Steve Shovlar

Not sure if announcing a team sponsor is particularly exciting for fans. Good for Matts coffers but there the excitement ends. More exciting to hear that Poole stadium is going to be redeveloed into a stadium similar to Toruns.

If Mick Horton has the rights to Coventry no other person could come along and start a new club with 30 miles of Coventry. The bspa would notgrant a promoters license.

As someone has already said, he scored 9 points on his first visit with Kent last season. Don't be so dismissive of the young lad. The potential is there.

Meetings need to start on time. Delayed starts are frustrating for those already in the stadium. Start the meeting and open another turnstile if necessary. But start on time.

Last time I looked Poole had Klindt at reserve. If he goes up in the team we will have either Newman, Kurtz or Holder replacing. Poole have no reserve issues.

Use sportsmania.eu.

And some on here were saying last season he was feigning injury when he tried to make a comeback and pulled out.

Wow. Eurosport must be struggling no to find some bike ride or tennis tournament not to cover. Surely there's the Netherlands King of the mountains race or King Of Brunei over 50's invitational tennis tournament? That about all they ever bloody show when I click on Eurosport.

Having such a ridiculously lop sided match up could really harm the Peterbourough promotion. What were they thinking? Result was never in doubt before a wheel had turned.

If I had picked the team it would be hypocritical. But I didn't. Would I have brought Kurtz back? No. Matt Ford bought young Holder over last year so he was bound to have been in the Poole team this season. It will take a few more seasons before we really start to see the benefits of Neil Vatchers work with the kids but it is happening. More British youngsters in euro u21's this season, gaining experience. Time to block the new Aussies out of it and they will have to find a different avenue to progress through the sport.

And British riders wouldn't get that riding against continental riders? Why give Aussies a berth that could go to a Brit? Time to put our riders first.

Needs to be the winner of the British Final. Gives the event real meaning.

4-5000.

The top boys will have no trouble getting an eu visa as they are leaders of their sport. Just more paperwork for them.

Kurtz seemed fine at the fans forum on Wednesday. Guess he will be riding. Hope he does better than the last time he rode there!

With the start of the league season just around the corner its time to start a thread about the Elite Shield, with the first leg just over a week away. Looking forward to this and will come up if I possibly can. Two teams expected to make the playoffs come the end of the season. Should be close over the two legs. Wolverhampton. Lindgren Skornicki Thorsell Howarth Masters Clegg Greaves Poole. Kasprzak Holder Anderson Newman Kurtz Klindt Shanes. Not sure if Shanes has ever ridden Monmore. Might very well struggle. Klindt knows it well enough. Thoughts?

Clearly too late for this season but next year a rule can be brought in to stop the flow. Poole will be hit harder than most clubs as we are known as a main user of this source of rider. Time to back the Brits.

Avtar Sandhu as team manager for the day.

A ban wouldn't affect riders already here. Only riders looking to come here from Australia. Lesser riders such as Doolan, Josh G, would not be affected as they are now part and parcel of the scene. The riders who should be banned are the young lads hoping to come over and carve out a career. Why should they be given the opportunity when we have young British lads who can easily be used instead? If the Aussies want to carve out a career, base themselves in Denmark, Sweden or Poland. Let those countries develope the Aussies while we develope our own youngsters. Alternatively, start building up the sport in Australia, make up some teams and get a league going. Yes distance in an issue but it can be achieved with planning. We all moan about the British scene being weak, well lets do something about it starting by training up and bringing on British youngsters. No need to give the Aussies a helping hand. British riders first.

Bookies only saying what we all know. Poole clearly the best looking team at the mo and the bookies backing that up with the odds. Can't see any value there at all.

He is different. He claims he is British. As a world champion who is British he is obligated to ride in the UK. But he snubs his nose at the UK and refuses to give anything back or help promote the sport in the UK. But it wasn't for the UK he would probably be some tattood oik working in Aldi. Yet he can't be arsed to ride in our league unless it suits him (other leagues finished). He can't be arsed to ride in the British Final. He can't even be arsed to ride for his country. He might get the biggest cheer at Cardiff but that's from once a year fans who only attend Cardiff. If they knew how he treats British fans and our league he would certainly hear the boos echoing around Cardiff.

Twice a year? Can only think of Cardiff. Don't forget he now refuses to represent his country. And some still defend him. Unbelievable.

What Woffinden has done to British speedway is beyond contempt. Utter disgrace.

I think the draught scheme was a good idea and the way forward, though needed more tweaking. I don't think its a god idea we end up with riders like Klindt at reserve when it should be a young Brit. And riders like Adam we almost hung out to dry having been lumbered with an excessive average. You can hang that one on Mick Horton who argued vehemently against any adjustment because Adam didn't have a PL average. Whats the betting they have taken the same stance as Matt Ford?

My anger is not with Aussie riders. It is with Poland and the way they class themselves as the be all and end all. The reason I have picked on Aussies is because they come over here, get trained up and if the Poles demand only two leagues next season, you can be sure the UK will get the heave ho as Poland and Sweden are chosen over the country that gave them the break. Much sooner not give the Aussies the chance in the first place and give the spot to a Brit. All well and good saying they are crowd pullers etc, but a young up and coming Brit can be just as well, and represent our nation rather than down under. Theres no reason that in 5 years this country has produced a plethera of great young talent to challenge on the world stage. And ride in our top flight. We have Adam Ellis, Newman, Garrity, Bates, Bewley, Smith, Parkinson-Blackburn and others all coming through. Its the best it has looked in ages. Get rid of journeymen Jonny Foriegner and bring in these lads. The league will be weaker in the short term but we will benefit in the medium to long term. Why train up Aussies when we have our own guys desperate for an opportunity?