STEVEHOLS54

Unfortunately he paid the price of others not doing their job - again....... The stronger reserve (which arguably Nielsen has been this season based on performances in Champ), has had to come in to compensate for the Poles not doing their job or Josh G or Sundstrom. Add the Holder crazy situation into the mix and yes poor James has got the rough end of it. But you can be sure he wont be the last Poole rider out the door this season the way its gone. Assuming Matt Ford can convince anyone to come in. The last press release was hardly inspiring on that score.

Grajczoniek's form continues to concern. Currently 2 points from 3 rides for his Polish Team and just been subbed for a tactical in his 4th. The Poles must be paying plenty as he gave up riding in Champ where he had a guaranteed team place - probably plenty of tactical rides - At least 50 meetings a season and probably more with guesting's. He went big time for his Polish licence, has spent lots of time practicing there (and may still be over there a few days per week). He was sitting with a 5.17 av from 4 meetings before today and that will now drop further. There must be plenty of money dished out to cover him flying out there constantly - equipment over there etc. Ok nowhere near as many meetings as a Champ season but even so I wonder if such a poor return in points is covering his costs and compensating him. He is kind of performing similar to how Sundstrom is in POL/SWE. I.E: Not very well. I suppose he feels its now or never at 28. Personally I feel he has reached his level. A good Champ rider and was a steady performer in Prem until this season where he has gone from a starting 7.34 to 5.53 based on his first 8 league matches. Near enough a whopping 2 point drop. His 20 match rolling av doesnt reflect that at 6.53 but highlights how bad he has been this season. At this rate he could be out of both teams ??

I personally think it is heading towards one big league with perhaps some regional breakdown but with the top group of teams in each regional league then going into some kind of play off situation. Just a thought. This fixed day thing is probably killing crowds with some teams and we are already seeing the monkeying around with those clubs choosing to ride on Wed. A prime example being KL with both Lambert and NKI missing matches as the Danes get priority on a Wed. But lets not kid ourselves - Speedway in Uk is continuing to decline and not helped by the lack of finaccila clout big time compared to POL where they have so much more money and still attract a young crowd plus the more mature. Something really has to give. The Champ seems to be ok but then its not reliant on the big boys. There must be a way one can combine the two with maybe open racing nights and then those riders who choose to ride here have to choose if they want to fit in with that clubs race nights to minimise fixture loss. It saddens me when I look at things such as the video of the RH v Swindon meeting where in many parts it looked like one man and his dog in attendence. We have to accept that with POL/SWE being far away from UK financially - factor in the SGP - plenty of SGP/SEC qualifiers - open meetings in POL - World Team meetings, good quality young riders meetings of all kings incl Euro and World U21 qualifiers and finals - Polish Junior league meetings etc/etc, a lot of these guys get plenty enough meetings without having to fly all the way to UK. Guys like Hans Anderson do it as they know they are in their later years so they will only do POL/SWE/DK/UK as it works financially until they bow out. If we dont change things then surely only time before some of the top teams start to fold.

Correct but Doyle was in a different league to Holder both last season and season before. Should have been World Champ not once but twice. Not a great team rider BUT by far the best heat leader by a mile over those 2 seasons. Factor in Swindon having a shrewd and brilliant team manager in Rosco and his clever signing of Musielek - motivating Morris to add nearly 2 points to his av. It all added up to a brilliant season for a team many thought would finish bottom when the team was first announced due to being too top heavy with Doyle's points. Tell you now that Poole would have been nowhere near top had they kept Holder (in my opinion). Swindon showed how it could be done but paid the price for that success at the start of this season. May still win the league again with shrewd signings and also riders riding consistently. Maybe not so dominant but should be in play offs and could well win if Wolves dominant home form doesnt spoil it for the rest of us. With Holder you could get 4/5 one week and 10/11 the next. Ultimately it would have averaged out around 7 to 8 but nothing good enough to have won the league (last season or this).

