Little Nicki

Thank you Mrs C. I am simply posing the opposite view to, hopefully, make those with blue & yellow eagle shaped sun glasses on, realise that the future well being of the sport does not revolve around the team and results that Eastbourne produce and that they, maybe, should remember from time to time, where they were a couple of years ago, what might have been and how the National DEVELOPMENT League has provided Eastbourne with a 'safety net' and provided the club and its supporters with an opportunity to carry on the sport in Sussex, a place where I have long enjoyed visiting and having banter with the locals - some of whom used to become quite vociferous. I can assure you that I have nothing against Adam Ellis, in fact I love the guy to bits and wish him every success in his career in not just domestic speedway but at international level too - I hope he goes far in this year's U21's and continues his early season form with Poole - I just cannot, personally, understand why he has taken the decision to drop back down into the NDL at this time. I appreciate that I may have not worded some of my posts as well as I might, and I admit that some of the one (eagle) eyed, and frankly naive, comments from Al3x200 and others, disappoint me, so I will apologise for not responding as well as I may have done on some of my posts. Genuinely - Enjoy Your Speedway. In what context are you looking for me to make a suggestion, Mrs C? I will if I can if, you think it will help the debate.

I am the sort of person who says I told you so, so I'm saying it with a little reminder, particularly to baldyman - Looks like it, yep. Enjoy your Speedway, baldyman and all the other Ippo fans. Crowds look like they soon will be lower at Foxhole than those recently at the EWR - and you don't have a major potential economic worry sitting on your doorstep in Silly Suffolk. Poor team, Poor track, Poor Promoter, Poor Team Manager, Poor Reserves = Poor Home Results leading to Poorly Fans equalling Poor Attendances. Soon be time for another S.O.S. campaign with the club going cap in hand to the local population. But no Tim Woodward or Jamie Cann to Support it this time. Don't like to say it, but must be worrying times for all concerned.

Great Post, HT and totally agree Why shouldn't it? Instead of posting lots of Z's, like gazzac, why not start another subject to debate then? Your post just continues the debate, so has the reverse affect to what you wanted. James 'denied' Adam to race in the NL? Does that even make any sense? And Mildenhall is not 'his' team - he doesn't own it or promote it. Well, he's not, over the moon. Are you a Troll, or just not know anything about NL speedway? James Easter was not at West Row simply to watch Adam Race - (and who is Adam Race anyway?) I didn't re-ignite the debate this time, HT did I'm not jealous and I don't have a NL team. I'm just disappointed in Adam's regressive decision to drop back down into the NL

Yes, learn how to regress and make £££££££££££££ This would be so good for Adam, to take a PL place (and quite funny if it happened soon) Might be the way to do it in 2016, might be a bit tongue in cheek - but if Dugard in genuinely seeking a 3.00 rider for Buxton via Social Media, it is quite amusing and may suggest (along with the Adam Ellis signing) that he's taken his eye off the ball in relation to being in the NL and developing his own riders. 'Us', as in you and Adam, as thought you weren't that involved in his signing for Eastbourne and hadn't discussed his motives for so doing, before your last trip over for the U21 Final? Finishing your post after the first three words would have been sufficient and would've received lots of Likes, but I enjoyed the last three words. That would've been a great post from you: 'I don't understand .... Might be wrong'. Classic Al3x200 postings

Yep, in the EL Riders in the NL Thread, Mr Ellis. See copies of relevant posts below:

Good point, thanks and, entirely your privilege.

Pleasure. You set em up and I can assure you that I will knock em down. You are like something unpleasant I stepped in, and to think that I bothered to commend you on a post. What do they say, if you give a troop of monkeys some keyboards to play with, eventually they'll come up with something worth reading. Keep on hitting those keys, naive, yellow belly. Haha, even Adam Ellis' dad called you naive. Bored now exchanging posts with a cowardly weasel.

Alert the authorities. Shads' 18 month old kid is not allowed in the family car. It is being towed... And you're up at the crack of Dawn, at 5 am, then Shads? Does your missus know about Dawn - or your smelly (odious) character? Genuine Question: Is Branford now too good for the NL and would his development be served better in a 'higher' league?

