Halifaxtiger

I think I could do an equally good demolition job on every other side in the league. Stead was one of the top riders in last seasons PL; Lanham improved his average last season; Roynon is a brilliant young rider and the awful injuries he has suffered have often been as a result of freak accidents; Poole is way, way better than that average and has 'potential'; Nielsen has 'potential'; Compton will never get back to the form he had several seasons ago but there's not one club in the league that wouldn't want him at reserve; Bates was brilliant at Edinburgh, he is a local lad, has put 4pts on his Mildenhall average in two seasons and is still just 17. The reaction of Sheffield fans to the team speaks far more loudly than any words I can write: they are very pleased indeed.

On what you saw, possibly. On what I saw late in the season he'll be a massive trump card. You have got to be kidding. Peterborough, Sheffield, Workington, Newcastle,Scunthorpe & Ipswich for me.

That's a good team and one that I would expect to be in a play off place at the end the season. Slight question marks over Stead and Roynon coming back from serious injury but Compton, Bates, Poole & Nielsen can all improve their averages. What is most pleasing here is the level of enthusiasm this team has created as evidenced by the posts on this thread which contrasts very favourably with the position at the beginning of last season. I'll pay Sheffield the compliment of seeking out matches away from Owlerton (as well as a few home ones) because they should provide attractive opposition wherever they go. Just a quick word about Hoggy, because he surely deserves a great deal of credit here. He's put a huge amount of time and effort in over the winter and taken some very unfair criticism from people with grudges and axes to grind but has managed not just to save Sheffield Speedway but build a very attractive side for 2014. First drink is on Spinny, Dave.

Before anyone judges Bates on what Scunny think they might also want to take into account Edinburgh's opinion.

The other Likely Lad told me that one years ago and its as bang on now as it was then. First meetings for me will (all being well) be the Workington/Newcastle meetings over the weekend 22/23 March so I'll see you then.

Do I take it, then, that despite all that squawking about tactical rides and not going again I will have the dubious pleasure of your company at Brough this coming season, all being well ?

While I agree with SCB on his point about issues that are already in the public domain, that's a fine post GC.

We are also talking about a substantial chunk of money that speedway desperately needs. I think Tsunami's right. A speedway magazine sticking its nose in when negotiations are ongoing could blow the deal completely. I remember Whisperit. I also remember Red Flag and some pretty hard hitting editorials from Phil Rising too. You have a point about the fragility of the sport. My own view is that it is still better to be critical in the face of bad practice, inertia, taking fans for granted etc than just looking the other way or brushing it aside. I have long thought that track preparation is a vital area if speedway is to succeed. An investigation into how difficult it is and why some are better than others would be as good start. You only have to name the best (in the opinions of fans, riders and officials that is); the bad ones will be named because they will not be mentioned.

I agree, Humph. You don't have to descend to the depths of the gutter press, but equally you don't have to be completely passive in the face of corruption, awful track surfaces, poor treatment of fans, inadequate facilities and more. Speedway Star used to be (some years ago admittedly)a magazine that wasn't scared to be critical when it was due and I don't see why it can't be again. In defence of Phil Rising, some of the best articles I have read raising points of concern were written by him.

I think its indicative that no-one else was apparently willing to step forward and become a chairman or a director. Its all very well to say 'one man got his wish' but if any person is not prepared to take his place I'd say their view is that they are quite happy to risk his money but not their own. Whether he must take some of the blame for the fact that the club is in the financial position that it is is entirely a different matter and what is certainly true is that he was most critical of those who previously managed the club. They, at least, kept it going.

What he's on is jealousy, big time (whoever he might be). The remarks made on this thread and elsewhere are in stark contrast to those made at the beginning of last season, and he simply can't stomach that. Comments made as a result of envy are absolutely worthless.

Some sort of compromise over Morris, perhaps ? Whatever the case, two good signings. I was impressed with Bates from the first time I saw him riding for Mildenhall in 2011 and he has progressed considerably since. Scunny had a problem with a certain member of his entourage but if that is nipped in the bud early on it shouldn't happen again.

Team manager Rider

Dean has put on facebook that its a 'no-go' for the Islanders

Very difficult to argue with that, but Jayne is still absolutely correct.

I only went there a couple of times but Crayford was a terrific little track and stadium. Spot on. Always been my opinion that it is one of the best (if not the best) shaped in Britain. Over recent seasons, however, the preparation has been inconsistent at best, couldn't care less dreadful at worst. I am not sure if Eastbourne's shape has changed but back in the 1980's it was a terrific little race track. What is certainly true is in my experience its nowhere near as good as that now. I'll say Lakeside. I must admit I am not totally familiar with Torun but some of the speedway I have seen on Sunday afternoons from Poland has been rubbish. Lakeside is a far better racing circuit than some would have you believe.

Definitely One of the 'quirkiest' tracks in Britain is St Boniface Arena, Plymouth (its also the smallest). As far as I am concerned, its also one of the best (along with Scunthorpe, Mildenhall & Peterborough). To me, the quality of the racing is far more about preparation than size and shape anyway.

And so they should. I am fully aware of just how much time & effort Nikko put into Kent Kings in 2013 both before and after the start of the season which in my book means that he has got as much right as anyone to comment on the situation over that time and at present. God forbid that the day comes when all we do is swallow the comments made by promotions and their mouthpieces and never choose to be critical or questioning.

If you don't like his posts, put him on ignore. Better than being personally abusive.

As Bryn has said, the sole aim of the company was to ensure the continued existence of the speedway on the Island. As such, any income stream available to the company would be used to that purpose. The circumstances you have stated just don't apply. That's why I am confused. If the company is viable, why has it been necessary for the chairman to pour in £100k and why is there a threat hanging over the continued participation of the Islanders in the NL ?

I must admit I am a little confused, then (because that's my understanding of the situation). Dean has said that the losses incurred are the speedway only, and the chairman has poured thousands of pounds in to keep it going. But if the company own the lease to the stadium, what's happened to the income from that ? It seems to me that while on a balance sheet you can divide the income from the speedway and the income from the stadium as far as the company goes and its overall financial position is concerned that cannot be the case. Surely, then, it is a question of whether the company is viable, not just the speedway ? Given that the reason for the creation of the company was to run speedway it seems bizarre to me that the chairman (apparently) doesn't want to do that any more but presumably wants to retain the income from the stadium.

That's why you wear that hat

'When the need arises' ? Surely if you want the BSPA to be 'honest, open and upfront' it would be an ongoing campaign, not the odd occasion when something crops up ? Correct me if I am wrong, but isn't the MC elected by promoters ? If they thought things were poor, why hasn't the membership been changed ? As I said before, I have found members of the BSPA to be complicit in the corrupt practices that blight our sport until such time as it suits them otherwise, when they rail against them. Your post has done absolutely nothing to change my mind, and I suspect that Hoggy's comments are spot on.

I think you are taking the wording to an illogical conclusion there. To me, and during the season, its pretty clear. If a rider is riding in a professional league at the time he joins a PL club, its a 7.00. If not, its a 5.00 - even if he has ridden for several years in one of those leagues in the past. The close season is a little more difficult. SCB's conclusion - that he is riding in the Danish League until the start of 2014 certainly isn't unreasonable but mine would be that a rider could not be treated as 'currently riding' in another league once the season had ended unless he was contracted to ride the following season.

I think that is a very important question. I stand to be corrected but to my knowledge (and unlike most clubs) the actual speedway is just part of the overall operation.