I think CH openly said in a SKY interview between races at Wolves 4/5 years that it was his least favourite track. It was also back in the days when a Poole team could go and win at Wolves so wasn't so important. Having said that with the problems Poole have had over the last 2 plus seasons it does seem like many years ago.

Let's put things into perspective here. CH was dropped only because of the CRAZY BSPA rule which gave likes of Chris a 12.53 GSA. He was never going to achieve anything like that, and based on his VERY in and out form since the Darcy accident and personal relationship split issues at home he was arguably no better than a 7 pointer last s eason. As his real GSA turned out to be while with KL. I am not even convinced he would have scored higher than 8 even if he had rode for Poole. Just look at his results and av in both POL and SWE to see how he had fallen from grace. His POL team should have been relegated to Nice 1 had it not been for the Laguta drugs case which got his team relegated instead of the rightful wooden spoonists Torun. He was dropped to give Poole a better chance of having more points throughout the team. Had KK ridden to anywhere near his potential/real av it would not have been a problem. Let's not get into the KL issue as enough aired on it. He got his ban, served his time and most know the visa issue is more complicated but nobody can talk about it for fear of their posts being removed.I don't know the actual issue but have maybe an idea. Not for this post but is jut another kick in the teeth for Matt on top of the other issues of riders not performing. On paper Matt had a very attractive team which SHOULD have had all round strength to take some of the pressure off Kurtz who is still finding his way. On paper Spaniak should have been a very strong reserve and Woryna should have been regularly banging in 7/10 per meeting against the quality overall in UK. Sundstrom should have been steady and at least holding his assessed lower GSA at start of the season based on what he could do in POL/SWE. The facts are that none of then did. With also Josh coming up short the problem is evident. Even Killer didnt do it in my eyes (but then his results in POL in 2017 and early 2018 said its own story and his fall from the SGP). Maybe some Poole fans partly deserve the gloating form others based on how the team was lauded up. You can blame the management as well for that as Poole have always been high profile in how they advertise/play the media on signed riders. But the forum is there for the lovers/haters and in betweeners when it comes to contributions. Suppose it makes the thing more interesting to have different views even if some of them seem to go out of their way to be antagonistic towards others. The latter we can do without but suppose you cant have it perfect

Matt seems to be in a difficult situation. His Echo comments seem to be setting us up for the fact the top riders dont want to come. Or also part of the reason is those that MIGHT be interested would involve mega bucks together with all related flight costs and also maybe unsustainable parent club expensive guarantees for the riders Polish teams in the event their top riders were injured. Even more so for their talented youngsters like Drabik/Smektala/Kubera. Can't say I blame them with the amount of money tied up in POL with sponsorship etc and the affect it could have on a POL EXL team if one of these guys was injured. Maybe we just have to accept now that with the perilous state of British Speedway - we cant afford them - many don't want to come here and we cant affords the crazy insurance guarantee premiums for their POL clubs with no doubt crazy high premiums in a hazardous sport on our smaller, questionable quality tracks. The likes of Doyle/Iversen/Holder live in UK and have property/family so have a vested interest in UK. Some come here as they are in their thirties and are arguably in the advanced stage of their careers so want as many teams/countries as they can fit in during maybe the last 5 years or so of their careers so want to boost income. The problem Poole have is that Matt created a bit of a monster in respect of the teams he has put out over the last ?? years and its really since the Darcy situation (both his 1 year ban and subsequent accident) which coincided with our fall from grace as a speedway nation that we now partly paying the price. it wasnt that long ago where we had Pawlicki's/Janowski/Holder/Ward . Now we have riders who were supposed to be potential hidden gems who are/have not performed. Perhaps there has been an element of arrogance amongst some fans but any different to a lot of sports where you have had a dominant source for a number of years ??. Having a forum also sets such a club up to be shot at when we fall from grace. Human nature I suppose and always plenty wanting to gloat when it goes wrong. Matt has done well with his signings in the past and he has been shrewd over the years utlising the rules to his advantage where he saw fit. Ok the last 2 years (especially last year and so far this) it hasn't panned out. BUT not many thought they would struggle to this degree. The 2 Poles that even with their relative inexperience of UK tracks should have been better based on lst seasons form in both POL EXL/Nice 1. Did we really expect Sundstrom to be so bad (apart from Wed performance). Yes there were risks but they still should have been better. Same with Josh although I didnt expect him to be a real HL as been around the block a long time in UK and feel his standard in Prem is between 6&7 imo. Holder situation- Less said the better as its just an addl kick in the b*lls for Matt. So as it stands we are a Holder type short and an 8 pointer as really unfair to throw it on young Brady (yet again). Let's hope he can salvage something but even from his comments in the Echo he is maybe bracing himself for another possible 2009 scenario. One thing seems also certain though and that is that in the main we can probably forget seeing the real big stars again. That makes me think increasingly that perhaps one big league may be the way forward or perhaps split into 2 Leagues with a mixture of some stars who want to ride here. No idea how you put it together but that's what we have the BSPA for isn't it? P.S: Looking at that one heat from the recent RH V Swindon match posted on SGB today. That perhaps gives you some idea of how bad the crowds are for a Prem match. Can't see them surviving in Prem with such a poor looking crowd. Check it out. Or is it me ??

