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Spot on Steve. Same old story. People writing us off already. Give Granty a chance. We were always playing catch up due to the delay in declaring to run. I'm sure Rob has put together a decent enough team with who was available and wanted to ride at Newcastle. If it doesn't happen this coming season I'm sure we'll build towards the following season. If so called fans don't want to turn up let them watch through their keyboards. Get behind the new regime. Honestly people amaze me. Call yourself speedway SUPPORTERS!!!!!

Funny that's exactly what they said about Workington in 2018... You don't have to win that many heats do you? The secret is not running last places... Regards THJ

Fingers crossed we come out of monday with a 7 plus team league, sensible points limit, and the continuation of what has been the best breeding ground for young brits in many years. If Mondays conclusion is not favourable how many young brits with have expensive shiny ornaments sat on thier workbench, how much young talent would slip away from the sport. Mondays meeting is genuinely up there as one of the most important meetings for the future of british speedway that there has been for generations. Fingers crossed it all works out well. NL is the lifeblood of speedway in the uk.

Workington showed the way in 2018, Glasgow hopefully have learned from that as last season we won lots of races but equally had too many last places. So this season we have went for strength in depth with a strong number 1. Hopefully 1 of our boys will increase their average significantly and do a " Rasmus " , my feeling is that Broc Nicol or Sam Jensen are the guys likely to increase by at least a point. Leicester look strong but weak at reserve (which we were last season) Good luck to the diamonds, glad they have been saved and will be down when Tigers are in town.

Wow You cant beat a good ride before a speedway meeting... wonder if that's optional? you never got that off any of the other promotions we have had mind... It was like when Brian Cough went to Nottingham Forest and two players were talking; and one guy said to the other "you've played for Cloughie before whats he like as a manager" the second guy said "he's a bit strict and usually pulled me off at half time" the first guy said "oh that's good cos all we get at half time now is a cup of tea and a segment of orange" Small blue pill for Mr Tsunami please... Regards THJ

Seem to remember people saying the same thing when we signed Matty Wethers two years ago. Vissing was no. 5 at Glasgow until late July last season so I've no worries there. Only 9 last places in 23 matches. home average 9.14 away 8.26. As consistent, if not better than, most no 1's.

Flipping glory hunters get on my wick. I go to watch racing. Happiness is 46-44.

Instead of Tungate - ok so his average is a little lower but at least he would turn up!

this is getting boring, haven't Poole dropped to the Championship, surely that's where the posts should go.

The team hasn't been announced yet, it's just a guess by THJ. Give Rob a chance either way, because their isn't many people willing to risk their money in speedway.

Still better than no Team.IMO.Teams on paper are not guaranteed to win anything either as has been proved many times in the sport.

......and how can anyone say Claus definitely won’t improve? How would they know that for sure. My opinion is that he’s still on the way up. Good luck to him and to Newcastle.

I think a little perspective needs to be applied here. Last seasons team (the second one if you like) looked decent on paper, but we were let down by riders inconsistency and not getting anywhere near to what they could/should have done. This season, some teams had announced their 1-7 before we even knew we were running. I believe we just need to get through this season, with riders who want to ride for us and see what happens. We will start team building for 2021 at the same time as everyone else and I think then is the time to judge.

Mentioned at the Talk-in last week. fireworks, pyrotechnics, live music and stunt show. Add to that a mini fairground in the car park and a ride as you enter the stadium and side stalls.

Klint, fast as a rocket when in front, as slow as a tortoise when behind a rider with not a scooby as to what to do.

Would sacrifice Iversen if we could be sure Corbyn does not win the Election

For me Belle Vue are the title favourites with that team.

Register on their website and you are good to go. Tickets are normally on sale a week to 10 days beforehand, print off from home and away you go. If you are booking for a group, it’s good to have passport numbers as they normally need to be assigned to each individual with name and ID number. We’ve done Gorzow a few times now, great stadium, great view wherever you sit. Bear in mind that they don’t sell programmes inside, you need to queue up at a ticket window to get them. Also recommend getting to the stadium early as it always seems that the whole town turns up on match day and it gets a bit hectic. Have a wonderful trip.

He may want to but is he able to?

Not quite getting this. How does being two points under the limit help individual riders to increase their averages? And if they collectively put on two points and increase to 42.5 Woffinden and Lindgren could only come in on a like for like basis to replace the top two riders (Masters or Thorssell) if they had increased their averages to 9.5. Are you really suggesting that Wolves would sack Masters or Thorssell if they put 2 points each on their averages?

