vog

I'm sure I read a press release saying that the initial intention is Friday's when there is a GP.

Well that just sounds ominous!

And Emerson Jones makes it 6, comes in on a 3. Leaves 4.93 for one more rider. I'm sure Mr Vasey has his eye on someone!

No idea. I'm not a Sheffield fan anyway, I just liked laughing at their misfortune while I was at uni there

Surely, given the rolling averages, assessed averages are the way to go (And, you have 4 of them, not 3...) If, after 12 meetings, Albin, Koppe, Stead and Knight aren't hitting their averages, they will drop, but those who improve won't change much due to the rolling aspect of their averages. You could find yourselves with a few points to play with, and if used correctly, could help fire you up the league.

So,Kyle Hughes makes it 4 on a 6.12. Didn't see that one coming,but if his head and kit are right,he is a 9 point rider. Could be a fantastic signing

So, Stoke have announced their third signing as Luke Priest on a 5.67. Didn't see that one coming, but definitely has the ability to up that!

I would imagine our reserves, hopefully, will be Emerson Jones and Liam Carr. If Carr is to start in the main body, I wouldn't mind something like 1) Lee Smart 9.58 2) Liam Carr 3.61 3) Paul Starke/Jake Knight/Any rider up to 6.37 4) Adam McKinna 6.74 5) Ben Reade 7.70 6) 3 pointer 7) Emerson Jones 3 I think that team would be alright. McKinna is an 8 point rider in a 6.7 average, Carr is only going one way, and Emerson Jones looks a good prospect. Now if that other 3 pointer could be Robert Lambert I would be very happy!

Ben Reade is signing number 2 on a 7.70

So, one from left field. Our first signing has just been confirmed as Lee Smart on a 9.58. If he returns to previous form, will be one of the top riders in the league. No doubt about it. Welcome back!

If you have Charles and Tony, it won't leave much for a third heat leader. Atkin + Wright = 16.28, so 23.72 for 5 riders. Atkin + Branford = 15.29, so 24.71 for 5 riders. Atkin, Wright and Branford = 23.82, leaving 16.12 for 4 riders. Realistically, I could see a Buxton team of something like 1) Tony Atkin 7.75 2) Luke Priest 5.67 3) Adam McKinna 6.74 4) Gareth Isherwood 5.03 5) Rob Branford 7.54 6) Ryan Blacklock 3.51 7) Chris Widman 3.49 Total: 39.73

I presume the comment from Rob that you are pointing to is how Coventry approached him at the AGM after Oli had said to him that he didn't want to be at Scunthorpe this year? Which goes hand in hand with what Oli's dad said about them approaching Coventry. Reading the two posts, it seems that Oliver's dad contacted Coventry asking for a team place, they discussed a contract, and then Coventry spoke to Rob at the AGM? The only other bit mentioned is about Max Clegg, but that is a different tangent. Either way, if Scunthorpe have said they don't want to run due to losing these 2 riders, it seems a bit ridiculous as they were going to have to lose 6 points anyway (Although I assume most of that would have been by replacing Jerran Hart with a 3 pointer)

Seems like you have signed Tony Atkin for next year?

One could argue that it is, currently, the same strength product, as you have lost one developmental minded team from last season and replaced them with another. Granted, the top riders will leave the league, but that is the nature of the NL.

Definitely the most unique venue in speedway! Will be good to collect 7 points from them next season

Maybe it was, but I'm fed up of Scunthorpe fans who seem to preach like they are the saviours of British Speedway. The NL is it's own league. If it was just to develop riders, we wouldn't keep score. Having seen riders grow up on one track, often it is better for the rider to go to another track early in their career to learn a different style, or they end up becoming fantastic on one track (A problem that Sheffield always had) Surely Scunthorpe's overall aim is to have riders move into their PL team. If they have a rider who has only cut his teeth at Scunthorpe, they often won't be as well rounded a rider, and will need to learn away tracks pretty quickly, whereas a season at, for example, Dudley (Using Monmore's tight confines) can actually make them a better rider, which would benefit Scunthorpe in the long run. The simple fact is that there are more teams in the NL who want to win it than there are teams who want to develop riders for their senior team (I include Buxton as a team who want to win it, as I'm sure they would love to again!) Riders don't develop when they ride against people at the same level, they develop when they learn from people at a higher level. If every team were only out to develop new riders, it would probably have a negative effect, as these riders coming through would never be able to test themselves against the top riders in the division.