This article seems to be Ford kind of setting us all up for disappointment on the team change front. He may well bring in some changes but reading this article it seems to near enough be saying that he cant convince anyone to come and chances are he cant afford the cost involved either. Klindt possibly for who ??. I thought good possibility at reserve last season but even before his injury I was starting to have doubts what impact he would have when taken out of riding against juniors and low pointed Prem riders. He has done ok in DK but even then a lot of not so good riders can accumulate points over there. Last night was not good but he did have some retired rides so assume engine problems. Even so he has not been inspiring so far in his meetings for Scunthorpe. Don't forget though it was his poor Champ GSA that got him into Poole in the first place on the Prem conversion last season. Maybe try and sign Auty for the not so clever Spaniak ?? and ride with Woryna at reserve. Risks again but cant be worse than Spaniak and Nielsen. Stefan would have had good and bad meetings and hopefully Auty can be like for like swap (maybe even better). If Woryna cant better Spaniak then for sure we have a problem when a rider of his supposed ability cant do it from reserve. The article doesnt inspire confidence imo and feeling a lot less optimistic we will have a proven heat leader in the team come redeclaration. While many think Holder also wont be in the team then we could be heading for where we sit currently in the league. We shall see but cant say its looking too clever.

Didnt think so which raises the question why did Matt allegedly say it. Wont really affect much as maybe Ford is thinking after Monday of having the 2 Poles at reserve anyway with any team changes/redeclaration. Or he could be thinking of binning one of them ?? Cant believe Woryna would be going though. Just think last night was a missed opportunity to have Woryna at reserve for at least a month. Having said that Spaniak in the main team ??? - No thanks, not the way he is riding. Maybe Auty and Woryna as reserves - could be a lot worse in that department the way Auty has ridden this season for Scunthorpe, he's been punching in plenty of high scores to date. Just got to wait for any team change news to break next week I assume ??

Was under the impression he was only cover for Monday and thought Matt was in negotiation with another Poole asset which he would have news on next week following Mondays meeting after which he says the riders new GSA's will be known. 9Thats what the SGB release said). Wouldnt surprise me if its Klindt but he is on a Danish contract and has ridden all 3 matches out there so far on a WED. Unless of course more money on offer here with more meetings as he is UK based. Now i am not being padantic on that BUT yes Monday is before end of the month being 28th BUT this is how i read the SCB rules set out in assessing riders/new riders GSA's. I was under the impression it had to be a cut off the 23rd of each month. Hence why I have posted comments about it. Rules shown below 16.2.1.4 Updated MA’s will be calculated monthly on a rolling basis on all eligible meetings, up to and including 23rd of the month to become effective from the 1 st of the following month. 16.2.1.5 NDL Established MA’s are issued when a Rider completes 4 NL Meetings (irrespective of whether home or away) to be effective 7 days after the last qualifying Meeting. 16.2.1.6 A SGB Premiership or Championship assessed League rider will establish an MA after 4 Home and 4 Away fixtures, becoming effective 7 days after the last qualifying Meeting. Is Matt incorrect - has the SGB release been made out of context or are the SCB who write the rules incorrect ?? I ask as if the new GSA's are set AFTER Mondays away meeting at Wolves then chances are the riders GSA's for june will probably drop again.

