DC2

Are these Poole’s “Greatest hits” in black and white and filmed by Pathe News?

Aprils pretty much alternate between too many showers and a decent sunny spell. This one has been one of the best but there have been several over the last twenty years.

For me, all 2007 riders were on their way down while the 2019 ones are on their way up. Did any of the three get a team place in 2008 (or do well if they did)? Yes, Gjedde only at Belle Vue. Pretty much the end of his career though. Easy choice.

The last six months of grey skies and drizzle were exceptional too!

Actually there’s 23 clubs. I overlooked Leicester having two.

Agreed. Do people think they’ve won an argument because they’ve reached the height of abuse? It’s as if calling someone an idiot means that you’ve instantly proven you’re right.

Yes, you will be right if we find a vaccine.

Blimey, that’s one massive doorstep! Or, I guess, would be if in true youngster style you had said “literally on my doorstep”!

There you are. A leopard can’t change it’s spots. Or hide them for very long.

Of course, one sometimes comes across an idiot in disguise.

Anyone who is consistently rude and unpleasant is an idiot. Your next post will undoubtedly confirm my point.

Sidney isn’t an idiot. But you are rude and unpleasant.

Not necessarily. Because a 6 point veteran on the way down can be replaced with a 4 point youngster on the way up, restoring parity midway through the following season.

I’ve just counted 83 declared in this year’s teams so realistically we’d need 50 Australians and continentals to base themselves here to have a real difference in standards between the two leagues. Edit: or did I count 87?

If you take out the junior teams of Edinburgh and Belle Vue there are currently 24 clubs. Maybe 16 for the top league and 8 for the junior league? So we’d need 16 x 7 for the top league, 112.

How many UK riders do we have in all leagues from last year? I’d be quite happy with a top league similar to the CL and a junior league like the NL, with under 23s doubling down into the junior league.

Yes, very few mentions of April Showers this year. Although having said that I haven’t been watching the weather forecasts because they have become pretty much redundant. The good weather has though kept the public onside with the lockdown and the hour’s exercise or sitting in the garden has been a treat. If we’d all been looking out at rain we’d be more depressed.

Lots of fans say the league has been weakened every year so you’d imagine our 2019 team to be like an NL side compared to the 2007 one, but it isn’t anything like that weak. Ellis, Musielak and Jensen were better than Chrzanowski, Gjedde and Ulamek. The only “weakening” has been the loss of a handful of GP standard number 1s and some reserves promoted prematurely from the lower leagues.

Spot on and perfect. Oh, apart from the last sentence! And you could have a large, old fashioned cricket style scoreboard to please Grachan (which is a fair point).

I think that’s a fair assessment, Grachan. Lots of fans say the league has been weakened every year so you’d imagine our 2019 team to be like an NL side compared to the 2007 one, but it isn’t anything like that weak. The only “weakening” has been the loss of a handful of GP standard number 1s and some reserves promoted prematurely from the lower leagues.

That’s all well reasoned. But would you pick the 2007 Chrzanowski, Ulamek and Gjedde over the 2019 Ellis, Musielak and Jensen If you were picking a team for this year? I certainly wouldn’t.

Ah, those were the days.

I remember thinking at the start of 2007 it was a dream team but they never seemed to all fire at the same time. Gjedde in particular was poor and dropped to reserve (although he did have some good meetings there away from home) and the Poles seemed to go off the boil to the extent that made Rosco say he would never sign another again. And while I liked Andy Moore he just couldn’t gate.

You’re slipping from debate to abuse.

Do you think the 2007 2, 3 and 4 would beat last year’s counterparts based on their form in the respective seasons? And Adams and Richardson would 5-1 Doyle and Batchelor?