SCB

Which makes the folly of signing a 5 point rider that another EL club owns even more silly! I get you have to lose top riders - in fact I agree with it but I don't get letting top riders you cna fit in go to keep a rider at the bottom end who isn't going to amount to EL level and a loaned rider.

Ah, but Ben Barker signed for Coventry on 5.94 (his real time rolling average). His 2013 rolling average 6.47. So clearly Bens average was not recalculated. Similarly, Danny King signed for Lakeside no 6.71 replacing Bech (7.39) but his 2013 figure was 7.46 so wouldn't have fitted. Kennett also guested for Milik when his 2013 figure was higher than Miliks 2014 figure (at the time). There no consistency at all.

I wouldn't bother about getting Knuckey back. The Storm is a breeding ground for future Bees. Lets be realistic, 2 season of NL racing and Knuckey doesn't look like being a rider who will be racing for the Bees any time. Where as Sarj is and Crang could (should?) be racing for the Bees in the next few season depending no how the draft works. I'm still confused as to why we sign another EL teams asset as our first signing. Another EL teams asset who once he gets out there with 3 other riders may have totally lost it after such a nasty injury.

Anyone know if meetings for/against Birmingham in 2014 are included in the averages? Or are they now official removed?

I'm going to say Nicki too. Once again though, it's wide open, could be one of about 6 or 7 really.

GB vs Sweden would be pretty close. Yet Denmark B team could probably beat both. Woffy, Bomber, Scott, Stead, King, Cook, Barker and Lawson would be a match for Freddie, AJ, THJ, Lindback, Berntzon, Thorsell, Davidsson, Nilsson and PK

TBF, the Swedes are hardly throwing superstars at the rest of the World. It's basically Poland and Denmark vs the World!

If what I'm hearing for various sources is true there are no "facts" at present. From what I can piece together the BSPA have messed up for years UKV&I (formly UKBA) have told them they are naughty boys a called a meeting for January. Some seem to think this means that the UKV&I are going to say you naughty boys, slapped wrist and go back to the figures we agreed over 10 years ago and don't do it again. Other think they might listen to the BSPA as the approved experts and accept 5 is fair. Yet it's not impossible they could listen to the BSPAs "expert" advise and chose their own set of rules. So until they have the January meeting, nobody knows. I guess thats why Somerset went down this route. If they had signed a team 2 points under the limit they may have struggled to build back up and decided the risk this way was less than the risk of building 2 points lower.

You say negative, I say he's quite realistic tbf. We should never have been behind Germany and frankly, 6th place is a bit crap - the positive is I think we look like having a decent bunch of youngsters at the moment though, so lets hope they carry on the improvement we have seen. Also agree on the SEC. We should be sending Craig Cook to these types of meeting. 1 meeting outside the UK and then people wonder why he can't get a job in Poland or Sweden!

I can't answer that but Tom did make his speedway debut at Perry Barr for the Heathens vs the USA. Quite possibly one of my favourite meetings ever - seeing fully grown men excited that there team was returning, and then seeing two fully committed teams going at it like lives depended on it - was brilliant.

Chris Kerr was a farce. He didn't have a problem, the BSPA just kept stamping his work permit. He shouldn't have got his a couple of times. Real joke.

So he shares my frustration then, or I do his depending on your take on it. How does it make me wrong if he thinks the same? Surely you can see it would be good for his career and progression to be riding abroad? So why is it anyone who says that is classed as some sort of knocker. Surely the bad people are those happy for him to be in the PL and never achieve his potential

Because they have, with the exception of Barker, all ridden abroad at some time. And they're not good enough, Cook is and it's frustrating to see him lingering in the PL when he could be in the Poland and Swedish EL's - Kennett, Stead and King are not going to make much of an impact over there as they have proved in the past. Better to have tried and failed.....

They dont have to follow it but if you were about to get the sack and replace by an Aussie or an American wouldn't you contact the UKBA?

