Hamish McRaker

More like "dictatorship" than directorship??

Would having 6 teams, with no lame ducks involved, bring back the possibility of salvaging a tv deal for 2026? The recent 7 team league, aided by the points limit, seemed to create a situation where two teams were basket cases almost from the start. 6 teams with the 37 point limit will hopefully produce better equilibrium. Last season it seemed like Louis and others strong-armed their needs through at the expense of creating two lame ducks, bully for them but it created a league that was a foregone conclusion soon after it began

Or maybe in his Top Hat?🙃

Must be giving the big bombshell Douglas announcement a chance to reverberate before making any further announcements. I'm not a fan of hype, but it had all the impact of a pint of lukewarm, flat and poorly-kept beer, from both him and the club🤔

Bit of a low-key announcement, considering it's for the new number one rider!

Yes, thats what i was getting at later in my post. Presumably the name Oxford Spires couldn't be used, though?

I doubt the sanity of any such venture. Why would the Oxford Cheetahs promoters risk diluting the interest in and attendances for Cheetahs matches, soon after ending a failed experiment. Unless they don't have any influence over it, which would still make it utter madness to attempt

With Douglas being, according to some, a nailed-on certainty to be Lions' no.1, they're dragging their feet somewhat in making the announcement! KL, Sheffield, and Belle Vue (probably) have all named their no.1's, so what's holding up Leicester from doing likewise?

What happened to Ashton Boughen? I thought he was supposed to be the new big young thing.

Ffs this is getting like The Prisoner. Who is Number 5? Who is Number 6? Ipswich is Number 5! No! Ipswich is Number 6! Who is Patrick McGoohan? Who is the all-seeing Controller? Round the Boards? The Top Drawer? (or they actually the same person)? And what is the giant white bubble that comes out of the sea? Why - of course - it's Northampton, complete with Brady Kurtz at Number 1!!

Never over till the fat lady sings. She's not even on the stage yet

Has Kurtz even been provisionally announced by any side yet? Can't recall Dougie having been likewise by Leicester yet, either. Let alone being part of a full 1-7 officially ratified by the SCB

But in such a cut-throat league as the one we could have in 2026, with 5 teams and the 37 points limit, there will be a premium on riders able to increase their CMA's, even by small amounts. Fricke could increase his average, but not by much. Kurtz on the other hand could put a point or more on his, a huge advantage to whichever team he's with. Likewise Doyle, if he changes his mind about doing UK league. Could Dougie push his average up? Hope im wrong but I doubt it. Dan Thompson definitely should, Masters maybe by half a point.

World no.2. 8.97 Bargain average compared with others both above and below that?

With the other teams naming high-profile number one riders, will there be a change to Leicester's apparent team-building approach? Could there still be an Australian wearing no.1, but not the one being widely tipped?

Just calm down and take your medication, Mike. Nurse! Nurse!

Could be one last, final case for "We Buy Any Speedway Club.com"

Sometimes holidays give the chance to reflect on decisions and get a different perspective, especially to knee-jerk and emotive ones

Has C. Louis emigrated to Oz or is it a holiday?

I agree. The signs being put out by the other 4 clubs (although BV seem to have been a bit quiet) indicate the 5-team league will go ahead. But there's clearly still not 100% resolution with "Team 5" that would enable BSPL to make the announcement they'd otherwise like to have made by now. Its hard to think that Team 5 could be anything other than Ipswich, but of course you cant be certain until its announced. Personally im in the "one league" camp and highly skeptical about the Premier league being viable, but the BSPL have made their decision for 2026 and so all we can now do, is to hope their plans and efforts succeed. It could be that anything more definite won't be announced until the AGM. But they must get their collective backsides in gear asap to develop a new plan for 2027 otherwise the whole circus will disappear over the cliff edge it's currently clinging onto

I'm just thinking back to the points limit setting for the 2025 season, where if I'm reading correctly between the lines, there was a division between those wanting 40 and those wanting 39. In one corner was i think Birmingham plus another/s, in the other was Ipswich plus other/s. And the 40 limit was greatly advantageous for Ipswich, as it allowed them to have Brennan and keep the rest of the side mostly intact, and strong. So it would appear that Louis got his way, there, along with others, perhaps at the expense of others and maybe at the expense of a more competitive league? However, I do accept what a huge favour he did the league and for the sport in the UK by bringing Sayfutdinov here, especially in his first two seasons when Emil would have put extra numbers on attendances everywhere, and I understand how much hard work he put in to make that happen

Has a bit of a loose jaw, does Josh!

Surely for a rider to be called an " out and out number one" he should have an average close to 10? 9.50? "Number one" : 8.50 - 9.49 "Number one because that's the highest average in the team": 0.00 - 8.49

Whilst not willingly and deliberately by the promoters, could the Premier league effectively turn into a loss leader unless they get their collective act together?

Is there a risk, unless its already the case, of the Premiership therefore becoming a "loss leader" whereby a product will be financially "sacrificed" as to its profitability in order to act primarily as a marketing tool ?