Ben91

It's going to be a long year for Redcar if they keep that side. Bukhave looks like a dud and Simon Nielsen has always been a dud.

Could be long term temporary though by the sounds of it.

You'd think in 2016 someone would be able to make a big enough sheet of plastic to cover a speedway track. Big sheet(s) of tarpaulin that start outside the safety fence and finish someway onto the centre green, plenty of overlap between sheets so no water goes through. The beauty of the sheets hanging over the fence is that they make a nice ramp for the water to run off of into the centre green.

So basically you're saying you can give it out but not take it? I think that's a precious poster

Yeah, on a public forum... Think that fuse needs extending, people are allowed to disagree with you you know. I was agreeing with your point...

Talk about over-reaction. NEP said it right, riders will ultimately go where they want and where the best deal is.

Better way of putting it. After Maassen last season and Karger now, I can't wait for next season's duff import.

Letting a blue chip prospect go comes back to bite us on the backside and will do all year. Has NBJ had a score of less than 10 this year in a proper meeting? Not even going to say the names of the riders that have let us down as it'd just be me sounding like a stuck record.

Hope there was a good turn out for Plymouth tonight first and foremost. Their side looks good on paper, so I'm sure once they get going they'll win more than they lose at home and that'll keep the crowds coming each week. Pleased to see we got the win here, even more impressive with the fact that Karger and Kasper didn't do much again.

No apparently about it, he's won the final of two meetings where he wasn't top scorer in the heats. History will show it as exactly that.

All the riders know the format at the start of the meeting. That said it's a rubbish format. The semi(s) and final are to keep the fans interested until the end of the meeting, but as long as the racing is a of a good standard then fans will be interested until the end of the 20 heats, when the best rider will top the scorecard. If there's any doubts then there are run-offs. There has to be a balance between what is fair and what makes the fans happy and I suspect there will be more fans that have turned away from last night thinking "the best bloke didn't win," than "I'm glad there were two more races to watch."

If you weren't there how do you know if the racing was good or not?

Some call it balls, others would call it tactical naivety. Only time will tell.

The Heathens only really pulled away from heat 12 onwards, Branford would have outscored Hopwood and Hunter would probably have chipped in with a few too. The Heathens don't look that much stronger than the Raiders in my eyes. Kingston, and whether he can stay on his bike or not, is going to be key for Cradley.

The lower points limit last season forced the hand of clubs to give more three point riders team spots, the addition of Birmingham and Eastbourne to the league last year is a coincidence I'd say. Birmingham's three pointers were pretty average last season aside from Wajtknecht, a rider that everyone knew was going to improve on his starting figure. Eastbourne and Birmingham have been a breath of fresh air don't get me wrong but they weren't the catalyst that has made the NL a better product, neither were Cradley. The product has been evolving over time and the emphasis being shifted towards giving three point riders team spots last year was the real shot in the arm for the division. The clubs that want to develop talent are continuing as they were, while those out to win are having to look towards new riders to the sport such as George Woods etc. Everyone is having to identify competitive three pointers or train riders to be at a NL ready level, that can only be a good thing.

The Buxton side looks pretty solid but the Brummies are favourites for the title for a reason and I don't think any of the Buxton lads have had any meetings yet this season. Can see a big home win but I'd suspect it'll be a closer affair when the Hitmen return to Perry Barr in the league.

What's his average when guesting out of interest? Compare that to his actual average and then you'll have some kind of answer to prove the point either way.

John Sampford knows a lot about the sport at this level and is currently out of a job in the sport.

Len Silver was unhappy that you signed Spiller, he was wrong in my opinion to complain about you making the signing, he didn't have any issue with Spiller himself I'm sure though.

Bowen's performance at Mildenhall is a one off I'd suggest and it's understandable considering the injuries he has had over the years that he'd not be that thrilled about going out on a track which he may consider unsafe. Once the new averages come out their entire top three are likely to be on averages over eight, Joe Jacobs is without a team at this level, Ben Hopwood will be available again soon, Kyle Hughes could even be an option further down the line if he returns to fitness and can't be accommodated back at Eastbourne. Marc Owen may want to make a comeback later in the season. Dan Spiller could be an option for someone come the summer if there's not a space for him at Eastbourne too. There are/will be plenty of options out there for teams with problems at the top end.

You can make whatever changes you like if you re-declare under the points limit, if the team total is over the points limit you can only replace a rider up to his average though. If the total team average has gone up to say 42 and you want/have to replace a 10 pointer and a four pointer you have to replace them like for like and not with two seven pointers.

Mear did more white lines (on the track) than grandmaster flash the last time he was a Rocket.

Indeed, shame he's averaging 4 points less than that right now...

A nice even spread of the scoring for the Rockets, Karger again disappointing. Going to need those kind of scores consistently at home from Lanham and Heeps, even against stronger opposition. We're one rider (and another learning to gate) short of a half decent side. Surely the promotion have seen enough of Karger now to realise he's not going to be anywhere near that five point assessed average.

They're EL draft reserves who are eligible for the NL, there's no problem. It's not like Harris and Nicholls have been allowed to join NL clubs. Some people need to get their knickers out of a twist.