Pinny

Yeah and what was his average that year compared to other number ones and how did eastie do that season? Newport had nick simmons as a number one at one stage, doesnt mean hes ever been number one quality!

I always preferred PL racing but that was purely down to the fact that i watched it week in, week out. The el should be leading by example though, its broadcast every week on sky and is the top league in the country. Its the main specticle of british speedway and at the moment its an absolute mess. The lower leagues are hardly thriving either, crowds in pl are way off break even on the whole. Sadly since poland have been paying big bucks riders no longer class the uk as a priority, poles never have but you go back to 15 years or so ago, all decent foreigners would come and ride in the pl, think it was only holta who never came. Now they dont want to know

The only time he has been remotely close to being a number 1 was in his early days at Arena where tbf he was pretty good, at home at least. Since he has been nowhere near, id say barring two maybe three seasons at a push hes been on borderline third heat leader standard at best.

Ben barker isnt a pl number one nowadays let alone an el number 1!!!

The whole sport in the country is a mess. The crowds have been dropping off alarmingly since they started pissing about with the points limit and then of course that pathetic grading system idea that they brought in. Every EL club back in 02/03 was getting 1000 as a bare minimum, now probably only poole clear that easily on a weekly basis. Its time a fixed race night was given and a decent points limit. Get the top boys back. Im sorry but i cant ever see the crowds flocking back unless the gp stars do. Give the fans the olden heat 13/15s. Iversen and Pedersen vs Woffinden and Pawlicki. Jonsson and Hancock vs Janowski and Holder. Etc ... Instead of bloody Walasek and Wozniak Vs batchelor and lambert. It may be easier said than done, and my opinion being of zero financial danger to myself, but something has to be done. I remember the days when any hot prospect in europe would appear over here to start their careers. Cegielski, andersen, nicki p, bjarne p, mli, zagar, lindback etc. now they dont wanna know and you have crap like Woryna at coventry filling team places. Drastic, massive improvements need to be made for 2017 otherwise apart from poole, there will be crowds of 2-300 a week for the other clubs.

Tai? 😂

Whoooooooosh Almost as slow as Not So Fast Freddie

Lindgren a class act in the el yet has a lower average than batchelor who is slated on a regular basis! Lindgrens on a huge downward spiral and his el average, exit from the gps and other league figures show this. He was absolutely awful last season.

Crump lol Hed struggle to average 6 these days

Lambert out and replace him with a rider taking them up to the limit. They would be dark horses for title then imo

Facts are Mitchell Davey debuted in the pl in 2008, still has a sub 3 average, must be in his late 20's and is Australian. And hes odds on to become edinburghs fast track number 7, designed to help young brits progress in the sport. You couldnt make it up!!! Even if he does take out a uk passport, it is still ridiculous. Youll have Glenn cunningham being re assessed and used as somersets number 8 next

Cant be that bad if youve visited it many many times can it?

Have you been to new zealand ?!

Not what i heard from people who were at the track day in day out throughout the 07/08 off season. But the only person who will know for sure is sadly no longer with us. Either way, the club had a superb fan base in the late 90s/early 00's and the potential to be the biggest club in uk speedway.

Of course it was under consideration - and with the crowds even lower in 08 than 07 and with the prospect of finishing rock bottom in 08 , it could well of been nl only in 2009. I hold my hands up and admit that it didnt go as well as planned for the malletts, far from it. But finishing rock bottom in their first season didnt help. We all saw the crowd at the 2011 ko cup final first leg when we put nearly 70 points past glasgow, there was about 900 people there, some 500ish more than your average race night. Crowds in newport are extremely fickle. Just look at the rugby and football crowds in contrast to their success. I cant be bothered to go and have a look at the tables but since 1999 the Wasps only had one top half of the season finish - in 2011 when a load of 4 point away wins boosted them up the table. Would of been very interesting to see what the crowds would of been like for 2012 - as the promotion assembled a quality side, pretty much spot on, to start the season. Obviously it didnt start. Loads of big companys wanted to sponsor the club in its hey day - and , as was his right, tim declined. The damage was done a fair while before he sadly passed away. Regular wooden spoons, remember the year he signed henka vedel on 8 to replace the injured Wato who had a near 10 average? I have no doubt Tim had the club at his heart but to see a club deteriote as quickly as it did was a crying shame and sadly, there is only one person to blame for that.

