Coventry_Bee

I think it’s a good move, they have obviously done the sums and have good backing with JCB so why not do it. Saturday night speedway with everything else you can do these days even before you think of the grand prix’s is worth the risk. You lose some fans but you also gain some, plus once a few have calmed down and see the team they put out maybe they will have a change of heart. It’s a well run club and I’m sure they won’t be short on riders wanting to join, Dan Thompson is definitely worth keeping and it just depends on the rest of this years team who double up as to what they want to do. Personally I think Nicholls would be a bargain, especially at home as he won’t be at Peterborough next season. Interesting times and to the unhappy Leicester fans just count yourself lucky. Being a Coventry fan I miss Brandon and my speedway up there, I go to Leicester now and again but it’s not the same. They are not my club, and I’m sure Swindon, Lakeside, Eastbourne.. the list goes on would agree. Enjoy what you have in front of you.

I thought something might have gone on years back as Scott used to be sponsored by fork rent and then it stopped. Also recall he used to in the off season have a go on the motocross with Jake Nicholls. Given Scott’s history with the club it would certainly be fitting if next season was to be his last if he did ride at his home town club. At reserve he is worth the risk and they need to get rid of this rising star debacle, more harm than good to young lads having confidence sapped out of them.

First meeting of the season and well didn’t we choose a good one? All in all the racing was close and we weren’t really aware of any issues up until Scott had his problem in heat 9. Who ever thinks even at this stage of his career that it doesn’t mean as much you should have seen Nicholls reaction storming back into the pits launching his goggles and giving the wall being his pit a mighty wallop. Then in Heat 10 with Basso who I must say was really good all night and then as you will see on sky’s coverage his tyre and inner tube just exploded in bits all over the track. Then fair play after the interval the promoter had the decency to explain what was going on, was wondering why such a long interval, is it something in the material potentially to do that much damage, they need some testing done on it as it will just happen again the next home meeting? If it is the tyres then surly they are unsafe for the entire league? Value for money wise... 2/3 of a meeting seen for full price due to a major issue with either track material or tyre so not really happy but can understand for rider safety why but not good if you have paid £20 for 10 races and a 120 mile round trip. Sums up the panthers season as had these punctures not happened they would have been level at least if not leading.

That’s far too easy a solution… need rule 14.5.2.1.4.24 !!!! Just a farce

How can you name anybody a British Champion after this. The count back is a mess !!! Re-run the meeting would be the only logical choice but speedway is speedway and rules are rules.

There is one thing having a personal gripe but to take it onto a speedway track is disgusting. Speedway bikes are dangerous enough without any other motive and I have neither side to take in this but I hope it’s dealt with appropriately.

I just feel for the young lads at reserve in some of these teams, young Palin is struggling and you ask yourself what is this doing to him long term and as a product for the fans is it working? They have 3 rides and you can’t tell me it’s good for them scoring little to no points and confidence being destroyed. Peterborough had a 5 man team and like you say even in that you are carrying a rider a meeting in the top 5.

Not ideal but it’s one signature, an ex footballer wanting a football pitch built. I’m sure signatures from all ex British/world champions and stox world champions who have ridden/drove at Coventry would certainly be more of a statement.

A huge shame that Scott has gone, he was one of the main reasons to go to Leicester for me. Brave of Leicester if they are looking at running GP weekends but they must be confident of their business. They will have a few options but one very big role to fill on and off track. I'm sure Scott won't be short of a few offers and like another post mentioned a little closer to home might not be a bad idea. With 2020 being Rory's last season it wouldn't surprise me to see Nicholls follow suit. Best at of luck to the lions in 2020, will take some beating to top this year.

