uk_martin

Good to see that the old Pension-Dodgers are getting signed up so quickly. I'm assuming that Stoke will sign up at least 7 more old-timers, but not announce a thing until the day before the start of the season, as usual. Let's hope that when the oldies have all been signed up, that there's still room in this league for the young'uns, somewhere.

What's this "Rider in waiting" thing that Google mis-translates? Is it like a "squad rider" that can double down to a lower league, or something, and then be recalled if and when needed? Whatever one of them is, Thomas H Jonasson is one of them for Stal Gorzow. Additionally, the two junior berths will be contested by Stal's own juniors - Rafał Karczmarz, Kamil Nowacki, Alan Szczotka, Hubert Czerniawski & Marcel Studziński. http://www.przegladsportowy.pl/zuzel/pge-ekstraliga,cala-sila-w-seniorach-czy-mistrzow-polski-stac-na-obrone-tytulu-,artykul,733441,1,984.html

There's always a way...mystery illnesses, breakdowns en-route, etc...if a Championship team doesn't want to be promoted hen the situation can be "engineered" to prevent it from happening.

Belle Vue now has to be a doubt. Coventry have secured a lease for the stadium but who knows if they can afford to run the NL team with only two men and a dog in regular attendance there plus some away fans. Mildenhall - how long can they hold out with the cost of that legal action hanging over them? Birmingham - I'd be more interested in who the promoter will be who will be buying the club from Tony Mole, than anything else at the moment. Kings Lynn - I thought that I heard that they wouldn't be running a Young Stars team in 2017 Lakeside - is their situation based on hope or on any fact?

Has there been a thread this year involving the Birmingham Brummies that got to 7 pages before? Did the Kent thread get this much interest?

It has been according to the latest press release. I hope it's not just a case of "deflector shields up" lol.

I've given up caring. If they lied about the 5 previous incidents, then the situation stinks. If they were right about the 5 previous incidents, then the situation stinks. Either way, the situation stinks. Just glad the season's over. Let's see if time will be a healer and the people who were cheated out of a good meeting will forgive and forget in time for next March. And that's the big question...IF Has anyone spoken to a referee about what their responsibilities are? So, does anyone "know", or are people "supposing that they know", or is it a case of "I don't know but surely it must be the referee's job"? I was always under the impression that a referee takes control of a meeting 2 hours before tapes up. Now I may be wrong about that, but if I'm right, then the team line-ups could have been in the referee's in-tray for as long as you like, there would have been nothing that he would have been empowered to do. Now imaginge for a moment that the referee had spoken to Drury in the week, and given him some advice about what will happen if he fields an illegible guest, how happy would Eastbourne (really) have been? Accusations of referees colluding with the Brummies management would have made this scandal look like peanuts.

I'll go back to my "6 wrongs don't make a right" statement. Just because a wholly inept and incompetent governing body allows for five previous miscarriages of justice, doesn't make letting another instance slip through the net any more "right". I'm sure that if the Police caught me doing 40mph in a 30mph zone, and I said that the 5 cars in front of me were doing 40 as well, I'd still get a speeding ticket, no matter how much I protest against it. What other people get away with is largely water under the bridge.

There's going to be endless "oh no he didn't" vs "oh yes he did" over who protested, and there's the arguement over whether 6 "wrongs" make a "right". At the end of the day, there's a written rule in the book. It doesn't say in the book that it applies only to the EL and PL, it doesn't say that it applies to "same competition" bookings only, and it doesn't say that it doesn't apply on Sundays. I'm sure that when Mr Drury returns to his duties as a Magistrate, he'll be applying the letter of the law, according to the book, and not what he heard from some heresay what the law was thought to be. Imagine if Matt Ford had been caught out booking the same guest twice in that 8 day period. What would we be saying then? One thing I'll agree with from Graham Drury's statement...it was the fans who were the losers. Again.