If it was my money, I'd add exactly that but bin the greyhounds and make the track bigger and wider

Do agree with bwitcher on this. I cannot understand why we are starting the season with a team 2 points below the points limit. When the points limit was revealed I wondered whether we would stick with the same 7 as last year. But with Sheffield entering the league that felt like an obvious destination for Howarth who knows that track well and it probably suits him more than Monmore. If the other 6 riders remain as last season, then the only issue to decide if it has been a successful transfer window is to compare Howarth and Nicol. If Howarth had stayed I suspect he would have averaged a similar amount to last season's 5.72. I would be over the moon if Nicol averaged more than that but I would be confident in saying he wont. So we must be worse off than if we had started with Howarth or someone that could match his average. There is also an associated factor that Douglas and/or Becker would spend more of the season riding at reserve if Howarth had stayed. Which just adds to the issue

No doubt his brother would pass on a glowing reference of the Foxhall track!

We had 2/3 good seasons out of 15 at Newport but oh what I'd do to have the side back that had Nick Simmonds at no1!!

Saw Douglas and Nicol in the CL at Eastie last year, both were fantastic having never riden our awkward/tight track before. From the outside the fact you've got riders who could be the backbone of your team for seasons to come can only be good. I understand being under 2 points grates for some, but long term looks the right way to me, only shame is Nichol isn't doubling with us at Eastie. I'm sure all 3 will up their average this season too, playoffs the aim first, then who knows, Wolves have done it before as we know to our cost, 2002 still annoys me!

I don't think it's anything to do with cost at all, had Freddy or Greg made themselves available they would be in. Personally I would rather watch 3 young riders in Douglas, Becker and Nicol develop than a has been who's career is on a downward spiral

Nick Morris is better than Brady Kurtz.

I just remember Dudley Wood having a ‘pork’ van which sold the best pork scratchings/crackling I have ever tasted :-)

I disagree, good riders can adapt to any tracks or conditions. I have seen Holder fly round lakeside on more than one occasion. Also everyone seems to manage to ride Foxhall these days.

The only person to enjoy those toilets was SCB. He's used to the smell and got some images to take home and enjoy too

TOOT TOOT

That's only for you, as it would frighten the children lol.

This appeared in the Auckland Star on Wednesday, March 31, 1920 : DEATHS FINN - on March 30, 1920, at Takapuna, as the result of a motor cycle accident, Hans Peter Finn, aged 37 years. The funeral will leave the mortuary of Messrs. C.Little and Sons, Hobson Street, to-morrow (Thursday), at 2 p.m., for Waikumete Cemetary. It appeared along with the report of the inquest: MOTOR CYCLE RACING. FATALITY AT TAKAPUNA. The death of Hans Peter Finn, as the result of an accident at the motor cycle races at Takapuna on Monday last, formed the subject of an inquest at the morgue this morning, before Mr. J. E. Wilson, S. M.. Evidence of identification was given by Julius Gotfred Jensen, who said that deceased was a native of Denmark, and was a stonemason in the employ of Messrs. Parkinson and Co. Dr. Maxwell Ramsay, medical officer in charge of the Narrow Neck Camp, gave evidence of the admission of the deceased to the hospital, where it was found that, in addition to his other injuries, he had sustained a fracture of the base of the skull. He gradually became worse and died yesterday morning. Percy R. Coleman, professional motor-cycle rider in the employ of Mr. E. S. Pees, Palmerston North, said he was one of the competitors at the motor-cycle sports held on the Takapuna racecourse. In reply to a question from the Coroner, as to what was the condition of the track, and whether any special preparations had been made for the races, witness said that there had been no special preparation. They rode on the ordinary track, which was in good order. The Coroner: Had the track not been prepared at all? - No, but it was in pretty good order. The Coroner: This is the second inquest at which I have had to move in connection with motor-cycle racing. This is the second man who has been killed. In reply to a further question, witness said they had been riding on the grass track for about eight years. This track was as good as any in New Zealand. The Coroner: If that is the case, it seems to me that this kind of sport will have to be barred so as to prevent these accidents. There are different tracks, are there not - tracks specially constructed for motor-cycling? Witness replied that there were none in New Zealand. He had ridden on motor-cycle tracks in America, and was of the opinion that the track at Takapuna compared very favourably with tracks of the same kind in that country. Continuing, witness said that he and deceased both rode in the President's Handicap. WItness was on the scratch mark, and gradually overhauled deceased. As witness was passing him, he suddenly swerved out, and witness brushed the latter's arm with his left. This caused witness' bicycle to skid about, but he did not know deceased had fallen until he had gone another lap, as it was against the rules of racing to look behind. As soon as he noticed the accident he pulled up and informed the stewards. At the time of the accident witness was travelling at about 80 miles an hour, and deceased at about 65 miles. Witness was on the right side of the track. Henry N. Anderson, member of the motor ambulance corps, said he drove the deceased to the Hospital at Narrow Neck. The latter was then quite conscious, and in reply to a query as to how the accident happened, said: "When I was going round the back of the course, the front wheel of my bike seemed to strike a rut. This caused me to swerve, and while recovering I seemed to get a tap on the arm. The next thing I knew, I was lying on the ground." The Coroner returned a verdict to the effect that deceased died as a result of a fracture of the skull and other injuries received from a fall from a motor-cycle while riding in a race on the Takapuna racecourse on March 29. He added: "If You gentlemen will engage in this kind of sport You will have to recognise what an extremly dangerous sport it is. This is the second inquest I have had in connection with motor-cycling during the past few months. I cannot stop You yet. I have no power to do it, but someone will have to stop You if this kind of thing continues. I can only find the cause of death, and say what I think of sport where men are liable to be killed in this manner." Subsequently Mr. R. E. Champtaloup, captain of the Auckland Provincial Motor-Cycle Racing Club, made a statement to the press. He pointed out that the previous accident, which occured at Alexandra Park, had nothing at all to do with the club. The track had been closed for the day, and the men were really on the ground without authority from the club. The track at Takapuna was considered one of the best of its kind, and was similar to the tracks used in America. He held that the proportion of deaths from motor-cycle racing was relatively small when compared with the deaths resulting from horse-racing.