Well if as it seems from posts on last nights match, poor Stefan could be out for the season. Maybe the SGB should withdraw both the video and comments about "later reported no major injury" if the broken fibia/tibia is correct which a few have now seemingly good info on having spoken to him. Looks as if Matt Ford really will have some replanning as such cruel luck certainly wasnt on the agenda even if he was initially signed for 28 days. With such a low GSA I would have thought Matt had him penciled in with working the team with him in it. Having said that with Woryna having ridden a point or so out of the reserve berth (before Stefan's injury outcome known), I really do wonder what he is planning now. Maybe it will be the 2 Poles at reserve and work around them and Brady. Suppose just got to be patient but I am preparing myself for maybe some underwhelming news perhaps. Hope I am wrong.

Agree on both points. There was plenty enough racing last night to have concentrated on something far less palatable. As for the wrong comment they made as to his injury - Why am I not surprised.

I really thought that Woryna slipping in to the reserve slot would be a big plus with a 6/7 ride possibility. He could easily have done that last night but by my calc Spaniak is ahead by a crazy .03 of a point. All it needed was Woryna to score one point less from same amount of rides as Spaniak. Again thats IF my calc are correct. Linus proved me wrong last night BUT the stats dont lie. He last 14 matches in POL EXL have been poor and he has not started great in SWE after 3 meetings. My concern would be him falling back into his previous UK/SWE/POL form of so far this season. Having said that his new 6.00 GSA will be useful maybe in team rebuilding ?? The poss further delay of Holder is indeed frustrating, but honestly from what I have so far this season I dont see him as their saviour and would not surprise me if he just holds his av. (If he comes back as patience must be on borderline now). It is definitely a recognised number one they are missing but of course comes down to both finance and who is available anyway. Maybe Matt let comments out about the high cost of the real stars as a prelude to a bit of a let down IF he is planning changes. If thats the case then it just strengthens the argument that top flight speedway is maybe on the ropes with falling crowds - less decent sponsorship. Let's not forget that although Poole Volvo stepped in, I am sure it was nowhere near the lost Readypower deal (which I read was in excess of £100k per season ??). Add to that the loss of the Sky deal for much lower BT offer, falling crowds - cancelled meetings and it kind of sums up where we are. A club that cant even afford to kit out its own riders let alone maybe pay top Dollar for any stars that may be available. Makes you wonder what 2019 will bring. Anyway lets see what/if Matt does in the coming week.

Conflicting reports. One poster on Scunthorpe says broken tibia/fibia yet this morning the SGB said it was reported later no breaks. Someone is way out on info

Well after last night am a bit confused if Matt is planning a redeclaration. Although comments he made re top stars being too expensive may possibly scupper an 8 pointer coming ?? I really thought they may try to get Woryna in at reserve but as I see it his 4 from 3 rides plus Spaniaks 5 from 4 means by my calc that Woryna has a new GSA of 4.94 and Spaniak has 4.91. That blows my theory out of the water IF my calc is correct. Of course IF Nielsen is injured they could have both poles at reserve maybe ??. Perhaps also Matts thinking anyway if he is not aiming at a big hitting number one ?? I calculate Sundstrom now 6 - Kurtz around 7.61 - If Holder is coming back 7.16. Makes me wonder what he is planning now. Something has to happen though as no chance imo this current set of riders will make play offs let alone win the league.

