Grachan

Perhaps Poole have reached a point like Swindon did a few years back. With Darcy, Magic and now Chris fallen by the wayside, the basic core of their successful team has gone. It's not unlike Swindon without Rico and Leigh Adams. The team needs to start again. Getting random riders in on lowish averages is all well and good, but a team ethic needs to be in place too. Maybe this year will be something of a fallow year, but I think they need to keep a basic core of a side going. Brady and Josh could be that, and I think it was a mistake to get rid of Hans, as an old-hand was probably required to steady the ship. Shanes could have been a part of that, too. Poole will come good, as long as they don't panic and make too many changes just for the sake of it.

I'm not really sure what point you are trying to make with this. Obviously, all teams are put together with averages and a points limit in mind. You can look at every team in the league and possibly say that the bottom average rider would not have been in the side had the points limit been higher. I think all teams are looking at who can be fitted in by the time they get round to the final signing, but it doesn't necessarily make that rider any less valid once the season gets going, and they are naturally looking at the best option available on whatever average can be fitted in.

That's not how it is, though, so your little witticism falls short.

I did. Sorry about that.

Same old "our league is better than your league" crap from Second Division supporters, I see. As long as that mentality continues, the sport has little chance.

What would make sense is for Rye House to drop down, Ipswich and Sheffield to move up, and the top flight switch from Wednesdays to Thursdays.

The indication here is that it is something to do with the Australian Government rather than the British one. http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/sport/16248978.Middleditch_frustration_at_Holder__39_s_ongoing_absence/

If he has applied for a visa as a father of a UK child (something some people have been alluding to) then they will have taken his passport as part of the application, and these family applications can take as long as 6 months sometimes.

Poland and Czech Republic are both part of Schengen so no passport needed to cross from one to the other.

Didn't they try something similar to that a few years back? A match in 3 parts, with a point up for grabs each time. I don't think it got past the trial stage though. So the final result would be 2-1, 3-0 or whatever. Not sure what happened if one section was a draw though. Maybe they had a run-off.

I see from the Speedway GB website that the reserve can be used at any time. In which casse, this is definitely the best choice for now. Had the reserve not been able to be used at will, it might be a bit of a tougher choice between Cook and Lambert.

The reason you get two or three races in an hour isn't because of the concrete track. It's because it is run in the same way as horse racing.

Glad to hear that. I do wonder sometimes. Look at the King's Lynn threads if you think Wednesdays are working for the top flight.

No I haven't. I'm merely arguing against those who have. It is usually second division supporters on here who come up with a confrontational attitude between the two leagues, and it is always second division supporters who then accuse supporters of teams in the top flight of having a "them and us" attitude when they try to counteract it. From what I see, it is ALWAYS the opposite, and your posts are a typical example of that. Personally I think you'd quite happily see the first division fail, Rob, just because Swindon are in it.

The sad thing is, some supporters of Second Division teams will merely see that as a victory for their own league.

Yeah. I know. Geniuses, aren't they? But Mondays and Thursdays are the days when the UK has priority, so they would be the obvious nights to have the top flight.

So have them riding on a Thursday and get rid of all this doubling-up and down nonsense. The top league need to be on it's assigned nights - Mondays and Thursdays.

Those 3 PL team were quite happy to stuff the PL to suit the CL. So how has nothing changed? The problem is the second division seeing itself as some sort of opposition. Why vote for a night when they know the first division will be against Denmark and some team (not including Swindon, by the way) will lose riders?

Usual problem from you, Rob. You are only interested in the club you watch rather than seeing the bigger picture. No "nice try" about it. As I said, it's a two way thing with riders doubling up and doubling down. I do think the top flight should be stronger though. Low points limits have hampered it for many years now, and meaning the bottom ends of sides are often filled out with NL riders. But we had 2-point riders at reserve as far back as the 80s, so it's not a new thing. I do wonder if you would hold the same opinion if Oxford were in the top league still, however. Swindon wil be using Mondays and Wednesdays in the latter part of the season, by the way.

Or maybe the problem is the lower league signing riders who are of first division standard. It is a two-way problem. Nick Morris, Rory Schlein, Chris Harris, Steve Worrall in division two? Shouldn't be allowed. The international agreement was Monday and Thursdays, which should have been adhered to, but there shouldn't be such a clash of riders in the two British leagues. If teams want to have riders the standard of Morris and Schlein then they should ride in the top league.

I know from when I was younger, that Thursday was the night I started going out as the start of the "weekend". It's just more of a "going out" night than a Wednesday. Wednesday is Denmark's night. Monday and Thursdays are the UK's nights. That is the main problem with Wednesday. Look at the problems at King's Lynn. Unfortunately, your attitude is typical of the lower leagues, who, somehow, see themselves as more important than the top league. The top league should sort itself out, and the lower league clubs fit in with that. It's common sense. If Wednesdays were priority for the UK then, sure, ride on Wednesdays. To be honest, we are lucky to have Thursdays ahead of Sweden and Denmark. It should be used. Is there a reason why Ipswich, Sheffield and Redcar could not switch to weekends? Surely a better time for a lower league club.

Wednesday is also a bad night to get people out. They need to change it. Thursdays as the main night, with Wolves and TV meetings on a Monday (unless one of the other teams prefers Mondays too). It's much easier to get people out on a Thursday night as it is just one more day before the weekend.

Which Swindon fans are on Bellego's back? All I can see is a Reading fan on Bellego's back. Bellego is on 5.92 for this year. He's had some relatively poor meetings by last year's standards, but he's had some excellent ones too.

How did it lose you the match? Rye House had a 4-2 in that heat. Even if they'd scored a 5-1, they would still have lost. Plus KK had just been 5-1'd in the previous heat. Plus it would have meant giving him 3 on the trot.

Lee has been giving regular live updates on social media and is doing great. Two hours ahead of schedule at the monet.