STEVEHOLS54

Don't think Pedersen would even consider UK. After what his back went through last year where he was close to retirement due to the seriousness of the injury I can see him doing the following. Poland (Sun) -Sweden (Tue) - a drive over the land connected bridge/s to DK for (Wed) and then GP's and maybe even another attempt at the SEC on Saturdays. I think the last thing he will want is commuting in and out of UK for MON/WED matches (or some of Swindons Thurs) on top of his commitments to SWE and DK midweek. Does the guy really need all that on top of all the cost for equip to be here plus mechanics/accommodation/flights in and out. No chance and at his age he wont be back to ride UK again other than say at some kind of special testimonial. Even then where is all the money going to come from in British Speedway to finance all this when the sport is close to being on its backside financially. One also has to remember he is bound by the POL EXL max 3 leagues incl your own nationality League which puts him in the same situ as NKI and I think for sure most if not all would prefer NKI and that's IF the Poles relax the rules which to my knowledge they have no,t yet hence why maybe Poole cant announce their full team still.

I partly agree. Don't think one rider has been announced in UK who is doing more than what the POL EXL rules allow. Unless he is not riding in EXL where he can ride where he likes. Such as Hans A. Poole have 17.89 points left for the 3 riders. IF... Shanes is in that takes 2.95 leaving 14.94. You could even have both HA at 7.75 and Chris H at 7.16 = 14.91. Well rumoured of course has been Linus Sundstrom on this Forum and he should be 7.22 LESS the 2% per season for not having ridden here since 2013, meaning 7.22 less 8% = 6.64 meaning they could sign any 2 from 3 from Holder/Andersen or Sundstrom. But Sundstrom cant be announced or signed unless the Poles relax the 3 League rule as he rides POL EXL plus both Swe leagues. It could be mind games or it could still be the 3 League POL rule which will pee off Kings Lynn if they are planning to try and get NKI back if it isn't relaxed to allow 4 leagues. He already signed POL EXL/SWE and as it stands still can only do DK as his Nationality League.

Maybe but remember that a lot of UK tracks are a great leveller compared to the POL tracks, with our being tighter and more technical and some with the usual holes and bumps. You need to be able to negotiate and handle them as its not as flat out as in POL. It may take all these youngsters a while to get used to them and also find the right set ups which assume so different to POL tracks. Riders such as Woryna probably will benefit from having has at least one season here where some of these other young guys it will be a completely new experience on top of the travelling/commuting to UK which will also be new let alone the drives to and from the airports on our great road system..... However those going it at reserve will at least not be thrown it at the deep end initially.

With Drodz now moving out of the 2 POL junior berths for 2018 and into the seniors he will probably struggle to get meetings in 2018 in POL with Fricke now signed for Wroclaw. I assume part of the reason for signing in UK is that he will at least get meetings as a probable reserve in UK to cover the shortfall. There are still plenty of weakish reserves in UK teams compared to the POL EXL, so in theory he may score relatively well against other reserves if he has been brought in on a 4 plus av. He will have to adapt to our smaller tracks but the fact he is retained by Sparta and not loaned out means that he has shown some ability. Interesting signing who has done his apprenticeship in the junior races in POl EXL (and against the top riders), and could be a surprise package without too much pressure put on him. If he and Bewley are their 2 reserves it is a young up and coming pairing who should do well.

For sure you are not the only one. I think most Poole supporters just want an end to it one way or another. Of course it could be that Matt Ford is having difficulty finding another top quality rider prepared to ride in UK and with this POL 3 league rule still not clarified possibly to complicate. Am sure as well Matt certainly wont be happy that a rider of GB quality with so much history at the club may have effectively said "I don't want to ride for you". That would be the ultimate slap in the face for Matt. Lets hope that's not the case. Some who may be in the know certainly seem a little conspicuous by their silence on the matter ;-)

I agree but interesting the SS has gone into print on it. Of course it could be subject to the Holder situ resolving itself. Unless Matt doesn't want Hans back irrespective of the Holder situ. For me IF (and I say IF) Holder was not returning, then for me it would take someone special to be coming in instead of Hans to allow him possibly to sign elsewhere. Must admit find the situation intriguing.

