bigeddiechek

Going to be a good season for the Tiggers, I think!

I'd love to see two new Aussies in the team, and I think Alex would have a good season for us.

More of a spork than a knife as far as I am concerned!

Am I allowed to pat myself on the back? What a refreshing wee quiz that was. I'm sure you can come up with another one.

Nicki Barret, 2004.

Phew! You've certainly brightened up this thread, Jim!

Paul Thorp

Possibly, what do you think the alternatives might be? I wouldn't want to hold my breath for any Government departments.

Therein lies one of the unfortunate, unpredictable elements of speedway. You can build a great team, but you also need a bit of luck with injuries. I'll not even go down the Gjedde path Last year it could be argued we went with Carr too long, however, many people want to see young British riders given a fair crack at things. We did the right thing giving him a long run last season. I suppose my point is that there needs to be a balance between being utterly ruthless and overly loyal.

I haven't seen as much of him as others. Going by trusted friends he could be a great signing, there are others saying he scored most of his points at reserve. What I saw of him, I liked. I've just not seen enough of him to make any predictions on how he will perform. Looking forward to finding out though! The two times I was at Armadale, I dusted down my laster counter and arrived at just over 500.

Especially if a man of your intellect is involved. I wonder if I'll be allowed into the metropolis of Scremerston today?

Very informative post, Tsunami.

Unless I have missed something, I wasn't aware that we had signed Doolan?

I probably am a moron, but certainly not deranged like Rab. As an example, who in their right mind would ever be a fan of Kris Boyd.

I guess it is the current and potential signings that we differ on. I'm undecided about TJ, I haven't seen enough of him. Again, it was not yourself I was accusing of cheap shots. Last season is something to build upon, totally agree with you. Let's not go backwards.

The fact that we get bigger crowds than Edinburgh and Newcastle suggests that the promotion of the sport is good. I note that you have alluded to that and my previous post was a general observation, rather than directly to yourself. Likewise, certain others are the culprits who seem to revel in taking cheap shots at the Promotion. With regard to Workington, it has double the population of Berwick, furthermore it has Carlisle nearby who - to my knowledge - do not have a speedway team. We have the aforementioned cities to compete with. I think where we are following last season is acceptable, I do also think there have been times during the past 6 years when it has not been acceptable. I do agree with you that last season has given us something to build on. As I've mentioned in previous posts, I strongly believe that the fans need to step up to the mark. Fans are extremely important, that is from the perspective of Promotions and riders. It also means that we should take a certain responsibility. With the sport in a bad way, we need to stop kicking it when it is down (even though it is not the fans fault at all where it has got to in this country). We need to forget the negative aspects, for the time being, and get as much support for our teams as possible. I guess you can say that we are not looking like building on last year, but I would say signing Barker shows a certain intent. Neither of us can logically argue for predictions of where we will finish until we know all 7 riders. Personally, I don't see the point in taking a negative outlook at this point, it just doesn't seem to make any sense?

I think you have missed the point. We don't know who the other 4 - possibly 5 - riders are going to be. The first three signings are actually a pretty good start. Delusions of grandeur springs to mind if you think a Berwick should be expected to challenge for the title each season, or more frequently than once in 6 seasons. Berwick is rather small compared to the big city teams we compete against. Yet you proclaim to be realistic. I'm with you on one point, I want to change my approach and deportment this season and become a real speedway fan. I want our team to win every meeting, home and away, anything less is unacceptable; preferably winning from the gate. I want to be able to complain about the track every meeting. I want to be able to gloat about low crowds. I want to be able to say that it is just gate and go. I want to be able to think that I could run the club better than the management. I want to really hate the team and the club, yet still spend my money every Saturday (all £20 of it), because that is a really intelligent thing to do. I want to stand on the terraces and greet about averages, rather than have a bit of banter with mates. I want to axe riders after a few bad meetings, form is permanent after all. I want to be able to complain when we get a Sky meeting and put on a good show that is widely acclaimed. I want to be able to complain when we are given the privilege of hosting an FIM meeting. I want to be able to pounce on any opportunity to have a dig at the club. I, Sir, want more than anything, to be a fan like you are.

With the greatest of respect, that is simply incorrect.

I still can't quite believe the negativity on here. The current promotion have won us the PL Fours, and we have just had a top 4 finish. Massive improvements in other areas, and the intention to keep improving on and off track. In terms of results, we're far from the heady heights of The Capital Monarchs in recent years, but considering it is a wee half-English town we do not bad at all. Rest of the team aside, I am relishing seeing Ben Barker as our No 1. I would like to see Jake Allen in the team, but I guess this is out of the Promotion's hands at the moment. It's impossible to make any predictions with less than half of the team announced, so I am going to continue looking forward to the season, because - after all - there is no point in looking back.

I quote: "...no point in looking to by gone days other than to learn lessons from...". In other words, "there is no point in looking back except when there is a point". ​Splendid contradiction! ​Anyway, yes there is always merit in looking to the past in an attempt to progress. One thing from the past that is abundantly clear is that no matter who is in charge of Berwick Speedway, the exact same people will complain about it's operation and performance. The psychological aspect of that is marvellous Back to your assessment of the Waite era, I wouldn't think there are many promoters anywhere that couldn't learn something from Peter. He was even a match for Ian Thomas on occasion!

Marvellous contradiction there Screm, top notch! Peter did have an real knack for picking up unexpected riders and turning them around. This current season saw similar cases with Jensen and Kus. Looking forward, I wonder what will be "pulled out of the bag" for this coming season? I think someone mentioned Pepe earlier on, and I agree with you, we need to progress, not regress.

As a fan of a team that has strength throughout, I am keenly awaiting the reserve signings. One reserve capable of sticking a point or two on their average is crucial. A second 3pt reserve would be fine. Then a rider in the middle order who can interchange with a high-performing reserve. It can still happen, we need to see who makes up the rest of the team!

Jan Jaros?

I'd be happy with a team like that, would you?

Would that fit? If so, then that is potentially a decent team.