The issue for finding a new "Brandon" is that you have to find a location suitable to have 40 add coaches running through a village when the stox are on, and finished. The current location is perfect. I went not long back and it's a mess but on what scale is expected to be refurbished too? The stands are good, the tracks still there and a few mobile bars and it's a start. It would need sizeable investment for lighting and the repair work for fencing then there is the electrics that have been ripped out of everywhere you can imagine. The land has opportunity for other local and community projects and trying to find land to build a new track on is a needle in a haystack. It will be intresting to see the response if any though from Brandon Estates. Where does this leave them? How far will they go before thinking lets just sell it and move onto another plot of land elsewhere. My saying all along is that they purchased a viable Motorsport stadium, not a housing estate to be. There must be easier and less challenging avenues for them to look at, save coventry speedway team have given them a fight they never expected and Jeff, David and co won't give up now ...Can't wait to get back and help tidy the old place up....

I didn't think it was that bad a meeting. There were some good races and seeing Heeps doing well was good. Not good seeing Harris struggling, maybe with Danny doing well they could swap positions? The number 5 was a little wild for Ipswich, he nearly did a Bjarne Pedersen to Nicholls if he didn't shut off. A last east heat decider, have seen worse meetings by far on tv.

Well, this topic got a bit tasty didn't it. Scott is where is is and not many riders at his age will be still popping in scores he has. The lack of having a full team hasn't been easy as Scott has had many different team mates to get an understanding with, I think it says much about Wolves as a club they stuck to their word about it being short term and I'm not surprised. A very well run club !! As a bees fan seeing Rory and Scott in the same team was great, Scott can be proud of his time as a wolves rider and the pressure is on the guys coming in to perform. Thorsell at home is a no brainier but away form hasn't always been great.

It is not looking great for Ipswich but it's not always who you start with but... Will the owner bring in riders able to make a difference if needed I doubt. A massive own goal in not bringing Scott Nicholls in, he has not even spoken to Ipswich so it looks like he will start the season without a team and that is really unfortunate. People paying more this year to see a team that really isn't much better than last year and the possibility of getting a few tonkings along the way.

He did indeed at the NSSC meeting last week, although I think there is still time for things to change and even if he started the season without a team it wouldn't be long before something happened. It would be a shame as he has an average that isn't going to eat too much into the team and what he can offer on and off track is still very worthwhile.

A very big thanks indeed.. I recall getting back from Brandon on a Saturday night, think it was putting on teletext then watching pages just pass you by until a result and a top scorer came through. How times moved on and now you refresh when there is a big gap between heat results !! Silver bee was great at one liners in his updates on the bees, he was particularity complimentary to Hans Andersen and KK (especially if away at Wolverhampton) The riders all must take a look and it is with a pinch of salt but like a post above mentioned if it was done by the powers above then it would be very dull. Long may it continue !!!!

Quite a good debate for once, It did bring back memories of the 2005 issue Coventry had with Oxford. They wanted to loan Billy and Greg yet we had to buy Scott Nicholls from what i recall? It was 13 years ago. https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-129798675.html

This discussion may well of happened on here before so apologies if it has... But..... My Twitter feed has gone mad today with the "action" from the Moto GP race and the close action. I have watched the clip and although I now and again watch it if it's on I just don't get the mass appeal over it? The hype and circus that follows it (not as bad as F1) very rarely lives Upto the expectations. Maybe it's my speedway biased view but for close racing and action I think speedway as a whole is by far a better product than Moto GP? Don't get me wrong you do get some exciting racing in the Moto GP but it's absolutely drooled over, in the past few weeks we have seen racing from Belle Vue that has been on a different level to what I have ever seen. Speedway racing has never been in a worse state but the racing now is better than in the 60's, 70's and 80's when it was at its peak. The introduction of the air fence has riders throwing the bikes at each other and yes you get rubbish meeting but you get rubbish Moto GP races. The simple fact of 4 riders and 4 laps hasn't changed yet supporters have walked away from the sport in alarming numbers. The world has changed so much with so much more to do in people's leisure time but most sports grow such and maybe the supporters have been lost to Rugby, Ice Hockey where you see supporters going as families rather than speedway where it's mainly the older generation. In Sweden you see families but for some reason the sport here has been run like the dark ages and sadly been left in them. The AGM will no doubt be classed as "one of the most important in years". We hear this every winter and yet we still find clubs closing and supporters lost to the sport. We have such a fantastic sport, I can't even begin to tell you how much I miss going to Brandon. I just hope when we get (and we will) the stadium back that speedway is in a better position than it is today. The committee are trying so much to save stox and speedway and as much as the stox crowds have always been absolutely amazing at Coventry it would be much better for us and all clubs to have an organisation with a vision for the future and not scraping through year by year.

