stevethelion

Lions v KL was originally due to start at 6pm, but at the last meeting it was announced it had been moved to 7.30 due it being televised, so perhaps BT have changed their minds. Wolves v Belle Vue promises to be a closer meeting.

Overnight rain, but it's been sunny & dry all day.

Because of the fixed race nights it's hardly happened this season. Doubt it will make it much more competitive, Poole make just make 60pts now instead of 62!

Because you can have a guest for someone who is 4th or 5th in the averages if they are D/U ( Wright is at Sheffield ), but not if they are injured , then it must be R/R.

Don't think you can bring back riders you have released in the same season, unless they are returning from injury & covered by 28 day signing, so pretty sure Sarjeant can't be re-introduced.

You're right, you can bet if reserves had to be used he wouldn't have withdrawn from the meeting, it was obvious from his comments he didn't fancy it & Swindon used the rule to gain an advantage ( can't blame them, Rossiter isn't slow were things like that are concerned). IRR was then unbeaten from the remaining 2 rides. Morris couldn' t have been too badly hurt, seemed to ride OK last night.

Lions riding order from their website is: 1. Andersen 2. Wright 3.Auty 4.Wells 5. Nicholls 6.Mountain 7.Robson

Agree with you about Newman, he shouldn't have been released, I think they tried to hide behind the fact he was injured, but that was only a short-term injury & he was back riding the week after. Like you say if he hadn't been released he would now be at reserve with Sarjeant, the 2 riders who were meant to start the season at reserve, but hardly got the opportunity too because of Bates injury. ( Newman / Sarjeant) seems stronger than ( Robson / Mountain).

Thanks for that info, doesn't seem a fair way to do it. With the disproportion in home meetings to away ( 9h/ 4a) it could make for an unrealistic average , which is surely not the idea.

A few weeks ago that would certainly have been the case, Krystian's average was well over 7, but his average had dropped to 6.36, so 0.14 under his assessed average, he would have had to have scored big at Swindon to push it over his 6.50 assessed. I don't know what happens when a rider completes his 4h & 4a, if as in Krystian's case it would have been 9h & 4a, do all 9 home fixtures count or is it the 4 latest or 2 best scores/2 worst? Doesn't seem fair to include 9 home meetings. Infact if you take his last 4 at home & his 3 completed away matches, his average would only be 5.57, so a low score against Swindon in his 4th away match could have seen him at reserve ( that's if they use the most recent 4 home scores, not all 9).

Josh isn't at reserve, Robson is reserve with Mountain. Auty takes his converted Championship average. Averages have been updated already on SGB website : Andersen 7.42 , Nicholls 7.35, Wells 7.09, Wright 6.19, Auty 6.03, Robson 5.52, Mountain 2.79. Total 42.39

Note to Lions management, next season make Thomas Jorgensen the first rider you attempt to sign, seems to fly round BP every time he visits, always seems to hit double figures. The Kings Lynn boys were a class above anything the Lions could offer( Andersen apart), Pieszczek's form has dipped dramatically, Bjerre is poor & Kurtz looks like he's riding a lawnmower.

Or which Bjerre, he's been pretty average so far, needs to up his game.R/R for Kerr makes KL much stronger & with Proctor at reserve makes them favourites.

They had the chance to get a stronger reserve in when the 2 changes were made. IMO, Newman should have been retained & Kurtz released, I know he was injured at the time but he was back with Lakeside a week later, this would have given them a much stronger reserve & a better balanced line-up.

The new averages effective from 1/7 are available if you click on the team declarations link, don't know why they haven't been updated on the Green Sheets link.

The new averages were released on the 29th June but for some reason they were published on the team declaration page of the SGB website, instead of the Green sheet page they usually appear on.

You're right Sarjeant does seem to do well at home & looks faster than Kurtz & indeed as a better home average, it's away were he seems to have problems. The thing is, Piesczcek & Sarjeant both have rolling averages higher than their assessed averages ( 7.16 & 3.54), so when they have completed their 4h/4a, the team total will be around or possibly above the 42.50 limit which will leave less scope for a reserve change.

Bjerre 7.54 , Andersen 7.42, Wells 7.09, Pieszczek 6.50, Wright 6.19, Kurtz 4.02, Sarjeant 3.00 = 41.78. Pieszczek & Sarjeant will both have done their 4h & 4a, after Wednesdays match at Kings Lynn, so they will get new averages, I think 7 days after that. Kurtz will still have 1 more away match to do before he gets his new average.

No that would have been 42.97, so 0.47 over. If they had replaced Kurtz with Wright & kept Newman, they would have had 6.62 to replace King. Like you say it would have given much needed strength at reserve. Have to feel sympathy for Kyle, he was the victim of circumstances, if it hadn't have been for Josh's sledging injury he would have been at reserve & no doubt piling up the points, as it was he was thrust into the main body of the team through no fault of his own & struggled & little, but still increased his starting average by nearly half a point. I think they released the wrong rider, Kurtz was the one to go for me.

Agree with you regarding Kurtz, but seemed strange that he was wearing new Lions racesuit for last night's meeting, the first time he's worn the Lions colours( he had always used his Sheffield ones before that), if they were replacing him surely they wouldn't have gone to the expense of a new racesuit for 1 meeting.

Can't have a guest for a 2nd string this year, unless both are missing or maybe if he's D/U, so it's got to be R/R for Howarth, which weakens Wolves slightly, but should still be much too strong for Lions, with only the reserves & Pieszczek able to take Newman's rides. Can't see Pieszczek scoring more than 1 or 2 having never rode there before. Wolves to win by a least 16 points.

Charles Wright guests for King . R/R for Newman

Yes we'll have to see. It looks like it won't be Lasse because he's been unbeaten in his last 2 meetings for Sheffield which as pushed his rolling average up to 8.34, which converted to Premiership comes to 6.41, which is now too much to replace Kurtz. He could still replace King, if his injury is going to keep him out for a while.

Can't really see his Polish side letting him return, even if he wanted too. Or do you know something ?

He's withdrawn from tonight's meeting at Ipswich after 2 rides with his arm injury again, seems like he can't get it right, maybe a rest for a couple of weeks or so is the best thing for him.