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Honestly First met Luke a few years back now when my daughter was teaching at his school in Berwick and I used to chat to him at Newcastle when he came down on his free Sundays to watch. He is a great kid who is "keen as mustard" and wants to do well and he will be well looked after up at Armadale and I hope he takes this opportunity with both hands and makes a good go of it. After all he deserves the chance and he will not be overawed by the step up and his attitude is spot on. If he puts 1 point on his average next year he will have upped it by 50% so you need to look at what you expect him to achieve because if he does end up on a 3 by the end of next year I will guarantee that no other rider in the Edinburgh team will have upped there average by that amount as its all about perspective If he can get dialled into the Edinburgh track he will be okay, as has been pointed out there is a good home track advantage up there and he will get well looked after with all the help needed for him to improve. Good luck to him for next year and stay safe, and all he has to do; to look for inspiration; is look at how Kyle Bickley did last year; he had a hard time at the start of last season, persevered, and by the end of the year didn't want the season to finish, so let Brummie matey boy "knock" as hard as he wants, if you get stuck in and work hard you end up proving the detractors wrong. I for one will be rooting for him Go for it Bonnie Lad Regards THJ

Michael Palm-Toft 7.96Charles Wright 7.68Ben Barker 6.87Tom Bacon 4.50Jordan Stewart 4.09 Nathan Greaves 3.99Jack Smith 2.73 So this team is confirmed....huge well done to Bears management - three genuine heat-leaders, and full of young potential. Loving the Bacon and Smith signings, think they could love the STMP every week....but it is MPT and Wright signings that make this VII, didn't think we would see a top three that good - pressure off Barker now and he will fly - on paper that is one, if not the, best teams ever put together by the Bears. Well done Jitendra.

So sad many memories of him lighting up Foxhall. I really hope that he recovers soon.

Pretty much sums it up. "Welcome to the real world" where there is more to running a team than just playing Fantasy Speedway with any name that springs to mind. We can thank the organisation who are the sole guardians of the "best interests of British speedway" for making the rules that we have to play by, one of which is that Birmingham, having been stripped of all its Tony Mole riding assets, by said organisation, a couple of years ago, has to now balance out asset building with on-track competitiveness, whilst those teams with an asset base can plough their resources into a focussed effort of maintaining a competitive team. It'll be several years of team building before Birmingham will be able to mount a title challenge, and I hope that the fans come to realise that. Sights need to be adjusted accordingly. Anyone who thinks "we are Birmingham, therefore we entitled" needs to take a reality check. We are in a different environment, and we're playing catch-up with the established teams in this league.

Local Wolves newspaper is reporting " ''SPOON MUSEUM TO BE BUILT IN WOLVERHAMPTON " Initial fears that a phone box was being converted into the Cradley Heath trophy cabinet have proven unfounded as thankfully the report says JD Wetherspoon are putting a National beer museum into the "Moon Under Water" Pub in Lichfield St, Wolverhampton.. Footnote: Wolves fan stalwart Stal asked me to remind fellow Wolves fans that:- 1) Cradley have never won a top league title when Wolves were in the league at the same time. 2) Hamill & Hancock did not win World Titles in Cradley colours! Have a Merry 'Flange Free' Crimble Lefty

Fingers crossed both Becker and Lidsey are good, I would have been happy with either. Don't see why it has to be an either/or.

Castagna being one. Good luck to Luke at Edinburgh.

Honestly As it is coming up to Christmas I thought I would share this little chestnut off the Scunthorpe 2019 thread (Page 21) from Gazc where in response to a question posted by "allthegearbutnaeidea" where he asked "Why does every team want Rasmus Jensen?" Glasgow Gaz responded back with... Quote "Probably appeals as his average is attractive in a watered down league , I would be disappointed if my team signed him. No dis-respect to him but I have never been impressed any time I saw him albeit he was banging some big scores in towards the end of last season". Just hope the rest of Christmas isn't such a big disappointment Gazc and signing Rasmus Jensen doesn't spoil your entertainment to much next season, although there is always Hogmanay where you can drown your sorrows, like eh!!! #teamspirit #PMSL Regards THJ

Just makes the ruling of no NL teams allowed assets all the more ridiculous. Brum could have spent the years in the lower league recruiting and placing themselves in a much stronger position moving forward.