Agree gazzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzac - to disagree. I asked for your opinion. You chose not to give it, or don't have a valid one. I did not suggest it was an official MA. You are insinuating that. So? Do they or don't they? I'm happy to say that I don't know, or care really, as I don't believe in arguing with idiots, as they tend to drag you down to their level and beat you with experience. And now, as gazzac suggests, let the Thread move on...

Hey pal, if you are going to have a dig, don't do it like a coward, thinking I'm not registered on the Updates site, and presuming you have got away with an insult behind my back. And at least have the courtesy to get the name right if you are going to have a dig, and not spell it wrong like you did. (No doubt you will be familiar with the words to the popular children's nursery rhyme:' Every night when I get home. The monkey's on the table. Take a stick and knock it off. Pop goes the weasel.') The fact that Adam Ellis dropped a point in the first heat today at Mildenhall does not change one iota my previously stated opinion. It was 'Ben91' who suggested that a rider 'too good for the NL' was one who had a MA of 12.00, not me. What is Adam's MA over two KOC matches? 11.60. The only way it seems that you would strengthen, Al3x200, would be for you to grow a pair. I look forward even more now to my first trip to Arlington this season. You will not be too difficult to spot. You will be the one with the bright yellow stripe down your back, getting aroused watching arider half a lap in front of the other three. Comments taken from Updates: 'FTG'. 'FTG miles clear'. 'Ellis won with ease'. 'FTG, Ellis miles clear'. 'FTG, easy for the Eagles'. 'Max tonight by Ellis and I have a feeling I'll be saying that again'. Is that the type of speedway heat that is going to advance Adam Ellis' speedway education? Is that the type of speedway heat that's going to have the punters queueing up at the turnstiles? He would have earned some pocket money though, like shooting fish in a barrel. Enjoy your speedway............................................................ Door opening implement, in silks, riding a horse.

Not so much Adam's class, waco, more his already proven ability. A 10.14 MA indicates his ability has already been tested and proven at NL level. Time to move on, surely as.I trust, it is not a sign of a lack of ambition and as his father has alluded to many times, it is not about the £, apparently. I just truly hope this does not backfire on the lad who, apart from this decision I admire and whose career I have followed since 2012.

And he used to ride at Arena Essex / Lakeside, which is what, a big track? So he's had a fair amount of experience of riding a small track - and to a certain extent, his two years at Ipswich were on a tight cornered track too. What did Adam score in the EL for Poole at Lakeside on 08 April? He scored: 3,2,2,2,2,0. Where did he score his duck? As a nominated rider in Heat 15! Yes, the EL heat format is skewed, but it looks to me as though he has improved on small tracks already. I wasn't there that night, but Halifax Tiger was, and it would be good to hear his opinion of how Adam rode in that meeting. You compare Adam to Lionel Messi, which is fine, it is a father's privilege - although I would suggest that Adam is a lot better looking than Lionel, but anyway, you are suggesting that we should stop people playing against Messi because he is 'too good'? Is Lionel Messi playing football in the third tier of Spanish football to supplement his income or to gain experience? No, he is not. What benefit would it be to Messi's development in his chosen sport? None. Would it possibly lead to Messi getting injured as the lower level players are not up his standard and, maybe, reckless or even wilful in tackling Messi? Very possibly. Result = Messi is out injured. OK, he will continue to earn a fortune while he is out injured, unlike a speedway rider, but he still won't be playing. Do you not think Adam runs that risk too, in dropping back down to the NL? That he may suffer from the' tall poppy' syndrome and that some riders, far less experienced, not as his level and, maybe, just damn wilful, could possibly target the 'Star' rider in the NL, which could lead to accidents and, perish the thought, injury? Where does that then leave Adam's decision to return to his little pool? I am not suggesting it will happen, but a certain person made comments on this forum when it was announced that Adam was joining Eastbourne. That person is the Title sponsor of the NL and also has an association with Mildenhall Fen Tigers. If I was a really evil man and in that person's shoes, whose back would I be drawing a mental target on for my riders to 'aim at'? Yep, Adam's. I love Adam to bits and only wish him well. I would love to see him continue his EL form, make the World U21 Final and help win Team GB the World U21 Team Cup. If there was a choice between riding in the PL or NL for him, would I prefer to see him riding in the PL - with no mental target on his back? Yes. Do I fear for Adam's well being riding in the NL? I must say I do a bit. Even if not 'targeted' - and I don't mean targeted to be knocked off, but as the target to beat - there must be a considerably increased risk of falls and injuries in the NL, just because of the nature of the beast. Yes, I agree with everything you say there, HT, I was remiss in not considering the joy that Adam will bring to his NL promoter, the crowds at the NL tracks that will have the pleasure of seeing him ride and the promoters at the NL tracks he may ride at. (Nice touch too mentioning Sam Bebee's win - which was recorded as being 10.7 seconds slower than Adam's winning time in the preceding heat. I thought I would never see the day again when such a disparity was recorded.) Very good post Al3x200. Ah, yes Shads, I understand where you are posting from, but in Adam's case he is not an asset of / attached to a NL club so the comparison doesn't work. I agree, that there is not a 'natural progression' at Eastbourne for a rider to progress 'in-house' from NL to PL. like there is at Rye House, but Adam is already contracted to an EL club and has already ridden in the PL. My point is, that Adam has effectively regressed when he dropped back into the NL. He should, in my mind, have either simply stayed riding in the EL only with Poole, whilst earning extra money with his continental exploits or, he should have taken one of the PL offers he received and ridden in both the EL and PL. That is the direction that I would have expected his further development to have gone