Which begs the question - What is going on with the Holder discussion. Is he in or out, as the discussion seems to be dragging on considering the various mentions that he was apparently in every team combination Matt had in mind. Also an apparent insider info that Chris had 2 days to resolve it, which if to be believed has now expired If he has agreed to let Hans sign for Leicester (and there is no smoke without fire), as the SS is normally reliable, then one wonders why he would let Hans go without resolving the Chris issue. Of course it could be resolved and the news is hot footing its way to us in the next day or two but you cant help but think perhaps its not going well ?? Maybe Matt has another ace up his sleeve possibly with all this reassessing going on as rumour has it all those foreign riders new and old have been sorted on what their GSA's will be for a while now. Leicester have had Vaculik and Piesz GSA's clarified and announced on twitter today. Hopefully there is a plan B if Chris decides he doesn't want to ride for Poole and sits out the season ??. Of course there is still that old chestnut of the max Leagues the POL EXL will allow which could be holding back potential signings ??

On the subject of the Polish max 3 league rules. Matt Ford was saying some time ago that he expected to announce at least the first 4 riders for the 70th Anniversary celebration meeting the week after he did his interview when the shop was opening at Dolphin Centre. He still hasn't named any which makes one think has the POL max League rule not yet been clarified hindering his attempts to name some of the big World Stars he hoped to have riding. Noty only that but also his own team plans i.e Sundstrom maybe ?? Cant think of any other reason why he was fairly confident of naming 4 riders back then but to date has named none. Obvious choices will be the top 4/5 Poole riders one would have thought, but that's not as headline grabbing news as some of the top guys not planning to ride UK due to either the 3 league rule still being in effect or not wanting UK as a full season. We know some would consider it because of the fact it is the 70th Anniv., and also because it gives them a chance of some early season practice. Of course another reason could be that if as he reported he will be down 20% on revenue due to the poss loss of the TV deal them maybe he can't afford the luxury of bringing over the big names and all their equip just for a one off meeting.

indeed the averages/stats don't lie. He rode much better for Rye House but his Wolves GSA dragged him below the 4 he achieved at Rye. Anyway still a shame but back now to Poole matters ;-)

Maybe a victim of this new one over 8 rule where teams are going for more strength in depth maybe ?? Plus thre dropping of the 2 Brit rule. Having said that one would have thought at least he would get a place in Champ, but seems not to be. Maybe if he can be patient he can get a place in May perhaps if some are not performing. Or he could just say to hell the sport is no longer worth the effort. I hope not as we need as much of our UK potential talent to stay in the sport. Was he not a Poole asset at one stage or maybe that changed ?? A shame and while you may think he was dire at Wolves he did achieve a higher GSA than Wajtk/Shanes/Ayres/Greaves and he is still only 20.

Maybe scrap that on Leicester as one contributor says that Sargeant may be on an assessed GSA of over1 point less than another contributor has put. If that's the case both could be an option

Will he get in at Leicester ??. According to Forum comments on the Leicester Topic they only have about 7.15 left after their 2 new riders have been assessed. Leicester Speedway twitter says Vaculik at 8.00 and Piesz at 6.50. Andersen can't and depending on how one Leicester riders GSA is assessed lower down the order maybe Holder cant either ?? On other news - Sad to read Ellis Perks wont be riding UK this year (at the moment) as nobody seems to want him. A young British rider trying to find his way in the sport with a 5 point Champ and 3.33 point Prem GSA, one would have thought at least one club would sign him. It seems that clubs are more eager in both leagues to go for untried and foreign talent then promote its own riders. He has made his feelings felt on the matter in one comment on his twitter.

