Hamish McRaker

Unless, of course, the limit is about to be reduced by 2 points

Wouldn't be surprised if Sky has been alive to such a possibility for a while now. Not sure if the 8 teams "requirement" is contractually set in stone or not. But if there is also a concern for the quality of the product, then a reduction to 7 teams in 2016 could be of benefit. Sweden went down to 7 teams this year from 8 the previous one.And how many times did Sky cover Leicester matches in the two years? Two "obligatory" home matches and that was all. As Flagrag has previously pointed out onhere,deficiencies in the track lighting prevent matches from being covered outside the full daylight period.And deficiencies in the team have prevented away matches being featured. So would Sky really be all that concerned??

And I did say BOTH of them!!

It would not surprise me if the other Elite League promoters have been well aware of such a scenario happening for some time, and have made contingency plans to implement a 7 team league.Would there still be enough riders available, if another promoter took over and ran a Premier League side?

Maybe he's just a more understated kind of guy?

The word "bet" gives a clue.

A sneaky feeling the promoters have a Plan B scenario ready to adopt. This is a league of 7 teams. There could even be a PREFERENCE for it,and it is only a matter of time before it is put into action as it becomes clear that one of the current 8 teams cannot put together a team. I found it most curiuos that Lakeside named two riders at reserve, who are both retired from speedway. I will not be putting bet on them actually being in the team when the season begins.

I think young Mr Hemsley's best chance is to do a rapid u-turn back to the PL while theres still half a chance.

Nor does the majority of riders......which means if a rider learns it well enough, he can acquire one big home advantage. Just needs some persistence and the right attitude.

make engines illegal

Prevents a rider from getting too burned-out. Provides a way for a rider to keep involved in the UK league rather than disappearing (and once gone - chances of returning less likely). Possible replacement (ahead of schedule) in the event of injury. Will have to wait for 2017 until that happens. In the meantime...do it on an unofficial rota basis

But not impossible, providing of course that both riders (on similar averages)are agreeable to the plan. Better if this was all officially set up before start of season, which it possibly will be from 2017 after the 2016 AGM approves it. Until then it has to be fudged.

Would it work if Lynn signed Doyle to begin the season at no.1, and Iversen doesn't ride in the UK. Then after a couple of months the team is re-declared with Iversen coming in to replace Doyle. Then after a couple more months its re-declared again with Doyle returning.

Swaying like a drunk on Sauchie Hall street on a Friday night. Just before he falls over into the gutter

Comedy gold. Zagar just loves being at Beaumont Park on a Saturday!!!

You sure you don't mean 1-5? Cannae see the league functioning if it's limited to 2 in the 1-7

I suspect there have been some discussions going on recently about Leicester wanting to have some or even all of their EL home matches next season on a Friday - for reasons which are well known by now. Presumably there has been some reluctance on Coventry's part to allow that to happen, but in any discussions Leicester has been mindful of Coventry's potentially difficult situation. So the offer to provide Cov with a temporary home in 2017 could well be a part of these negotiations.

Greatly enjoying seeing the BSF performing it's own Colo-rectal Endoscopy procedure. Keep it up! Nurse!!! Nurse!!!

He says that....what he actually thinks could be a different matter! It's smooth, isn't it? That's what riders prefer?

I'm sure he has all of the costs properly documented £650,000 or something like that wasn't it? (or £800,000 "selling price"). It sounds a bit like some of those characters who go onto Dragons Den on TV claiming their company is worth Zmillion and within about 5 minutes Peter Jones has reduced the real value to about a tenth.

I'm trusting you to have reproduced Mr Hemsley's words with complete accuracy here.......that is based on your use of the quotation marks. Anyway,reading between those lines, there certainly do seem to be some large storm clouds gathering. In fact it sounds like stormy weather may well have already broken out between the Leicester promotion and the BSPA management committee. There is probably far more going-on than meets the eye. Your point re what would Mr Hemsley do, in the event of the "changes" (whatever they are) not being accepted and implemented, is a pertinent one indeed! Could the "changes" include having an independent professional management of the BSPA, where vested interests could not prevail? I think this sounds like a time-bomb ticking away.

Well the only solution to that, would seem to be for the BSPA to try and re-negotiate the current legally-binding agreement they entered into in 2009. David Cameron got any free time?

.....including by the number of exclusions incurred by their riders!

As far as i know, the agreement with GSI made back in 2009 which included the terms and conditions which are now causing the Coventry management so much angst, doesn't have a formal review date so presumably its just run since then without being amended. So anyone who has become a promoter since 2009, becomes automatically bound up to those terms and conditions. I'm not a Coventry expert, so don't know when Mick Horton became the promoter......would he have been around in 2009?

Have the promoters, by signing away such power to GSI in the first place, allowed themselves to be put over a barrel? Seriously, would a promoter decide to cancel a meeting over 48 hours beforehand unless its completely open and shut case? Either the promoters decided (and have been proved correct) that it was financially worth it, to sign away so much power to a third party back in 2009, or they were wrong/eejits/conned.....(delete as appropriate).