We need to have a heat leader in the 7 and above range at 5 as heats 13&15 are so important,hopefully the rider classed as “how did we get him” is still to come. its really important for the new promotion to hit the ground running and start the season with a great crowd and maintain it through the season

A mutually beneficial arrangement !

Manchester wasn't built by Gaming International. Check the latter's record of false promises and abject failure to deliver on promises, especiually in Reading and Milton Keynes. The NSS was a totally different case - backing from the city council plus Manchester City through their local sport initiative is a rather different scenario to a company with a record of fine words and zero action in far too many cases. They've even spread into football with Torquay United. They own the club and immediately promised to demolish Plainmoor and move the club to a new stadium. They promised, they promised.....then said it wasn't going to happen. https://www.devonlive.com/sport/football/football-news/torquay-united-scrap-plans-new-3412818 I'd love them to build the new stadium but it would be foolish not to keep a very close eye on these people given their shocking record under various names.

You were complaining about wasting 300 hours every year fast forwarding through adverts. And yet you watch cricket?????

There's alway one isn't there ffs the teams coming together nicely why not just get behind the new owner and enjoy the season like the rest of us are doing or just keep your negativey to yourself

What loyalty speech ? And to whom?

Was that the misterious burst water main

http://www.newcastlediamonds.co/news/article.asp?id=101062 Email address on the link

Yeah, maybe just for 2020 though.

Good track though Bruno, i always thought it was a tough test for a visiting rider who maybe only rode there once a year.l can remember once going there in 1980??? against Swindon on a bank holiday it was a 11 oclock start the Grahame/ Collins partnership over that period were superb.

Actually more likely BWD over Scott if that fits.

Or MPT?

I let live sport get a head start and then start watching after about 15 minutes. Then I can just f/f the ads. At one time ITV was allowed six minutes of ads per hour. Now a one hour programme on a commercial channel indeed is about 40-45 of actual programme with the rest ads and programme promos. When it comes to sport channels it's sheer greed to sell advertising on top of charging viewers extortionate monthly fees.

Theo Piper and victor palovarra

Grondal missed the whole of the 2019 GB season because no one wanted to sign him. He was fit enough to ride eight matches in Denmark but was not signed by a GB club then. No reduction is due, any more than it is for Tom Bacon, Josh Bates or Richie Worrall.

I think the other thing is the Aussies don’t have a league to ride in back home like the poles, brits, Danes, swedes and even the Germans have. I think they realise they have to make it otherwise that’s it no job as a speedway rider whereas the young brits seem to just rely on the NL

We were brought up in the comets early days with each rider having a " childish name" its part of the entertainment. Glamour boy lou sansom wildman vic londsdale firery aussie mal mackay etc it sticks in kids minds long may it go on .