IF that is the case then one would think clubs would be in a position to sign the riders they may have so far been sitting on the fence on due to it not being clarified. I hope it is more than the previous 3 but you would have thought something would have crept out into the public domain by now or on the Polish sites even if it was only a case of along the lines of "It looks like the POL EXL are lifting the 3 league rule to a max of 4 leagues". I don't doubt though what you have read even if the translation is a bit "iffy". As for the rumoured changes on current and former GP riders. Will it change much as far as 2018 Prem start is concerned ??. Near enough all the one over 8's have been nominated except BV who 99% will name Cook and KL who surely will try to get NKI irrespective. It only becomes interesting if riders can come in below 8 either based on old GSA's or if they are reassessed below 8. Anyone surely who is a 9 who becomes an 8 or someone who was a 7 or 7 plus on an old GSA but who is reassessed at 8 wont get in anyway ??. I am thinking for example someone like Piotr Pawlicki ?? who was below 8 at 7.32 on his last 2014 GSA and is no longer a GP rider for this season. Giving him an 8 with who has been announced in Prem teams so far wont get the guy into a UK team ?? If he is below 8 then it becomes another story. If he wanted UK anyway that is.

Will Matt be able to name his full squad so early as you indicate though Skidder ? If the Poles STILL haven't advised any rule change to the max 3 Leagues then surely that still restricts his options if for example he is going for say Sundstrom who was riding 3 Leagues last season incl both Swedish Leagues. Same would apply if it was any of the other names we heard mentioned on here like Milik etc. I assume the likes of Madsen are out of the equation as he hasn't signed for anyone other than Poland and could easily have been named by now had he been in the running as he is not caught up in the 3 league rule having not signed for any Swedish Club. I follow the main Polish sites and so far nothing mentioned about change of the rule or re discussions about possibly changing it. (Although we are still way before season start for 2018).

Thanks ray and I m sure that all Forum fans will join me in wishing him as full and speedy a recovery as possible.

I think you have hit the nail on the head. His gating. If he can iron out that which is a BIG part of any Speedway riders armour, he can be really good. If you look at some of the late developers or some of those who rode at Poole and have moved on they all were good gaters. Doyle was a good gater but always got overtaken. Well he sure sorted that one out huh and developed late. Same can be said for the likes of Madsen & Milik. Both could gate and both have moved on in their careers with that asset. I am with you in wanting him to succeed but he really needs to get some expert help just as the likes of Ward did with Hancock etc in spending some time with the good gating guys to try and learn. Hancock for me is a great gater and he could learn a lot from him. Magic Janowski sure used Hancock as a mentor for learning and see what happened there. I do hope that he appreciates that is a big area of weakness he needs to work on and hopefully with his obvious ability he really will go all the way. We sure need him in the sport as one of our few young UK riders coming through to compliment Tai W.

You make a fair point but please don't forget that Robert started racing on 250 cc in 2009 and switched to the full 500cc in 2011. That is 6 years ago as a 13 year old. In 2012 he started to race under age in Germany on the full 500 cc class before racing for KL Youngster in 2013. Switched to full KL team in 2014 meaning 4 full years riding in both Prem and Champ (equivalents). The point being that Jack has had a lot less experience riding on UK/European tracks and lets not forget his first season in Prem was only this season just gone. I certainly do hope as a Brit that Rob Lambert does step up and makes top grade. But my slight fear is that he started very early and had the benefit of riding under age in Germany, I would have hoped that despite his young age he would be really pushing on now after 4 full years in Prem even without his experience in the second team and Germany prior to that. For someone so young he has had a lot of experience here in UK in Prem/Champ and throughout Europe. He is one of the few youngsters coming out of the sport home bred who we can see potential in. I do hope he doesn't reach just so far but falls short of the top. It is a reservation and an opinion and I sure hope I am proved wrong and he does make it right to the top as he gets to 21/22. I think 2018 is a big year for him to push on and prove to the top teams in Poland he is worth signing for 2019.

