SCB

Being a big fish in a small pond for too long is a bad thing though. You get used to winning, it becomes accepted so when you do move up, if it's not as easy and you struggle people get peed off. Take the bull by the horns, move up ASAP and let people get used to the PL for a bit/ hopefully that way when the club get their own stadium (remaining positive/hopefull) they can return to their rightful place in the EL.

TBF, any prediction involving Scunthrope are a bit unfair as the 1-7 that started was the one that finished. They illegally bombed out Tom Armstrong and brought in Nick Morris, had anyone known that in March I'm sure a lot of us would have fancied Scunny.

Linus signed on the 6.5 he averaged for Berwick.

When did 8.18 ever make a 3rd heat leader in March?

Richie Worrall averaged less than 4 in the PL in 2011, but from his 7 or 8 EL meetings in 2012 managed to average about 5.5. I accept he's more the exception than the rule though.

Why would Bekker, the guy who averaged about 7 in the NL 8 year ago and is still averaging 7 in the NL now be the kind of rider Coventry want to sign? Fair enough if they have a gap sign him but to list him as a rider that would be a good signing is weird. Ok you're not going to find 7 of them (mind you, look at Peterborough '97 Howe, Stead, Allen, Brady, Wilkinson, Clews - all rode at EL level at some point with variying degrees of success), not in season 1 anyway. But Byron Bekker?! If you're going to use up 7 points try and find a lad in his early 20s or even an old hand, a Jon Armstrong sort of rider who will help the kids. Riders like King, Wright, Hughes etc would be better. In the case of Hughes he's an asset too, so a double whammy. His mum is/was Clerk of the course at Coventry but he's a Scunny asset. Would prefer to go do the Scunthorpe route of things, signing kids who stand a chance of being EL one day and losing, than signing riders like Bekker just "because" and still not winning. Personally I'd try and get 3 or 4 15-17 year olds at the lower end and then sign riders who are on the cusp of the EL, doing ok in the PL and get them signed up as assets. What Tom Perry going to be up to next year?

As the idea is to surely find riders who'll go on to ride EL with some hope, Bekker is a great big waste of a space. Would be better giving Blayne Scroggins a go, he might be a natural. Bekker has been riding NL for about 7 or 8 seasons now so has little chance of making it in the PL and none what so ever in the EL. TBH, I'd say similar about Pickard, ok it's not the same 7 or 8 season but it's a name I recognise form a few season ago, not going to make it. I know nothing of Greenwood and Ritching career history to know if they're worth bothering with. Obviously someone like Nathan Greaves is pretty essential or it make running a NL team kind of pointless unless it's about filling in the gaps on non-EL weeks. But that won't work if they're not winning so someone like Greaves is needed.

Surely it's a wildcard to get the locals in. So Darcy Ward!

Only British speedway could decide that a rider who has a 2012 EL and a 2012 PL average would guest in the PL on his EL average and not his PL average.

Because he's not going to have many riders behind him, just the 3 in front each heat

I don't know. Why don't you try a poll in the Speedwya Stars? "Do you agree with Tais inclusion in the GPs?" and "Will you support Tai in the GPs?" see what response you get.

Surely it's a perk of the job. Phil Morris has the same perk too. Peter Oakes got a few youngsters to Brandon in his time too.

Because when they agreed to buy him he was a 4.8 rider, then at the AGM he become a 5.8 rider and the promotion were not staying so it made no sense to buy riders. So Newcastle lost out because of the dodgy dealings of others.

A season of watching Fisher will leave you thrilled, annoyed, amazed, utterly frustrated, wowed and peed off in equal measures. The guy is box office though.

Maybe the speedway star could arrange some sort of vote, either on their website or via text on numbers published in the speedway star.

Grajczonek is leaving Glasgow, it's been confirmed.

Go Frank!

I remember just after his comeback he was guesting for Peterborough against Coventry, I said to Silver Bee, this Complin guy, he used to be a bit good, I hope he's still got it, he's doing alright for Stoke. He says I raved on and on about him. Heat 2 and I seem to remember he was last and I was looking a little foolish, then in a later heat he was a long way back, had a mini-battle with Janniro for a lap before catching and passing Rory Schlein, turns out I was right and Silver Bee agreed he was a little bit good! There was also the great race on the Motor TV documentary they did following Lee in his "first" speedway career, he went from 4th to 1st in true Complin style.

To be fair, 2001 was the first year of one off tracks, they've had a few more attempts since then and they're generally pretty good now.

The issue is that there are no rules, definiations or guidelines. The rules just allow "in the referees opinion" which is why we'll never agree. As for the "the rider in front" train of thought it's rubbish, two riders, mid-bend, the rider in front is marginally ahead, he drifts wide, his back wheel slams into the rider behind front wheel, whos at fault? For you back wheel to hit the guy on the outside, you have to be in front, doesn't make what you did fair or right.

If Harris, Hampel, Woffinden, Bjerre.... Get a wildcard after not making it to the GP quslifier what's the point?! The point is that the top 3 get to qualify, using your theory the 4 wildcards should go to riders 4-7 in the qualifier, so Ales, Madsen, Batch and one of Ljung, Buckowski or Vaculik. But surely the idea of a wildcard is if someone has an injury or a bad day then it's not all over for them because of 1 bad meeting.

Sorry but what are these innovations that others have stolen?

It's nothing to do with being an Aussie. Get the chip of your shoulder. As i've posted on another thread, at 2.24(ish), what is Holder meant to do?

Watch that from 2.26 to 2.30, what is Holder meant to do? If you shut off you stop turning.

IF, just IF Holder had shut off when Nicki leaned on him, would the referee have ruled an unsatisfactory start?