Steve Shovlar

I actually pressed submit before I had finished the post. Fundin before my time I cannot therefore add him though clearly dominant in his time. Olsen. Stick him alongside Neilsen. I saw him win at Wembley in 1975 as a 16 year old. Top man no doubt about it.

Trick was a completely dominant force like Mauger. For a period he wasn’t just head and shoulders, he was simply in another league. I was a massive fan and gave the sport a huge star. Swedish speedway saw massive crowds, never seen since. Did Woffinden have the same affect to British speedway? No. He couldn’t be arsed to even ride here. Mauger - Trick Briggs Neilsen PC Loram-Gollob - others.

Its an impossible argument. One did it, the other might have. Its not like comparing two 7 times world champs in a sport from different eras, which is hard enough. Worth watching the documentary on youtube about Mauger.

A point that hasn’t been mentioned is that Matt Ford has a very good rider waiting to come in, should one of the top four fail to ride to expectations in the first 4 weeks of the season. with the team made up below the points limit, any of the top 4 can be replaced. I remember chatting to Davey Watt a few years ago and he said the pressure of riding league speedway in Poland was intense compared to elsewhere. Looks like Matt is bringing Polish pressure to bear on the Poole riders.

In the A fixtures, and probably b, Wolverhampton and Rye will cause serious issues. But they will be dialled into Poole within a few meetings and thrive at BV, Swindon and Kings Lynn. Leicester might prove tricky.

Saw him from 72 season.

Leicesters team is good, no doubt about it. No injuries and they make the playoffs. But better? I believe fans on here who don’t follow Polish speedway on tv every Sunday are in for a pleasant, or unpleasant (non Poole fans) surprise. spanner showed his worth in last years SEC and topped the averages in Polish league one. While Woryna was one of the top riders in the Polish top flight. Once settled I think both wil put a good sized chunk on their starting averages.

A fairer comparison would be Mauger v Rickardsson. Having watched both, it would make a thread of it’s own>

Lol at Gavan! Jack Holder and Newman v Sundstrom and Woryna? nothing in it? LOL! They should make the playoffs comfortably? Is that praise? Of the other completed teams no other side has the potential or strength in depth. If Swindon had named this side I would be waving the white flag! A superb lineup which should go unbeaten at home and pick up plenty of points on the road. Looking forward to trips to the bigger tracks of Swindon, Belle Vue, Kings Lynn and Somerset. Gavan not happy tonight. Lol!

Oh dear. Gavan really believes that the 2018 lineup looks no better than lasts seasons seven rider? Really? I think Gavan is really upset that Matt has put together a cracking side and just can’t bring himself to admit it. He could have won some praise by actually following the lead of Bagpuss and thecombdog, both not fans of Poole, by being honest enough to see what this lineup has in its arsenal. Nothing is won until the end of the playoffs and injuries could wreck a season at any time, but if I saw this lineup for another team I would be saying to myself, ‘crap, how do we beat that side’? There are question marks about the team, but that goes for every side. But if Holder gets back towards his best, and the two Poles perform near to their best it should be, in the words of Bobby Roode, “Glorious”!

I don’t think Poole choke very often. We had injuries which wrecked our chances in 2016 and a number 1 in 2017 who made himself look a pillock with his attitude. We could be back to business as usual in 2018 with that lineup, baring injuries of course. I for one think it was the right call to replace Hans, who on his day is very good but is now journeyman personified, cramming in as many meetings as possible. Don’t blame him of course but by doing so he rides within himself so to avoid injury and time out. Not what we need in 2018.

Powerhouse lineup. Once the new lads get dialled in they should dominate. No weak links and even our number 7 is stronger than some other sides number 6. And if Shansey does find it tough at certain tracks we have a rock solid number 6 to cover. Last season I felt the team had journeymen happy with their position in a heat after the second bend. Matt Ford has tried to eradicate this issue and bring in a team of racers. Riders who are not happy to settle for a point but want to score more. Happy days.

And Wednesdays. Translated with Google translator. Ekstraliga Żużlowa removes the limit limiting the starts of players to three leagues. In return, the English federation will make Thursday available to us, in other words its day in the Speedway Slot System, if it is necessary to postpone the play-off round matches. However, the limit was finally lifted, because the authorities of Ekstraliga Żużlowa and GKSŻ managed to find an agreement with BSPA , an English federation. The Poles made a bid that they would lift the limits if England would give us a Thursday for the play-off round. Of course, this is about putting this day only in a situation where FIM or FIM Europe will postpone their party from Saturday to Sunday and disturb our league calendar. One can speak about the great success of Polish activists. The players who will now be able to ride not in three but in four leagues will certainly enjoy the lifting of the limit. In addition to Polish and national, they can choose two others. Extraliga and GKSŻ authorities have such a compromise, too. In the play-off, an additional Thursday will be useful, because you never know what about FIM events. Someone will say that we have a rule in the regulations allowing to ride clubs in the event of the absence of two players. You can do one replacement for one, and reserve one for the other.However, this solution should be well checked in the main round, where riding weaker composition and possible loss of points will not be that important. In the play-off, where the fight goes for medals, everyone wants to ride in the strongest combination. The weight of the settlement with the English will be fully understood in the 2019 season, where all matches will be held on television - two on Friday and two on Sunday. This year, canceled on Sunday, the match can be theoretically translated into Friday. There will be no such option for a year. Then a free Thursday will be a salvation.

Excellent news! Only affects Swindon if there are playoff clashes so that can be worked around. Welcome to Poole Linus and welcome back Shansey! What. a. Team!

Good. Nice to see one of the Poole all time greats grace Wimborne Road again.

They are clearly running scared. If Sundstrom and Shanes are the final two, Poole will have a powerhouse team which would be stronger than any completed team so far. Comparing Swindons team, which if I am honest looks a bit flat and lacklustre, to Pooles is like comparing a two day open bottle of Lambrusco with a couple of extinguished fags floating on top, (Swindon) to a chilled bottle of Krug. (Poole)

Winning is number one priority. Full stop. A winning team will bring in a crowd. Losing every week 44-46 might be entertaining for a few but the crowds soon vanish. That goes for all clubs.

Glad you’re not in charge of team building! I should imagine nearly all Poole fans would like him in the team. However, if the Poles don’t back down and Sundstrom isn’t allowed to ride, Matt Ford might well have two 5bpiinters lined up instead. So we end up with a lesser rider in the 1-5 but an extremely strong reserve pairing.

Time for GB, Sweden and Denmark to play hardball with Poland. If the PZM do not relax their rule over riders, then the three countries should basically ban their riders from riding in Poland until the issue is resolved. Probably illegal but probably no more illegal than what the Poles are doing.

Done.

Updated.

Averages please.

Looking forward to our visits to Kings Lynn in 2018. Won’t need a dodgy track this time. Trouble is, every other team will be looking forward to their trips there as well! Shocking looking lineup. Proctor? Come on!

Putting up a link to a disabled comic you tuber who posts every day to shock people is slander? Lol!

No but it was about 40 years between Swindon winning one.