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MPT has not been reserve standard for years. He even started last year as number one for Peterborough. Now I'm not suggesting he's a strong number 5, but should be doing better than he is.

This is a tough one to call, Lynn now have a superstar number one & a decent guest in Nick Morris replacing an out of form Klindt. While Sheffield are using r/r for Bellego (Ellis, Kerr, Howarth x2) who has hardly scored any points away from home. Both teams look stronger tha normal!

Would that change anything though? Obviously I don't exactly know a speedway riders mindset, but currently Bickley knows scoring double figures & having a 9+ NL average doesn't translate to scoring well in the Champ. So now he doesn't have a Champ team & he continues scoring double figures & having a 9+ NL average - what has changed? How would he ever know if he's ready for the Champ again?

Can only see a big win for Glasgow here.

Is it a massive concern when Poole still keep winning at home & on aggregate? For Plymouth or Edinburgh it'd be a big concern after home defeats, but Poole are so strong, their top mam can drop a point off his average & they'll probably still win the treble!

I don't believe so, any comments I've read from Bickley (especially last year) suggest he wants Championship racing.

Or is it the best time to have only 2 teams make the play-offs? As I see it there are 3 teams stronger than the rest: Leicester, Oxford & Workington. If 4 qualify for the play-offs any fixtures between these sides have less importance as you know they'll both qualify. As it is these meetings now become far more important & interesting as only 2 of the 3 can qualify? With Belle Vue, Edinburgh & Mildenhall all looking strong at home, it's a very interesting league, I'd have preferred no play-offs.

I'm now thinking Hook could go to Glasgow so Berwick can get Complin. Probably suit both riders & teams better?

I'd go for Jacob Hook on a heartbeat. Hopefully he'll learn to ride Berwick, but he's gotta be better than any 2.00 guest for Stoneman

Gotta agree with you in that one. If they'd got Sam Hagon as their 2.00 rider, would have been worth the change, as it is I'm not convinced they're any stronger

I don't think Glasgow should be in a rush to make changes based on one or two bad meetings. Look at it this way, they've reached the BSN final & haven't even gotten started in the league yet! Not exactly a time to panic. Plymouth & Edinburgh have both recently made changes & I'm not sure either club has strengthened, so I wouldn't panic into making a change after ONE home defeat!

I've read a bit about Chris Harris being in a "false" average because he was at Berwick last year a track he likes. But his home (9.66) was only a point above his away (8.64) average, which can be expected for any rider surely?

If Complin ups his average to 4.86 Glasgow would be delighted & certainly wouldn't be looking to drop him!

I still think Workington look the strongest, but definitely makes Oxford far more potent. Really is a hard league to call, as you'd want it to be.

Totally agree with @Jaizer with his comments about Pijper. I'd even disregard ideas that he was caught out by a gripper track. As a 16 year old on a 2.00 average, he could race in perfect conditions 100% the same as a previous match he scored well on & struggle, that's just the nature of signing a 2.00 reserve. Certainly doesn't mean he isn't ready / should be dropped / should drop down to NL. Besides racing NL only wouldn't help him gain experience / track time as there's not many matches in that league.

Morley was very good at Plymouth, so should at least help them win at home. Home 7.43 (8.19) Away 3.90 (4.50)

If Wright rode & struggled because he wasn't fit yet, then the blame must surely go in the shoulders of the promotion for not replacing him? Dan T was available for the first match, even just as a temporary replacement for Wright. Had they done that, they wouldn't have needed Wright to attempt to ride when not fit! Ow Paul Starke has been dropped is he worth a shot in place of Weight / Dan T / Nielsen?

Gonna be tough for Scunny, Redcar will be on a high after winning at Glasgow

I thought the "no facility" rule meant you had to use a guest up to 75% of the missing riders average & can't use r/r? If so they'd be much better reverting back to Nielsen to use r/r than a 3.82 guest for Dan.

Does that mean if Lynn said we didn't drop Pickering because he was injured, we just think TJ is better, that they'd be able to bring him back before 28 days is up lol!

They could follow cycle speedway & make the riders wait at a "rest line" 5 metres from the tapes, then they are all called forward together, put the green light on immediately & then the tapes go up - no time for gardening. I'm sure the riders won't like it, but it'll be the same for everyone!

To me that's enough reason not to sign KK, I've defended him far more than most, but he can have no complaints about being dropped due to his shocking (away) form. So to not try his best & not turn up at another match is very unprofessional. Someone like Joe Thompson could have an excuse to act like that, riding above your average & getting dropped but not KK. Also of he knew he was on the way out & wanted another British team it would make sense to put in a stellar performance

How can an injured rider be wound up by a decision to replace him?

Last year Ipswich dropped Riss & Barker for Tungate & Summers. Tungate replacing Ross can't have been an "injury replacement" as his average took them over the limit, hence why they had to sign Summers too. But they were allowed to bring Riss back for their final match! So King's Lynn should be allowed to do the same?

Whatever the rule is I'd like to think they'd show some common sense (unlikely in Speedway I know) Pickering has clearly been dropped because he is injured, not some clever ploy to navigate the averages, so there'd be no reason not to allow him back in. The alternative being dropping Jorgensen or Klindt now & using guests for another month till Pickering is fit - who wants that? Even if the rule says you can't re-sign a dropped rider, it probably says subject to management committee approval etc so hopefully would be allowed?