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From Rob Grant Not that I need to justify my actions but I will point out that at the time of replacing JPB I knew Newcastle was in a financial hole and the Diamonds were having to be subsidised heavily to get the bills paid , hence the dropping of the National League as the crowd figures at the time were shockingly low. I told Steve Pate that things weren’t quite rosy and that I wanted to put Archie in so that if Newcastle collapsed the lad could say he had ridden for his home town club. We knew he wasn’t ready but we had our reasons for letting him do it. Archie could of easily refused to sign but he didn’t and we were pleased to give him the run till the season closed. We had 7 meetings left to stage in National League and we weren’t just talking a couple of grand to complete them it would of been a substantial amount. Some folk on here saying they offered to keep it going are talking utter garbage as no one approached me at all esp the main man that’s letting his mouth go. All sponsors agreed for the club to retain the sponsorship in order for the main team to survive. With the exception of the main man who’s letting his mouth go, who asked for a full refund, which was given. Newcastle are running championship only, you have a team to support, we have a facility to operate out of, we have a good loyal backing, let's just focus on keeping another club active as we don't want to lose any more, We have seen the issues with Birmingham and Kent and we are in the same bubble. So for heaven sake just enjoy what you have, while you have it as nothing is guaranteed anymore.

Can't believe any real Newcastle fans are unhappy with the team. A few weeks ago, the Diamonds were finished. If your last rider is a big hitter, it looks a decent team. Whoever the last rider is, it looks a better team than last year, & most importantly, you still have a speedway team to support.

There are times when saying nothing is best......

Guaranteed to be paid on time

Richie Worral then plus maybe Anders Rowe?

Thought I'd start this thread because I couldn't see one started... hope I'm not stepping on anyone's toes by starting this! Feel free to add riders and averages as and when there announced cheers everyone.

But Newcastle have made the decision to drop Archie, a local prospect who the club threw in the deep end and said there would be no pressure on him , and said this would be a good move for the future of Newcastle and now they drop him and bring in another untried but non UK youngster , and that’s British Speedways fault ??? No, that is the Newcastle promoters decision nothing to do with the rest of speedway.

Is there one rider that if your club signed them you would consider no longer attending? For example poor Baldyman is sweating on Doyle signing as a Witch Give reasons if you wish but it can just be a gut feeling with no rational justification Expand to a full nightmare 1-7 if you are a proper miserable bar steward like me Craig Cook Jason Crump Jack Holder Justin Sedgman Chris Harris Hans Andersen Josh Bates (I needed a RS )

So I am now going to follow Oxford as my new club after the closing of Somerset. Couldn’t bring myself to follow any of the other Championship clubs so a new club is right up my street. Double bonus it’s a lot closer. Still a good hours run for me, but hey, speedway again, can’t wait.

Unfortunate that Dan is carrying a falsely high average into next season. Somewhere around 4 would be ideal, but there we are, can't change it! Rowe seemed to be affected last season by his knee injury and wasn't the same afterwards, he came back very soon. If he comes into 2022 fully recovered he could be a steal for whoever has him.

Leicester 2022? Nick Morris 8.61 Richie Worrall 7.76 Kyle Howarth 7.52 Connor Mountain 5.06 Dan Thompson 5.03 Anders Rowe 3.99 Joe Thompson 3.65 Total 41.62

Similar timeline for me since last posting about Oxford on here. Great to see the club back and lets hope the fans have retained their enthusiasm for the sport. That plus an opportunity to introduce new fans is hopefully a recipe for success. Good luck to Jamie in making it happen All the hard work from so many people has paid off

Is that per lb.

How dare Leon and Jordan perform so damn well. It's an outrage . Personally think a 2 U23 Brits minimum should maybe have come in to replace it but the RS scheme was flawed from the start

That’s the BSPA for you,short term thinking with self interest thrown in.Most fans could see the rising star’s average was going to cause headaches the following season.Very shortsighted IMO.

It'll be Richie.

Agree with this. Chatting to Rob Lyon several years ago about the structure of British speedway being ar5e over t!t, he was concerned then but they wouldn't listen. Either use and accommodate them going forward as a rule, or dont…but stop mucking them about.

Jye just announced on Bandits social media certainly puts an end to the rumours of him going to Leicester. shaping up very very nicely

Newcastle are putting together a team within budget so they can continue racing which is great but on the flip side u still need to attract more people thru the gate to make the business sustainable into the future. On paper sadly I don't see the team attracting more people thru the gate well not people who know about speedway. The other way of course is to do plenty of marketing and sell the sport to those that are new to it. Anyways not ere to give a lecture coz it's all common sense stuff.