We are just highlighting the obvious then. He is potentially a class act and is still learning. Think about it. He had 1.5 seasons with Plymouth and 1 season with Poole/Peterborough. On that basis and obviously helped by Chris's connections with Torun, he gets a chance to show Torun what he can do and does exactly that. On that basis he then gets offered a full time contract. Yet Matt doesn't want him this season due to some youngster petulance last season in a team that Matt was responsible for signing and his fantastic mid term replacements (NOT....) I just hope that the Holders and whoever else Somerset sign if there is a big gun in there, don't come back and bite us on the backside. Hopefully as an asset Jack will prove what he can do and be back in Poole for 2019. But lets not forget he is learning and hopefully progressing as a rider.

Of course its too late now. He should have sat down with both after the seasons end and well before now and had a heart to heart with both on Jacks boyish behaviour and the fact he should not have been so outspoken. Let's all get a reality check here. This is one of potentially the best young riders in the World. He is a Poole asset and has been signed by Torun on a full contract. Not a young riders contract where they are not guaranteed an income. His first season in the Elite league on a GSA of 5.82. After only 1.5 seasons previously in Champ with Plymouth. Also showed what he could do on decent equipment (Hancocks engine), on decent tracks when he rode those last few meetings for Torun. Do you think Lambert would have been so good. I don't think so..... If he is good enough to be signed for the POL EXL with a clear understanding that Chris mentors him then it should have been the same here. Sometimes people have to put the frustrations of last season behind them. I mean both Jack and Matt. Its not about Jack's disrespect for Matt. The guy was a frustrated young man who was not given a chance to settle and have his obvious ups and downs because the team he rode for were so poor for so long and were getting hammered so badly at certain stages when all this came to a head. Move on for Christ's sake. Don't let the guys talent be blunted by a case of "because I am the club owner I have bigger bo**ocks than you have". Sit down together with Jack and Chris (as his mentor) and thrash it out so all can have a harmonious working relationship going forward. Something I fear has been sadly missing in this case. Hence the mess we now have.

A lot of things were said in anger last season when the likes of Rye House were hammering Poole into total submission on their home track. Jack being young was also frustrated at his own performances which didn't help. As well as Matts own outburst in the media about many of the riders would not be there in 2018. BUT some should remember this is a young Aussie in his first season at the club and the Prem. Its obvious he is a talent. For me there should have been more in depth talks between the 2 and with his brother Chris with a view to bringing both back for 2018. Look at Jacks Champ results and GSA. Just shy of 9 and the so called British Wonder kid Lambert only was 0.33 higher and he has ridden UK tracks 2.5 years LONGER than Jack has. Jack has been signed by Torun and showed his potential talent end of season in Torun. Lambert has only ridden POL 2nd Div and was hardly snapped up by any POL EXL teams for 2018. I think long term Holder JR may well be the better rider.

I think Matt is trying to rescue the situation with Holder Sr who for me was the most important part of Matts plan for 2018 with Brady Kurtz. I think his team plans are up the wall with the current stalemate caused by Matt not taking Jack back who as one of the World's improving young riders already signed by Torun would to many have been an obvious resigning. But not for Matt who must have had something said which he has taken to heart.

