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And if so, fingers crossed he is heading to Stoke!

Simon Lambert joins Stoke. 9.13 average

So, Stoke's first signing confirmed on the Stoke forum. Simon Lambert joins on a 9.13 average http://z11.invisionfree.com/Pottie_Power/index.php?showtopic=2226&st=0last

If it is anything like PL and EL, the average is valid for one year after they move up...

It's not as strange as you might think. In the NL, teams don't need to be encouraged to use British riders, as that's pretty much (Barring a couple of Aussies) all they can use. Having the reduction would pretty much defeat the point, as 99% of riders would be getting it. However, moving into the PL, you can have anyone. This is where it is needed, as teams don't have to use the British rider. At least, that's how I always looked at it!

It looks like Hackney replace Rye House Cobra's...so it's primarily a name change, just with Lakeside running the odd meeting. So that leaves 2 more teams, which you would think would be Coventry and Peterborough, although I saw no mention of Belle Vue, who had signalled an intent at running NL?

I see it has been hidden away on the BSPA site, but here says that Hackney will be competing in the NL, sharing duties at Lakeside and Rye House! Does this mean the Cobras won't be competing, but it will pretty much be the same riders under the Hackney banner?

Fair enough, I was thinking more for away meetings! Still, I just hope the rest of your team is appalling so we have a chance of beating you

I suppose, the only question is, do you get second or third option on him! I would presume Redcar meetings take priority, but if it came to King's Lynn and Dudley racing on the same night, who would Adam ride for?

Ah well, we said Ricky Wells would be a heat leader one day

Gutted, wanted him at Stoke!

Is it really? I've seen some truly awful meetings in the NL, and some corkers in the EL, and visa versa. To claim that good meetings happen due, primarily, to the league that a team is in is pure nonsense. There are a multitude of factors that create a good meeting, and frankly you can get these at ANY level on a continual basis. I have yet to be disappointed by a Scunthorpe meeting, yet the meeting I saw at Plymouth was awful. In the same way, Wolverhampton is normally good in the EL, but Rye House is normally awful at both NL and PL level. It is purely swings and roundabouts.

There haven't been tactical subs for a while. The last one I can remember was 2008? When the Golden Double was still used, but from 15 metres back? There are, however, tactical rides, but that doesn't change the riders in the race, just the points scored.

They pushed Ricky Wells...we all know how that turned out

Actually, given the new conversion rates, this one is about right. 5 point PL rider becomes 3 point EL rider. He won't do much more than that. The conversion rate in itself is problematic because successful young British riders are punished when trying to move up.

So, according to the local media, the AGM is now the 25th of January! Maybe we can finally get confirmation of a few things!

But Charles Wright now can, even if he gets a PL place, as his average has dropped below 4! Madness!

We lose Plymouth, Bournemouth and potentially Weymouth. That's 27 riders there in theory. Plus 4 or 5 moving up from the u15's gives you the riders.

They have no reason to be professional. They have always gone as far as to state that the forum is separate from the club, and rightly so in my opinion. Do I agree with everything written on there? Of course not, that is the nature of a forum. And yes, I do agree at times various posters can take things too far, but that is their opinion, and this is mine. You can't change a persons opinion, irrespective of how much you disagree with it.

Slightly harsh. Were you there when Dave Tattum publicly berated fans after a meeting because he didn't agree with things said on the internet? Or when George Andrews specifically told a section of the crowd to shut up? This is what we mean when professionalism is mentioned.

As has been alluded to, I think the issue that a lot of fans have isn't so much dropping down into the NL, it's more the manner in which it was done, and the consistent lack of professionalism shown by the promotion. We can't comment on what goes on behind the scenes, as the vast majority of us are not privy to that, but what we can comment on is what we see when we go to meetings. When previously in the NL, you could turn up at the track without any knowledge of who was riding for you that week. The prime example of that, for me at least, was away at Plymouth, when we turned up with, if memory serves, 3 riders (Sam Dore, Adam Allott and one other whose name escapes me) We ended up running R/R, no rider, and borrowing Plymouth's reserve as well as someone who had only turned up for a second half. This is the lingering memory of the national league that a lot of fans have. Combine this with the constant problems when running meetings last season (Close to 4 hours to run a meeting at one point, generator failures, constant grading, sun break then an interval) and it is easy to see why fans are becoming disillusioned with Stoke Speedway in general, and I think the dropping to the NL with no warning was merely the straw that broke the camels back. If Dave wants to start winning the fans back, there needs to be a complete upheaval of the club. It needs to be 100% more professional in the approach to meetings. If there has to be a break while the sun sets, which for rider safety is an obvious problem, don't then have an interval 6 heats later. Run the club as a professional outfit from start to finish. Get friendlier faces at the gate, and in general, treat fans as customers who want the best product they can for their money. Ok, we have had to drop down, but Stoke haven't had a team even close to challenging for anything since 2004, address this and the fans will begin to accept NL racing.

Of course I have, and you know this. You also know that the last poll ran said that 42% of people would continue to go, with a further 25% saying that they would go to the odd meeting. Obviously it is difficult to extrapolate this result over the whole crowd as only 64 people voted, but given the fact that running costs are lower in the NL, and that stock cars are now going to be bringing in an income, I can see very little reason why Stoke will not survive. Certainly, saying that "Nobody wants to watch NL" is a bit far fetched. Yes, there is still anger and disappointment within the ranks of fans, but that doesn't imply that no person wants to go.

If only. A team that has a top 3 of Evans, Roynon and Charles Wright would be looking good!

Don't worry, I know that part of the rules! Andre hasn't got a club as of yet, and it is looking less and less likely that he will! Hence my saying he is the type of rider I wouldn't mind. Stupidly, Charles Wright could now ride in both leagues as his average has dropped below 4!

Awesome news. Another track that is pretty local, and another track that will test the younger riders.