Hamish McRaker

Yes this is one of the innovations Phil Morris has brought in. The away team can play a "joker" at any stage in the match and move the white line out by up to 2 metres

Nicki Pedersen's never dull, is he?

I'm sure it'll all come out in the wash

Deja vu all over again. Should have signed Chris Holder....oh, hang on......

Surprisingly eloquent statement by Buster Chapman following the Pedersen signing! Anyway, whether his own words or someone else's, it could have been taken as a critique of Holder by his extolling Pedersen's virtues, plus sending out the clear message, "I'm the boss around here".

Phil Morris will put a stop to that and he'll also sort out the parking restrictions.

If I recall events correctly - no guarantee of that, I concede - was D.Allitt, someone with possibly limited previous experience, put into the team manager job after Rob Lyon, the previous and highly experienced incumbent, had stood down from that role? I think that may have been the case. I think that Mr Lyon continued to be a Co-Promoter at King's Lynn until he resigned late in July 2017 (shortly following the "walkouts" of C.Holder and Batchelor), citing as his reasons his inability to give the position sufficient time, something which had been the case for several weeks, and possibly months. I must admit to having no definite knowledge of Mr Allitt's credentials (at that time) and I hope he has recovered from his illness. However, I'm guessing his previous experience, certainly of managing international-level riders such as C.Holder, was limited. In which case, during that season he would have expected to have been given support and supervision by his highly-experienced promoters, Messrs Lyon and Chapman. From his "resignation statement" of 26 July, it appears that Mr Lyon's ability to do that had probably been restricted. How much "hands-on" support had K.Chapman been giving to D. Allitt? I bet the answer to that is "not a lot"! (I seem to recall C.Holder, after being sacked, saying he rarely saw or spoke with K. Chapman). D.Allitt probably wasn't previously a professional speedway rider, was quite new to the job at that level, and maybe didn't get the assistance he would have needed - did that apply on the evening in question, or did Messrs Lyon and Chapman intervene in a timely fashion? Middleditch saw what was kicking off and acted accordingly, smart guy! Taking a guess, I'd say that Dale Allitt was probably hung out to dry and had no chance of persuading Holder and Batchelor to change their minds. But I wasn't there in the pits.....

Perhaps because the failure in that scenario was actually Mr Chapman's, he knows it, and doesn't want Chris Holder back as an employee, who he failed to manage?

Was he suitable for the job? Dealing with riders, who can sometimes be bolshy, has to be an essential ability. Presumably K.Chapman appointed him and, had he not unfortunately been taken ill, may have needed to be removed from the position. All of that would have added up to "management failure" and been Mr Chapman's ultimate responsibility, wouldn't it?

Who was the KL team manager?

Just purely as a matter of interest, what is worse out of declining to go out and ride, or going out to the tapes but then just pootling round at the back, maybe dropping out after a couple of laps? Seen many instances of the latter, but the former will get the headlines and reaction, even though it may be called a more honest approach.

Has Mr Tomalin's application for a promoter's license been approved yet? Until that has been sorted out, and despite his financial input as a sponsor, his power is surely restricted compared to Mr Chapman. Relations between major sponsors and club owners can become rather strained when it comes to who holds the balance of power in all sports, especially in matters concerning decisions which could commit the club to outlay. Sponsors can walk away at any time, owners can't.

Ipswich and Peterborough have agreed to operate a joint squad system for this season whereby a pool of riders will be available for both clubs to select from on a weekly basis. It is expected that the squad will be added-to from month-to-month according to riders availability. Teams selected will need to confirm to the league points limit, and for matches between the clubs, 14 riders will be chosen, with actual sides being picked before the start of the match using the alternate pick method.

Trying to get sponsorship from the manufacturer of Gaviscon I suspect?

Do what Leicester did. Get planning permission over the larger area of land for multiple uses. Raise money by charging for commercial dumping of earth and crushed rubble (with the Council turning a blind eye to it). Instal temporary seating (which becomes permanent) and hey presto, popup speedway stadium

New look, maybe new mindset, so now just needs a new team to go with them. Probably won't have to wait too long into the season until he gets a chance. Him and Dan Thompson vying for first dibs. Who will be first to get the call out of those two?

I think the laddie needs to stop wearing upside down plant pots on his head, get a haircut, toughen up a bit and spend less time on producing calenders etc. Seems to be a case of more style than substance (of the right sort)

Would Troy Batchelor spanner for Tungate? Or would the spanner be more likely to become embedded in someone's skull?

Would the matter of having the necessary permissions for the land earmarked for the new stadium (which presumably would be dual use for Mr Tomalin's business), and it's purchase, need to be completed before Peterborough speedway's ownership is bought by Mr Tomalin? Until then, maybe becoming a co-promoter is as far as he can go, and I'm not sure if his application has been approved yet? Perhaps this is what is delaying C. Holder from signing a contract, because change of club ownership may be some way away from happening.

People will always get behind an over-achieving underdog. The problem is with an under-achieving "overdog". Always better to try to be the former in my view but also runs the risk of falling a over t.

"Proven number 1" could include having been a No.1 at some point/s in the past at top league level, whilst not necessarily starting the forthcoming season at that position in the team.

Maybe when saying "No.1" he is meaning a rider who won't, at least from the start of season, actually be wearing the No 1 on his back, but whose status in the sport (such as being a former world champion) is of such a level (in his opinion, of course!).

Count your blessings - Peterborough still haven't named most of their team !

Possibly Mr C Holder (and possibly others) makes provisional agreement with Peterborough but, also makes one with Ipswich. This would be known by both clubs. However, his full commitment to Peterborough would possibly have been contingent upon Mr K Chapman no longer being owner of the club, the two of them having had their differences in the past and those differences are not reconcilable. Now, with the recent statement from Peterborough, it seems that K. Chapman is still owner of the club, and the rumoured sale to Mr Tomalin has not been done, at least not yet, anyway. Mr Holder therefore invokes his right to commit himself elsewhere, or perhaps even decides to give the UK a complete thumbs down for a further season.

I predict a fry-up