Agreed, Looks like a business signing rather than the best option with the points available. Ultimately if Brum are to survive at a higher level there will be a season or two of building and preparation i just hope that the team can be competitive enough to keep the fan base through the tougher early years.

I'm actually changing jobs because of this Panthers side. I'm going to be looking for a job near the Showground so I can attend meetings after work. I'm even taking a paycut to do it. That's how excited I am.

No one cares. Just sign the petition or don’t. If it doesn’t help then it doesn’t help but no harm is done by signing it.

Your calculator is broken. Even if Mellish got a reduction (and that's a big if), he'd still be on 4.63 What team could accommodate a reserve on 4.63? With the current points limit most teams are spending less than 4.63 on both reserves combined! Bit crazy that he's never been above NL reserve and is stuffed with a 5.03/4.63 average, yet you can have a seasoned ex-pro who has held a 1st division average of near 6.00 and drop him into the NL on a reported 3.50 average.

He is the same standard as a lot of the reserves in the league next next season,I’m quite sure he will give it his best shot and wish him well.To say he will will be the worst rider in the league is very disrespectful he did not create this situation.There a few 2 pointers who will find his home track a challenge to say the least.

A different paper round?

well, they certainly did that in the final last year..

You could get a job as a head gardener. Own bull541t supplied

Try getting a job with the showground caterers, you can't get much nearer than that

Maybe because he did not know which way brum where going N.L or championship. And when the limit was set low teams had to act quick and sign the team......

Thank you to all the Warriors family for allowing me to make history, and the been the first opposition supporter to announce another teams rider. Such an honour, another example of how the Warrior Way is so inclusive.

Sales of "Guess Who" going through he roof this year

But agree we need to see a "new" name. Some one to excite us jaded supporters....

If you say so..... Take it you didn't see many meetings there this year?

That doesn't sound dodgy at all!

Not for me now sadly, we need a number 1 so the last two should be a 3pt reserve and someone around 7.5.

Good question!

Feel free to send Nathan back to Ipswich if he is not needed He will be most welcome Mind you so would Pawlicki and/or Thorsell (Sorry to sound like one of those appeal adverts)

Nice to see the Colts full of up and coming young riders That is what the N.L is all about they may not all make it to the top but they have the chance to

dont use it dc we all go private!

My predictions for 2020 are 1) Everyone will still hate the Glasgow promotion for trying to run the club professionally 2) The same tadgers will still be on here with their "well known sources" talking crap.

Exactly, but Ray is never too positive about the Poole team or anything to do with Poole really! Actually Gavan is prob more positive about it!!

“I’m as excited as a terribly excited person who has a really good reason for being terribly excited." JCF: Permission to sing boisterously, Ged? Ged: If you must. JCF: [singing] Row, row, row your punt Gently down the stream! Belts off, trousers down! Isn't life a scream?! OY!

Exactly. If we end up with Jacob and Ashley I'm very confident of our chances, certainly compared to what has been built so far elsewhere.

Yeah, exactly. Where's Jim Bowen with his "look what you could have won"??? We've had a fair bit of talent come ride for the Brummies at NL level, not one scrap of which we enter the Championship with. Thanks BSPA.

He must have some cr&p staff- everything that has gone wrong is down to them

There might be no Thurrock Council debate on it so what’s the problem. They have backing from the council and the local MP. You’ve made your point the petition is worthless. Let’s move on

Welcome to Tobias Thomsen. Cue the "what, not Danyon?" Outrage...

