SCB

I think we all know we're peeing in the wind and whoever goes on will have a tough time. People just don't "get" the sport sadly. I was thinking Scott Nicholls, multi-times British Champion, and comes across well on TV when he works for Eurosport and is capable of a bit of a laugh/banter. I'd suggest most certainly NOT Chris Harris!

I'd include Bates. But I'd not do it the EL way that doesn't account for strength. If Sheffield go with Bates and Wajknecht but Ipswich go wit Stef Nielsen and Ayres then Ipswich would have an extra point for their 1-5. I'd have a points limit for the 1-7 but just say each tea has to include 2 draft riders, pick two better ones and you lose out on your 1-5.

It's all about finding a balance. Theres some right crap in the PL at reserve, when I looked the other day it only required 10 new riders to replace the foreignors. Will anyone really miss the 3 pointer, Fernando Garcia? Or Hynek Stichauer? Rafal Konopka? What about Jan Graversen? He'll be due a testimonial soon but can't average 4! Or Maassen who cant get 3. How many chances has Simon Nielsen had to get his 4.2 average? It's not as if half of them are adding much at all if anything that Adam Ellis, Danny Ayres, Perry, Wajknecht, Carr and Jacobs could do. (edit: plus Ben Wilson) Some sort of draft would be no bad thing, It doesn't have to be like the EL version, it could just be clubs have to sign any 2 riders of a list 30-odd riders. If you chose to go with Simon Lambert and Paul Starke and have them at 2 and 4 then have Garcia and Konopka in reserve then fine but at least you have the 2 Brits.

It does happen. Rarely. I wonder if any speedway riders have ever pushed for a chance to appear on QoS or similar? http://www.skysports.com/watch/tv-shows/gamechangers/video/9225886/change-your-aim-tai-woffinden

And stop with the "we're going to push through to heat 10" - no, we paid for 15 heats, push through to heat 15. Only if it's impossible do you stop earlier, that may or may not be heat 10 but heat 10 is NOT the target to aim for!

I've moaned and complained a lot of about Lakeside/Arena Essex over the years but in recent times (the Douglas/Cook era) I have a new found fondness for the place. It still a bit flawed, still a bit rubbish but as a club they seem to make the best of what they have no race night. It would be a bloody shame if we lost Lakeside/Arena Essex. So I have my fingers crossed that nights forum/meeting brings good news.

Cardiff is heavily advertised locally, in the paper, bus stops, lamp posts etc. Even on local tele - sadly the adverts on tele are almost always crap. There's not too much once you get out of Cardiff though.

Speedway in this country just gets funnier and funnier!

My point at the time was the timings. I've critisized the "announcements" (mainly by Phil Rising and not BV speedway tbf) too. But I and most other have always said it would be good for BV speedway and have not doubted it will happen, just when. The PR around the BV stadium has been a bit fo a disaster IMO and Swindon are doing the same with theirs. I'm sure people see people being negative about one aspect and just assume they're negative about the whole thing.

We were right. We said planing and building a stadium could not happen in that time. It didn't happen so we were right. You can try and twist it so it means something else but that'd be you twisting things, not us being wrong. In the same way we said Swindon stood no chance of being in a new stadium in March, right now that prediction looks spot on.

So it looks like TR's worst case of June it looking damn optimistic too! Looks like another full season at Blunsdon then!

Cradley and Long Eaton had sporting covenants. It seems they mean very little.

It could be worse, they could be trying to charge people £23 to watch domestic EL speedway. Now that would be mad!

And that why running the GPs is easier. If a GP failed, get rid, move on to the next way, make profit there. If a league track fails, turn up next week, pray and see it fail again, turn up next week, pray and see it fail again.

How was the 2013 SWC Final? Oh, it didn't happen? BV did fail then. The funny thing is those of us who said BV wouldn't happen when they said and those of us who said Swindon wouldn't happen when they said were right about BV and now the Swindon promoter is even admitting it looks like we're right about Swindon. It makes me laugh when people have a "go" at the people who were right.

At least we now know why they didn't want people taking souvenirs. if someone had nicked the light bulb from the back straight bogs it could have caused chaos on opening night in March!

Few things. Other sport that change rules/formats? F1 and touring cars seem to change rules all the time! How do you have a league that allows Poole to compete with Berwick? Handicapping! If Poole want to start 5 points ahead of Berwick for team building then they have a 10 point handicap. Allow a PL level points limit of 40 to 50, if a 40 point team rides against a 50 point team then they have a 20 point handicap. That way you come to sign your 7th riders, your team comes to 39 already, you can sign any rider from 3 to 10 - suddenly that 3 pointer who can average 5 is looking a slightly better bet than that 10 pointer who'll average 10 because you have a handicap of 14 lower. BUT build a higher team and you're covering heat 15 and will have a strong reserve. you'd have to play out some simulations to find the right level of handicapping but I'm sure it could work.

Think about it for a second. If Garrity is one of the heat leaders, in a 10 team league you'll have to have 4 riders (at least) below him to make second strings and reserves. Start looking at the 40 riders below Garrity in the PL and NL and what is being claimed is that these riders would be second strings and reserves. Yet BV want to charge between £17 and £23 for this league! Good luck getting someone to pay £23 to watch a league where Garrity is a heat leader!

Hang on a second. Terry "eternal optimist" Russell seems to be saying what a few of us have said. No way will a stadium be up in time for March or even April! At least the management seem to be a little more realistic now.

1. I'd expect any rider who has yet to sign a contract to be "open to offers" - you never know the EL Glasgow might just pop up and offer you a 50% pay rise, you'd be stupid to say no. 2. Garrity will not be a heat leader even in a weaker EL! If he is there will not be enough riders to go around and low orders will be doubling up in the same league!

Which bot of my post is ageist? Or shallow even.

Most referees need to learn the rules, internationally and in British league racing!

And the annoying thing? There is no rule that he's breaking and what the referees are doing is not allowed according to the rulebook. Sit still until the green lights come on. Then don't touch the tapes. Roll and jump all you like legally.

It also doesn't help that EL speedway has been pretty much closed down for weeks.

The EL gets the money because it's the EL that gets shown because put quite simply, people want to see the best. We can argue the merits or each league and which is "best" but it's not different to the fact PL football gets the money, F1 gets the money and not the Conference or F3 or GP2 etc.