Double Up

And yet only today he tweeted that he was going to miss wearing a Robins racesuit.

Didn't someone suggest that would be the case a while ago? I recall it also got dissed by those claiming to know the rider.

Apart from the obvious previous those considering Miedzinski should remember he only did a short contract for Poole in 2012, when his average increased substantially, because of pressure from Torun. I would think its likely that he won't commit to a full season again and an alternative may be needed as early as May. Riders struggling in the GP may then see UK as a viable option and that might even include Woffy.

Walasek?

Krispysack?

If, and only if, Cradley lost money last season it would have been as a result of the number of rain off encountered after the stadium had opened and/or racing had started. They had some cruel luck with the weather last season.

Every other club in the NL subsidised the cost of Scunthorpe running in the NL last year by virtue of the fact that their team was so weak. That's no slant on the riders who gave it their best shot but surely means that there ought to be a minimum team building limit as well as a maximum to ensure that teams are competitive and not whipping boys.

Forgot that, over £300 a meeting I'm told!!

The costs of staging a meeting don't stop with paying the stadium rent. The meeting and the riders have to be insured, the track has to be prepared (shale bought, plant hired, curator paid). Referee is charged as are administration fees from the sport. That's not to mention the entry fee to the league and the cash bond that has to be lodged with the BSPA. Oh and then there's the airfence. Conservatively 20k for a new one which would last 5 years, maybe. That on it's own depreciates at 4k a year, without repairs! It adds up, and a good deal quicker than you seem to think.

Will they, won't they? Wouldn't be the first time Lakeside promised to join and didn't.

NL AGM is Dec 9th

It might just about cover the overheads of staging the meeting but wouldn't even scratch the surface of paying the riders

I'm told Sandwell have been tried too and whilst they appear more accommodating than Dudley it still hasn't led to anything positive.

This is, without doubt, a club with amongst the biggest heritage in the whole of the sport. Numerous World Champions emerged from Dudley Wood in the 80's and 90's. Since it was reborn in 2010 it has finished top of the NL in 4 out of 5 seasons and in the last two won every competition it has entered. The Heathens have attracted crowds that are the envy of almost every team in the Premier League and many in the Elite League. The supporters travel in numbers to every away meeting and, therefore, the benefit is enjoyed by all. Yet, many former supporters couldn't bring themselves to watch their phoenix team race at Monmore Green because of past rivalries. Similarly, others perceived the 'new' club to be a bit 'Mickey Mouse' competing in the National League. Speedway in this country is dying. It needs new ideas and new impetus if it is to survive at anything above grass roots level. Good news stories are hard to come by and yet the biggest story in recent years find themselves in a position where they might not be able to race in 2015. Tony Mole has declared he has shelved plans to resurrect speedway at Perry Barr next season after the Brummies were annulled in July. So within a ten mile radius there is a club without a track and a track without a club. The difference between the two clubs is this, and I mean no offence when making these observations. Cradley have a massive heritage, both on and off the track. The club was hugely successful as a team and launched the careers of numerous world champions. Birmingham, however, never had that history and heritage to fall back on when they were relaunched in 2007 and several promotions have failed to make the Brummies viable at Perry Barr. Can the Brummies ever be viable at Perry Barr? My question is this: Although Heathens supporters didn't support NL speedway in the same numbers at Perry Barr in 2010 as they did at Monmore (the difference was probably 100-150) would they embrace the venue as a permanent home? With the search for a permanent home entering its 20th year here is a venue that is crying out for a tenant. I'm not suggesting that the search for a base in the Black country be abandoned but, lets face it, are we any closer to that now than at any time since Oldnall Road? Perry Barr could give the club, and more importantly its supporters, the long term security they crave. Cradley,as tenants of Perry Barr, might also give the opportunity for the Brummies to ride at a level that they could sustain, i.e. National League. I would assume it unlikely that National League speedway would be viable there without another club riding at the same the same level or higher in order that overheads could be shared. I'm sure it's not as easy as saying 'let's go and race there' and there must be serious consideration given to the costs involved by those taking the plunge. For me though, it's a no brainer providing the conditions could be met. Perry Wood? Dudley Barr? Does anyone give a monkey's what home is called as long as we've got one?

Jim Lynch is one, of many, who've previously been involved in the sport but now stand on the periphery. It's easy to criticise from afar, and I stand to be corrected, but has he ever had his own money invested in the sport? Of the last two clubs he managed Reading closed, shortly after he and BSI abandoned it, and Peterborough have been through god knows how many different promotions since, with their future still in doubt. I hardly think he is the person to suggest where the sport is going wrong.