I thought similar but perhaps with a better quality rider than Hans who I felt may be taking on too much now as he gets older. HOWEVER when I look at what we got in exchange i.e Sundstrom, how I regret him leaving. He has been as good if not better this season. Well better than last season and his last 7 matches he has been heat leader class. Only his not strong end to 2017 has dragged his 20 match rolling GSA down as in his 7 matches for Leicester he has been 8.42 at home (3 matches) and 9.43 away (4 matches). A bit different to Sundstrom huh ? who I won't repeat his current GSA as its way down in comparison. Sundstrom may prove me wrong come end of season (if he is still around !!!) but I am not convinced. Its only his 5.66 current impending GSA that makes it remotely interesting to keep him on and honestly I would rather have Worrall over Sundstrom any day if the team can get an agreement and his current GSA as of 14/5 was 6.36. IMO much better value than Sundstrom. Plus he is British and probably a lot lower cost than the Swede. Also factor in he is not busting a gut trying to race in 2 SWE Leagues/POL and Sweden (4 leagues). He only does UK and some meetings in POL. I think its easier doing Prem/Champ as you are travelling in the one country and you are based here so not constantly flying in and out of UK, not only for meetings but also going back home to his family in SWE after each UK meeting (and POL). Anyway let's see what tonight brings us and what news comes out maybe during the next week.

Not just me then who was thinking same?? See my post just now on Poole 2018 Hopefully we will have enough to secure the 3 points though. Will be ok with even the smallest margin win

I wonder if Sundstroms SWE team are losing patience. One point from 2 rides and then tactical subbed in his last 2 rides maybe says something about his form. Not doing anything really in POL/SWE and his much lower impending new UK GSA tells its own story I suppose. He quite rightly should have a higher UK av compared to POL/SWE as the standard is well below overall. However perhaps his 5.66 current av for 7 matches for Poole tells its own story. Surprisingly with BP his av is 7.31. But for someone signed as a replacement for Hans A its not a good return - Many of his BP have been when coming 3rd when he should be winning races plus from 29 rides only 4 wins. Personally I dont see any big improvement but maybe on his lower GSA he will keep picking up BP in 2nd but more likely 3rd. Anyway going to be interesting tonight. Woryna and Spaniak on exactly the same av going into tonights last qualifying match for the first new GSA's for new riders. In a way I really hope Woryna scores one point less than Spaniak (Get as many bonus points as you like as they dont count for the GSA). That way Woryna would slip nicely into the reserve berth where I can see him doing a lot of damage plus pick up plenty of extra rides. Brady will hopefully keep his 20 match rolling GSA just shy of 8 and he is on 7.63.If he scored even a 15 point max he would still only creep up to 7.84 so shy of 8. If it pans out this way win/lose or draw, it will be interesting to see if Matt does redeclare the team with a new 8 point plus rider to accommodate. We shall see.

Skidder - The comment was more aimed at the state of British Speedway. Its no secret that Matt was already feeling the pinch financially with no DECENT TV money prior to season start. Add to that the big meeting wipeout with all that bad weather and the expense of flying in and putting up all those riders plus the big bash with no incoming revenue to balance the books. Add to that the wipeout early season of meetings incl the meeting BH against Somerset that wld normally attract a big crowd. Not enough money for the kevlars (polish it up how you want but for me no modern speedway team in a top division should not have its own team kevlars). You can add to that poorer than normal attendances - fixed nights which not affecting Poole so much but its openly reported on the BSF that crowds are down or falling. IF and i say IF Poole crash and burn this season and with whats going on elsewhere, can Matt and the not so well off Clubs afford to maintain Speedway in its current format. The point I was eluding to is will the format of British Speedway change if clubs cant afford the big boys any more and are we slowly heading towards one major league ?? When you hear Matt Ford is finding it tight/tough and if he has another not so good season (as last year and so far this season), will he have the heart and fight to continue in the top flight. Same comment for others where you hear the NSS is also struggling on crowds partly due to fixed night racing and also more likely due to the continued falling interest in our sport. Matt had a successful team in the past which kept the crowds coming in. Having had supporters spoiled with that over the last decade plus, it soon hits the pocket when you get a team who struggle to even get home wins.