I know little about Congreve so he could be the real deal and a real bargain but the overseas unknown riders who come in on a visa recieve a hefty amount of help from clubs and far more than many young brits in the same boat. Id wager that several UK emerging stars would have stronger seasons if they knew that accommodation, food and basic living costs were being covered.

Justin Sedgman Justin Sedgman Justin Sedgman Justin Sedgman Justin Sedgman Justin Sedgman Jesper B Moonbug.

BERWICK 1) Chris Harris 7.90 2) Theo Pijper 5.51 3) Ty Proctor 5.42 4) Leon Flint 5.89 5) Ricky Wells 6.59 6) Kyle Bickley 3.51 7) Jye Etheridge 5.35 Current Total 40.14 Remaining Points 1.86 Team Total 42 BIRMINGHAM 1) Claus Vissing 8.43 2) James Shanes 4.88 3) Josh Auty 7.41 4) Ashley Morris 4.68 5) Adam Ellis 7.46 6) Stefan Nielsen 4.52 7) James Pearson 4.00 Current Total 41.38 Remaining Points 0.62 Team Total 42 EDINBURGH 1) Sam Masters 9.41 2) Lasse Fredrikson 5.00 3) Kye Thomson 5.46 4) Paco Castagna 5.52 5) Josh Pickering 8.34 6) Jacob Hook 4.00 7) James Sarjeant 4.07 Current Total 41.80 Remaining Points 0.20 Team Total 42 GLASGOW 1) Craig Cook 8.79 2) Broc Nicol 5.45 3) Tom Brennan 5.88 4) Ben Basso 5.00 5) Ulrich Ostergaard 7.82 6) Danyon Hume 4.88 7) Connor Bailey 4.17 Current Total 41.99 Remaining Points 0.01 Team Total 42 LEICESTER 1) Nick Morris 8.58 2) Connor Mountain 5.06 3) Kyle Howarth 7.59 4) Dan Thompson 4.92 5) Richie Worrall 7.92 6) Anders Rowe 3.68 7) Joe Thompson 3.54 Current Total 41.29 Remaining Points 0.71 Team Total 42 OXFORD 1) Troy Batchelor 9.11 2) Jack Thomas 4.78 3) Cameron Heeps 5.05 4) Kyle Newman 5.03 5) Scott Nicholls 8.84 6) Josh Macdonald 4.00 7) Dillon Ruml 4.00 Current Total 40.81 Remaining Points 1.19 Team Total 42 NEWCASTLE 1) Bradley Wilson-Dean 8.21 2) Max Clegg 5.26 3) James Wright 5.07 4) Matthew Wethers 6.47 5) Paul Starke 6.11 6) George Congrove 4.00 7) Lee Complin 5.00 Current Total 40.49 Remaining Points 1.51 Team Total 42 PLYMOUTH 1) Edward Kennett 8.62 2) Alfie Bowtell 4.76 3) Hans Andersen 8.00 4) Ben Barker 6.87 5) Michael Palm Toft 7.32 6) Dan Gilkes 3.79 7) Henry Atkins 2.24 Current Total 41.60 Remaining Points 0.40 Team Total 42 POOLE 1) Steve Worrall 9.04 2) Zach Cook 4.25 3) Richard Lawson 8.40 4) Ben Cook 5.52 5) Danny King 8.98 6) Nathan Ablitt 2.00 7) Drew Kemp 3.58 Current Total 41.77 Remaining Points 0.23 Team Total 42 REDCAR 1) Charles Wright 8.36 2) Adam Roynon 5.07 3) Lewis Kerr 7.46 4) Kasper Andersen 5.87 5) Erik Riss 7.84 6) Jason Edwards 2.16 7) Jordan Jenkins 3.60 Current Total 40.36 Remaining Points 1.64 Team Total 42 SCUNTHORPE 1) Ryan Douglas 7.96 2) Simon Lambert 5.67 3) Tero Aarnio 6.80 4) Jordan Palin 5.55 5) Jake Allen 7.88 6) Zaine Kennedy 4.87 7) Ryan Kinsley 2.78 Current Total 41.51 Remaining Points 0.49 Team Total 42