I just think when a reserve wins heat 15 you have to look and think it's not right. Where did it change from when I started going where reserves scored 4 or 5 and that was expected, home reserves are nearing double figures and away reserves are pushing 5 between them and the final scores are overwhelmingly influenced by this. In my view the top 5 are the points scorers and the reserves are the lower level riders who should be up and coming and progressing, but at the moment your heat leader can score 3 points and yet the reserve bangs in double figures and meeting won !!

I have been thinking about the amount of meetings won by reserves huge scores. Take today when the Poole reserve wins heat 15 ? There could be a valid and obvious answer to this but what is the actual need for a reserve pairing in modern speedway? Apart from average/team fiddling that we go through year in and year out why not have 6 rider teams and no reserve riders as such. The amount of results where the in form reserve has had 7 rides and scored a silly amount of points and is near enough the teams top scorer. How can this be good for the sport? Along with a cap on team changes through the year to say 3 maximum. like I say, might be valid reasons out there be good to understand more?

I find it quite remarkable that suggestions of riders such as Andersen & Nicholls would score poorly on purpose! Anybody with an ounce of sense of common sense would know these both give 100% and any rider will and does go through rough patches. Scott is on the verge of becoming a second string and as I stated somewhere else he won't put himself in situations that is going to cause him bother, that's why he goes season after season not being injured. At 40 he isn't what he used to be, but still pops in the odd ride that up with the best.

If you were paid on performance I'd hazard a guess you would score as many points as you can to put cash in your own pocket. Riders don't really care who they ride for as they can quite easily get replaced, clubs have not an ounce of loyalty towards anybody ! He may have scored better for Ipswich recently but he has done a few laps around that place and is well known to be good at lakeside. He is 40 years old, he won't put himself in situations where he will get into bother, that's why he isn't out injured or getting rode over.

Poole have managed to get a side together that will take some beating, The reserves as in any team are going to play a huge part and if you get that right your on your way to the playoffs. In years to come we will look back and realise how good the Nicholls/Harris races were we witnessed from epic British Finals to races like it sounded last night were. Bomber certainly improved since his Rye Meeting. But .. as with Chris, this is the time of year he usually starts popping in great scores.

Strange meeting by the sounds of it with the lions doing ok early on, then all went very wrong after the interval. I hate to admit but I have not really missed my speedway since the Brandon fiasco. The way you look at the sport changes and all meetings I see on the updates page I always look at the reserves to see what impact they have had, far to many meetings have one set scoring 4 and the others 10+. I know you can only beat what's in front of you but come on the Poole reserves will wipe the floor with any team, so effectively your main riders can score what they like as anybody having an off night you throw in an in form reserve. Hope to to see a major shake up next season and teams have a window to make changes as it's impossible to keep up.

I can't see unless major changes are made Poole can get anything close to Belle Vue, Swindon and Wolves. Be a scrap for 4th .... But as we know things change quickly and you would be silly to write anybody off.

I know this happens quite a lot but this year more than ever it seems the gulf in terms of reserves is frightening. I mean there are some struggling to hit 2 or 3 points and others getting double figures. The 1-7 are a team I get that, but meetings are being won more and more by the reserves. Rye missing Robbo has hit them hard and would have won tonight, also another off night for Eddie. Poole were lucky and don't see them getting near the play offs with this team.