The wiser heads amongst us who have followed the sport for many years, know a rider with a lot of potential when they come along. What Jack and Brady need in any team is proven heat leaders to do their jobs so that these guys can develop. Unfortunately Darcy also being an Aussie set the bar ridiculously high that we may never see such a natural talent again like it. Doesnt mean to say Brady & Jack won't go to the top. They need to be brought along at their own speed and both have already made major leaps this year into the POl EXL with Brady also being in SWE Elite. Give them both time. I think both are ahead in development than say Nick Morris was at their age and Morris from a UK perspective has proved patience pays off. He is now slowly breaking into POL admittedly at League 2 but he is on the ladder. As for Kyle - Yes such a pity that injuries have curtailed his progress. Maybe not a top/top rider but a good team man who should get decent points with a clear run in the team. All teams need a workhorse or a rider who you can rely on week in and out. I think Kyle is one like that who probably would have been at Kyle Howarth's level had he kept clear of incidents. I remember seeing his in some good races for Poole against Howarth some years back where Newman came out on top in plenty of hard races between the 2. Let's hope he can recapture that form and consistently.

i think Jack is an angry loser which is a good sign as its one of a fighter/competetive racer. He is only 6 months older than Brady but has one season less in UK than Brady did having stayed in Aussie an extra year I believe to complete an apprentiship. I was a big supporter of Jack and feel he should have been kept. Just like Brady he had a lot put on him in a team of heavy underachievers last season and as usual riding for Poole too many thought they should/would win the league. His biggest problem was that his immaturity spilled out into the pits with some foul mouthed outbursts to Matt and the Management got him into hot water. It was his way of pouring out the emotions of not riding well as he and the team wanted and it got the better of him. Not good for his then relationship with Matt but at the same time let's not be too hard on a young guy who has a lot of aggression which needs channeling on the track like riders such as Nicky Pedersen. Not always popular but you are judged by what you do on the track. That bit of aggression can be the difference between being just another rider or hopefully a top rider. I hope to see him back next season and riding away at Somerset for a season tkes the pressure off a bit for too many thinking he is another your Chris Holder or Darcy Ward. Just like Brady he will have plenty of ups and downs before he is the real deal. Friday he wasnt so good for Torun yet on Saturday he was runner up in a GP qualifier with the likes of Pawlicki/Bukzkowski/Kildermand/Smolinski/Howarth out of the places. If Chris can get things sorted once and for all then would still be good to see them together at Poole next season. Of course if we still have Prem league racing at Poole by then should it all go t*ts up this season. (Hopefully it won't but it's a worry seeing how most teams can beat each other making a top 4 slot more difficult imo).

Don't get me wrong Steve as I would prefer both (and the rest of the team for that matter), rode to what their ability supposed to be otherwise Matt would not have signed them. However the figures don't lie. Whichever way you look at it Sundstrom in 8 POL matches last year achieved 4.5 and this year its 4.6 from 6 matches. I accept that maybe there are times when he didnt have the luck or something happened but you can use that argument for lots of riders. The fact is that in his last 14 POL EXL matches he has achieved only 4.5/4.6. Perhaps that is his true level in that League and will always fall short of a real breakthrough at top level ??. Even is SWE Elite he scored 12 from 9 rides this season. OK add a couple of bonus points. Even so hardly heat leader scores. Maybe he will improve but can't help thinking maybe he is a 5/6 point man and his soon to be new GSA reflects that. As for Spaniak. I dont quite get it. IF he is there number one then against one of (if not the) weakest team in the league, it would surely have made more sense to have him ride as there were nailed on to win anyway. It would have done him good to have hopefully scored plenty of points and also done his confidence some good after some inept performances for them so far. Instead they put Cook in who has proved his worth which may now affect Spaniak getting back in the team even if he is there supposedly No 1 (or was). Yes they have a squad system but I don't get why drop the guy at home to arguably the weakest team. Maybe they want to justify signing Cook in the first place and give a kick up the backside to Spaniak. If they dont then Spaniak only has UK as not in SWE/DK/SEC or SGP. Anyway. Hopefully we will get some insight into what the team plans are end of this week. Maybe also some news on Chris Holder. Havent seen anything since this alleged injury. I saw the match (all in Polish) and didnt realise he had an injury. All I saw were plenty of shots of Holder brothers sitting or standing with sour faces as there team got hammered again. Also NKI didnt look too happy (I supposed at being replaced) but that was before he got some rides due to both Holders being replaced during the meeting. (Which I thought viewing it was down to their poor riding for Torun). Is Holder injured and is it short term ?? - Is his Visa almost fixed ??. Seems always too many questions on the guy last 2 seasons but let's hope there is a resolution one way or the other shortly, same with whatever Matt is planning second half of the season.