There's plenty of young British riders out there with potential to be really good riders in the future, including Archie. The trouble is that the Championship is full of riders who should only ride at a higher level but now maximise their income by also riding at Championship level. I know these guys aren't SGP standard by any means but some of them are next level down, Masters etc. These guys are established and by having these two income streams and potentially some continental racing as well they have a massive advantage, in terms of being able to invest in better equipment, than these young kids trying to progress. No reflection on Archies ability but it's too difficult to compete in a league where the majority are on much bigger budgets. It's bad enough for someone like Max Clegg or Matty Wethers trying to compete with only one team place as opposed to everyone else's two. There needs to be a level which will allow these lads to gain track time (not just three rides) and progress against more experienced riders as well as other young riders. Unless there's an influx of teams into the National League (hopefully all six Premiership teams will have one) then I'm not sure where any talented kids get a ride? With potentially only nine teams in the Championship they could easily have retained the rising star scheme if they'd wanted. Atkins, Edwards, Lawlor, Parkinson-Blackburn, Ablitt, Freeman, Gilkes, Hagon, McGurk(s), Mulford, Spencer and Spooner would all benefit from riding against more experienced riders. But how would they fare against riders like Chris Harris with his 400 years experience and earning x times more than them. Had the Rising Star system been retained, to make the teams level you really need to also restrict teams to only one rider over 8.00 and no one would vote for that even if it makes financial sense for some of the struggling teams. On that basis they have to retain all the double upper/downers there is really no point of retaining the rising star scheme. I just hope there is some alternative option for these young kids to get track time and progress so they can progress to the next level. I'm sure Archie's time will come again but based on the youtube footage of Geordie Congreve (who is 4 years his senior) he would look to be the better bet in 2022. Presumably he comes in on a British licence as the Diamonds aren't able to access work permit riders. If that means just under 8.00 for the last rider Richie Worrall would make the Diamonds competitive especially with Wright at reserve.

Think it tells a lot about how the Club is being run.

I wouldn't sign Josh McDonald, crashes way too much.

There is absolutely no good reason why the full final listing isn't in the public domain Yet another own goal from the sport letting the hard core fans down. Speculation re team line ups is what the winter is about and everyone should know what the figures are

I disagree, I think it's more important to be solid, so Etheridge starts at reserve!

There is somewhat of a myth re the pricing structure in Poland.. To us, it is "cheap". However, to the average Pole it is pretty much similar to us when measured (pro rata) against earnings.. What they do have, which we dont however, is a "proper sport", rather than a "sports entertainment".. Which therefore, gives fans that tribal feeling of following a team, gives the mainstream media something to cover that means a lot to many of the population, so brings in excellent audiences, and therefore also gives sponsors the opportunity to get their names out to a huge audience nationally... And they also, of course run at "family friendly" weekends.... You can take it as read that the day Zmarzlik dons a Wroclaw body colour to replace an injured Woffy, or Majic pulls on Gorzow colours to replace a missing Zmarzlik, that Polish Speedway will cease to be what it is today, and fans, media and sponsors would desert it in droves... Sweden's crowds were severely impacted by Covid rules so it will be interesting to see how next year goes.. It is clear from watching on TV how very similar their demographic of fan is to the fan found over here which doesnt bode well for their future, just like it sadly doesnt over here.... They do though still have credibility in the way they run their top League so have managed to keep a major sponsor interested which may be vital over the next few years..

He has changed his visa in the past as he was due to lineup for Somerset in 2020. But I believe he's usually signed up in Sweden and Poland too so wouldn't do Championship

In the UK. Not England thank you very much lol. Masters had same issue couple years ago

Long Track does not get such big crowds here in Germany anymore. With one or two exceptions attendance figures are less than for the big speedway meetings. You are spot on with Poland. They price their league meetings low and affordable for youths and families to attend, which has a very positive effect on crowd figures, which attracts sponsors, tv etc. Riders are "stars" or at least familiar names with the public because they are omni-present on Polish TV and other media. And the Polish speedway stadia facilities are of a good quality, which is another important fact .

Fair point but rather than say he was ( the worst rider ) in the league was a bit uncalled for ? Why not just say Archie was clearly out his depth but not his fault at the end of the day as he was asked by his home town club to ride for them I'm sure every other lad or lass would jump at the chance whatever sport it maybe to represent their club & after seeing him learn a heck of a lot in the pits off the more experienced riders it will stand him in good stead for next season.. yeah & on the point that he's not a 2nd string NL standard I truly believe that if Archie had a full season without any hiccups he'd have finished his campaign as a 2 or a 4 in the national League & that's not pressuring the lad neither

Why do people keep saying false average? He earned that average!