I take your views, since you have been watching him more often. However we do have a decent track record of improving riders once in the Monarchs family. Here’s hoping we do so again.

Cos we are saintly.

We are going to try everything to get the Hammers back in Essex. It took 12 years to find the Hammers a new home after West Ham closed, let's hope we are more successful now Arena Essex has been compulsory purchased. There are lots of occasional speedway fans in Essex, as shown by the attendances at the last meeting, free and subsidised meetings and the Lee Richardson Memorial. The way speedway has been run over the last 10 or more years has driven fans away from every track, but as a constant attended since 1990, I can assure you we have enough of a fan base and potential fan base to maintain a team in Essex. It's a shame you couldn't make it to Arena for speedway over the years, as it's always nice to meet other forum members. The management and fans are fighting hard to return the team to the area and surely other fans and teams should be supporting that.

Looking forward to seeing all the videos of the remaining 6 riders. . Main thing is your running in 2019

Well based on the final NL Green Sheets for 2018 , Ruddick was 6.67 compared to Glasgow's Joe Lawlor on 6.61 I realise that averages can be misleading, but unless you were watching Ruddick riding everywhere, week in, week out, rather than trust your assumption, I'll wait & see how he actually does. Certainly HalifaxTiger on this forum rates him and he probably attended more 2018 UK domestic meetings than anyone else on the BSF.

Im ok at maths its arithmetic thats my problem area .

Completely disagree and i will tell you this one has a stinking the worlds against me attitude and one has the attitude to make him a world champion i cant even believe its a question smith or flint there is only 1 winner there.

Im led to believe that Jack wanted to stay and had we wanted him he would of been riding for us. He was a revelation for us and would of been madness to not want him back. It's also fairly common knowledge we offered terms to Wright and Redcar, presumably, after pleading poverty at the AGM offered more than we was prepared to offer. Another poster today though seemed to suggest the money offered to Wright by Somerset wasn't great. I can't comment on that, but it's borderline suicide after building bridges, getting him in for the cup final, getting fans hopes up and then not resigning him. Somerset's team is strong in comparison to most - but that's what you would now expect. We are a big fish in a small pond. We dominated the 2nd division for years and will be there or there shouts to do the same again I'm sure. However.... you say we have to get behind them, why do we? Fans are allowed to have their say and they don't have to back anybody.

Age has nothing to do with it. Its not called National Under 21 League is it? Who says the older riders cant develop?

Boring the first time you said it

Running a team as a tax write-off isn't a new tactic ;) and a cursory look at companies house once you scan any programme will usually tell you what you need to know as THJ has demonstrated. They are not the only team subsidised in the same way either.

Just back from the Lakeside fans forum. Well attended. Someone said around 200 there but I didn't count them myself. The meeting lasted about 1hr 45 min and a lot of detail was given which I am not going to repeat on here. Suffice to say there is hope . Lots still to be done but there was an hour long meeting with the developers a week of two back, and the Thurtock Council are tangibly supportive . There are sponsors interested in giving support if things come to fruition and at the moment at least there seem to be funds available to build a basic Leicester style track. The council are doing their assessment/planning of sports facilities in a few months and Speedwáy seems to be on the agenda. The behaviour of the BSPA towards Stuart Douglas has been atrocious, and wrangling are still going on. No criticism was made of Rye House who did there best to help but reading between the lines it seems the BSPA's treatment of them has been abysmal as well. It just seems incredible to me that given the present state of speedway the BSPA are not bending over backwards to keep Speedwáy at that facility instead of obstructing it . All the riders will be paid by Stuart but it is the BSPA that are preventing it at the moment. It seems to me that that, the BSPA continue to believe that it is they , not they riders, nor the fans, that are the most important people in Speedwáy.

Which is why the riders are daft to sign such contracts, if they all stood together and refused to sign the present contracts they would have a bit more clout. If they are happy to be "owned" by a promoter and told what they can and cannot do then that is up to them.