Yeah but Poole have got the likes of Sundstrom and Spaniak this season..... Saw this after my last post ;-)

Couple of observations from the weekend with 2 of our new riders. Sundstrom scored only 2 points from 4 rides despite Gorzow firing in 53 team points. Cant help wondering how long they will persevere with him before they drop the guy. Hasn't done anything in the 6 matches he has ridden. Sits on a 4.6 - 4 ride av and a 3.33 - 5 match av, plus sits 43rd of the 51 regular riders used so far in POL EXL. Near enough where he was in the 6/8 matches he rode for them end of last season. Surely Gorzow they will empty him soon at this rate. His 2 match SWE Prem matches also not inspiring. Let alone his performances in UK (so far). I must admit I thought his new GSA (which will be around 5.66 to 5.7 looks attractive if Ford is redeclaring a new team. My concern is that he isnt really doing that well in any League so its not just a UK thing. Will he improve ?? Spaniak dropped by Rybnik again Sunday for second time in 6 matches (embarrassing considering he is their number 1) and his replacement Craig Cook seems to have found his form with a 5 ride paid max (plus he just won the SGP qualifier today in which Piotr Pawicki didnt qualify due to a last ride tape exclusion (ouch I bet that hurt him big time....). So Spaniak isnt really riding anywhere at the moment except Poole. Who would have thought that based on his last seasons form. He is sitting on a 4 match av of 4 per 5 ride av. Still its a long season, but even so the stats don't lie.

Would you want to get rid of Sundstrom ??? For all his under performance so far he is sitting on a rather enticing 5.66 GSA with only the Home match against Wolves to go before he gets his new GSA under the 4H - 4A rule. Meaning form 1st June he would be sitting close to his current 7 match GSA. If one asked a the start of the season could you sign him at around 5.66 most I think would have said yes. FYI he scored 13 paid 14 from 5 rides last night is SWE 2nd Div, which ok not their Prem league but shows he can ride when he wants to. If Matt Ford is heading towards another 8 pointer (if he can afford one and if one is available) then to me Sundstroms much lower GSA against his season starting 7.17 assessed makes it a no brainer to retain him. Unfortunately Josh G could be the one in danger as he is caught up with the 20 match rolling GSA where is current av is 6.57 against his starting 6.79. Looking at who could be the more likely to improve his av I would think its Sundstom who also fits nicely into a redeclared team with an 8 pointer to come in. IF a redeclared team is where Matt Ford is heading, with Holder also coming back in (Finally). Also Sundstrom has the most Bonus points (12) so far which helps keep his potential true av lower as BP are not included in the GSA. Brady Kurtz is also on 12 BP which fortunately dont get incl and are helping to keep his GSA below that magical 8 point figure i.e 7.63 on his 20 match rolling GSA. Of course my theory on all this could be blown out of the water the end of next week if Ford doesn't go for another 8 pointer, in which case I question where this team may end up. Will be interesting to see how this all ends up.