Archie turned down the offer to ride for the Diamonds to concentrate on development in the NDL. Someone pulled the Gems out of the NDJ, and fortunately another team had faith in him and he rode for the Edinburgh Devils this year with merit. Other riders were used as the Diamond no 7 and then dispensed with. At 16 and a year behind the likes of the Thompsons, Palin, Gilkes, he knew he needed that extra year to gain experience at the junior level . Archie was pressed by Newcastle management to help out at No 7 to replace JPB, and was given assurances that he would not be judged on this year, just get experience for next year. Next year has arrived and he has been overlooked. Rob should remember that when he joined the Diamonds we put him straight into the team along with other 3 pointers like Jamie Birkenshaw, Craig Branney and Jamie Robertson. Without those placements who is to say they would have made a career after that. No training school, no organised second halves, dropped the Gems whilst at the top of the league and possibly league winners, no junior meetings, and now this. We were told of commitment to local talent and their place at Newcastle, it all just seems like a conflict with every decision made. With the Gems being dropped, three of us were prepared to pay for and run the Gems at our expense for the year, but one was told NO I've made the decision and your sponsorship will be returned.

If we do get Theo in, and if we do go with Dany, would that not like leave us a point or so under the limit?

Richie won't be going to Glasgow

Well I did! Wot did Vissing's missis say to him when she saw black clouds overhead? "It's gonna reindeer!"

Having released Kennedy I'd probably say they're looking at neither. I'd think Mr Dickson will be trying to keep the Thompson's at reserve to start the season anyway. Most likely see a 6ish and a 5ish or couple 5.5s IMO

Do you not think for one minute these youngsters will be replaced by teams once more experienced riders drop averages or the team does on the whole?? The rising star status meant they were guaranteed to have a spot, thus only helping them develop etc. My gripe is, that every so often British speedway invent a place for rising stars to hold the sport up, then it is dropped the season after… why implement it (2 or 3 times now) and drop it the next year. Its all about costs and money!! Not the development of young riders. If you are going to have team places for rising stars in the first place, why then change it 6 months later?

The big difference is those young Brits scored points for their teams last year, no offence to Freeman but he was the worst rider in the league! Not blaming him - he was put into the Champ before he had mastered the NDL so couldn't be expected to score points!

Scunthorpe 2022 will better than last which, despite all predictions, made the PO I wont predict the line up - but I would expect a mixture of assets and EWR specialists - with a potential of points on the road There will surely be an Aussie and a Brit - maybe even a Scandinavian We WILL be entertained

What about Newcastle who’s signed a young new Zealander instead of a young brit at reserve, i’m sure virtually all of the other teams will still be having young brits in their team, berwick and plymouth have signed 2 each, redcar have signed jenkins again, i’m sure leicester will have their twins back, as well as palin at scunthorpe, bailey at glasgow, there’s plenty young brits on 4 or below, your clubs just chose to use a foreigner instead, don’t blame British speedway for that

I think there will be a limit to just how many times people will be prepared to watch the same riders no matter how you dress it up.

So British speedway has shafted the young kids yet again, bring the rising star idea in for a season and disguise it as aiding their progression and give opportunity, but in reality its to cut costs and aid with rider availability…. Then drop them/it again the next season.They couldn't run a bath!! It stinks to the high heavens. For Decades these kids ( apart from a select few)have been used and abused by the very folk who are supposed to be running the sport. Disgraceful imo.

Maybe the majority didn't rate Peterborough, but I certainly did, so you can't say "nobody" gave them a chance! As for Newcastle, I don't think the team looks strong, but if I was a Newcastle fan I'd just be happy to still have Speedway!

Ulrichs not even on the canvas for sale on ebay so things dont look that good for him Has Harris put himself out of a possible team place now with the promotion . Craig Cook as a second string perhaps MPT , Andersen , Ostergaad, Harris, Cook , Basso , Palin

No, Brennan has not really got the hang of the NSS and a swap with Flint would seem a good move for all parties.

The only plan is to make it up as they go along...which every year means cobbling together what's left. And er, that's it.

Just under 2.50 left for the No.7 Don't know Joe's average but I'm guessing it's 2.00?

Which is why they have set up the U24 league.. The Football Premier U23 League (and the clubs Academies from a very young age upwards), all have lots of players from overseas to ensure that the quality of the Premier League remains as high as can be.. They know that there isnt enough talent in the UK only to keep that level up, hence pay out many millions collectively to attract some of the best young talent from all parts of the globe... Obviously not all make it in the very top League with some ending up playing either in the lower leagues over here, going back "home" and playing, or joining another league elsewhere... Bottom line being the standard remains high so the product remains saleable.. Poland are adopting a similar model to ensure their Leagues all have a flow through of talent (regardless of nationality), in the years to come.. No point building the hugely successful operating and business models that they now have, to just let it all decline due to not being able to replace "the talent" with a similar level of rider..