Blackadder

Off the top, I can think of Ben Wilson, Hugh Skidmore, Richard Hall, Emiliano Sanchez, Jake Knight, Facundo Albin, Damien Koppe, Andre Compton, and Klaus Jacobsen.

That is a good lineup, apart from Tyson Nelson who is too erratic for me. The promotion spent lots of time and money in trying to get him his first visa only for him to walk away to a better offer, so I don't think he would be welcome at Owlerton, even if he was available.

PL. Positives: As seen in the televised meeting between Somerset and Edinburgh, Speedway can be very enjoyable to watch on a good track featuring 2 well balanced teams. Negatives: Actions from the sport's governors have stagnated in recent years to an alarmimg degree, with too much fire fighting instead of being pro-active. You need to progress these days just to stand still, and generally, Speedway has not done that.

Sheffield had to pay a loan fee for Simon Stead this year. I don't know about any of the others, but definitely for Simon.

I have now seen that the directive to install APDs from 2014 has come from the SCB, not the FIM, and applies to all UK tracks. What is puzzling me now is why this directive was issued by letter and doesn't seem to be available on the SCB website. I am not arguing for or against APDs here, I would just like to know who can decide that established tracks could be forced to close if it wasn't financially and/or logistically possible to have one and why this information does not appear to be in the public domain.

I know that rider safety is paramount, but take the case of Sheffield, where their safety record is as good as anyones and better than most. On the basis of an apparently non-existent directive from the FIM they could be required to install an APD, close or change to Sundays. No-one knows what effect that would have on attendances. I don't think they have access to the track until 4.00pm on Thursdays, so they would have until about 6.45 to get everything out from storage and installed ready for the referee's inspection. It would all then have to be removed after each meeting. Would storage be an extra charge on the rental? There are also labour costs. As a new fence would not bring extra people through the turnstiles, the cost will have to be taken by the promotion and/or riders' points money decreased. Sheffield have had a terrible season for injuries, but not one of them happened at Sheffield. The source of the instruction to install APDs and the effect it could have on UK tracks is still puzzling.

That's what I thought, as I had a quick look around the FIM website and couldn't see anything relevant. So, who started all this off then, and why?

Has anyone actually seen a directive from the FIM that air or foam fences should be compulsory for non-FIM meetings in 2014?

As I understand it, the 8 day rule for guests does not apply to the home team.

Sheffield. Richard Lawson, Andre Compton, Ricky Wells, Danny Maassen, R/R, Oliver Greenwood, Facundo Albin. Ipswich. Ben Barker, Ritchie Hawkins, Morten Risager, Rohan Tungate, Leigh Lanham, Cameron Heeps, Adam Ellis.

BBC weather forecast shows the possibilty of the odd light shower for a couple of hours from about 5.00pm, so hopefully the meeting will be on ok. As for the result, I think a lot will depend on which engine Facu brings.

Initial report on Mitchell Davey was a badly broken femur after colliding with Oliver Greenwood's back wheel and going over the fence on to the dog track; hope you make a full recovery Mitchell.

Lulu is correct. The new 1-7 is Stead, Roynon, Wells, Haines, Compton, Albin and Koppe, but not applicable until Sunday, so will be R/R for Hall at Leicester I guess.

I read that Facundo is due to leave Argentina tomorrow, along with Nicolas Covatti.

A little piece in the Speedway Star - Sheffield Cubs/Prowlers have withdrawn from the MDL. Does this mean just free practice for second halves every week?

In Speedway Star, same joint Team Managers as last season and an article about Jake Knight talking about his hopes for the forthcoming season. Sheffield have purchased his contract, but he will still ride for Kings' Lynn in the NL as well. So, that's the team and management sorted; hopefully the track surface and team spirit next.

I think that team spirit has been sadly lacking for a while. It was good in Sean Wilson's time, but has gradually disappeared over the years. If a rider wasn't ready to walk the track beforehand, Sean would make sure that he was shouted out of the pits. They haven't been doing a track walk as a team for some time, and team riding is practically non-existant. Riders should know that fans appreciate the team riding as a team and should try their best to do so. I remember the last meeting against Rye House, and Simon Lambert was constantly looking over his shoulder for his team mate. Not so with recent Sheffield teams. I hope Simon Stead makes it a priority. The other thing to look at, as previous posts have said, is the condition of the track. A track that provides good racing will be an obvious help to bring back the crowds.

As confirmed on the official Plymouth Devils Web Site. PLYMOUTH 1. Ty Proctor.............9.21 2. Mark Lemon..........7.27 3. Ricky Kling............6.61 4. Cory Gathercole.....6.33 5. CHRIS SCHRAMM....4.91 6. Todd Kurtz............4.38 7. BEN READE............3.00

In this week's comic - Ricky Wells and Richard Hall have been earmarked for the last 2 places in the team, but David Hoggart said all was quiet over the Christmas break. 'Ricky is back in America right now. The Christmas holidays have delayed things slightly but I don't see any reason to worry. We will talk again early in January and hope we can finalise things from there'.

To quote Mr Hoggy in this week's comic - The move, following talks with the stadium landlords, was called off because it wasn't deemed viable. We had to look at alternatives because we need to improve our crowd levels after a pretty bad 2012. Sundays seemed the main possibility but we have decided to stay as we are. Hopefully, with the new look team, supporters will respond accordingly on Thursdays.

Thursdays it is then, as in this week's Speedway Star..