Because Eastbourne were desparate to win this meeting and from their point of view didn't want to allow Drury to get off scott free for making an illegal guest booking. At the end of the day, it's a schoolboy error on Drury's part. We can blame all and sundry over it as much as we like, but there were even people on BSF debating this rule days ago. If the great unwashed of BSF know this rule you have to expect an experienced team manager to know the rule too, and abide by it.

er, but he's replacing the AWAY team's #1...

So will the BSPA be operating a compensation fund for swindled fans? Be interesting to see how Buster Chapman officially anounces that one.

Kings Lynn, Stoke and Coventry did not complete all their National League home fixtures. Do the season ticket holders of these teams get refunds?

He thinks he can act like Nicki Pedersen when he's only achieved a Nickleodeon.

I'd be surprised if we see Buster Chapman as chairman of the BSPA afer the AGM. He has the behaviour of a man who's tired and fed up of it all. No real attempt to stage or promote the NL Pairs, and he can't be bothered to fulfill his team's league fixtures either. No efforts being made there at all. NOT what the leader of the sport in this country should be setting as an example is it?

Well I didn't see this coming. Best Brummies performance of the year. Happy to add ketchup mustard and mayo on my words and eat them with relish.

Birmingham do NOT have a team that's strong 1-7 at all. Recent result have shown that we have a team that's strong from 3-7, plus an unreliable if not dodgy guest, that's only once put in a true #1 performance, plus Reidar Replacement that could be just as unreliable. Against a team with a strong top two plus an impressive Jake Knight and and guessing that the Brummies will continue throwing some more points into the wind as they seem prone to do lately, I can't see the nostalgics or the romantics getting their way tonight. Brummies will do enough to win, but not by enough to get their hands on any silverware. Are you seriously expecting Ellis Greaves and Adam Ellis to be on the wrong end of early 5-1's? Can't see any "Ellis heat" being anything better than a 3-3 from the Brummies perspective, or even heat advantages to Eastbourne, sadly.

Lee Geary's been called upon in the past as a last minute guest...might need his services again by the looks of things.

Well it seems we are all in a competition to be the most gloomy about our prospects. I've said before that Eastbourne will be to Birmingham this year what Newcastle were to us in 2010 and I'm sticking to that. Eastbourne to nip into Homebase (other retail outlets are available) to buy the silver polish, and the Brummies to be given their BFH (Bus Fare Home)

8 point advantgage to the riders plus 10 points home track advantgage = 18 point win to Eastbourne on the day. 54-36

A GD guest??? Graham Drury's riding?

I'll say what I said on the other thread - 46-44 to Birmingham tonight...

You should put out an advert in the small-ads column of the local paper..."Little Thumper looking for a Big Knob" - You might get more than you are bargaining for. :rofl:

Are you the tax man? Has Jelly Corbyn sent you to make sure that all those dirty capitalistic profiteering enterprises pay their taxes? Even those based in off-shore tax havens?

That's what novices do...and that's what you have to expect in the NL. Eastbourne will do to Birmingham what Newcastle did to Birmingham in 2010. In that season, the Brummies stomped over the rest of the league, but in three two-legged match ups (Premier Trophy Final, PL KOC Final, and Play-Off's semi-final) the Diamonds stuffed the Brummies every time. The price you pay for having one team with a fair track and another with a huge home track advantage. In fact the parallels go further. Newcastle had two unstoppable heat leaders - Kenni Larsen and Rene Bach. Just as Eastbourne have Adam Ellis and Ellis Perks who are both head and shoulders above anything Birmingham have to offer. Can't see the Ellis's (Adam or Perks) dropping points so at least 6 races will be at least 3-3 if no other Eagle turns up, and two 5-1's to the Eagles in heats 13 & 15 before we start. Given that the Eagles will get at least 1 point in heat 2, then that's 29 points at Perry Barr in the bag before the other 5 riders in the team have done a thing. Now if each of those 5 riders only scores 3 points each, their 15 points plus the 29 from the combined might of the Ellis's and a reserve in heat 2, and you go to Arlington damned nearly level pegging. At Arlington, the Eagles start with a 10-point home track advantage, so it's going to be a long old slog for the young kids in the Brummies colours.