Back in the 80s and early 90s work permit riders (and don't forget the EU was not as big back then so that included many countrys including Poland and the Cz Rep) had to get 6 point averages in the British (Elite) League. Things change. But I do accept there may be some argument for work permit riders not to have to get 7, but a drop to 5 is massive - an excessive bonus point scorer scores 1 a meeting, most score 1 every 2 or 3 meetings - so 6.5 should be do-able. TBF, all work permits are only meant to be handed out if a Brit (or EU) worker of the same level cannot be found. Anyone remember the year Eastbourne signed Krys Cegeilski and days before the season started he was dropped for Mark Loram who was without a team that season. Apparently, UKBA said it was barmy that the British World Champion of 12 months previous didn't have a job while Aussies and Poles who needed work permits did have team places. It gets awkward in speedway as if you only have 8.00 left but a Brit is 8.01 and the Aussie is 7.99 then UKBA could say they're the same level but the rules don't allow him to sign technically.

BINGO! So, when you posted, "He's from Argentina. If you must snipe at the hard-working promotion, at least use the correct bullets." to the p[erson who suggested getting an Italian flag you now admit that the Italian flag is NOT incorrect. Nobody has ever said there is no Argentinian in him - go back an check if you like - just that he IS Italian as you have just agreed to. As for, "You won't let this go", until I posted this, you'd had the last word, you were continuing the discussion as much as I was

So you've been clear and posted some fact eh? Shame you missed out the FACT that in the World Cup you ride for the country named in your passport under "Nationality". Nico rode for Italy, thus he must be Italian. License is, as you say, choice, anyone can take out any license they wish (to some extent) but you can only get a passport for a country if you qualify for it. Nico has an Italian passport, he must be Italian. in the same way,Rune Holta is now Polish, he changed his nationality. As for quoting Wikipedia. Please, do me a favour.The site is full of errors. But, if we're going to use Wikipedia as some sort of guide, it tells us Covatti is Argentiain and then that he raced for Italy but tlls us Rune Holta is Norwegian in the write up but Polish on the right as he has Polish citizenship now - the same way Nico has Italain citizenship.

Im guessing he is referring more to the fact that until the season starts we cant really know who to put in. If we get to June/July time and Craig Cook is average 9 in the EL are you really going to leave him out for example? Until we see what riders are doing then we can't really make to many suggestions right now.

He's Italian, he rode for Italy in the SWC. Once again, before calling someone a twit, get your facts right.

Would it be about the money though? In the nicest possible way, it shouldn't be totally about money for Adam at this stage of his career but about riding against the highest level of rider to improve himself. Hopefully he'll be allowed to double up - in which case it could be brilliant for him, as more meetings = more experience.

I read that statement as, "If Darcy Ward is not banned he'll get the wild card. Otherwise we probably will give it to the top non-GP Aussie final rider." Which TBH, is how I'd be playing things if I was BSI. But thats weird as I'm a "Poole hater" and want Ward "banned forever" apparently.

No PL team wnats him as Lakeside take priority in the event of a clash of dates, that means any Fridays night PL tracks are out, and most teams are not happy to be without him for trips to Edinburgh, Somerset and Plymouth. Risky signing for the Brummies, surely as soon as a PL team comes knocking he'll be off - TBH, I hope he would be. While the NL serves a purpose he should be riding PL and not NL given the choice.

Commiserations Eagles fans.

Jeeze, if Ritchie Worrall is being used as evidence as to how good John Louis is then he should probably not bother! Ritchie went backwards massively last season. Jesus was born in a stable, but he wasn't a donkey! Nicolas Covatti is an Italian. If you're going to snipe at someone, get it right or you end up looking like a right twit.

So until the rider race we don't know how good/bad they're going to be? So why not sign a tea of 7 16 year olds and pay them very little as you seem to think it's all random. Or go into the bookies and bet on the horse at 100/1 as the race has not be run yet so eh has as much chance as any one. Most people who actually grasp a sport are able to predict how well certain sportsmen and women will do at certain levels, on certain tracks, in certain conditions, against certain types of opposition. Hansen has turned wheels too, he's about 26(?) now so has been riding 10 years, I think thats plenty of time to judge someone!