So it looks like a lack of xmas cheer in the Ford household this year, and looking highly unlikely we will see any team announcements this side of xmas. Matt was highly confident that he would be putting out a very strong team for 2018 the 70th anniversary and was quite open in his comments in the media in that respect. We have gone from naming all kinds of top riders on this forum coming to the squad for 2018 to something which may well fall short of that if one takes his comments about being down on revenue by 20% with the possible loss of the TV deal. I think he felt Chris Holder was a shoe in but seems rider power is kicking in as its painfully obvious this whole saga is about Jack (who by the way I wanted to see back). Chris obviously wants to join him now at Somerset but of course Matt is not actually admitting it. He chooses to window dress the wording of his media releases and extract the max media coverage in both the Speedway Star and its now on Speedway GP. He then mentions with the 20% drop in revenue with the expected loss of TV he could do with selling 1/2 riders which to me is a clear indication that its sell only with Holder at a price of course nobody will pay. Especially after last season with the fall out at KL and his performances in general. Matt also admits selling some riders would help the club at this time. Sounds like all isn't well financially despite him protesting its not about money with Chris. Maybe it isn't but its plain to see Chris doesn't want Poole without Jack. It should have been obvious to Matt long ago that moving Jack on was going to cause problems for 2 brothers who probably live together when in UK - Ride for the same Polish Club so would travel together plus both probably thought they were back in at Poole. I personally think its a mistake letting Jack go irrespective of some of the comments re his immature remarks/comments. He is still a future young star and should be told to iron out his immaturity and just concentrate on riding. With his brother to mentor him I feel its a mistake letting him go. So where do we sit now on these top riders who we are supposed to be signing to give us that title winning look to the side ?? Holder looks like he wants out. Andersen looks like he's been told that as it stands he is not wanted back. Maybe a climb down though if Matt is up sh** creek. Sundstrom has been mentioned various times recently on this forum and if signed wont be a surprise to most visiting the Poole Forum. But even he cant be announced as the POL max 3 league rule hasn't been sorted - STILL...... On top of that is Sundstrom a heat leader ??? His revised GSA with the 8% reduction from his 2013 av (if its 2% per year not ridden) looks attractive but he isn't the rider you would go WOW about. So what about the Milik's/Madsen's etc which were the type of riders we were all looking for below 8 on old GSA's. I hope I am proved wrong and we do see something special but I have a feeling that with all not being hunky dory on the Holder front and on the financial front as admitted by Matt re the potential loss of 20% of his revenue, we may well be relying heavily on the 2 Poles which is dangerous. They should be the bonus signings and not the expected successes. I expect Brady & Josh to be steady but questionable at full heat leader status in the case of Brady especially who is still developing at 21.

Could Clegg be a better long term prospect ?? Morris is 3 years older than Clegg and looking at his stats has 3 years more riding experience. One would think that Morris should be more than 0.73 between them although take on your comments about Morris av being in main body of the team. Personally I thought 3/4 years Morris looked quite good when I saw him on TV but doesn't seem to have pushed on much in his career (so far). Having said that maybe long term this is their level in the sport ??

Skidder was not wrong in the fact that discussions had taken place behind closed doors back in September. The fact that Ford could not conclude the deal does not distract from the fact the initial information was right about talks taking place to have him possibly be signed as an asset for Poole. Speedway was the winner here as I said in an earlier post. The 2 riders have both ended up with double up contracts and who knows that maybe the deal also helped sweeten up Morris doubling up for both teams as well. Certainly something that Matt Ford was not able to put on the table. I think 3 riders have possibly ending up benefiting from the deal plus Lakeside supporters get to see 3 Swindon riders (maybe 4 if Swindon were to sign Clegg which is being aired on the forum but may not turn out to be the case).

You were not far short of the mark Skidder as your initial bloodhound skills did point us in the direction that Matt and Cook had been talking behind closed doors in the Poole office one race night at the time. You were so nearly right on this one ;-) Now one for your insider knowledge talents. Do you think Chris H will sign or not ?? We are heading towards Christmas and no announcement yet (although we know Matt tries to work his headlines outside of the Bournemouth FC news hitting the Echo). The forum has had plenty of rumours about Chris being miffed at not signing Jack and as a result wants to move. Probably not helpful also if Somerset do race on a Wed to clash with Poole race day meaning Chris cant help out little Bro with advice and pits back up on Somerset race nights. Also rumours about maybe he isn't happy at being offered a 7 pointer pay deal instead of what he's been used to as a number one. Do you think we are far away from the next team announcement ??.