Define "too good for the NL" or are you saying that a season end 12 point average is your measure? If it is, I think that is a tad ridiculous myself. If he left Eastbourne today or, perish the thought,he was injured and unable to take his place in the re-run of Heat 1 at West Row this afternoon, what then would Adam have averaged in the NL in 2016 - not a Rolling Average, simply his MA based on his rides in the NL in 2016? Yes, it would be 12.00. Was Adam too good for the other NL riders yesterday at Arlington? Yes he was. He won all his heats, most by vast distances and in very quick times. Would you say that on yesterday's performance, he was, head and shoulders, above any other rider in that meeting? Yes you would - you couldn't say anything else. Just look at his time in Heat 15, compared to Heat 14. Does that make Adam Ellis too good for the NL? Please let me know your opinion. (My opinion is that a rider with a 10.00 NL MA is 'too good for the NL' and / or a rider who is winning heats for fun in the EL and is gaining Heat 15 nominations, is' too good for the NL'. Enjoy Your Speedway.

Good to hear my old naive sparring partner. Hope you all gave Frenchie the big new 'save-our-season' hero's welcome he deserved, especially with the times he was clocking up yesterday. Dave B has got his engines flying for him at the moment. Make sure you say hi to Frenchie's dad as well when he's over. Lovely bloke and he may even give you a fine bottle of wine. The Updates site said Adam was winning his heats by half a lap. He must be learning so much from dropping down to the NL again. The score looked to me to be a lot closer than you would have expected, but the Fen Tigers have got some good young British developing talent, even though they aren't riding in the EL, like Adam. That Connor Mountain is a good prospect and rode well after the bad crash he had the other week. Just two points up after Heat 10. You must have had quite a squeaky bum at the time. It will be funny (well, I'll laugh) if the Fen Tigers overturn that 12 point lead you guys have. James would be doing a jig of joy. You will have seen that Ben Hopwood, the rider your club discarded, has moved on now to Buxton. I am sure that you will all wish him well there. Have you booked your trip to Pardubice yet for May 20th, to support Adam in his World U21 semi-final, or to Denmark in June to support him in the World U21 Team Cup semi-final? I am sure Adam would be pleased to see lots of his faithful Eagles fans there. Or maybe you are going to help with sponsorship for the trips? You can contact Neil Vatcher at younglions@hotmail.co.uk to do that. "Why" team do I support? Or, why do I support a team? Or why not Eastbourne? FYI, I am club-less, or should that be clueless, as I have only recently returned to the UK after living and working overseas for a few years. Came back due to a job offer and it fitted in with my son's desire to extend his speedway riding and mechanical knowledge, by riding on different circuits over here and Europe. Where I am based due to my work contract has meant that the EWR is where I tend to go most often, though Sheffield is closer, but Sundays is better than Thursdays. I am hoping to get to all the British tracks this year, particularly the ones I didn't ride at or visit when I lived here before. So, sorry to disappoint, but not Len Silver, disguised or otherwise, though I do know Len quite well and will be popping into the Europark soon to watch a meeting and say hello. We were going to visit your quaint little Eyrie for the Kings match which was 'mysteriously' called off earlier this season, but diverted to Hoddesdon on our way down and then called