I can't help thinking that the NL (And CL before it) has always catered for both types of team. First CL meeting I watched was a double header at Stoke, to decide the CL title. If memory serves, Mildenhall were always regarded as the team who would sign anyone to win (And I remember them having Ben Howe on about an 11 point average, and Jon Armstrong on about a 10!) yet clubs still managed to produce riders (That day, I saw riders such as Rory Schlein, Ricky Ashworth, James Birkinshaw etc) What Scunthorpe fans need to remember is that there was an NL/CL producing riders before they came along, and there will be an NL/CL producing riders after they leave. That goes for any club at this level. Talent and determination will always shine through. The question is, do they want to be a part of that process?

Richie's average will be too high to double up with us, not sure about Steve. The only other name I considered was Simon Lambert. His PL average has dipped below 5, so he could double up, but on a 9.6 is a big chunk of average.

So, assuming Stoke are NL in 2013, which I have no reason to doubt, who would we want? It's a safe assumption that Birks won't be back, and I personally wouldn't take Tony Atkin back. While he is a great guy to have in the pits, he seems to have gone backwards this season. A shame, but I don't think he is worth a 7.75 next season. Other than that, I would quite happily see the following team: 1) Gary Irving 8.17 2) James Cockle 6.24 3) Ben Reade 7.70 4) Ollie Greenwood 6.57 5) Shane Hazelden 4.57 6) Liam Rumsey 3 7) Liam Carr 3.61 Total = 39.86 I appreciate that is unlikely to happen, but I think it would be a good mix. I appreciate Scunthorpe will probably want Irving and Greenwood, but I think a change of track would do Hazelden some good. Rumsey has shown enough to warrent a 3 point place next season, and I would love Liam Carr back. Reade has been fantastic this season, and Cockle has improved his average since joining Stoke. While I don't expect him to be a 9 point rider, he is a solid 7.5 rider. I guess we will see though!

I always thought Jaimie was local to Coventry? Jaimie has been around a few years (He actually rode for the Stoke Spitfires at one point, so at least 4 years ago) but only really broke through last season. He had averaged 4.35 in 2010, and then that shot up to 6.87 in 2011. After the first few meetings of 2012, he looked short of confidence and his equipment didn't seem fast enough. It's a shame, because I honestly thought he could push on and be at a higher level than Ben Reade was this season.

I would imagine Jaimie Pickard could also be in line for a place?

Firstly, sort the doubling up rules. I don't believe that having a rider or 2 doubling up is a bad thing, but clubs are left in the lurch when they can't ride. Either allow teams to use 2 riders in that position, or give the NL priority. Points limit is an interesting one. I think 40 is about right. I know that others would disagree, but for me, reducing the limit would lead to a greater gap between PL and NL, and riders would find it even more difficult to progress. At least by having riders such as Birks, Roynon, Garrity, Heeps etc in the league, it gives the guys coming through a good yardstick to test their own ability. Average changes will depend on how many teams. Pointless saying after 2 home and away if you end up with 10 teams, by the same token it's pointless saying 4 h+a if you only have 6. I think a good rule of thumb would be 1/3rd of the way through the season (So, on a 10 team league, 3 home, 3 away) Set the rules in stone. 2 seasons in a row, Mildenhall have done well and won competitions. Both times they have done it with dissenting voices. The rules have too much room for manipulation, and that has been the case for a long time. Clear out the people running the NL, and start again with experienced people who have the sports interest at heart (I appreciate he is the current Stoke manager, but Malcolm would be an ideal choice for this were it not for his affiliation with Stoke) Get all teams to run in the MDL or equivalent. Riders need competition to improve. You never know how fast you are going until you are next to someone else. As an idea that is really out there, every team declares a 6 man team to a 37 point limit. Before each home meeting, there is a vultures race from the development league team associated with that track. Winner gets that team spot until the next home meeting (So covers all away meetings if he can)

White is Roynon...just to put that out there. For me, the guy on the outside ran out of room. Have seen it called either way. Would be interested in knowing what angle the referee viewed. Congratulations on the win to Mildenhall. Feels much the same as last season though, coming good at the end and being in the right place to take advantage of another teams catastrophic luck with injuries! Still, gotta be in it to win it so congrats to them.

I'm heading down for this, and I think anything less than a 20 point loss will be a success!

Talk about a kick in the teeth. Most people don't want that as a wooden spoon!