oldtimer

How are you IDH, hope you are well?

Niether can I, I could do with a laugh!

I very much doubt if any of the panel who pick the top 10 have ever heard of speedway.

Is that true that Elite will take president if Premier matches clash, don't remember seeing that in BSPA statement? That would be a disaster to lose Josh, the most exciting rider last season. Full marks to Somerset in holding 2014 admission to last seasons prices. A shame season tickets not slightly cheaper as three free matches if purchased early and two free matches if purchased late, means most people will miss more than that due to seasonal holidays, so no saving. Perhaps a free programme could be included, as it was a few years back, to make it more attractive. That said, well done again for holding prices down. Just realised that if Josh has signed for Poole, and not on loan, then Poole will have priority, so answered my own question, so I assume that if he rides for a Premier club he will be doubling down.

Jon Cook in the Star says, "were giving the 6 and 7 riders a set rate guaranteeing them a set amount of money, so they know their expenses are covered before they've turned a wheel." He must be living in cloud cuckoo land if he thinks £120 will do that. From what I have read it is hoped the reserves will improve rapidly with the experience. That may have applied in the days before the new silencers and lay down engines when throttle control and skill was important, but now, although some skill comes into it, it's mostly who can afford to throw the most money at their equipment. The riders will stay at reserve all season, this was tried before and then Steve Boxall came along. I think there will be another AGM mid season when all the rules will be altered again.

Mellgren as number 1? Nothing against him but hardly a number one on 7-33 average. I cannot see Scunthorpe getting very far in the League, you only have to compare it with Somersets 2013 winning team when Mellgren would have been 5th in their averages.

Just confirms what a Mickey Mouse sport this is, god knows why I still bother with it. I would have thought it better to have fewer matches in the PL so that we are not trying to fit in Play Off and other Cup matches in the last few days of the season, on a cold, wet night in October. Somerset only have one local rival.

I think the reserves should race the 1 to 5's but they should go off the start line and the others of 15 metres, then at least you would get some passing in the Elite League.

That will be a first!

The Elite League will be awful viewing whoever broadcasts it.

It just shows you what rubbish their PR is, a one line sentence could have made it clear in the press release, but they are obviously clueless when it comes to keeping their customers informed.

I think the BSPA press office official who made the BSPA statement should be sacked immediately. There is no mention of restricted races for reserves or any detail of how it will work in the BSPA statement, obviously they are going to drip feed information. Surely the thought must have crossed the idiot's mind that the statement issued would cause an uproar amongst fans who would post lot's of speculation on how it would work, upset many, and end up with fans not knowing what was true and what was rumour. A major PR disaster.

So if they improve and their average increases to above a teams original number 2 who was a 4 pointer for example, they will stay at reserve.

There won't be a "year after".

From what I am reading there will be two reserve heats. Previously the reserves only had an easy ride in heat 2, in their other rides they were up against the better riders in heat 4 for example two number 7's were up against the number 5's. Their average therefore was based on riding against better riders, but under this new proposal they will have a false average as they meet lesser opposition in two out of their 3 rides (assume minimum of 3 still applies) or 4 programmed rides rides (assume this is the same). My point is they could improve their average and go up into the top 5 based on a false average and struggle for a month or two before they drop down again.

It's on the BSPA web site, unless it's been hacked.

What happens if a National League rider is riding or signed for a Premier Team and doubles up for an Elite team, if there is a clash of fixtures does the Premier Team have first call on his services? If the Elite reserve is injured will you have reserve guests?

So what happens if a 1 to 5 rider is excluded, or gets injured during the match, I assume a 1 to 5 rider will always now go off 15m for a tape offence.

Have 11 reserve races, and just 4 for your 1 to 5 riders, that would save a lot of heat leader points money.

With 10 Elite clubs that's 20 National League riders to fill the reserve positions, and I assume some National League riders will have to fill Premier League 3 point reserve places, and take the place of a Premier lowest reserve if he is injured. If you take away the National League riders who don't want to ride Elite because they can't afford it, especially as they will only score points in heat two, or they want to progress through the Premier first, which is the sensible course of action, are there going to be enough riders to fill these Elite reserve slots with injury's etc and how will the National League continue with so many clashes of fixtures.

The death of the Elite League has just been announced! RIP

Under The Premier League it says 12 teams an extended league programme giving 14 home and 14 away matches. On my maths 12 teams = 11 home and 11 away matches. If they are counting 3 matches in the Play Offs that would make 14 but only if your team is in the Play Offs, anyway that would be the same as last season so why the EXTENDED LEAGUE statement?

NL riders in the Elite! If that's the case they will have to have a new rule about riders being lapped.

In this weeks Star Chris Louis is reported as saying he would like to see promotion and relegation. Obviously he doesn't realise that many Premier clubs don't want to go up. For promotion and relegation to have any credibility, you couldn't have teams going up or down just by putting in an application. If promotion and relegation came in then Ipswich would never move up, so perhaps that's what The Director Of Speedway wants. (what a stupid title that is!)

I agree you can't please all of the people all of the time, but the majority don't want the double tactical, they don't want a successful team split up every year due to the low points limit and they don't want to watch their team containing mostly guests from other teams and R/R.