Crump99

True, Panthers have traditionally done nothing or made pointless like for like changes. Rathbone is different in that respect.

Fine at the moment and no significant rain overnight. Might be a bit different later which is hopefully only light or doesn't arrive at all.

I'm sure that the management team all chip in. It's a collective decision without anyone specific at fault. "Swales insists the latest pair of arrivals leave Panthers in the enviable position of having been able to attract all of their first-choice targets." - 8/12/16 Swales added: “When myself, Ged Rathbone and Carl Johnson first sat down as a management team a few weeks ago, this is the team we wanted to put together.

I agree, and if Taps could make the break last 5 months then that'd be good. Hopefully the holiday will result in its traditional mix of good food and violent stomach cramp

I wouldn't take the quote too literally, it was clearly reactionary. Why go to all that hassle when you can ride at home anyway.

I do laugh at the likes of Louis and Tatum etc on TV saying how riders should get on with it in all conditions and just return to the start without stopping off at the pits for any reason for restarts. Black pots and kettles spring to mind. Jeez, it must have really been dull in the Prem before our unfortunate (for us anyway) arrival. Makes a change for us to whinge though, we were always getting whinged at in the EL.

That's one isolated insignificant example. We have a long history of people throwing their toys out. Coincidentally I seem to recall Chris Louis having his EOES moments, and Rob Lyon had a major hissy fit when questioning his involvement in the sport. He allegedly should have told the pampered riders from 22% Arena that they were in the wrong job

You've clearly not read Peterborough threads too often. If we prepare a track that we can ride but the opposition finds difficult (or unable adapt as you put it) then all hell breaks loose.

Wages are only part of the problem, if they are problem at all. The running problems at the EoES are well known and documented over the last 15 years and they are not improving or going to improve in the future. Generally we have to run when able. I'm not a fan of the lower league or Sunday speedway, although looking at some of the dross (with all due respect to those riders and tracks!) in the other league, it's about top flight as the Elite league was Elite. However, I can see the overall bigger picture. With crowds looking pretty decent lately, would visitors from Wolves and the three mickey mouse sides make up for the Sunday day trippers? I doubt it so it is what it is at the moment. They can go by what they read though (from the Edinburgh website btw ) it was expected that Panthers would push Monarchs close, but two things happened to make such predictions wrong: 1. The Parsons Peebles Monarchs lifted their game on a track they were very happy with – much more grippy. 2. The Panthers enjoyed no luck at all on a track some of them were not happy with – too much grip. Don't put yourself down

Because we chose not to go there allegedly but getting back their under our own steam is the objective. Unless we get another Frost then I can't see that happening although our sponsors could give him a run for his money apparently, so who knows? That might give a pointer to the answer, but then again it might not?

Hopefully we give him the grip he needs like Edinburgh did last night (6 fingers and tractors take note of the Armdale home track doctoring, you'd have called that a ploughed field at the EoES ) because if he still can't make consistent starts then chasing isn't much fun backing it up Lakeside style trying to go forwards. Good to see some positive action from Rathbone though. I'm not sure why underperforming riders get upset when replaced. They know the score, unless they have assurances that we're not privy to of course.

Well he's not going to wear his best stuff when cleaning out the drains is he.

We keep hearing that but anyone decent still wants to get fixed up in Poland on a Sunday each season. Why is that? If I wasn't getting paid or it was common knowledge that I wouldn't be then I'd steer well clear.

And you've just arrived at that conclusion.

The popular choice amongst the punters and management alike, allegedly. The problems were known. And would put numbers on the wage bill.

No reason why he shouldn't and if your going to post concerns about the team riding elsewhere (if that is the point) then you're going to be a very busy boy.

Thought that I was the negative one. Well the honeymoon period is certainly well and truly over, welcome to Peterborough Speedway Mr Rathbone

I guess when they agreed it they thought that they'd be able to cover the problem, not expecting things to go pear shaped before the end of May. Bjerre's ok at the EoES if it is him.

We had a team on our books in 2012. Everyone on the official forum when it was alive picked an EL winning team. The management team somehow contrived to give that team to Swindon, and the rest is history, not ours!! It was obvious that we didn't have any consistency in the 2017 side and everyone had to do a job every time. It only takes a minor problem to throw a supposed strength in depth team into a wobble; and guests, injuries etc etc are certainly problems these days. Panthers seem to have run over their own black cat in recent seasons and speedway generally is a mess.

Do tell.

Apart from saying that we don't owe money and the bills are paid, I don't recall it being put in those terms. If that's the business model then expectations need to be lowered. We were told that that was the team they wanted and that we want to return to the big league under our own steam which is partly why we didn't move up as we could have. If you could afford it then I doubt that that's the team that you would have chosen because you'd really need luck and improvement for it to win any prizes.

At the risk of repeating myself, I make that about 10 seasons. You start off with someone that you can rely on home and away to win races (and preferably 2 or 3 of such riders) and work around them. Fans make me laugh. The problems are obvious from the start everytime but everything's triffic with them until it invariably goes pear shaped and then they want root and branch changes.

He's had to race against 3 in each heat though.

Jeez, things must be bad if we're back to this level of discussion.

Been saying that for 10 years.