SlicktrackSandy

Will someone check they haven't sent the carboard copy !

"Flogging a dead horse" springs to mind but you never can tell - miracles can happen ( allegedly ) just not very often !

Or "Call the Polis and wait another week for them (him) to arrive." ☺️

Have nothing against Polish riders, in fact most are great to watch, however am not so sure about celebrating having one when permission for availability from Polska can change almost overnight. Not the riders fault at all but it does leave a sour taste in the mouth especially as it could well happen again in the future. # bum deal for the paying public.

Does that mean he will be out next Friday also for the second leg or is this just a one off ? Kye, Victor, Jonatan & Max eligible to take his rides ? Not the start to the season we would have wished for so a bit extra pressure on the others . NB OK I see it is a one off thats a relief.

Looks to be a decent Friday for a change and hoping for a close and entertaining contest. Edinburgh have a couple of riders new to UK this year so it remains to be seen if they can hit the ground running. Paco did well last year and would expect Kye Thomson to bounce back better after last seasons injuries. Victor looks to be on a bargain average so he should certainly improve on that and captain Sedgy looks to be on decent early form. Has to be said that Tigers have put together an overall strong looking side with an impressive quartet of Harris, Howarth, Flint and Thompson. If Boughen does what many people believe he is capable of then Tigers could be in for a good season. Very impressed with how Dan Thompson has come on recently in both leagues and I bet that some teams are envious as he will be the one to watch in 2025 I reckon. On paper at least it should be a close encounter especially if Monarchs 2 new boys can master a completely new track to them. That could well be key to the final outcome. .

The "Man of Mystery" syndrome strikes again ! At least there's still a decent amount of time to source a reliable replacement. Better to happen now than later I guess.

Would be a real coup if we are permitted to have Victor at reserve. More likely to be Jonatan Rahn I would have thought. Since he is so new to UK tracks I would have Oskar paired with Sedgy. Would also agree that the Kye/Paco pairing did not consistently work well, so my 7 would be : Sedgmen Polis Thomsen Pavlovaara Castagna Rahn James

That may well be the case and there is no denying that such a signing does have an element of chance to it especially on a 6.00. Possibly more so than the signing of a new to UK Scandic 5.00 for instance. However, best of luck to him and the rest of this newly refreshed team for 2025. Certainly a lot of new interest for the fans to follow.

Monarchs have had two Poles in the past that I recall Darek Fliegert 1992 ( Powderhall ) and Michal Rajkowski in 2009 ( Armadale ). Fliegert had his moments as I recall but was a bit up and down overall. Rajkowski was an all action rider who had a run of good scores but don't think he finished the season due to injury, but not certain of that. UK tracks were a bit of a shock to both I think.

It must be about 12 years since was last with Monarchs and will be 39 in 2025. Thought they may have gone for a younger prospect that they could hold on to for a while. Not that there is anything wrong with 40 y.o. Speedway riders - there are plenty out there. Could turn out to be a red herring though as we've seen plenty of those on here in the past.

The way things are looking at present Monarchs are likely to have a much stronger No.6 next season - say a 5.00. So if Colesy was the one to get the 7 racejacket this may be less of an issue as the senior reserve could take an extra ride and a total of 7 if necessary. Although some clearly have misgivings I reckon that Colesy would still be likely to outscore a rookie 2.00 No. 7 from what is likely to be available. Of course, if Monarchs do manage to conjure up a 6.00 point man from somewhere, the 2.00 would have to come into play. Just a thought.

Clue is Nationality but really just wishful thinking like all the other guesses 😊

It's not always correct mind you, but this crystal ball still says Reidar X: 5.00 and Connor Coles : 3.25 for the final 2.

Cheers that's interesting. You would think he may be on Plymouth's radar as they have over 20 pts left and a good bit closer to London than Armadale.

Well that's one for starters. No idea who he is though.

If he did get a spot then more than likely he would be doubling down with the Devils again so an upgrade on last years equipment would certainly be on the cards as it did rob him of quite few points that could have gone his way.

Certainly would if there was a 6.00 available which is the hard part I guess.

Would be surprised if they went for any 2.00 rider in 2025. Would not be surprised to see another 5.00 plus Connor Coles to fit under the 8.44 left. That would allow the 3 x 5.00 pointers to "compete" for the No. 6 jacket and the potential 7 rides if required. Just a thought.

Increased his CMA by 2.81 this year, super enthusiastic personality, interacts well with fans especially youngsters, captains the side again in 2025, presents himself well in tv media interviews e.g. BSN et al, and now asked back for his fourth year such is his perceived value to the club. A very positive character is Paco whose influence is bound to rub off on younger riders. If Paco is an example of an overrated rider by some, then others may say we need more Pacos in the sport.

Yes I think it's fair to say that USA candidates are out for next season at least. Noticed some young new Australian prospects being signed up already in the Championship. Have been keeping an eye on Michael West for a bit and he is another who may have been on the radar for some and don't think he has a spot yet ( assuming he wants one ).

If there had been a suitable #1 with the appropriate CMA and affordability am pretty sure we would have had him. To say that candidates are thin on the ground appears to be an understatement. Even early on it did look like that was going to be the case and a change in strategy may be necessary in 2025. The way it seems at present it looks like Paco and 8.44 for two "strong" reserves as yet of unknown origin ? ( A.N. Other would not be a good look on a race suit ! ) 😎

This "hunch" has been a bit too opaque. Am way off on a tangent here and thinking maybe of an "import" who may need a work permit. In the past when there seems to be a delay in announcing when most others are, it can sometimes indicate that there is some kind of officialdom to overcome. Only a guess of course just like everyone else.

NDL indeed and outscored all the Lion Cubs by some margin in September if memory serves me.

Absolutely. Thinking more of elsewhere ? and elsewho ? Only a hunch.