Steve Shovlar

You can. You don’t click on the Poole link.

That is a top three to match all championship clubs. It’s going to be hard for any club, and all the Pirates strings job will be is to pick up third places. So a good chance a heat will either be a 4-2 or a 3-3. To get a 5-1 against us is going to be tough. The only heats we don’t have one of our top three will be 2, 8 and 14. However we do need scoring reserves. If it’s Drew Kemp, it gives us a solid reserve who can cover one ride from the other reserve, as well as coming in if either of a second strings are struggling. Add in heat 13 and 15 where we will be strong, and Pirates are going to be tough to beat. Certainly the chance of getting beaten by a margin is slim and over two legs should be formidable.

Amazing how fans of other clubs are so desperate to see the Pirates 2022 announced. one thing it will be. Title chasing as usual. Expect us to be a the pointy end come the playoffs.

No comparison. I went to Glasgow for the playoff final and was shocked how small the crowd was in their clubs biggest meeting. Empty seats all over the place in the grandstand and probably no more than 1200 there. Crowd was double the size at Poole. Having said that the stadium was tidy, and the fans were very friendly. Nice setup.

The track is in excellent condition, we all know it. Trackerman has done a brilliant job and the racing at Poole is top notch. I believe he has been asked to continue his work for next season. Looking at the likely Poole team, we will again be the team to beat. Three very strong heat leaders two improving second strings, and if it is Kemp at reserve we shall always have someone at the bottom capable of winning heats, as it will be him or one of the Cook brothers. Two titles on the bounce? Highly possible if we steer clear of injuries.

Think you will discover the Poole promotion are by the proverbial mile the best and most successful in the sport. I believe the Poole promotion spent many, many hours costing a small fortune managing to bring him to the U.K., against the wishes of the UKIP govt we currently have in power. They managed to get the lad a 2 year visa, which I have heard cost the club financially. End of the day the lads head has been turned by the big bucks offered by Glasgow. A shame. Glasgow trying to buy the league. Only chance they really have. But we all know what happens to clubs who spend a fortune on riders. Seems at the moment it’s sod what it costs, I want a title.

Sounds to me reading that he was lured by the offer of much more money. He will soon discover that Glasgow are a much smaller club than Poole with a much smaller and quieter fanbase. It won’t be the same for him at all, though he might leave every meeting with more money going into his bank account. If it’s just money that he is interested in, so be it. He was very popular at Poole last season. Don’t think a similar reception will be forthcoming to him when he returns in 2022.

You don’t think Poole have profited out of the deal?

Always going to Glasgow. I said this to the Glasgow fans in the bar after the playoff final meeting. No good having a rider in the 1-7 who is missing more than available. Poole will still have a great team who will be one of the favourites for the title. Always have had. Always will do.

It was obvious we couldn’t fit in Ben Basso from the word go. We are a Wednesday club. How can we sign a rider who rides Wednesdays in Denmark? Good luck to Ben in his future career. I expect him to end up in Poland as the top Dane in 3 years time.

Wasn’t being disrespectful to the lad but he has hardly any experience at this level at the moment and it would be a very unusual signing which would be out of keeping with usual Poole team building plans. Still, if we are going too heavy, we are going to be squeezed for choice at the bottom and he could be in the equation.

Where has the name Ablitt come from? Highly unlikely to be on the team sheet.

The team can be worked out bar one rider imo. Pretty sure Poole will always have a strong rider in every heat bar 2 and 8, and even them if the rumours are true Kemp will be at reserve, a rider better than many other teams reserves and if he continues to improve would take rides of the riders at 2 and 4 if they are struggling. He might take an extra ride off the other reserve, depending on who it is. All conjecture though as no one has yet been announced. Two things are guarenteed. Poole will put out a very good 1-7. They will be out to defend the title and will be the team to beat as always. Secondly, any rider in the Poole team knows that if they don’t bring their A game, they will soon discover their place in the team is at huge risk. A Poole rider cannot coast through the season. I am looking forward to seeing the lineup announced. As always it is trickled out. But with issues with rent ongoing, I am guessing we will have to wait a little longer than usual.

Basso to Glasgow next. If they can’t beat us, they try to buy the Poole team to try and replicate.

So Poole let Danyon move on, being announced today in the Glasgow lineup. I thought he did well for us last year and I would have loved to have seen him back. Good luck in your career Danyon.

Great that Danyon Hume has landed a team berth but gutted to lose him out of the Poole lineup.

Clubs will do better with streaming their own meetings. The only way to do this and make a profit is for it to be in house with volunteers. Expenses then would be very, very small. £12.95 for a stream. Buy 4 streams get 10% discount. £46.62. Plus access to watch online indefinitely.

That’s a very strong team. Would have liked to have seen Stefan and Danyon back but I guess it’s a numbers game. A shame teams are built to numbers instead of grading but those the rules. Zach as a direct replacement for Stefan. Ben needs to step up a gear on last season. Harder now they are away from reserve berths.

For their first season I thought both did very well. It’s no big deal if one rode a little better than the other. It’s too early in their careers to know who will come out better. They will have their whole careers trying to get one up on each other, like the Worralls.

Plymouth have put together a decent team. Certainly an improvement on last season. But their top riders peaked a while back. They should be strong at home but struggle on their travels. Won’t drop many points at their track. If they scrape into the playoffs it should be considered a very good season for them. I don’t believe they can realistically expect anything more than that.

If that is the lineup it serves two purposes. First of all it’s a better lineup than last season. More balanced. And secondly, they will be hard to beat at home. Which is what their fans want to see. Their team winning. Mid table imo. Not a title winning side but heading the right way.

Must admit not a fan of greebo. Seems a strange signing if true. Would certainly keep Danny K and steve W over him. Unless he comes in to replace Rory S.

I hope it all works out. Looking forward to visiting once the club are in the championship.

Hope it all works out. But where are the fans going to stand on the home straight? Not much room for a grandstand.