Ben91

It's one defeat, not ideal but not the end of the world. Branford should have been riding for Rye if we do have priority on his services, the cup is an ideal way to lay down a marker, while realistically he probably wouldn't have made the difference you need to have your best team out whenever possible. Robbo and Watt are going to become scapegoats, it's as clear as day already. Let's look at this league as somewhere between the EL and PL, Robbo was a 4 point EL rider and 7 point PL rider, he's going to average between 5-5.5 in this league I'd say and most people should have known his average would drop from the start. I'm glad we have him back though. As for Watt however he should be averaging his 7 a meeting and early signs aren't looking promising. He can only be afforded so much time because he is a vital cog in the team, a second string who is expected to score like a heat leader. Rory Schlein is in decent form and hasn't got a Premiership spot.

Morley's probably the best guest we could have got. He knows the track and has a point to prove after being left out this year. The promotion should really be trying to buy Branford's contract from Redcar, good guests will be hard to find for Rob, particularly away from home.

Punched his team mate? Smart.

It's a cup meeting, it doesn't count towards his average. I'd take a 10-15 point win, anything bigger would be a bonus.

Ah of course, my mistake!

There's no difference between riding at three and riding at four under this format. It's not unusual to put your third averaged rider at four so you have a stronger rider in heat 14. The old format was pony, this format gives far more realistic averages than those that the EL format from the last few seasons produced.

I was looking forward to our trips to Brandon this season, especially as we have a strong ex-Bees contingent. Such a shame what has happened at Coventry, hopefully a solution can be found and you will be back racing on home shale in the future. I feel like I've got the bug back for attending regularly, that's in no small part due to watching Harris and Nicholls last night. Harris will be worth the admission fee alone most weeks I'd imagine, while I think Nicholls will only get better around Rye as the season goes on too. If he can help bring on the likes of Branford and Perks then we could make home a fortress.

One of the best meetings I've ever seen at Rye I'd say. The stadium wasn't as bad as some have made it out to be, obviously more work is still needed though. It's easy to see why fans take to Harris wherever he races while Nicholls team riding with Perks was incredibly classy. Speaking of Perks, a very impressive debut, hopefully he carries on in the same vein. Harder nights for Robbo and Watt, the latter in particular should be scoring more than five at home and hopefully he can next week. All in all a very positive evening. I think I may have the bug back. I'll be rushing to Rye after watching Stevenage at Colchester next Saturday.

I'd put Nicholls at five as he's more reliable out of the traps than Bomber and the number five has three heats with a reserve partner.

As long as the team do well and the track produces decent racing people will attend. Progress stadium wise might not be happening as quickly as people would like but steps forward are steps forward.

Should be competitive. I'd be surprised if Lindgren didn't go through the card. Pleased with our side for the year but won't make too many predictions until I see how Nicholls takes to the Rye track, how Harris copes having Rye as a home track and if Watt can perform to the standard he showed in Australia over the winter (barring one meeting). This will be won/lost by the second strings and reserves I think. The heatleaders look reasonably even.

No it doesn't in the slightest. It's a smart move if anything, rather than plumping for a rider that the promotion aren't sure on they're giving riders a chance to impress around their track. They might find a prospect that could otherwise have gone under the radar.

Play-off side barring injuries without a doubt.

Nothing wrong with discussion on a forum. Seeing teams declare their pairings for the pairs now, I wonder who we'll go with. I know Eddie starts the season as number one but I'd personally go for Bomber and Nicholls assuming is two from the top three.

Fair play, all that said though I'd still take Branford any day of the week over Bates.

Bates comes across as a brat. If some of Branford's meetings hadn't been as a guest for Rye he'd have had the higher average too.

No thanks.

Yes it will.

David Why?

No it won't.

He hasn't been lumbered with it, it is the average he achieved in the Premier League.

The fixture list generally gets changed throughout the season anyway due to weather, rider unavailability etc. and now that we're in the top league Sky will play a part too, especially if we are doing well.

To that point most Speedway heats are slightly under the minute mark so it's also less than 15 minutes of Speedway, add in the fact that you can be in a Speedway stadium longer than you are in a Football ground and Football offers much better value for money. It is a nice analogy but it doesn't fit for me. Speedway is not something people are priced out of but want in the way an expensive Cognac may be too expensive for some. As for the quality over quantity, I'm not convinced there is more quality in a single Speedway meeting when compared to a Football match. As for intensity, again just because it is a motorsport it doesn't make Speedway more intense than Football, hell look at Darts, there's plenty of intensity there and it is two blokes throwing projectiles at a cork board. But there isn't just Premier League Football. There are Football teams in the fifth and even sixth tiers of the English Football Pyramid who offer Football in better facilities and for a more reasonable price than the top level of British Speedway. Of course comparisons can be drawn. Football is thriving, Speedway isn't. How do you improve a product? Look at the competition you have that is at the top of its game. This whole 'Footballers are paid too much' stuff is nonsense, it's supply and demand. There is a product and people will pay for it, sponsors will pay to have their names plastered over stadiums, kits and players. You wouldn't see that with Speedway. If more people were in the Speedway stadiums in the first place though sponsors may be more easy to come by because they have a bigger captive audience. Despite the money being pumped into the game from all angles Football would be nothing without the paying customer who goes to the stadium. Even if you paid £10-15 for a Football match in the Premier League you are still getting more minutes of entertainment for your money than for paying the same to go to a Speedway meeting. To compare a 0-0 draw to a meeting at Scunthorpe is a very one sided way of thinking of things. It could quite as easily be a 6-3 Everton vs Bournemouth thriller compared to a gate and go fest at Leicester. I'm a big fan of both sports, Speedway for me is a better raw product and always will be. But I go to see my Football team week in, week out and it costs me roughly the same as going to see my Speedway team who I will go to watch two-three times a season now if they're lucky. Why? Because I get better value for my money, in my opinion, attending the Football.

You get 90 minutes entertainment at a football match, you get 15 minutes at a speedway meeting. Football doesn't need to attract fans, it could do more to make itself cheaper for people wishing to attend though. Speedway is too expensive and in need of more fans to physically attend meetings but unsurprisingly the cost puts many off.

It's not great but it isn't awful either, especially looking at the kind of teams Leicester have fielded in their EL tenure. Lebedevs will be a key man and his performances will decide meetings either way for the Lions I'd imagine.