Sings4Speedway

Ok i concede its a solid team. Lacking a little bit of punch from the other heat leaders but would constantly have a solid reserve pairing plus engine room. I would say there are not many last places in that team & if you are not running lasts you are not being beaten.

As a guess and i kind of hope im wrong as it would be a great side Bewley - 8.65 Terry-Daly - 4.55 Phillips - 6.25 Smith - 6.32 Shuttleworth - 6.60 Halder - 3.57 Bickley - 3.00 Total 38.94

I suspect that Smith will be in Manchester (along with Shuttleworth & Phillips) & with Glasgow also running on Saturdays it may make that a non starter? I would be trying my hardest to get Stoneman or Mason the former being my top pick.

Decent signing that and creates a useful heat leader trio that should be able to perform both home an away. About time really Danny has great potential but has stagnated badly at Stoke. He was on a par with Matt Williamson when he first signed and now the gap between them is huge. Also add in the number of meetings he will miss when riding for Newcastle however i think he would fit into both Kent & Lakeside but my sneaky suspicion is that he will form part of a vert dangerous looking Belle Vuentry side

Im not that keen on Davey being classed as one of the Brits but think its a team based upon a lot of IF's. I can see Ronnie Pickering & Clegg doing well plus the heatleaders but i have my doubts if there is much improvement in the Riss's/Risseses/Rissi.......

The fact is whilst the NL is for the development of riders both young and old the first thing Stoke must do is put together a team that can be competitive this season. They are a club with dwindling support / visiting travelling fans for reasons listed endlessly on this thread and need to complete a side that is able to compete for honours if they are to have any chances of survival. As a side project they need to look at ways of developing younger riders and attracting them into the sport / through the ranks. Its no secret that the last good young rider Stoke signed was Danny Phillips and he has stagnated since joining the Potters but for this season and beyond Stoke need to build a competitive team regardless of age otherwise they will become another name in the history books.

Was still doing some MDL and doing it well. One of those riders that seemed to struggle making the step up by by far the pick of the bunch mentioned. Banks looked like he has lost all interest and bowdrey spent too long away from competitive racing and has cost him his edge. Shame really as at jnr grass level he looked a future world beater

I'm staggered that harland is in as a 3 pointer. Seen him have a few practice spins and looks hugely impressive. I'm assuming he has some new equipment from somewhere as he had old bikes but still looked quick. Not sure he is a true 3 pointer though

and a master on the bike. Only picked it up again a few years ago after a long lay off. If ye was 40 years younger he would be the bargain 3 pointer of the season. That said if he fancied it i reckon he would do a decent job for someone.

Vnuk it. Sounds truely horrific. Sadly i suspect that even in a heavily caveated form this is going to have consequences. Delayed perhaps but ultimately this is going to bite somewhere and bite hard.

Im not sold on the Mildenhall side i think Eastbourne & Cradley look the standout teams so far although i suspect Belle Vuentry will be strong also if they get Bewley, Smith & Bickley. Eastbourne look to be the only side that will constantly have a strong reserve pairing which is a proven winning formula.

Looks like a very solid line up. Extance was hot property before his knee? issues with Cradley after him at one point. He will either have his own good equipment or a deal with Eastbourne that puts him on good bikes so either way he will be well set and i think he will make a mockery of his sub 5 average.

Shane would be a good signing for anyone. Started to really get going last season until his horror injury but providing he is fit would be an excellent signature. Im not sure why Kingston is mentioned so often asset or not. He has proven time and again to be unreliable & temperamental. The talent is there but its very raw, his ratio of falls is high & number of times he poodles round at the back is higher. Ive only seen Gilkes a few times but he walks & acts every bit a rider who is due a future in the sport (which is not a good thing). Don't know how much assistance he gets from Revolution but every little helps. Im just not sure how much competitive racing he has actually done? He only competed in 2 of the youth rounds at tracks he knows & i would have though he would be looking to do more if he was planning to move up?

Appreciated. Although looking at this round & the previous there aren't a glut of unsigned/new riders ready to go. Unless riders are in the open class NL should be a big no no so apart from the Woodhull's & Ryan MacDonald there isn't really anyone else. Hats off to Kinsley who appears to be flying at the moment. Back to Cradley and i think the Dwyer signing is a better one than many might give credit. There are a few tracks where he had a shocker last year but for the most part he is a very capable rider who has gained some solid experience and is capable of scoring big points this year.

Very surprised that Ritchings is included as he was definitely the weakest link last year but his shortcomings were hidden as the rest of the team performed so well but will be exposed this season. Its certainly apparent that some sides are finding it difficult to build a balanced team and in reality Brum have 4 x 7 pointers (JPB marginally under, Bacon nearer 8). Still a frustratingly decent side being put together though.

With the Nl looking to bring in and develop young/new riders lets see how many progress through from the mini training track/ Oh wait that was bulldozed to make extra parking with the promise of being re-instated that never materialised. If they want to spring a Christmas surprise then the recreation of the youth training track would be one of the best for the sport but i won't hold my breath.

Agreed. Sadly Sam is often let down by his machinery and then starts to feel the pressure to score points and suffers silly falls. If he can find a serious cash injection into equipment i feel he has the potential to be a 5 point man this season if he can't its a place that should really go to somebody else. Of the others mentioned ive heard good things about Charlie Brooks but how much strong competitive racing has he done? Alex Spooner definitely needs another year in the MDL at least and NL racing now would do more harm than good.

Seems slightly strange that all the years Tom rode the Buxton track his best performances came as an away rider? Either way he should be capable of maintaining his average but im not sure if he will add more than 0.5 to it.

There's no doubt that doubt that Layne owes the Warriors a debt of gratitude however im sure ive seen somewhere that it meant he & his father were taking two days off work for home meetings? I guess there becomes a limit between where a rider would like to be & where they can afford to be?

No debating that however given the injuries the man has had its amazing that he still has an arm attached. I for one am not sure i could watch a meeting with him involved as whilst he may be sublime out front a couple of nasty first corners could have terrible consequences.

The problem is there aren't really and riders available near 5.21. Cottham on 4.70 or Terry-Daley on 4.55 are as near as you would get and would leave the team at least 0.5 under the limit. If you could tempt a rider out of retirement Sam Chapman 5.18, Mikey Neale 4.85 or Moggo Jnr on 4.94 changes the look of the side completely but the last 3 would be rusty.

Its a very tight limit to keep the reserves in place and even harder to keep them there. Think Harris & Dwyer look most likely and fit in the gap although perhaps Tedham for Harris is a possibility? Either way with the four lower order riders its going to leave two good reserves but two weaker 2nd strings all season unless one or two kick on.

Has anybody been banned for life? I remember Danny Bird getting a substantial ban but that's about it. Since then there have been on track brawls & silencer tampering that resulted in suspended sentences, small fines and some character defamation. Hall & Tungate received bans for violent conduct but they weren't for very long. As things stand punishments for foul play are not strict or harsh enough to act as any form of deterrent.

True although 14ish of those places are at reserve and will be filled by 3 pointers from this season but not on the list or rookies. Some riders will move on to do higher leagues only which is great to see Perks for example but there will be a few established NL names who are casualties. That said i think its a positive thing as i would much rather see competition for places than the issues faced last winter where there were not enough riders to go round so early indications say the 39 point limit is a positive move.

Agreed or make provisional signings. Its been said if the limit was 40 Shanes in, 39 Shanes out. Surely that deal would have applied better to Clifton and include Shanes regardless?