Ben91

Lot of unfulfilled potential, could have been very good if it had been channelled correctly. That and if he had some decent bikes under him.

Depends if you believe everything you see in press releases, always easy to say X rider under performed because he's still not fully fit. A spade is a spade and until Kasper learns to gate he won't become a heatleader.

Shouldn't have come back until he was 100% fit then.

Not sure how he's like Mason except that he's over thirty. Realistically it'll be good if he can average between 3.5-4 with anything else a bonus. Johnson wouldn't be a very good signing, neither would Mason on an average nearer seven than six. Mark Baseby looks like a decent option on his average. While on the subject of riders making comebacks, I wonder whether Harland Cook would have another go on the shale?

Then he moved up, and finished the year on a five, and he still couldn't gate. Morley being the top number seven needs to be doing better than beating his counterparts at home and nicking a few points off number six riders. He needs to be consistently beating number sevens away from home as well and nicking a few points in those meetings too. I think he has it in him but he must do it in 2016.

Not on such a big scale, there are big question marks over most of our team this year in my opinion. Look at Glasgow, Lunna and Garcia are the question marks there, if one comes good they'll have a good year, there's significant question marks over six of our seven IMO.

The pessimist in me agrees with most of that. Morley is statistically (on NL averages) the best of the three pointers that are taking the reserve berths this year, fact. So Eddie isn't good regardless of what heat if, as we all know, he doesn't like heat 15.

Interesting signing for the Kings, no doubt Clifton would have had some time in the PL by now if he'd carried on so it depends how 12 years out will have impacted him. Should be able to pick up points just by staying on the bike in a reserve berth and that bit of experience he has could see him end up in a second string role.

It's just another team of ifs really. If Robbo can put a bad season behind him and become a seven point man again. If Klindt can live up to his third heatleader billing and be bothered if he's beaten out of the starts. If Heeps can stay fit for a whole season. If Lanham can become a seven point man again. If Kasper can gate. If Ben can live up to his billing as top number seven in the league. If Eddie can turn up in heat 15.

He's not NL eligible though.

The fact he's had two seasons and not met his assessed average in either is a pretty strong indication that he's not amazingly good.

Damn the rider shortage.

Which means they're not allowed to ride in Poland by the Polish authorities I believe.

A pound per heat at this level is more than enough. Especially when you factor in the lack of other entertainment on offer at most meetings. Over a pound per minute of entertainment is terrible value compared to other activities people could be going and spending their hard earned on.

As far as I can see there were only 8 eligible riders for a number 7 berth who had a higher NL average than Shanes (Perks and Ritchings both below him). No idea why you think Ritchings is capable of taking points from number 6 riders and Shanes isn't, I know who I'd rather see in my team at reserve.

This thread was started four days before its NL counterpart which has been pinned. It's not unfair to ask why.

Sounds like Branford was lined up as a reserve with Rob Lambert as a heatleader but Lambert has gone elsewhere obviously. Hope Rob Branford gets fixed up elsewhere, would have been happy with him as our second reserve for sure. Going down the Robbo/Heeps route does beg the question of why NBJ was let go of course. Robbo is a club legend and probably my favourite rider, I just hope we don't see a different rider to the one we were used to, we have to remember that he is a lot older now. Big pressure on Klindt or Heeps to develop into proper heatleader.

Shanes has a better NL average than Perks.

Kent got team building wrong last year, one of the top three at the start of the year (Baseby) shouldn't have been signed and more points freed up at the bottom end. Then the persistence with poor riders at the bottom meant they were always on a hiding to nothing. It is certainly something to look at, hopefully for a rider of Zach's undoubted talent he'll be contemplating riding EL and PL in the next couple of years and not need the NL.

38 would be fine. Each team can accommodate a decent number one but the emphasis is still, as it should be in this league, developing young British riders. Stand alone teams can still build a side to try win the league with a low points limit, they have to accept that they are in the third tier and part and parcel of that is that rider development is of a great importance.

Hoping Branford is a Rocket for next year, would leave an awfully long tail if he is a Raider assuming the points limit is 38. Hume, Bowtell and Hunter have to be the first three names on the team sheet. I can see Bowen or Hughes starting as the Raiders' number one, fitting both in would again leave a really long tail.

Probably puts Danny Halsey out of a job too?

The changing of the race format left so many riders around the six point mark. It also protected reserves from racing against the top riders week in week out, if they hadn't been wrapped in cotton wool they would have proper EL averages and the riders in the main teams would also have averages which varied a little more than being between 5.5-6.5, thus there would be no need for a heatleader grading list. Hopefully the race format changes back for 2016. It's madness teams chasing the likes of Kasprzak just because they need to use up all their points, then they'll be complaining when he averages six with the rubbish race format.

Sorry I should have said three three pointers come the end of the season. Think they got caught out by naming riders before the points limit was announced too. It could be argued changes should have been made before Ayres' average went up too and they didn't come. Hopefully the Kings will get a couple of decent reserves in next season.

It was having three three pointers that really hurt Kent in 2015. If they use two in 2016 and one can kick on then they will be more competitive.