Steve Shovlar

Its all down to Poland. If the 3 club rule is relaxed Shanes will be in. But if not then Matt has other options which might mean there are more or less points available, like he said in todays Echo. Might be 2 5 pointers rather than an 8 and a 2.

Bournemouth Echo BOSS Matt Ford welcomed back Chris Holder to the Pirates septet and then admitted he could not imagine the former world champion slipping the net again. Having been overlooked for 2016 due to his mammoth 12.53 average, five-time Elite Leaguewinner Holder has agreed to a 10th season at Poole following a tumultuous campaign at King's Lynn. And having finally got his man, Ford is desperate to ensure the 30-year-old remains part of the team beyond this year. Ford told the Daily Echo: "It is a pleasure to have Chris back. He spent a season away which I can assure people was to do with the multiplication of the averages last year. "I believe Chris Holder and Poole Pirates fit together hand in glove and I don't think it's any surprise that we didn't make the play-off final without him. It's also clear to see that Chris had his poorest year in speedway yet. "I'm very comfortable having him back. He is part of the furniture. Having let him slip the net once, I can't imagine it would happen again but of course rules and financial circumstances do dictate things at times, as they did last year. "I hadn't put together a single team for this year which didn't have him in it so while it's taken longer than I would have hoped, I never had any thoughts of Chris not lining up for the Pirates this year. "We're also speaking about a longer partnership to make sure what happened in 2017 does not happen again." The arrival of the 7.16-rated charger signals the end of a lengthy winter pursuit. Holder had been keen to race alongside younger brother and Poole asset Jack but with the latter not part of Ford's plans, a link-up at Wimborne Road was not feasible. Jack instead joined Somerset and although the Rebels were believed to be interested in a loan swoop for his older sibling, Ford did not wish to sanction a second Holder loan departure. Ford added: "I've already gone on record to say that the delay between myself and Chris was not anything financial. Chris wanted to enhance his brother's career and felt it would have been better being in the same team in 2018. Unfortunately, I had done the team in a different way this year. "I respect Chris's point of view. It was never that he didn't want to join Poole, it was only that he felt he would be able to help his brother's career by being with him. "But I am pleased that Chris has understood the club's needs. In the long term, I am hoping the two of them will both be here."

He says "he shoulda been with me".

Lol! Poole team looks far superior to Swindons in every single department. You are kidding yourself if you think otherwise. Roll on our trip to Blunsdon.

I am assuming, perhaps wrongly, that Shanes is returning.

He will be welcome back by the majority of Pirate fans. He just needs his head in the game and he will be fine. As a talent only Doyle really heads him in the whole league. He should hopefully be number one in the first green sheets.

Welcome back Noddy on a super low average. He can easily stick one and a half on that. Teams looking brilliant with one to go. Love the twitter video clip.

No. The Belle Vue promotion have passed him off. They could have had him in the team instead of Drodz. But they didn’t.

Wolves could have signed him as he rode for them a couple of seasons ago. Frankly its disgraceful they didn’t. He is out of a team because Wolves or Belle Vue didn’t offer him a team place. A disgrace! And to think Wolves could have given a spot to Jacobs instead of Jonny Foreigner Heeps. Talk about wolves not looking after British riders!

Think you have just proven my point. One track pony.

Because it's Leicester. Any other club he would have been a 9. Cheats!

It’s all about winning. It’s a competition. Let other clubs stick to the same old riders and let Poole continue to be the most successful club in the last 15 years.

You've missed something. Sundstrom is a much improved rider and scores well in league racing. Rides well for Gorzow in Poland and ten years younger than Hans. Very fast rider.

Why would you want a suprise if those were the three?

Well if the remaining riders were Holder, Sundstrom and Shanes we would have a fantastic 1-7. The Poles would need to play ball though.

No shame on me. Jacobs wasn't good enough to cut it in the top flight. Same as Smith last season. NL is their level. Tough on him if he hasn't found a berth in the NL but riders should be active in chasing spots.

Thanks

I bet you would have been well happy if he had been named as Swindons number 7! He was a one trick pony and dreadful away from BV. Just not good enough in the top flight. N L rider.

Jacobs really was a one trick pony. Perks is a far better rider and should get himself sorted sooner rather than later.

Then a solid team but not one to win the league. Bewley will do well at reserve and move up into the team at the first green sheets putting Drodz at 6. They will probably win all their home meetings but points away may be harder to come by away from NSS. Built on a budget.

This official? Can’t see it on the BV site.

Not writing Morris off he has improved every season, but I don’t see him as a top rider gracing the GP series. Might be proved wrong. As for Doyle, Matt Ford said years ago, when Doyle was a 5 and a half rider for Poole, that if he could get over his injury problems and get his shoulder fixed, he had the potential to become a world champion. How many years ago was that?

Not sure he will have a higher average than Cook but potential wise is better than most of the other number ones. Certainly has far more potential than Morris, who has a higher average. Morris has made steady progress but I doubt will every grace the GP series. Kurtz will be there in a year or two, barring injury. Kurtz already top flight Poland. His potential there for all to see. Poles have seen it, Poole fans have seen it. Poole’s advantage he is on a low starting average.

Swindon v Poole, not Poole v Swindon. i believe Poole will win at Blunsdon next season, if we get the team Matt is trying to assemble.

There is no conspiracy theory although some on here actually believe that is the case. The two poles Poole signed were available to all clubs. Whether the other clubs could have put together a package to attract them is another matter. Drodz could well turn out to be a sensational signing, adapting to British tracks better than our two Poles. Different country, different track, and Drodz might instantly settle in the big wide open spaces of NSS, which is similar to Polish tracks. And of course he will probably take one look at Monmore and ask where the real speedway track is! If Drodz clicks and scores a bucketload of points and people moan, you can say he was there for any club to pick up.