T.N.T.

If Poole do go with a rider on an average around three points a meeting you can be assured Nico Covatti will be a target going on his current 4.27 PL average. Have to agree with some of the posts that Magic Janowski should have been the first name on the team if he wanted to return and if he does want to ride in Britain he must be pretty cheesed off he is only being considered if they can't secure Holder and Ward. Holder and Ward may be the better riders but with all the problems getting them signed up, you would have thought they would by now be looking at Janowski, Pawlicki, Watt, North and either Milik or Gracjzoneck which is quite a powerful line up and certainly one of the strongest looking teams that can retain the title.

So Edward Kennett is riding on his 2013 average of 6.39 is he ?

love it how fans don't want certain riders even when they are club assets and can do a good job for the club. Barker can't sign for Coventry as they have King (on loan) and Stuart Robson (on loan) there already plus both reserves doubling up. Ben saw his average drop last season but he was a heat leader for most of the season and still scored well home and away. Lewis Bridger looks set to be in at Coventry on a 6.72 average which is more impressive when you consider he rode in 36 Elite League matches last season and only 11 were as a second string. I know we have Ricky Wells in the wings and I have said I would rather pick Ben Barker but that is because Ben is usually around a 7 average and feel he could score better away and we will need points on the road if we are to do anything and Freddie will need as much help as possible.

Lewis Bridger would be a very good signing if he has decided to return and when he is on form he is great to watch but he seemed to switch off at times last season and.didn't appear to be interested. He was supposed to be taking a year out and doing some motocross at weekends and was getting a job for the mean time. Maybe that hasn't worked out and he has decided he does want to ride still and if his heart is in it he will do a good job He finished with a 6.72 average which was very good considering all season only 11 were as a second string and 25 as a heat leader (inc guest bookings) which isn;t bad as most saw their average drop. Nice to see a team with just one foreign rider.

Don't think they own Pawlicki but were given permission to talk to him as Coventry were not using him Protasiewicz Zetterstrom Ruud Q = Are Poole worrying about Holder and Co because KK and Janowski have both said they don't want to ride here in 2015 ?

But Poole were allowed to talk to him as Coventry didn't want to use him and he wanted to stay at Poole if he returned so they are more likely to sign him. Barker rode as a heat leader in 18 out of 19 Elite League meetings last season and scored 117 points. Most heat leaders saw their averages drop last season and his 5.85 starting figure could easily be a bargain as he starts as the fifth rider in the team if he signs. He only misses one meeting and can score points away, which is good because his record at Monmore is not great.

Poole have the assets to build a strong team without Holder or Ward and a top five of Janowski, Pawlicki, Watt, North and Grajczonek would be contenders any way. Half the teams are complete, fixtures out and neither should be changed now. Use guests or r/r whatever and if it's not sorted by May, rebuild the team then or just do it before the first meeting

I agree with the Mick Horton statement that fixtures can't be changed and they will carry on regardless and if changes are needed or guests used then so be it. Poole have Chris Holder in limbo while Dakota North and Davey Watt are clear to ride and they have many other assets that can fill the positions required like Janowski, Pawlicki, Milik, Madsen, Mroczka, Walasek, Protasiewicz, Grajczonek (exempt) plus Kasprzak, Lindback and many more. Add to those Richie Worrall, Ricky Wells, Jonas Kylmakorpi, Jonas Davidsson, Mads Korneliussen, Timo Lahti, Nicolai Klindt, Pontus Aspgren etc etc and of course Ben Barker who I hope is the favourite to be signed if Mads isn't interested in riding over here or for Wolves.

Authorities are looking into these visa issues and seeing that this sport is run under their own rules totally different to rules set by to protect employees and used in every business world wide and it must seem bizarre to them. A rider is an asset of a club but if he doesn't ride for you, you don't pay them. Speedway reply that they don't OWN the rider they simply hold his registration to ride in this country. Then when you explain these riders can ride for different teams in Poland, Sweden, Denmark, Czech Republic, Germany, Russia etc and a rider has his registration held by a club in each of those countries. So they are self employed !! In theory yes, but we still charge other tracks to use them as we have their registration. But if you hold their registration then you are the employer and therefore can employ them when you want in a deal that could be every year for the foreseeable future and therefore a long term agreement in a contract. Yes ..... er No ....... er Well sort of but it's how we do things to get an income Well that is about to stop because if they are self employed they can go freely to where they want once a contract has expired .... ie each season On the team front, if Bees can get Shamek Pawlicki in to replace Woodward I would think that would improve the team having four riders that can be good heat leaders but if Poole want him, Kylmakorpi would be a good signing for them.

Which was the point I posted before stating it has nothing to do with how good the riders are it's down to red tape and rules and at present until anything else is confirmed, Max Fricke is without a visa and in the same boat as the rest which is why I suggested Pontus Aspgren as a possible replacement even if temporary. Still looking like one of the strongest teams in the league and if they can't get in the play offs with this team there is something wrong.

Just looked at the fixtures and apart from August 22nd at Leicester, Berwick don't have any clashes of dates with Wolverhampton which means Ben Barker would be available for 27 of the 28 meetings On a 5.85 average he could be a great second string and has averaged near seven in previous seasons even as a heat leader. No flights in and out of Britain which helps and it is unusual to see a Wolves team without a British rider in the main body.

