Halifaxtiger

From August onwards, and including bonuses, he was averaging around the 8.00 mark. No reason why he can't do that again this season. For me, his signing gives Glasgow a rider who should 3 points on his average and could well put 4.

Little pessimistic there. A lot depends on you get for your final two riders, but I'd maintain that Sheffield still look pretty good. A fair bit rests on Lasse Bjerre. He had a nightmare 2016 but he's a lot better than his average - and has put in some pretty impressive performances at Owlerton as well. If he gets back to what he can, Sheffield's heat leaders will be a match for any.

Did anyone read the article in Speedy Star regarding young Warrior Callum Gouldbourne ? Quite fantastic and absolutely typical of the Isle of Wight promotion's attitude and care towards paying customers. I pose the question again : if they can treat everyone in such a superb way, why the bloody hell can't everyone else ?

You simply can't overstate young Bewley. I first saw him at Cradley in the Colts opening NL meeting and it was clear he was something special. A few days later, he banged in an 18 point maximum in the inaugural match at NSS. That wasn't the best, though. Riding for Edinburgh at Newcastle (where he was subsequently injured) he went round Steve Worrall on bends 3 & 4 like Worrall simply wasn't there. At the time, Worrall was one of the top riders in the PL and averaging well over the 10pt mark at home. It was truly astonishing and one of the best single rides I saw anywhere last season. If he has no after effects from that injury and steers reasonably clear from any more, I can see him being a heat leader at Ashfield next season. He really is that good.

That's a bit unnerving. Do you know something I don't ?

Come on. All he has done is give an opinion about how a team or rider will perform. Its likely that at this time about 80% of the posts on this forum concerning speedway will do exactly the same thing. As long as that opinion is objective - and SCB's are - there's nothing wrong with that at all. I suspect there isn't a speedway supporter in the country who isn't pleased to see the Comets running this season, and may that continue for years to come.

No, he hasn't.

I think there's a recognition from the Workington promotion that they have given Campton the benefit of a sizeable doubt and its possible that part of the reason for him staying was that he fitted in with the other riders. Roynon, to a substantial degree, is the same. Started well but lost his way mid season and was back where he started by the end. To my mind, its the middle bit of the team where the questions lie. The heat leaders should be very decent indeed and Williamson is one of the strongest reserves so far. Whatever the case, its clear that some hard bargaining has resulted in the financial side being significantly improved in Comets favour and that can only be a good thing. Roll on March and the kind of racing I saw last season.

That's another good team. All it needs now is STMP going back to the real racers track it used to be.

Come on, Phil. We all love a 'he started it' comment

I think its a decent team. Cook can beat anyone, anywhere and Proctor can put 2 points on his average. Jorgensen needs to step up a bit but he looked pretty useful at Derwent Park late season. Could be a very capable heat leader trio indeed. Campton and Roynon are the question marks for me as both have stood still for a while. I don't get this weak reserves bit. Shuttleworth maybe - on what I have seen, he'll do well to get to 3.00. But Williamson is one of the top riders in the NL and has a higher average than any of the others named from that league. He should be able to beat Hume and Mountain, for example, home and away and only Wallner and Gappmaier have higher PL averages. I also think it contains the right blend of old and new. Its not a complete clear out, nor is it sticking to what you have. Its a freshening up of the side of the kind that most fans would want.

That pretty much sums up my view, too and is indeed why I don't very often buy it. I fully accept Phil's view that it isn't a BSPA mouthpiece but I can see why there are those who think it is. You simply can't claim to be fully credible if you completely duck or ignore the abuses that exist within the sport, and the Star does that far too often.

All of Team GB's riders in the 2016 World Cup started at 3rd tier level. NL racing is as good as the EL & PL in my experience. The riders might be better and mpre experienced but they make less mistakes.

You're 108 ? In trust that in 2017 you will stop sodding about on here and instead get back to watching the sport.

I genuinely hope you're right. I also suspect you might be right that their actions are a form of blackmail to force Horton to their terms or at least to the table. Thing is, they are playing with the future of the Bees in doing so. Horton might be getting what he deserves, but the Bees supporters are most certainly not. Then again Sandhu has a history of holding speedway to ransom, hasn't he ?

Is it worth it though, Iris ? And your point about breaking the seats up merely adds fuel to the argument that this isn't about retrieving items of value or use but simply doing as much damage as possible. Why pay someone to remove all the seats and then smash them up ?

Not sure about the prosecution, Steve, but otherwise I agree. It certainly seems more about making the stadium unfit for purpose than removing valuable assets.

If it is absolutely valueless, why not when it will cost you to remove them ? I can understand taking items that could be sold or used again, but wiring and plastic seats? That's sounds like spite to me - we don't want it or need it, but they aren't getting it, especially if it will help them to carry on. I'm with foam fence. You do an enormous amount of totally unnecessary damage and then say you will pay for it to be replaced ? That's bizarre.

I am nowhere near as old as you so they are before my time but from what I have seen Connor is ferociously determined.

I'd say they are on a par and your reasoning might not be as sound as you seem to suggest. Mountain is definitely the better rider snd also has a much smoother style. He's coming in on the back of an awful injury, though, and that is always a bit of a gamble. As to Hume, over the back half of the season Coles had the higher average and beat Hume at Perry Barr when Mildenhall were there. I certainly have no criticism of Ipswich's choices, but it might not be ss clear cut as you think.

Phillips might count himself to be a little fortunate after last season but taking into account that Newcastle run Sundays and ruling out those that have signed for other clubs there aren't that many (if any) better on the limited points available.

I think Coles is an astute signing. At the start of June, he was averaging around the 5.5 mark in the NL and at the end of the season about 7.1. It doesn't take a genius to realise that in the latter half of 2016 he was up around the 8.5 mark and one glance at this scores for Mildenhall will tell you that he was superbly consistent home and away. He also didn't disgrace himself in guest bookings for Ipswich & Plymouth either - a win over Wolbert springs to mind.

That's a good team. A very good team.

I think that is just as important as the team if not more so. Last year it was awful and that's a crying shame because it can be very good indeed. Sheffield and Belle Vue are the two tracks closest to my home and I know some top people at Owlerton. The fact that I went to NSS on twice as many occasions in 2016 is a direct result of the quality of the speedway My advice for the promotion is let Graham Trollope get on with it without any interference from anyone. That's what happens at Scunthorpe and I am sure there will be many a Sheffield fan who would like to have the standard of racing that they have at EWR.

I'll make this my last post on this subject as my view is clear and everyone can get back to discussing the team. The problem I find with official club forums or facebook pages is that they are like a form of Soviet media - praising those in charge or a specific viewpoint is allowed, criticism is not (however justified that criticism might be). Do it too often and you disappear. I have had experience of that, getting booted off a facebook page for simply giving an opposing, critical view. Sadly, I find that any decision as to who is being excluded is often subjective when it should be objective.