in at West Row on the Sunday and caught up with the NL's Title sponsor. So I guess you can call me a nomadic speedway fan. The nearest track to where we last lived overseas, was a long way from home, so these short distances in Britain are no issue, but the traffic, road closures and weather are not conducive to fun driving So, how's life treating you at the moment? All good I hope. What time are you setting off for sunny Suffolk today then? Its about 150 miles, isn't it? Probably allow yourself three hours to get there. And not too late back either, given that its a school day tomorrow. I can recommend the fish & chips at West Row. Well, thanks for asking after me and nice chatting again. Safe journey today and carry on Enjoying your Speedway. So you used to watch Adam Ellis ride at Foxhole in the, what, PL and now you are saying how good it is to see that he has 'progressed' by riding in the NL at Eastbourne, cleaning up untroubled and winning his heats by vast distances? This is progression is it, or did you mean 'regression' counter shaft counter person? Think you may have used the wrong word in your post there. Yes, Good Luck to Adam in his EL career and in his World U21 endeavours. That is where any progress will be measured. And, by the way, I am not a 'hater' (you do bandy name tags around, don't you Count Shafter?), I am simply disappointed that Adam took the decision or advice, or was persuaded, to drop back down to the NL, when he has been doing so well in the EL and so obviously should be riding in the EL and PL, and not the EL and NL .I discussed it with his father on here, and he appeared a bit mystified by the decision too. As we discussed last night, Enjoy Your Speedway.

Thanks, I will, as I can see only one person whingeing on here. You, whingeing about me. Pot / Kettle / Mirror / Signal / Manoeuvre. Glad you enjoyed your trip to Foxhall (I got my prediction of a Tigers win wrong, silly me) and enjoy your possible visit to West Row tomorrow. One of my favourite places when the old track was there, before they put the dog track down. Rode on it a few times too, in the days of Bob, Fred, Trevor, Rob, John, Mick & Neil. Trust that you were not driving if you stopped off for a drink. Might explain your attitude toward me though. Some people just can't handle their drink. I might of gone myself tomorrow, but the Pirates are visiting the EWR later today. They have a great bar at West row, don't they and do super fish & chips. I see that Adam Ellis recorded a time in Heat 15 which was three seconds faster than that in the previous heat. Not very sporting or fair is it for the riders who truly want to learn and develop in that league by being able to pit their skills fairly against the other riders. Not exactly a level playing field - well, not at Arlington anyway. Anyway, happy stalking, whingeing and good luck with the alcohol induced aggression. Nice chatting & Enjoy your speedway. Note to self: Google what a counter shaft counter actually does.

Boring? Maybe. Troll or Multi? No. Concerned speedway fan? Yes. Disappointed that Adam Ellis has dropped back into the NL, rather than taking a berth in the PL? Yes. Fed up with some Eagles fans laughable opinion that the NL should all be about winning, rather than a Development league? Yes indeedy do. Like Gavan? I don't wear drag costumes or secretly love Starman. Get off on coming? Depends what you mean by that. Is this a forum where any poster is allowed to post opinions? Oh yeah, baby. Negative? Only when it applies. How's your day been and how many counter shafts has counter shaft counter counted today? Whatever a counter shaft counter is, or does. Enjoy your speedway.

