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At this time of festive cheer, I would to wish you all a very merry Christmas and thank you for your support of the Wightlink Warriors and Wizards. It means the world to Martin and I the feedback across the forum on the Warriors and Wizards. It is all very useful for us as we slowly develop our product further and within budget. So thank you, whether you are a season ticket holder, member of staff or someone who just looks in from a distance. Thanks. Have a great Christmas with those you love, and I look forward to seeing you, hearing from you or pondering your thoughts on here in the future. All the best Barry (and Martin)

Merry Xmas & a Happy New Year to all Bandits fans have a good one. Also season's greetings to all speedway fans who support this sport of ours.

Personally I thik the Promotion are to be congratulated on the team they have brought together. They all seem as if they want to be there and are looking forward to the challenge and all are capable of progressing and upping their averages.

don't think Poole are one of the bigger payers, certainly weren't before, but the riders know they will BE paid and that makes a big difference

I can confirm it was down to money and Allen wanted a little more than the club could pay at the time. Ipswich have offered him a good deal! From what I understand Poole, Ipswich and another club were talking to him but decided on Ipswich. Poole’s loss as think NBJ is a risk. But the books need to be balanced.

And the award for fabrication goes to........ He didnt want to much money but Ipswich got in first and he was happy with what was on offer and joined us Not every rider dreams of riding for Poole and when they dont sign for Poole there isnt always an excuse as to why................riders do choose themselves. It must be very worrying if Poole are being outbid on riders and not prepared to stump up the money......what happens if the team struggles you wont be able to afford to make changes

The right to hold assets was reinstated to NL clubs last year.

Seems like we are a bit dumb here in Suffolk - fancy us keep asking Chris what our team will be We really shouldve realised that the man to ask is Matt Ford - apparently he has known our 1-7 since early December!! Now where is his email address.......

Next years team was put together by Ged Rathbone

What are you talking about? Balancing books doesn’t mean financial difficulties you plonker.

Perhaps when we know the line up we can judge before condemning.

Covatti is British-based; or do you think he flies in from Argentina for every meeting?!

Merry Christmas to Comets fans everywhere. A Happy speedway New Year too - it will be difficult to top last year, but I am sure our new septet will give it their best shot.

Merry Xmas and a great Speedway New Year to all Newcastle Speedway fans. We know the team now, and all could be winners, so looking forward to a tasty season with a sprinkling of success. Roll on the last week in March. A new team, which will freshen things up, could surprise a lot of people.

Speaking to Chris on Saturday when I got my season ticket, likely now next announcements will be in the new year. in fairness don’t think he ever said we’d for certain know the team by Christmas, but said he hoped to be be able to announce the team by Christmas, that hasn’t been the case, which is just as disappointing for him as the fans!

is that fact or are you guessing if that's the case I reckon poole speedway is not in a healthy state ?

Allen priced himself out of a team berth. Asked for too much money.

Richie rode ONE league match (v Wolves at home) at reserve scoring 8+2 and 4 play off matches (that don’t count towards averages) at reserve....The rest of the time he rode in the 1-5, putting in some useful scores, so not as though he rode at reserve all season as your post is hinting at!!

Ipswich speedways greatest rider and one of Englands finest, John Louis was born in 1941 and had his first rides on a speedway bike at Foxhall in mid 1969, so he was just 28 I believe! I'm all for bringing on young riders, that has to be a main aspect of the National League but I disagree with putting a rider in the team just cause hes young. Also if riders like Jon Armstrong, Robert Ledwith are still quick enough then their experience can be invaluable to young riders!

