False dawn

At least that has the merit of being truly alliterate. The name should be spelt with a kicking K rather than a curly C.. Whoops, my new career is showing through

I have mixed feelings about anyone "owning" multiple clubs. Oh, I know all the arguments about keeping the Premiership alive. But still. I am a bit disturbed (ask my wife) about said clubs operating some sort of floating squad system. This is reminiscent of Rider Control.

Now that is a Freudian slip

That was obviously a failed attempt at humour, on my part, based on a misspelled word Seriously.... I'll say this to my Poole friends. My history (continuously since 1970) is with the Bees. We were, for many years, the one team that all the top riders wanted to be with. And we had our share of success (even over Poole!). I am, of course, heart broken that the Bees are not (currently) racing and their beloved home lies empty and rusting. But there is always a way. For a real fanatic there are still clubs out there racing. For me it meant putting aside my feelings for the auld enemy and supporting Leicester. Not only that, I had to accept racing in the second tier. For sure there was some justification (excuses) in that Leicester had borrowed a few of our own. But the reality is that I quickly formed allegiances with individual riders (not just the former Bees) and I looked forward to my weekly fix with enthusiasm. Moreover, I became an enthusiastic supporter of racing at the third tier. Oh, I know what you're thinking. It's easy to support two (new) teams when they winning everything. And yes, that was a factor. But despite my pride in the Bees, during the past 50 years there have been some dark times when we couldn't win a fight. I can tell you, for a fan with a long history of following and watching racing at the highest level, racing in the Championship is a joy. The commitment of the riders and their management is no less and the spirit is good. So I'm now a genuine Leicester supporter with some real loyalty for the club(s)....... until the Bees come back

I think that's what's called a Freudian slip given the prediction of lower crowds now Poole are in the Championship.

I too, would love to see speedway back at Oxford. I frequently visited Cowley as a Bees fan and enjoyed the racing there. However, I cannot ignore the linkage with greyhound racing. I should declare my position. I own a greyhound. He isn't an ex racer (possible hare coarser) but I have strong links with the ex racer community including a local greyhound rescue centre. The greyhound racing community have had a long time to clean up it's act. Greyhounds are treated like a commodity and many hundreds (looks like thousands) are destroyed each year simply because they are or have become "too slow". And it's clear from those animal that are rescued, that many racing owners don't treat their greyhounds with any great kindness. Greyhounds, by nature, are gentle loving creatures, that make excellent pets. Those rescued following a racing career are often painfully timid who can take years to adapt to "normal" life. You should meet a "domestic" greyhound. You would encounter a happy, kind creature who you would be pleased to spend time with. Believe me, they deserve better.

Recycling a thread after 16 years. Impressive.

Actually, a lot of us like Ellis because he does score points, often the ones "he shouldn't". But hey, three league tiles and two cup winners' medals in the same season sort of says something.

Some people think that is northern!

I take your point and I don't know the truth of this. However, Scotty can't be held responsible for the alleged actions of the promotion

My observations at Leicester this year was that Scott Nicholls took an active mentoring role with Jack. An opportunity to extend that at Kent would seem to have been an attraction?

You mean Poole are going to do "an Ellis" and have 3 topics running when they drop into the NL in 2021?

That's a shame. Freddie would be a welcome addition to the Premiership. And as a Coventry fan, a final year here for Greg would have been a bit special.

Hang on. Two people on the forum agreeing; well nearly. Keep it up fellow forumites.

Not taking anything. Just trying to unravel what might be a difficult situation for our Russian friends in a sport I love and in which the Russian nation is on the rise. I wasn't aware that Russia had competed in team events in the Olympics etc. under a neutral flag. I bow to your superior knowledge.

But the key difference is that they are not all from one nation. Field a team, under whatever banner, which comprises of only Russians and you'll run into the ban. I guess a "mixed" team, entered purely to allow some Russians to compete might be okay. But then you run into the issue of who picks the team and on what basis?

I can recall GB vs The Rest of The World as an example. But I don't ever recall such a side in a world group event such as the SON, the Pairs or the World Team Cup. I suppose the FIM can change the rules to suit but I assume they are covered by the World Anti-Doping Agency. Any attempt to circumvent the ban by calling a team of Russians something else will surely be jumped on. A Rest of the World team wouldn't all be Russians would it?

As I said in my post above, participation in the individual events i.e GPs and SEC could continue under a neutral flag. But the "Rest the World" team or whatever you call it has not qualified for the SON.

It is a bit worrying. They have said UEFA aren't included as a major event organiser but you're right, we're governed by the FIM, a world body. I guess Emil etc. could compete in the GP's and SEC under a neutral flag if they can prove they are clean. But as a team event the SON is a bit more tricky.

Actually, I thought it was quite a good reasoned discussion. I agree that the two riders are not just good for Belle Vue but as future internationals as well. For those of us that don't see them on a regular basis, it's interesting to know their progress and relative skills. Not to mention Dan's continued improvement after his injury.

A true speedway fanatic!

Slightly anomalous me thinks. Rory could be British Champion; he could therefore go to Cardiff as "our" wildcard. But he ain't British enough to get the 2.5% discount. This is what happens when you write complex regulations.

Hear, hear.

But it was suggested elsewhere on here that he is eligible because he rode in the NL. What is the rule?

We are generally okay with riders who had an average in the final figures published on the speedwaygb site. But there is some confusion (in my mind at least) who gets the 2.5% e.g. Nick Morris and we all guessing where a rider has moved leagues, e.g. Todd Kurtz. There must be a definitive list of riders' averages for clubs to be building their teams. It would be nice, especially as we get down to the last one or two riders to signed, if we had sight of this.