Teromaafan

That second line up finishes 7th……. even in a league of 6 😟

Your options of a guest at No.7 won’t work for the paying public if one of the absentees is the teams No.1. Option 2 is a non starter if it’s your top two that are missing. Option 3 which could be called the ‘Buster’ option, would be the obvious go to for call offs to avoid a spanking. Speedway’s biggest problem (in the UK) is the ability gap between the riders at No.1 and No.7. In the same team. Yes it is that simple and is the reason we have points limits on team building, an obsession with averages, guests, R/R, protected races, tactical subs and doubling up. Stand to be corrected, but that has always been the case throughout the history of the sport. There is no other sport in the world which tries to implement rules in an attempt to balance out the ability of people competing directly against each other (other than levels of golf maybe). Without enough riders and facilities for more ability focused leagues, I don’t have the answer to this disparity, other than trying to level the field with equipment (electric bikes?) but this would seemingly punish the top riders who’ve invested time and money to be at the forefront of the sport.

Phil Morris has a plan B in the pipeline if the talked about ITV deal doesn't come off. It's with a radio station, but would be less lucrative as there would be no commentary provided. You will be able to hear the roar of the bikes clearly though!

Sounds exciting. Care to share any more info?

This is the guy that represented GB in the SoN a couple of years ago and should be on an upward trajectory in view of his age. He’s now doubling up in the second tier in the UK? Doesn’t appear to be the rider many of us thought he was.

I bumped into Nicki Pedersen once. He was bloody furious and made it clear that I should have left him more room😟. Pot…Kettle eh!

If the rumoured two under 21's at reserve is true that would rule out Howarth.

They’re the best team in the league and finished well ahead of my beloved Lions in the regular season. We all love the play offs, but the team finishing top of the pile when everyone has played everyone really ought to be champions. That goes for any sport.

Depending on points limit?…..Depending on being prepared to break the bank more like😟

Pretty sure Lynn boasted the world's No.1 & 2 when Lee was world champion and Jessup was runner up. Things have never been the same since they ditched the yellow & green team colours!

Fair play to Garrity as he must have put some practice in. Can’t be easy turning to slide the bike wearing handcuffs.

You’re right about the money but let’s not kid ourselves about a rider’s desire to win anything!

The 28 day period is up now by my reckoning. Other posters have said that at least four riders have been approached by Dickson to replace Howarth but there are no takers. Would a big hug tempt him back? I’m sure Stewart will have tried that by now. Looking at the latest averages, the Lions have 5.32 points to play with for a replacement, but there just do not seem options. Not sure what the rules are, but are the Lions allowed an ongoing facility to cover Howarth?

Also how come Dickson didnt kick up a fuss about the track being wet after what happened not so long ago? I suspect he just wanted this meeting out of the way to avoid an end of season fixture squeeze. The Lions have a few headaches at he moment what with trying to replace Howarth and now the injuries to Thompson & Morris.

The engine room pairing of Howarth and R/R looks vulnerable. Kemp is going to really have to be on it as he will be getting at least six rides. Keeping Dan T at No.2 is baffling and upsets the team balance. I know the Douglas/Dan T pairing will deliver points but that is likely to be offset by the points return from the middle order combination.

...More depressing than a Smiths album cover!

I'm sure Bomber will be interested next year, whatever the BSPA serve up. Its just that there may not be anybody bothered about watching him and all the teams he will represent at some point.

He does look up for a bit more doesn’t he. Seems a little more aggressive in tight situations than past seasons. If Dickson was to give him a slap every time he pulled up before the chequered flag he might do even better!

Well the sport appears to be run by amateurs so at least it’s a start!

Had a face like a camel licking sh*t off a thistle!

Such is the state of British speedway, few people are likely to question the morality of Garrity returning to the sport. If he can convince a promotion to give him a team place, a lot of pensioners will be grateful for the distraction.

Buster is probably trying to sort out an open top bus at this very moment!

If they had prepared a half decent track at the outset there would have been no issues. The ref surely has the final say on track conditions/suitablity. He’s just a bad loser.

All this talk from the Ipswich promotion about 2027 being ‘the’ season makes me smile. The sport is on crutches in the UK and hobbles slower each year into the next season. If the Witches can assemble a decent team I hope for all of us that they are competing in a league that has some credibility.

Lions battled back in the end after getting to grips with the track and there was the odd decent race. I watched this on the Witches stream and wasn’t impressed with their presentation. The younger of the two commentators was amateurish and at times embarrassing. Makes me realise just how good David Rowe is when doing the stream for Lions TV.