One Sells the sport One Promotes the sport SIMPLES

Ben Barker can be a match winner and over recent years he has changed from being the brash little brat to a family man and seems to have grown up and I believe he is the sort of rider that Wolves not only like to have in the team but would benefit from as a second string or back up heat leader for Freddie and can certainly increase his average back to around seven points a meeting. It appears he isn't the main target but I think of the names suggested he would be the one that could be the best option and most reliable. 1 - Fredrik Lindgren 2 - Peter Karlsson 3 - Tobiasz Museliak 4 - Ben Barker 5 - Jacob Thorssell 6 - Lewis Blackbird 7 - Josh Bates Maybe not the strongest on paper but a line up that could suprise a few

The deal with Sky has changed in recent years but I would be very suprised if ANY track would afford to run in the Elite League as they are without their backing. Sunday = Poland Monday = England (Elite League) on Sky Tuesday = Sweden (Elite) Thursday = Sweden (Allveskan League) Saturday = GP or European Championships With Fridays used for practice days or travelling to the GP's etc it only leaves Monday and Wednesdays and maybe you could run on both nights but each team only running one fixture each week home or away. However most would ride on Mondays any way as most weeks there are three Elite League matches on a Monday any way.

How many sugars do you have in your coffee ? What do you do if you don't drink coffee ? Each rider has a different idea on how they would like the surface to be and this can change not only on which track it is but also how the conditions determine the state of the track. Most just try and go with the flow and know what to expect at each track but it is how the track changes through the night that some struggle with or indeed improve as the track changes.ing the better overall speed dow the straights to win. At Wolverhampton we are fortunate to have a great track man in Doc Bridgett who also does Edinburgh and the surface is good all through the meeting but that is not to say it doesn't change. In the later heats it becomes pretty slick on the inside but still provides grip. You will find some riders wont change lines in the later heats either staying inside on the slick or out wide in the dirt as they have set up for this. This was shown up well once in a run off between Mikael Max and Hans Andersen. Max was the master of the inside line but was clearly more comfortable in the later heatsd in the dirt. Hans prefered the inside with his set up and for all four laps they kept to their lines and provided a great race with Max having the greater speed down the straights to win a classic race

Have heard he is not planning on riding over here in 2015 but with PK, Freddie and Jacob in the team and a well run club, he could do well. Although I have not been a great fan of his, one rider that I have found I like more these days that could do a decent job at Wolves is Ben Barker ...... a number of fans will say NO !!! ...... But he is a proven points scorer and an entertainer and what's more British and I can't remember the last time Wolves started without a Brit in the team (top 5 now)

So Poole may have to go without Holder and Ward after all but now seem to think they can't build a decent team without one of them. 7.50 Maciej Janowski 6.75 Shamek Pawlicki 6.71 Davey Watt 6.57 Dakota North 6.40 Josh Grajczonek (or Milik 6.34 or Walasek 6.24) 33.93

SIMON GUSTAFSSON - To me this is a rider that has failed to reach his full potential and if he could be persuaded to return to Britain this year he could be a good signing for Leicester as he proved at Swindon that he can score big points and did quite well to average 5.92 on his first season away from the tiny Eastbourne track. So does Fredrik Lindgren !!

I stand corrected if that is the case but I thought that was stopped and the other rider had to take the place instead.

A rider can only have ONE Tactical ride last season and if the reserve who has already taken a Tactical was to replace the rider taking the TR then the Tactical would be cancelled or transfered to the other rider, Therefore a reserve can score a 24 point maximum 3 3 3 6 3 3 3 = 24

I would love Wolves to go back to the Friday's it use to be when I was a kid but Monday's are when Sky want it, hence why the play offs are on Mondays only Also Denmark and Sweden ride on Wednesdays and Thursdays and remember that some governing bodies allow their riders to have Thursdays off if they are in FIM meetings the next day, including official practice days. So there is a clash with quite a few riders there, With the amount of meetings on Sky and at Belle Vue and Wolves each week, there has been six teams operating most Mondays already so the other two competing isn't making too much difference. The problem riders have is flying in and out of Britain two or three times a week and many would rather have three continous days in Poland, Britain and Sweden rather than any other day. The Elite League can't survive without the Sky money and even when the meetings are on live, the difference in the normal crowd levels is by far compensated by the Sky money. Plus riding on one night gives the four tracks that are riding away more chance to go to the away meetings rather than wait a week for their next meeting. How many fans travel to away matches at present ? You would be lucky to get a coach full at most meetings and 95% of the crowd is people living locally for their one meeting a week fix. 14 home - 14 away or 7 home and 7 away and rebuild the Premier League involving EVERY track riding on any day apart from Mondays

Leon Madsen 6.10 is a Poole asset so he is a possible but he has no sign of wanting to come back to Britain after his one year spell at Wimborne Road. Mads seems to be the obvious one but for many a season I have always thought Simon Gustafsson 5.92 had a lot more to offer than what he was restricted to while at Eastbourne. Last season he started slowly at Swindon but really started to score well and his scores only went down a little due to finishing the season as a heat leader. Imagine in a team with three other Swede;s he could do well.

Jason Doyle is the Australian Champion and GP qualified while Chris Holder was World Champion only 18 months ago but both still have problems regarding their visa's so a replacement may have to be found Richie Worrall doesn't fit Pontus Aspgren was looking for a place in the Elite League and turned down a place at Somerset hoping to move up full time

That's fortunate as I'm sure she gets paid 18,601 as the Chris Holder Racing secretary !! It wasn't Matt Ford asking for changes in the points limit .... "Should it become apparent that the issues may not be resolved on a fair basis for all clubs, we would hope the association would look at measures to allow equalisation across the teams." - Gordon Pairman

Kylmakorpi was talking to Wolves but they can no longer fit him in and he is keen to ride in Britain so there is every chance he will be the last name on the Lions team sheet. He was out in Andora getting married and had Fredrik Lindgren as his best man but that was a few weeks ago, so he may still be on his honeymoon in Thailand I think it was.