ZODIAK

TBF the lad has only got himself to blame for being born in America. He should have been a bit more savvy and got himself born in Poland, Sweden or Denmark!

I also agree with the British reserves idea, but "most second strings" as well might be pushing it.

They'll just be replaced by second rate Swedes and Danes instead. Good luck with #BacktheBritishkids.

Agree it's a different animal. There's been youth stars over the years that looked like they had the world at their feet, only to flop once they moved on to 500cc and disappeared. On the flip side there's been others who looked pretty ordinary at youth level who then thrived on 500cc and had good careers. Always dangerous to make predictions though before a competitive wheel has been turned as you can end up looking a right turnip. That's why I'll sit firmly on the fence and say Sissis could actually do very very well, or he might not

I know for a fact Chris Louis watched him very closely at Foxhall last summer. I think Louis made his mind up there and then that it wasn't an option he was going to explore in great detail! No offence to the lad but he looked abysmal, couldn't turn the bike properly around the bends and was slow and constantly out of shape. Almost looked as though it was the first time he'd ever sat on a speedway bike let alone ridden one. Could all be a red herring of course and he could well turn out to be decent given time. I won't hold my breath though..

How did Arthur Sissy get on? The poor lad's had a mare in pre-season so far.

Without getting in to the intricacies of who should and shouldn't qualify for a visa and the qualifying criteria, purely from a fans point of view it would be a great shame in Manzares didn't obtain one as he was excellent entertainment last season. He's certainly been a good addition to the PL.

You're right it didn't, but the amount of times he was missing was tiresome. Hard for Ellis to miss out after he thought he was signing for Ipswich again, but in Louis' defence from what I've heard, Louis thought he wouldn't be riding for Lakeside again either. Missing so many meetings again obviously didn't appeal.

Probably because of the legalities of it all and the murky world of the "asset" system. Could it be that the rider is the asset of the man/promotion that done the deal, and that up until Chris Louis severed ties with Mildenhall, he was considered a Mildenhall asset and now isn't? In the same way, are the likes of Poole, Sundstrom etc etc Peterborough assets or assets of the previous promotion? If those riders ride elsewhere, do Ged Rathbone and Trevor Swales receive the loan fees or does it go elsewhere? It's a complicated issue and none of it I'm sure legal. Interestingly, just come across this press release when the "swap" deal came about, between Blackbird and Ipswich asset Oliver Rayson.. "Blackbird moves from King’s Lynn, with the Tigers’ Oliver Rayson going in the opposite direction. All three have joined their new clubs on full transfers. Tigers co-promoter Chris Louis said, “The last few days has been a whirlwind in the transfer market for us. Of course we are delighted that both Danny and Lewis have joined Mildenhall but at the same time it is a blow to us as management, and also the fans and sponsors at West Row, to be losing Oliver. It is always a balancing act when building a team but in our case it was made even more difficult by our 11th hour take over of the club.” Chris continued, “Danny joins us from Poole and is an important part of the Mildenhall jigsaw. He is a rider with immense talent and potential. We all believe that the set up at West Row will be just what he needs to progress. “When Lewis made the decision that he would be best suited to Mildenhall because of his locality and sponsors, he found it very difficult to request a move from King’s Lynn before a wheel had even been turned. It was his decision and we have always left it for him to make. “With my Ipswich connections we will always be looking to back up our squad and these are guys capable of doing just that at some point in the future.” http://www.lovespeedway24.co.uk/teams/mildenhall-fen-tigers/rayson_joins_lynn_as_fen_tigers_swoop_for_two_1_840349

You'd expect something will be clarified publically on this issue sooner rather than later. I expect we'll hear something today at some point.

I suppose Manzares falls in to the "rubbish" category. He's a 20 year old who until last season had never ever ridden in any team speedway, who in his first season reached a very creditable 6+ PL average. He was a joy to watch as well and definitely added something to the PL. If the criteria for qualification on here is correct, he should be fine though as he has a national U21 title on his CV from 2012.

The 6 announced looks good enough for the top 6 regardless who the last rider is, IMO. Obviously I've based my prediction on the 6 announced so far. It's only a bit of fun lets not get too stringent..

With only one or two places to fill, who are your 6 for the play offs? put the team you think will top the table at the top, the others in any order. Edinburgh Peterborough Ipswich Glasgow Berwick Somerset

Hope so it'll be good to start with a couple of easy wins to boost confidence for the season ahead..

Oh dear Worky look absolutely crap. Nevermind it's not the winning but taking part that counts LOL

Hes a Chris Louis asset. Mildenhall didn't recieve a single penny "loan" fee..

Things have certainly changed at Peterborough! Since when did Peterborough become Kings Lynn's bitches? EOES, the new training school for the EL Kings Lynn Stars. Any other unpolished gems you want to throw their way to train up Lynn fans? You'll now get all the Lynn fans on these threads now checking on how "their" boy is coming along.

He hasn't been "shunted" by or for anybody. Ellis' contract with Ipswich ended on October 31st, Ipswich were then entitled to sign any 7 riders they wanted, just like all the other clubs. Ellis may well have a far better future than Covatti, on the other hand he might not and might not progress at all, nobody knows. Speedway these days is very short-termism, and I'm unconvinced that over the next 12 months Ellis would either average more, or increase his average more than Nico Covatti. Also if what is being hinted at above is true and that there is more than meets the eye to the Covatti signing, then it's even more a shrewd move by Chris Louis.

Probably Lanham and a 3 pointer.

You should be without doubt, but I wouldn't bet against it being Lanham. Very uninspiring signing if it is. Maybe the fact that Lanham is currently on holiday in Tenerife is the reason the team isn't complete, and it will be completed on his return?

Doesn't matter if he is I personally think you'd be a bit barmy to choose the panthers over Ipswich at the moment even if they run at all. Ippo look the more stable club by far. Fair play to the fellas that are trying desperately to raise enough cash to run, but if you were a rider and they approached you would you be totally confident in them? Not sure I would.

Me neither

Yup!

Exactly. Sometimes you just want to get the hell out of there, get home and put the kettle on!

Spot on. Anyone seriously questioning supporters leaving after heat 14 need their head testing. Totally understandable and would happen at every track up and down the country, Edinburgh included.