THE Save Coventry Speedway & Stox Campaign Group send their compliments of the festive season to all supporters. As we head towards a third year in which our sports will be absent from their rightful place, we want to assure everyone that our determination to see them return remains as high as ever. There have been few formal developments since the Public Meeting in early November, but we have remained active and can confirm Rugby Council are now in receipt of even more information to counter the statements made by Framptons on behalf of Brandon Estates. The Planning Application for Brandon Stadium was submitted in January 2018 but a date has still yet to be set for it to be taken to committee. This will not take place until the completion of the government Inspector’s Report into the Rugby Local Plan (which we believe is imminent), or until the Council have received specialist sporting advice regarding the application itself and the myriad of responses opposing it. We remain totally convinced that the Planning Application is intrinsically flawed as it fails to satisfy the criteria required for the development of established sporting venues under National Planning Policy Framework. Framptons were required to submit further information making the case that there is no ongoing need for the two sports to be operating at Brandon (or in the immediate area). This was finally submitted after a five-month delay, and we made our views very clear both in our response to the Council and in our presentation at the Public Meeting. Since then, it has been confirmed that there will be no Coventry Speedway team competing next season, giving a final answer to the ludicrous claims that the club was perfectly well accommodated at Leicester. The stock car analysis was equally controversial, and we have submitted aerial photographs of all of the venues which Framptons claim could be alternatives to Brandon, which totally disproves their ‘desk-top analysis’ which contains very little in the way of actual evidence. Additionally, if you were at the Public Meeting you will remember the case of Perry Barr, which is listed in Framptons’ covering letter to their Needs Analysis as a possible alternative venue, on the basis that it stages “similar kinds of uses.” That statement is incredible enough if you know Perry Barr, but even more extraordinarily the stadium is then included in a list of current, active stock car venues during the content of the Needs Analysis, leading to a completely inaccurate mathematical exercise over the total number of venues. In addition to the responses which had already been submitted pointing out the fallacies of these statements, we have now been able to submit the actual planning documentation from Birmingham City Council granting permission for speedway to be staged at the stadium from 2007. This makes it quite clear that no motorsport with the exception of speedway can be staged at the venue. In our view it is totally unacceptable that a Planning Application and associated documents seeking to destroy an iconic, successful and viable sporting venue, where there is a clear case of ongoing need, can be so disgracefully deficient. There have been numerous other responses to the Needs Assessment, including from both the speedway (BSPA) and stock car (BRISCA and BSCDA) governing bodies, all of which highlight the inaccuracies and untruths contained within, and stress the importance of Brandon to their sports. Framptons have also been forced to withdraw a section of the report relating to Coventry Racing Club and the negotiations which did or did not take place in 2016, and this also has an impact on the Turley (viability) report submitted in January which made the same incorrect assertion. It is the belief of the Campaign Group that both the original Planning Application and the subsequent Needs Assessment documents are absolutely riddled with inaccurate, misleading and untruthful statements, and we have therefore considered making a formal complaint to the Royal Town Planning Institute under Sections 11 (Accuracy) and 12 (Errors and mis-statements) of their Ethics and Professional Standards Advice document. We have decided however, as Rugby Council have committed to the appointment of an independent body to look into the various claims and our response to those claims, we will defer a decision until the independent body completes their investigation. We already have meetings confirmed for the early part of the New Year where we will be seeking assurances over the exact process going forward. We will be ready for any situation and can assure Framptons and Brandon Estates that our opposition will only increase until they do the right thing and agree that the sports should be allowed to return. We do ask all supporters to stay as positive as possible – we have a huge amount of firm evidence in our favour, and we will keep fighting for as long as it takes. The Campaign Group wishes you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, and please be assured we will update you as soon as there is further news. *FOLLOWING the news that Coventry Bees would not be racing in 2019, we were asked by the Coventry Telegraph on December 4 to provide a statement. As only half of that statement was printed, we now reproduce it in full: We stated when the Bees were accepted into the National League, running at Leicester, that we could only offer our full support if we could be convinced that this was part of a genuine plan for the club to eventually return to its rightful location. It is patently obvious from the most recent planning documentation that the developers were happy to regard Leicester as an appropriate long-term solution, in an attempt to absolve them of any responsibility to provide an alternative in the Coventry/Rugby area should they receive permission to build on Brandon. Although the club has issued no statement, the Bees have not been included in the list of National League starters for 2019, which will be largely down to the poor attendances and associated losses suffered this year – none of which comes as any surprise, and does not lessen the demand for speedway or stock car racing in the area. This totally invalidates the representations of Framptons, who argued in their initial application in January that Leicester was “better suited to its use as a speedway stadium for a number of reasons including its accessibility...” and their subsequent remarks claiming that alternative provision for the previous speedway use at Brandon had been satisfactorily made, along with their inaccurate analysis of alternative stadia for both sports. The failure of the Coventry Bees project at Leicester merely highlights the totally unsatisfactory nature of that solution, and the clear ongoing need for the club to be operating in the Coventry/Rugby area. The Planning Application continues to directly contradict the requirements of the National Planning Policy Framework with regard to sports facilities, and the developers must not be permitted to proceed on that basis. The absence of Coventry from competition in 2019 in no way changes that position. ENDS

But the question was - who is paying the bills? Buster or A N Other.....

