Teromaafan

Even on good days we've rarely had meetings in the bag by heat 13 at home. The likely lack of clout in heats 13 & 15 is a concern. Away meetings? Let's not go there. A lot has been said about our apparent strength at reserve. This is okay when there are middle order wobbles but will not compensate for top end fire power shortfalls. As averages develop we could see heat leader and second string berths changing regularly without recognised heat leaders. As with the sport these days however, it is unlikely that the starting 7 will all still be in place by May so at least we will have different riders to moan about by then! Keeps it fresh!

Popped in to Sainsburys today only to find that there was sod all left in the vegetable aisles. Bumped into DH who said that the heat leader aisle was pretty much the same!

Oi! You may jest but DH could do worse than wheel him out of retirement in view of the diminishing options left with! Actually when I last spoke to Ray Wilson he said that he still had his leathers? (Leathers = kevlars, when life was in black and white).

Whilst Beckettlions 1 to 7 doesn't instill a great deal of confidence, it is nevertheless a very realistic team within the circumstances. Lions rarely win matches comfortably and the lack of big guns to compete in Heats 13 & 15 would be a real concern.

Here here, an average of 9.44 excluding bonus points (unlike the good old days!) is highly commendable. Doyle has been a rock and the ultimate professional for two years in a struggling EL team.

The Lions promotion are saying the right things with regard to hanging on to Doyle. Just how far they are prepared to go remains to be seen. If that means a change of race night, it is a big call for Hemsley who clearly sees a shift from Saturday as risk on crowd numbers. If he were to take the plunge (which most people doubt), I just hope he does not lose sight of the bigger picture regarding the team. For two seasons JD has surpassed all our expectations and is probably the best Lions rider I have seen (I go back as far as the early 70s), yet our Elite league performances have been dismal. Keeping Doyle would be a start but not job done. I would therefore prefer to see more effort put into general team building rather than revolve everything around one rider, as brilliant as he is. As we know, it's no fun having a GP superstar when you're an Elite basement team.

Enough has been said regarding Mr Hemsley being adamant about his track shape. Earlier in the year I chatted briefly to Gino Manzares (he was outside the LCFC stadium before a game with his bike wearing Lions kevlars?) and I asked for his opinion on our track as he had been practicing there earlier that day. He said the track was fine and laughed when I mentioned people's comments on this forum. On reflection, what was he expected to say on that afternoon. With all the criticism flying around, and I find it hard to believe that DH is not aware of comments on this forum and I suspect that IF he was looking for an opinion on the track he would only consult certain riders whose job it is to win races as opposed to entertain. The bottom line is that DH will not lower himself to seek a second opinon on the track despite the opinion of the masses, whose decision it is to attend meetings (or not), will ultimately dictate the future of Leicester Speedway.

Whatever Auty was supposed to have done was during a race and let's be honest, the angle from the YouTube clip does not make it clear as to whether there was room or not. Regardless of what happened during the race, Tungate's actions were clearly intentional and he is a disgrace to the sport.

Another toothless away performance from the Lions. I know Poles are not supposed to favour the smaller tracks, but come on? We can use the excuse that circumstances have resulted in the over use of the guest facility, but the truth is our guests have generally more than punched their weight when called upon. We cannot even consider being a mid table team until we can take away matches to the last few heats for the result to be decided. As one of the better supported clubs in the league, I'm sure we could guarantee a pretty decent away following to most places if we thought our boys were up for it and could at least sniff out the odd bonus point, yet alone a win. This would seem to be some way off though. Rant over.

If the management are looking at Bridger, is he a replacement for Pedersen or Michelsen? Without the Danes we appear to have over 14 points to spend on averages. On last seasons averages Bridger is a sub 7 rider which leaves 7 plus for the other rider (subject to their being anyone out there at that level). I seem to recall Norrie saying at the end of the Coventry meeting that he had purposely avoided double up riders in this year's team building, but may now have to relax that when looking at replacements. So, is Bridger competing with a double upper for a second string birth (with other options for a heat leader), or is he being lined up to complete our top 3? The latter scenario would not appear to be what the Lions need to get the season back on track.

Good job it's not boxing then as the referee would need to intervene well before then!

Don't bite! This is obviously someone out to stir brown stuff. JD has been and continues to be a rock in an unstable team.

I went to watch Leicester City on Saturday and outside the stadium, in a Lions race suit (last years), with his bike was Gino Manzares. Had a very brief chat with him (pleasant chap) and asked why he was there sporting Lions colours. He said he had been at the track practising. I would have liked to chat with him longer but needed to get into the stadium before kick off. Did anyone else see him or talk to him and perhaps ask a few more questions?

Think this will be tight, with either team winning by no more than 8 points, but hoping for a first Lions Elite away win on the road.

Great recovery from his injury two days before at the ELRC where he had to withdraw (after two pointless rides), obviously saving himself for the big one. The Grand Prix boys must be pooing their pants!

So Dave & Norrie are determined to secure the services of Doyle for next season and also hope to tempt a current GP rider to join us (according to Lions website). Can't see how it could be anyone but Bomber considering average constraints.

So who is Hougaard's replacement?

If Ljung and Hougaard have jumped ship as we are led to believe and for the reasons we suspect, what exactly did they 'sign' when they signed for the Lions? In defence of riders, they will remind us that their employment can be terminated at very short notice should the management decide. If contracts are as open ended as they seem to be the sport will continue to struggle to be taken seriously. After taking nearly a 30 year hiatus from the sport (following the Lions demise in the early 80s) it has not taken me long to realise that there simply aren't enough riders to go round and the doubling and trebling up of riders across the continent does not appear to be sustainable.

To say Max is is not a renowned gater is something of an understatement. The poor kid is, almost without exception, well out of the equation long before the first bend with no hope of making up ground. He really must be encouraged to stick with the National League for the forseeable future to gain experience. Race advantages in Heats 2 & 9 will continue to be fruitless (regularly costing 8 points on the road) for the Lions unless opponents occasionally fail to finish races. The fact that Max is only 17 and must be given a chance will not wash for very long in a profesional sport that is desperately trying to drag the paying public through the turnstiles. Fact. Whilst I am not smart enough to name alternatives, there must surely be someone else in the draft list that is worth a punt with nothing to be lost?

Disappointing result after the heroic performance at Brandon the night before. Hopefully Mads performance in the home meeting was a blip but we cannot carry both reserves. As much as we are supposed to encourage the guy, Cleggy is consistently out of it by the first bend. Whilst Perry is a terrific racer, when he misses the gate, heats 2 & 9 are looking expensive for the Lions when winning margins are going to be narrow in this league. Whilst it goes against the grain regarding the development of young Brits, at what point do the mangement start to look at alternatives (assuming there are options) for the reserve slots?

Big disappointment after our performance at Brandon the night before. After 3 heats we managed to avoid a last place and then posted 11 zeros out of the next 12 races which is simply inexcusable for a home team in any league. Whilst Mads was poor and hopefully his performnce was a blip, we cannot carry two reserves. As much as we're supposed to love him, Cleggy is out of it by the first bend and when Perry doesn't gate (although a great racer), heats 2 & 9 are becoming very expensive. I know its going against the ethos of the providing opportunities for young Brits in the draft system, but at what point do the management look at alternatives for reserve births?