Hamish McRaker

Is that really all it is!? How is that going to play out if Cairns Jr goes and joins Belle Vue or whoever. Greg Hancock making a racing comeback for Leicester?

Becker has only been there for one season! What does he give, to warrant being "well in" with the management? It must be something worth having! Whereas King has been at Ipswich since I was a wee lad, which is a very long time. Douglas - how ambitious is he, or has he reached his plateau? Is he up to the challenge of quite possibly being a No 1 at BHX even if for only half a season, or has he settled for midrange safety? Fricke - does being club captain cut much ice these days? Leicester must know by now that he'll possibly get them to the playoffs but unlikely, without someone else in the team who can go and win lots of races on wet tracks, to win them the title. So it looks like being "same again", and will supporters stick with it?

Yes, such a lot can and does happen with male youths between 15 and 20 years, including of course ongoing physical development which it's not possible to control. Michael Lee was something of a rarity being so tall but world-class at such an early age. How many tall riders have there been, at that level in the past 50 years? Of course, young Cairns may hopefully develop to be the perfect weight and shape to become a world class rider...but that's just the physical part!

Aussies seem to be happier and perform better when there's at least one other Aussie in the team. Ipswich (probably) have Doyle, so if this applies to Rew maybe he needs at least two.

Would you say that during their previous attempt at running in the "top league", Leicester was supported by the others, or shafted by them?

Sounds very Cornish. Arrrgh me hearties, there be a good tale or two to be told of smuggling and other deeds that must be kept secret until the time old Bomber's palm be crossed with enough silver, arrrgh.

Thorssel, Masters, Douglas, Z.Cook, S.Worrall, Morris,.....team manager Adams.....Wolves in Brum clothing??

If it is to be a change of strategy, the best outcome would be to bring in someone initially on an assessed average of 8, who is capable of pushing that up to the extent that he is a realistic challenger to Max Fricke as the no 1. It would be a risk, because it could end up like Piotr Pawlicki, or like Magic Janowski who didn't get going until the second half of the season (but who now has a very handy average!!). But I think that if Leicester are serious about joining the top table in the Premiership (by that I mean capable of winning two playoff ties), a table that Oxford will surely be joining next year, risks of this sort will have to be taken.

I'm sorry to be so nihilistic but I am struggling to forsee Birmingham being able to recruit a suitable team to compete in the 2025 league, especially if the limit is 40. And as long as Kings Lynn continue to be in the league, and clubs such Oxford and Leicester seek and recruit riders with averages above 8 (as has been strongly rumoured), Birmingham will just be in the same situation as they found themselves in earlier this year, when they had to fill the two primary rider positions with inferior duds. The impending loss of Brennan to Ipswich, if the 40 limit is ratified, will just deliver the final blow. Lowering the limit to 39 might just enable Birmingham to assemble a team in time for the start of the season, but I'm afraid it wouldn't be very pretty

Have both of them and rotate, or select on match by match basis for the first half of the season, then choose one for a permanent place

So, accepting that Max Fricke will have to stay and Dan Thompson won't be back, is this an option? 1. Fricke, 2. Howarth 3. Lawson (captain) 4. Becker 5. Madsen 6. Sedgmen 7. Hagon

An enigma. From what I've seen (off-track persona), doesn't really give clues as to what makes him tick, a really difficult person to read. He'd make a great poker player perhaps. Can Stewart Dickson crack the code and even if he does, is there really all that much he can work on?

Didn't realise he'd done enough matches for Brum (and as badly) to have reduced his average by that much, but I've long lost track of how averages are worked out now!

Hard to see Dan Bewley leaving the Aces or Lambert adding to his schedule unless it's for loadsamoney. But would Leon Madsen be looking for extra work, or as some have been suggesting, Museilak?

So what is Sedgmen's average now? On his 2023 final average - wasn't that too high? But if it's somehow been reduced during 2024, he's worth a look especially if as the new starting 6

So the 39/40 issue needs to be resolved asap? Now that Birmingham have re-emerged to be a possible "disrupter", the 40 club could be outvoted with Leicester & Oxford turning. I wonder what the outcome would have been with 6 teams - 5-1 in favour of 40?

Or perhaps the land owned by the council and leased to a (good and friendly!) landlord? I wonder how readily the EoES(or is it AEPG now?) will get fed up with the planning hassles, accept what they seem to have been granted for house building, and sell-up the speedway land (hopefully to the council or if not to a "friendly party")?

Craig Cook and Lewis Kerr will get employment in the Premier league again but more likely to be brought in by teams on a temporary basis. Are they too far over the hill now to be a demon no.6 on bargain averages. Or do Leicester sign them both?? Ps - I didn't intend this be a reply to you!! But I'll leave it - mind of their own etc etc!!

....including a competent and experienced team manager?

Good result. But who would/will be the landlords if/when speedway resumed?

It may be better for Brennan to keep Ipswich in mind for 2026. With this likely to be Brum's last season at PB, he could set his sights on becoming the #1 by end of next season having had two seasons with the same club. If not Lindgren to begin the season at #1, who could fit the bill? Madsen? Smolinski? Or maybe Woffinden and Tolley could strike a good rapport with Pete Adams managing the tram?

Sorting out the troublesome no. 6 issue would be a big help i'm sure. Or they could bring in Patrick McGoohan?

What do the Leicester owners and promoters want, and how soon? The answer to the first one should be obvious, the second not so easy. The Premier league is consolidating into three clubs which are all capable of winning it, two sitting just outside that group trying to become members, and two outliers (maybe one next season). Presumably, Leicester wants to join the top three, as do Oxford. So they have two missions, the first one is to gain supremacy over Oxford and hope that in doing so, they also break into the top group. This is a tough ask. They can't expect any favours from any of the top three - no more nudge/wink deals with Sheffield! Speaking of Sheffield, it seems likely they will have to release one of their top three, and that rider's destination may provide the answer to part one of the Leicester/Oxford question about who can join the top three first. Leicester have given it a good go this year, but have they got the grappling hooks secured?

So, which GP rider will Greg Hancock work his magic on in 2025?

As Phil Morris would call it, "Commercial Considerations", which also accounts for the axeing of Madsen, who nonetheless may be better to begin self-indentifying as a Wolf or a Snow Leopard as a career move