Surely as a Poole asset and the fact that Poole intended using him, he didn't have permission to speak to any other clubs!

Ye gads! You are utterly Clueless.

Windon The others

T-Balfe are continuing with their title sponsorship too it seems

Starman

Poole in poaching rider shocker - not as if they haven’t done it before - several times!

Swap Connor for Nathan Greaves and that would be challenging for honours in the CL in 2019....

Well said Ms. Lion, I'll echo all of that. Remember everyone, it is our patriotic duty this Christmas to keep the nation's breweries in business and to contribute to the exchequer through payment of excise duties.

Id say the biggest worry for British Speedway is that this team looks one of the stronger ones and yet awful all in one go

100% agree with the above. The reason any rider should get a place is because they are quick/good enough not because they are young enough. There is an obsession at present with getting riders in as soon as they are 15/16. If they are good enough then i have no issue with it but if they require a little longer to develop then give them the time. There is also major issue with 15 year olds being included in league racing and the laws surrounding it that will only become more problematic over time.

Merry Christmas all... Xmas

And you seem to write off every other team in the league,as you appear to say Poole will win it again

With respect, firstly, do YOU go to any other tracks that you often waffle on about ? Secondly, you're both boneheads and have too much time on your hands. Thirdly, as a homeless man said to me and a few work friends tonight in London, Merry Christmas you fkin idiots. Cheers

Good of the authorities to let the fans know!

Sheffield - look good on paper but so they did last season. Andersen, Nicol and Kennedy have to live up to the hype. Leicester - very solid top four who should score home and away. Add on Mountain starting at reserve is a bonus but even if Perks drops they have a strong reserve. Somerset - granted i'm biased but I fully believe that is the best top 5 in the league. Reserves are the question, though Atkins does know the track. Redcar - very strong top 3 and massive potential at reserve. Can't see many teams beating them at home. Edinurgh - Wells is a good no. 1, Lawson a strong reserve and Pickering, Heeps and Andersson are solid enough. What Sedgmen will do is the big question? Eastbourne - As much as they will be strong at home with the lack of experience in the lower end, they may struggle away. Glasgow - people may be surprised but I really don't rate this team. Poor lower end may be helped slightly by Vissing, Jensen and Starke at home but I fear away may be a one man team, Cook. Workington - Very strong at home tbh and probably an exciting team at Derwent Park. However MacDonald being a British novice and Lambert being in the main body, I can't see an attsck on the play- offs. Scunthorpe - no omph in the team tbh. It's an ok looking team but doesn't make me feel any confidence in it. List starting in the main body is intriguing decision as Bailey isn't good enough to make the top 5. Berwick - same as Scunny really. Has no x- factor to the team. Newcastle - poor team imo but at the same time it probably has the biggest potential given that every single rider can improve their averages, I just don't expect them to do it. Brummies - sadly the speedway club that I am closest to, even though i'm a Rebel, looks a poor side as clearly they are trying to re make an asset list. Wajtknecht and Shanes are very good signings though.

Jake isn't renowned for his gating for starters. More his inside dives into turn 3!

What a pointless topic, who knows how teams will be Aug/Sept

The Brummies finished top of the Elite in 2013 with the same 7 riders all riders rode in 28 matches. Smolinski king Doyle Harris Barker Auty Covatti

Ipswich Wolves Belle Vue Swindon Poole Peterborough Kings Lynn

Last season according to Jayne Moss from Buxton

He will be a missing link ....

The fact that you can’t justify your accusation that I don’t understand how things work says even more. To make it easier, what about Jason Doyle - in Swindon’s retained this - being “released” by Leicester after three full seasons? Let’s face it, Cook and Tungate weren’t released because of any “bigger picture”. The BV management chose, solely for the sake of BV, not to re-sign these two riders. You need to ask the BV management how big their picture was

A very weak 2nd Division team but built within a budget understandably. The move up was needed to create more interest cause a club like Birmingham should have higher aspirations than the NL. The trouble is that losing to many home meetings will see crowds plummet. Really hope things work out for Birmingham in 2019 but it looks likely team changes will be needed mid season?

A fantastic team! Ablitt & Kemp have pushed them from being play-off contenders to title favourites. A well balanced team with a stand out number 1 and always brilliant reserves.

Any team would be more than happy if there team was the Peterborough one as it is very strong throughout & will always have 2 excellent reserves.

You're irritating but don't yet have the special talent to warrant the ignore fuction.

I don’t know a Panthers fan who isn’t delighted with the side