Wee Eck

Could it be visa/work permit related that both are assessed at 7.5?

I like your thinking! Lemo is notoriously slow to make changes so I don’t really see BV as a threat to the top four

My recollection is different - Jake Allen was signed as a stop gap as BV had to declare a 1-7 but Zagar was always the target. He was in the line up for the Peter Craven and was being “spoken to” then.

When in recent years have Belle Vue made “the necessary changes fairly quickly”? I know they brought Lambert in a couple of years ago but that was to do with an injury and not because a rider was underperforming.

With the last two riders now being named, it’s timely to reply: I think the majority of speedway supporters want Birmingham to survive but are concerned that a poor team will lead to poor crowds and closure, as happened a couple of years ago with Newcastle. Both teams are similar in that there was a change of ownership and the new owners thought they could do better. Rob Grant effectively got rid of people who could have helped him, Nigel Tolley should have got rid of some of the old guard who lacked the ability to move the club forward. Worse than that, he has employed a team manager with little or no managerial experience and little credibility when it comes to attracting riders. In my opinion. Alun Rossiter’s name was being mentioned for the role back in November and I do believe it was a huge mistake not finding a way to sign him up rather than Sam Ermolenko. He has a proven managerial track record and still carries a degree of credibility greater than Sam. These are my views - I want to see a competitive Birmingham team on track, one which encourages and rewards the loyal supporters. The proposed 1-7 isn’t it. Neither of today’s announced riders is on the way up. Milik looked great riding for Poole 10 years ago but just hasn’t progressed since then. Pawlicki was always hit and miss but seemed to have stood still for some years - perhaps the broken femur in 2017 held him back? Speedway wants Birmingham and Birmingham speedway needs supporters. But the majority of supporters won’t continue to follow a losing team as nothing leaves a worse taste in the mouth than losing at home. I wish the team nothing but success - but suspect my wishes will go unheeded.

They both rode for both.

I think these two fill Phil’s judgement. Neither Pawlicki has reached “star” status since they stopped riding in UK and Milik has really gone nowhere since his stint at Poole.

The longer it goes on, the less likely it is to be a signing that will propel Birmingham off the bottom. The team owes it to its loyal supporters to make an announcement. Their behaviour is just like 2022 when they signed Adam Ellis on a short term contract - about 8 weeks or so - just before press and practice day but told him not to tell anyone how short the contract was. When he stuck to the contract and left in mid-May, Adam was accused of walking out. A bit of honesty rather than a load of BS is what’s needed now

Max determined to get one of the qualifier places in the GP Challenge

And BANKRUPTCY

I wonder what’s changed? I was there in 2015 for the Aussie champs and they ran the heats plus the under 16s all the way to the semis without a single track grade. Something like 36 or 40 heats. They knew rain was coming so went as quickly as they could.

Why was it abandoned? There seemed to be lot of falls

Love it

I like Kyle (end of season average 5.65. all from reserve) and Anders (5.95) occasionally shows his abilities but to suggest, even in a weaker league they’d score 14-16 points per meeting is pushing it, especially as Kyle would no longer be at reserve. I think your judgement on Tom and Tobias is closer to the mark - 9 to 11. Poole rarely make mistakes and, if they do, they usually find ways to correct them. One of Middlo’s main jobs, as well as “mothering” Tobias has to be keeping Lawson focused on his racing and not allowing him to be distracted by his testimonial. If he can do that, Poole will be close to the top again in 2024

I think Adam IS capable of a 6 point average but injuries hold him back and poor bike preparation lets him down. He seems to have more than his fair share of EFs including three in a row at Glasgow at the end of July. His early season form suggested it was going to be a big year for him but he quickly seemed to fade. Such a shame.

A not entirely unrelated question - as the season progresses, do any team changes, other than like for like, have to build back to 38 points or does the team building average revert to 42? Or has that already been discussed and I’ve missed it?

You’ve been biting your tongue, well keyboard finger, on that one all day I bet. An interesting signing - another Ford rabbit pulled from the hat or a rabbit that will be caught in the glare of Pirate’s stardom? I rather suspect the former

Can or can’t? I seem to recall him raving about, I assume, a Scottish rider at Lakeside or Eastbourne called McKorpy. First name Kill

Apologies. I was being suckered in by the names being bandied about. If Zagar is to be number one then the gaps need to be filled with riders with potential rather than some of the names being bandied about. I will await the grand reveals to come with interest, but maybe also a little apprehension. I’m prepared to be wowed, but will that happen?

Good move for Cook and here’s hoping it’s a good move for Workington. With the way they’ve gone about their business, they deserve success.

It’s seems I might be on my own on this one but I reckon signing Covatti has completely transformed this team. I think the Gladiators will put an end to the expectation that they’ll be easy meat on their home turf. As long as they remain injury free, the blend of youth and experience plus Garry May’s expertise should see Plymouth top half in 2024. IMO

No need to be rude. I was merely suggesting that lack of track knowledge wouldn’t protect Birmingham - the Brummies need world class riders if their fans aren’t going to be subjected to poor performances at home. In my opinion. My first post was actually the opposite of what you say but, hey ho, there we go.

And, by your calculation, 22 out of 42 visiting riders, also a majority, have also ridden there. I really hope Birmingham manage to put together a successful team for everyone’s sake, but I rather doubt home track knowledge alone will be enough to see off the likes of Janowski, Sayfutdinov, Musielak or any other of the top PL riders

But, as there has been a mass clear out at PB, the majority of home riders won’t have ridden there in the last two years either.

Although Birmingham are not yet complete, there aren’t many riders left to move them away from being favourites for the wooden spoon. Neither Leicester nor Belle Vue look particularly inspiring - where are the riders who are going to really up their averages? Ipswich and Sheffield are powerhouse teams so should be close to the top and Kings Lynn, probably thanks to having Rob Lyon involved, have three of the best ex-Peterborough riders plus Musielak. Had they moved faster on Harris, that could have made them play off finalists. They might still be. And that leaves Oxford. I seem to recall that many were unimpressed with their 2023 CL team yet that nearly topped the league. A lot depends on Janowski. He had a poor year in 2023 - though still good enough to bring home the World Cup for Poland - with an abysmal Cardiff GP, then a bad ankle break and the loss of his GP place. Has double fatherhood mellowed him or motivated him to return to being a world class rider? Magic on top form will take Oxford close to the top so my top four are Oxford, Kings Lynn, Ipswich and Sheffield with either Oxford and Kings Lynn or Sheffield and Kings Lynn contesting the final. Knowing my ability to predict the future, that means the final will probably be between Birmingham and Leicester