now hoping the team is completed soon with riders who can entertain and are reliable.

The fastest track in British speedway will be Sheffield until another track becomes faster. As the inside line isn't being changed, the claim stays. Would like some new muck on the track though.

This week's comic has arrived early. Says there are 3 interested parties who have tabled offers, Tony Mole, a foreign businessman and a consortium. Neil expects to make a decision early in the new year. No drastic changes to accommodate rugby league will be made at the moment, but the concrete apron next to the starting gate will be removed.

Sheffield have signed the fewest number of riders of any EL or PL team, including Peterborough who have only been in the PL for 5 minutes. Could do with some progress on new owners and some inspiring new riders. Has the new fence been ordered, and has a load of new muck been ordered so that Graham and John can bring back Fortress Owlerton?

One of very few riders to cause the red lights to come on at Owlerton during the warm up lap before the meeting had even started.

I totally agree. If the intention is to go with Simon and Adam, plus 2 or 3 from Andre, Facundo and Damien, it is important that the remaining places go to the likes of Bjerre, North, Lanham etc., and not to riders who have not come up to expectations previously. Aside from the sale of the club, the most important things are signing the correct riders for the remaining places in the main body of the team, returning the track surface to what it was 3 years ago, and smartening up the presentation.

For the last time, the decision has come from the SCB, not the BSPA.

It was announced in the spring that the SCB had sent a letter to all British promoters that APDs were to be compulsory at all British meetings from 2014, whether they were FIM meetings or not. To my knowledge, the contents of the letter have not been made public. My guess, and that's all it is, is that it has been done to prevent future litigation.

Some good points there. I was told that the track surface has not been topped up for about 3 years, and in my opinion that has contributed to the many defeats and processional racing. Presentation also needs refreshing. As for Damien, from my viewing angle, he has not yet mastered how to enter the first bend at Owlerton, a problem that Simon Lambert used to have. Once Simon sorted that out, he was a different rider and his general scoring improved. If Damien can do the same, he will improve no end.

Depending on the rest of the team, and I would like to see another Sheffield-based top scorer in Ty Proctor, it might be worth adding to the asset base and taking a punt on one of Facu's colleagues Facundo Cuello or Jonathan Iturre. Probably too much to hope for though.

According to the Speedway Star, Mr Hoggy is thought to be talking to Facundo and Damien next.

Simon Stead signs for Sheffield, http://speedwaystar.net/News.aspx

I think the air fence proposal came from the SCB, not the BSPA.

Roland Benko rode in the Top Gun Individual meeting at Sheffield in July. From Sheffield's website:- Club owner Neil Machin gave four new riders the chance to impress club bosses and they had varying fortunes. Argentinian youngster Itture looked impressive with two race victories and Roland Benko was solid to end on seven. Scores; Roynon 12+3, Newman 13+2, Albin 12+1, Worrall 12, Douglas 12, Itture 10, Chessell 10, Hopwood 8, Benko 7, Koppe 7, Payne 5, Priest 4, Sims 3, Williamson 2, Anderson 2, Phillips 1.

Exactly. Sheffield had to pay a loan fee for Simon Stead this year.

You are correct there. Over the last 2 years or so, a combination of poor weather, low crowds, inconsistent fixture lists, injuries and the attitudes of certain promoters and riders have all taken their toll. Then the air fence dictat from the SCB stirred things up even more. I think things have just got stale and he doesn't want the stress any more, and who can blame him?

I had to look back as far as 2006 to find Kyle's last season at Sheffield, which also featured the league debut of a young chap called Tai Woffinden. Sheffield Matches C.M.A. Comments / Grades E.L. C.M.A. 1 Andre Compton 36 9.65 N/E/R 2 Ricky Ashworth 40 7.74 3 Emiliano Sanchez 40 7.38 4 Ben Wilson 38 7.08 D/UP 3.00 5 Kyle Legault 36 6.75 6 Paul Cooper 39 3.79 B 7 Mark Thompson 2 B D/UP 7 Tai Woffinden 1 C D/UP . Also Ridden Benji Compton 35 3.10 B D/UP . Guests 6

Plus Benji Compton and Kyle Legault.