Truro Robin

They get their riders from allowing their current riders to improve over a period of time, promoting Premier League riders, bringing in new overseas riders. Thinking long term. A 42 point average just promotes mediocrity. As I said, there's only 3.18 points separating the highest averaged from the lowest averaged team on the current GSAs. Hardly a huge gulf between the two

So how do you define Political Correctness TWK? It seems to me it's a term used by some to dismiss any form of reasoned debate about certain issues. So who are the indigenous population - the celts?

I think Milik came in on an assessed 4.00 average last season, I'm sure I've read somewhere that Krcmar is 4.50. No way are the two of similar ability though. Ward will be end up being in the top 3 or 4 in the averages even though I think his average will drop. I think Krcmar may end up as the lowest averaged 2nd string ( as he currently is on his assessed average, I think I'm right in saying )

I think that in an ideal world, whichever team finishes with the highest combined average, that figure should be the points limit for the following season. If you look at he latest Green Sheet figures, there is only 3.18 points between the highest ( Swindon 34.71 ) and the lowest ( Leicester 31.53 ) so you don't have a huge disparity to deal with in the first place. Obviously, if you wanted to do away with doubling up and the Fast Track reserves, then both the Elite League and Premier League would need to lower their team building figure for a season to allow for this to happen, but that's another story!

Personally, I think both Ward and Krcmar will fail to maintain their averages. Krcmar is definitely one for the future, but based upon his scores for Gdansk this season, I think he'll struggle to make the same impact that Milik had for Poole last season.

The whole Darcy Ward situation is just another example of how low Elite League speedway has sunk. At the start of the season, 2 or 3 teams, including Swindon, were scrabbling around for riders due to the points limit being too high. We therefore had to resort to trying to twist Kildemand's arm and when that didn't work, signing the never seemingly committed Miedzinski. With that now going pear shaped we decide to try and sign Darcy Ward, along with half of the teams ( half being a meagre 4 these days ) in the league. As we all know, to accommodate him, someone else has to go. As far as I can see it's going to have to be Howarth because we need to drop the "doubling up" rider to sign another "doubling up" rider because so few riders want to come and race in Britain any more. Once Howarth's dropped, again half of the league will circling like sharks or more like sea gulls, waiting to pick up the scraps and sign him. ( No disrespect to Kyle intended) What with doubling up, fast track reserves and lack of commitment from some overseas riders, team speedway in this country, particularly Elite League, is fast becoming a farce. It's such a shame to see the sport I love doing this to itself.

If there were any, other than Antonio Lindback .

Zengota and Howarth should stay. Ward will probably put a few on the gate initially but I don't think him and a makeweight other rider will strengthen the team.

I think we'll have to agree to disagree on this issue but I respect your knowledgeable argument.

Taken from an article in Politico magazine written by Bruce Levine, Professor of History at the University of Illinois: The Confederacy's vice president, Alexander Stephens, also acknowledged that disputes about "the proper status of the negro in our form of civilization" between North and South constituted "the immediate cause" of secession. "Our new Government," he exulted, was founded "upon the great truth that the negro is not equal to the white man; that slavery, subordination to the superior race, is his natural and normal condition."

I thought we had already agreed that one of the reasons for their wanting to secede from the Union was due to the issue of slavery. This isn't an opinion but a fact. Just out of interest, in your opinion, are all flags that have had blood shed over them in war due respect? Do they incorporate the confederate flag in their team colours though?

You are unbelievable! "Fought for their freedom" to, amongst other things, retain slavery. Do you really think that any people on the "Black" side of the "Divide" will have respect for it.

Congratulations! You are the first person to use the "it's guns that kill, not flags" cliché.

You too are missing the point. I'm not talking about the word 'rebel' being offensive, but the Confederate flag itself. Somerset have every right to have 'Rebels' as their nickname but perhaps they could be a bit more sensitive / imaginative with their race jacket design.

The word 'Rebel' is obviously not offensive. You may be missing the point!? If it has "no relevance in the UK", why is it being used at all then?

As I stated, one of their reasons for seeking secession was the slavery issue. Ignorance of what the flag has come to represent isn't really an excuse.

So, in your opinion, you have to be black to be offended by it then?

But slavery had been an issue that had been building up since the 1850s and was one of the reasons for those states seeking secession.

As a side issue, over 13% of the British population is "non-white". This is certainly not reflected in the attendances at the tracks or those competing on them.

That is ridiculous! What was the Confederacy fighting for in the Civil War? Comparing the Confederate flag to race jackets with "cartoon" devil and hitmen logos is absurd. They are two completely different things. Would you be happy with a team to have a swastika logo on their race jacket? Accusing someone "of ridiculous political correctness" because they are not happy to accept something that more and more people find unacceptable is a pretty lame argument I completely agree with your first paragraph but not your second. Racism is still a problem in this country and so casually using the Confederate flag anywhere as a logo is still an issue, I think.

You're missing the point. The confederate flag represents and is a symbol of racism and white supremacy, hardly appropriate in our so called "family sport". Devils, Witches, Bandits etc. are not comparable in offensiveness. Maybe Somerset could use a little imagination and find an alternative symbol of their rebelliousness for their race jacket.

I suppose the point I was trying to make when starting this topic is that in other sports, for example football and baseball, all kinds of different statistical analysis is used to examine the performance of a player, whereas in speedway it seems limited to what a rider's average is. The "riders beat - riders beaten" ratio, detailed analysis of how a rider has earned the points he's scored in a heat and individual heat analysis are just some of the ways that I feel you could attain a rider's true worth to your team.

I have been recently wondering whether averages give us the full worth of a rider to a team. For instance, Rider A scores 3,3,2 & 0 from 4 rides, beats 6 opponent riders and is beaten by 2 and therefore has a GSA of 8 for this match. Rider B scores 2,2,2 & 2 from 4 rides, beats 4 opponent riders and is beaten by 4 but also has a GSA of 8. Another scenario is, Rider C scores 1,1,1 & 1 from 4 rides, beats 4 opponents and is beaten by 4 and therefore has a GSA of 4. Rider D scores 1,1,1 & 1 from 4 rides and doesn't beat an opponent but still achieves a GSA of 4. Using averages alone as a guide, Riders A & B and Riders C & D are equal to each other but are they really? I wonder whether the 'riders beat to riders beaten by ratio' averages out over a season or whether there are certain riders, particularly in the 4 - 8 point average range, that have a significantly superior ratio to other? Would be interesting to know what others think.

I have to agree. Come on Gnistorna, my adopted Swedish team.

If you read previous posts on the thread, I think you will find that Mr Ore is merely re-iterating Barncooseboy's informed comments.