The club was in a mess by the end of the Tim Stone years , only have to look at the atrocious side that was put out at the start of the final season under his reign. there was of course the strong rumour that we almost went NL only in the final season before he sadly passed away. With the malletts, they tried lots but it didnt work out. They forked a hell of a lot of money into the club before a race was even started at newport. The stadium underwent improvements, the track was sorted out, and on paper the side in 2009 didnt look bad. Sadly it was rubbish on track and the injury to Watson in the first meeting, whilst he looked in good form, was the start of a nightmare. They had many many negative points but nobody can say they didnt give it a bloody good go. Their family almost went completely bankrupt. In a way its good to see their haulage business seems to be on the up again What they will never be forgiven for was the fact that they had the chance to make a bit of money back and sell the club on to Phil Morris - and would of rather seen it vanish than sell up. But the last half season they were there they went out with a bang - that side imo was one of the most powerful sides of all time in the PL, certainly in the 15 or so years i attended. And absolute quality to watch on track as well. We obviously got the wooden spoon in 2009, were awful the first half of 2010 yet ended superbly and should of taken off where we finished in 2011 but a couple of poor signings meant we started the year with about 10 straight defeats. They had many bad points and handled things badly BUT i still think that a lot of the damage was done in the latter part of stoneys time in charge. At the end of 1999 he had the world at his feet, one of the best crowds in british speedway, a massive away following everywhere, sponsors wanting in from all angles. Yet he tried cutting corners by signing a rubbish side for 2000 and never quite recovered. Wato was well known to of wanted a return for 2000 but stoney wouldnt pay him the extra points money, smarty left for swindon for more money whilst i think anders only agreed to come back late on in the off season. But whats done is done and hopefully some kind of track can be made at this new Valleys project and some kind of speedway can return to Wales I still maintain that if a shrewd promoter brought the sport back to Newport and done things properly, it could be a big success.

Bwitcher we have had some good debates over the years and ive rarely had a good debate with stevebrum BUT he has a good point. Lots of riders outscore others abroad, look at Mjj. Averaged more than many world class riders in sweden and poland yet hasnt in the uk. Have no doubt larsen would be quality in the el and probably would outscore the fading lindgren and JK.

In all fairness to brum, i think what he means hes yet to prove himself as a good nimber one in the uk yet. But i still think he would be quality in the el in its current state. But we wont know until he ever returns i suppose.

Pk or bjerre, both would be top dog in this league.

He was always quality at Newport, not many were a threat to Watson and Henriksson in the 99 season. But he was, he was superb. He guested for us many times that season. As did Neville Tatum. What ever happened to him?!

Which PL rider do you wish you had signed? Michael Coles. Wish we had signed him in 2000 as a replacement for one of Wato/Smart when they went EL and to Swindon respectively. He always rode Newport well. We did however sign him in 2005 (ish) but was well, well past his sell by date then. Adam Sheilds is another - was quality in the PL for the IOW and heard he was in talks one season with Tim Stone. Sadly never happened. Had your team been EL who would have been your Number One? Would of loved Jason Crump, his father was once a Wasp and JC was generally outstanding in the EL. Who would have most likely been your Number One? Probably David Howe :lol: Most Exciting signing at PL Level? Got to be Frank Smart, his first season with us he was pretty wild and inconsistent due to poor machinery but after his drugs ban, he had superb machinery off Mallett and was exciting as well as a powerful scorer. Used to pass top riders for fun around QM. Whatever happened to the once strong PL? Same as the rest of British Speedway - its fallen on its arse!

What a tosspott b havelock is. How can you expect to loan other riders yet insist on your riders going on loan to another club?! A knob of the highest order

Heard rumours not long ago that a speedway track was planned for the site. If and when it opens though!

Cant believe so many people are biting to "IvehadtomanySNACKS" posts! He comes on here to simply disagree with the majority to cause a stir. Hes very much the same as the white knight, a fat sad old man who hasnt had a bit of fun in decades so comes on a forum to argue with people.

Clifton in his day was quality in the NL. If hes come back with decent bikes and is serious, i see no reason why he cant average around 6 even after a big lay off ! Is there any footage of him online since he made his comeback?