To repeat myself: Everyone happy down at Eastbourne now, with the inevitable predictability of an easy maximum from your EL short-term guest, Adam Ellis, who could be riding as a HL in the top league next week? Who gains from this total farce, apart from the rider earning loads of easy £ and the Eagles fans pleasuring themselves that he is an Eagle in name only, for a few weeks. Absolutely ridiculous that this can happen.

Everyone happy down at Eastbourne now, with the inevitable predictability of an easy maximum from your EL short-term guest, Adam Ellis, who could be riding as a HL in the top league next week? Who gains from this total farce, apart from the rider earning loads of easy £ and the Eagles fans pleasuring themselves that he is an Eagle by name for a few weeks. Absolutely ridiculous that this can happen.

Good to hear Gav, keeping your ring finger on the pulse and all that. We'll see in a few hours won't we. Also. good to hear you are attending. Guess you are easy to spot at Foxhole, being dressed in drag and bickering with your best bud Starman. Enjoy your speedway.

Pretty decent thanks Hong Kong Pooey, aka the mild mannered, Penry Pooch. What about you pal? Are you clownishly clumsy in real life, just like your forecasting of a good season for Go Slow Paco? Enjoy your speedway.

Are you attending tonight Gavan? You do remember Stead's awful accident last year and knew that he was knocked off by his own team mate in the SRBF and then signed off with concussion? Give the guy a break. He's too classy not to hit top form soon. Could be tonight. Howarth is a different rider this season, oozing class. Witches could be in for a dunking tonight. Will they sink or be found guilty? You're a betting man Gav, what odds do you give me on 42 - 48? Enjoy your speedway.

No chance pal. Witches have an awful team this season. I even predicted how poor they'd be. Another sad year for I pooh fans. Mismatched racesuits, poor track, size, shape & preparation. Looks like Louis junior has lost interest, now his face is all over Sky. Louis & Louis out! Get the Tippers R Us fellow to run it. At least he's built up a proper, successful business, unlike Louis who is running it more like an old boys golf club, than a speedway club. When's the next Team Manager due to be appointed? Poor and underachieving club for a number of years now. You used to be able to take them seriously, but not anymore. Bringing in poor riders like Catagna, Ritchings and bringing back Risager sums Louis up. Just like your Town's football club. Can't be much fun living there if you're a sports fan. Not even got a rugby or cricket team, let alone an ice hockey or basketball team, have you? Probably not even got a swimming pool, but then you've got docks to paddle in, haven't you?. As you said, it must be depressing for you. Enjoy your speedway. Yes, imo, you do ramble on and on and on and on and on and on.

What do we want? Entertainment! When do we want it? Now!

Can only see a Sheffield win by about 6. Seen Witches twice against Scunthorpe and it confirmed my view that they were a poor 1 - 7 where if one of the 1 - 5 had an off night, there would be problems. I predicted that they would finish near the bottom of the PL at the end of this season. Reserves were very poor choices and, even though the Tigers Reserves aren't great, they will outscore Pizza Man and Richie Rich tonight and one of either Kerr or Risager will have an off night. Those two both need to score well at the same time for Ipswich to win. 42 - 48.

Thanks for the reply Brock (and your sometime travelling partner Baz -"Baz & Brock", are you guys children's entertainers as well, or something ?) and the tip about the Premier Inns - no stay, no fee policy. Its just a right hassle then and can spoil family and friend visit plans I suppose, which is always disappointing. I look forward to the time when I can do something similar, though it may be in a tent rather than an hotel. I suppose that the longest midweek trips that I used to do regularly, back in the day, were something like 600 mile round trips to Newcastle, back home in the early hours and in work at 9am the day after the meeting. Never bothered me night driving. Quite enjoy it with less traffic on the roads. Its twilight driving that I find more troublesome. Looking forward to watching this 'live' on TV, not a repeat - Mr Shovlar. Can't see past an away win by a few, but hopefully those that go are entertained with a decent race track providing interesting racing, with hopefully no car racing or any of this forecast Arctic weather spoiling the spectacle. Enjoy your Speedway.