SteveLyric2

Your profiling of Poole's sponsors is a little sexist, ageist and quite far off the mark, Steve!!! Lol

All glories are in the past, I thought that would be obvious!! No one will sign a big name rider without the cost being sponsored or a decent TV deal agreed, so the knack of building a reasonable team will come down to using more 'journeymen' or so-called 'ringers' in the hope that they will all perform consistently and improve their average accordingly.

Giving them away is not the issue, getting a decent value from anyone is the problem!! The Sponsors Dinner is due to start at 19.30 so I guess there's a chance that the two names will be leaked before the 2x Poles are officially announced later in the evening - unless MF intros them right at the beginning?!

2 Poles for Monday!!!! (but not Wozniak as Flagrag suggested it might be - or so I've heard!!)

The only averages not in the public domain yet are for those riders that didn't ride in 2017 plus those that need a re-assessment. All the final 2017 averages are on the BSPA website in the relevant section and have been for a few weeks --- SGBP clubs, SGBC clubs, etc.

...and there I was thinking that Swindon had just paid out for the full transfers of Ellis (more than Poole were prepared to pay) and Wajtknecht!!

....but accepts that the sport cannot just drop it!!

Jack was not the only family member to 'give attitude' in certain circumstances!! And I don't mean James!!! Matt proposed him for the BSPA MC at the AGM!!!

A good move for James Shanes. He was approached by both Sheffield and Ipswich (and possibly others) during the season just gone but had too many diary clashes with his Longtrack and grasstrack commitments to take either club up on their offer. No surprise that Sheffield came back in for him - especially now that MF and Damien Bates are now 'best buddies'!! ;-)

At Poole the Music man who works hand in glove with the centregreen presenter tries to give each home rider 'his own' recogniseable music track which is played after a win. For the presentation parade of riders, we have a version of 'Pirates of the Caribbean' theme. On the lap of honour parade for the winners at the end of the meeting 'Celebrate Good Times' is used. A good mix of older and newer music - somewhat reflecting the mix of fans!!

My post above about the PR company was taken from the Business News pages of today's Bournemouth Echo. It appears on facebook too in the 'Speedway around the Bend' group

Just think if Poole and Somerset operated entirely in isolation?! lol

So further developments at the Wimborne Road club see the appointment of a new Dorset-based PR company - Curious Frog Media - who will be responsible for all 'public relations and social media output'!! The company is run by the former Sports Editor and Deputy Editor of the local Echo newspaper, who was also responsible for co-ordinating the Matchday programmes a few seasons ago, so he has a good understanding of the club's standing locally and beyond. Seems as though Kings Lynn aren't the only ones doing things differently in 2018?! Lets hope the website is next on the list to be updated and made more user-friendly. You never know we may even get the Fans Forum back............................................?!?

rayc, you are correct. The lead article in the SS says that 'after several protests from clubs' the MC is to recommend that the rule be squashed - but it may need a vote from all clubs, which presumably means it may take a while to achieve and announce (what with modern media and communication being what it is??!!!!!! ). Apparently Lakeside approached both Nicholls and Kennett but were informed they couldn't be signed!! Lakeside knew nothing about the 'ruling'!! This is presumably one of those 'rules' that the MC cannot overturn at the drop of a hat - unlike so many others 'in the best interest of speedway!!!!!

There is no issue between Kyle and the club or the club and Kyle. The issue if there is one involves certain members of Kyle's entourage who took very public umbrage at Kyle's sacking. Kyle was not fully fit and arguably came back to race too soon but if he had completed a couple more meetings whilst still underperforming then his average would have dropped to around 3.5, which would have given MF an even more difficult task to replace him with anyone decent. As it was Paull Starke came in and did an OK job.

Chris Holder's issues in 2017 had little to do with Darcy's situation - as bad as he and many others were affected initially!! They were to do with other off track stuff and unexpectedly (in his head anyway) not riding at Poole, which was also very little to do with inflated averages!! Several posters on here seem to be of the opinion that if its CH that MF has hit ' a stumbling block' with then it must be over money?! I doubt that very much, although that might be the issue in negotiations with another rider!!

Yep heard the same today re Wozniak!! As long as he's on his 5.91 average from 2016!! ;-)

Didn't Buster say that nothing would be announced until after Christmas??!!

Any references to the rule book are irrelevant as there isn't a rule book for 2018 yet!!!!

So after the slightly unexpected signing of Josh G on 7.34 as a heat leader, Poole still to announce 2 x 'new to the club' signings at the sponsors' dinner on Monday. Hoping to FaceTime the announcement.

2 new signings for Poole 2018 will be appearing at the Pirates Store in the Poole Dolphin Centre next week - more details to follow!!! Everyone loves a Christmas party. Sponsors' Dinner!! :-)

So just as a matter of interest now that Wozniak has been mentioned, what average would people expect him to be on if someone signed him? 5.91 - (his final 2016 average) or his 2017 converted team building average of 8.28 or something else??

MF also confirmed the earlier newspaper report on Radio Solent this morning that he is meeting Kacper Woryna next week and is 'hopeful of agreeing a deal to include him in the 1-7'!! So that sounds as though its the details of the deal rather than any 'external influences' (rules/regs/averages/reassessments etc) that will dictate that he is in the team or not?!

As CVS was unable to attend the AGM I wonder if he has a case to propose the '8 & over' rule be relaxed for all SGBP clubs?? I'm sure he'd now get support from say 5 clubs?!

....but some clubs can afford more than others and that will always be so!!