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Will he adopt the single name of "Asbo" in an attempt to develop his career until he rides for Rye House?

So, how did THAT work for YOU?

Quite WHY would I have known the teams before going? The programme compiler didn't. Do Tippex make aerosols? Was there an option to pay to watch the proper speedway riders & claim back the additional charge for the novice training school? Pumping out substandard rubbish like last night does more harm to speedway than anything else.

If what was served up last night is anything to go by, it's high time promoters looked at what they're agreeing to stage. So, Ingalls has been reasonable at reserve for Workington & Burmeister... wears a Wolves race jacket for little apparent reason & this has led to a "period of rebuilding". Well, in that case rebuild. And when you're good enough, only then expect the public to pay for it. Until then, if you want to pay to come over to ride, Scunthorpe run Amateur Meetings regularly, and I'm sure Newport, Stoke & one or two others would too. Two 50 somethings on a nostalgia trip & a bunch of novices half a lap off the pace. Not that the other lot were any better. I'm all for providing opportunities, but it would have shown a great deal more commonsense if Team Viking / Kangeroo / Tyke / Springbok / Whatever had shown some dignity & withdrawn earlier in the week. To be ponying that lot out as anything other than an ego trip for the organisers is laughable. (Relatively) disappointing to see Belle Vue Colt McKinna sat in the pits while Belle Vue Colt Bekker was on track. At least there was an opportunity for a Brit to be involved. With a few days notice, a northern team could have been assembled that could have had their confidence boosted by strolling to victory. Come to think of it, Cowboy Johnny Swales was on tractor duty last night & was involved in organising the Northern Junior League last season: if it's running again later in the season, that would have been a good way to launch it.

A simple "No" would have sufficed. So who's trying, and what are they trying (apart from Uncle Len having a nostalgic trip in his dotage - or has Arthur Daley been in touch with a lock up full of hookey Hackney memorabilia & THAT's where the scheme started? Exactly, in real, tangible terms, what is "it" that south-east and London based supporters may or may not decide to support? Leicester is a ball that's been rolling for years as opposed to an old man's sepia tinged exploitation to boost his pension.

Any documentary proof to suggest this campaign is anything other than a figment of your imagination? News of how the campaign is progressing? The only way Uncle Len could try milking it any more would be to buy a dairy farm. He might as well make the team wear plain black kevlars, wear pudding basin helmets & film (not video) the races in black & white. Nice to see an old man, happy in his memories of a youth long gone.

There's a double header at Scunny every Bank Holiday Monday

Yeah, & I'm pretty sure it'll be the local branch who are involved in the sponsorship - or maybe in the seventies when the top League was sponsored by Gulf Oil it was because Arabs were keen on speedway

Exactly what I said last night - albeit I used Ellesmere Port as the example (much to the confusion of at least one befuddled cock-a-ney ) Presumably Neil Machin is looking for some form of sponsorship for his involvement & Rob Godfrey for his. How would it look if the latter went to the Saints current sponsor ( a local firm, I believe) & announced "oh, & they're called Hull now"???

Alternating between TWO ... complex matrix?

Interesting (sort of) that you feel the need to sever the second part of my comment in order to suit your purposes before making your patronising comments. If you cared to read the GP threads you refer to, you would find that I'm in favour of a London staged GP, to the extent that if it came down to one meeting I think it would be better there than in the principality. Even oop north I'm fully aware of the building of West Ham's new ground - so, surely the 'Ammers would be more appropriate than the 'Awks- and secondary venues. Any form of motorsport wouldn't form part of the "Olympic Legacy" for obvious reasons, but that's another example of selective editing.

The strongly back & well funded campaign to bring speedway back to East London seems to be garnering as much exposure as your average Freemasons lodge. (Not a great deal, in case you need more help) Luv a duck! And you used "over-reacting" in my direction! At what point has there been any display of any "anti-London bias"? Dragging up a long defunct club name to pony it around two other tracks as some sort of seperate entity (when it reality it's Rye House in a different racejacket) appears to me to be plain daft - but no more daft than Belle Vue sharing out their NL matches under the name of Ellesmere Port. Anyway, some of my best frieds are cock-a-neys

Exactly, a matter of priorities. Anyway, it'll help pad out the column, writing the 1st paragraph.

Is it being publicised by the Freemasons?

And kill off interest in Sheffield AND Scunthorpe.

No more nonsensical than Mildenhall competing in the away leg of their cup tie in essex & taking on the same opponents in hertfordshire in the league - what's Hackney got to do with it???? As is often cried on here, "How would you explain that to a newcomer? It makes a mockery of the sport - only in speedway " At least the (seperate, stand alone) concern using the name of Dudley (not "Cradley")has been set up with the express intention of securing a new home in Dudley. It's not some old-time misty-eyed nostalgia trip. I wouldn't imagine that the people of Sheffield cheering on the Scunny Saints, or Lincolnshire folk shouting "C'mon Sheffield" at their own tracks. So, Sheffield turn up at (say) Belle Vue & the reverse fixture is at Sheffield. Newport visit Scunthorpe & Scunthorpe are the visitors in Wales.

Is it possible you've been coached by the Peterborough management in drama queen-ery? The EL is screwed anyway & has been for years, although the flouncing of two promoters might hasten its demise. One advantage of Terry Russell's self serving wheeling & dealing is that the PL teams have had loose change over the years from the Sky deal, so won't miss out on that much. A few more PL teams would build a proper league. Even as (for a while) a stepping stone, the PL would provide a huge learning experience for riders - wherever they're from - so there wouldn't be a shortage of riders: it would strengthen the PL in fact. Theonly folk I feel sorry for in all of this is Ipswich who, as part of coming into the PL are looking forward to battles with Kingg's Lynn. Let's hope they get them.

I've got a question for an Ipswich fan: This switch to the Premier League - do you feel like Bugs Bunny, stepping off a plummetting aeroplane to safety, just before it crashes into the ground? Come to think of it, that could be the EL sponsor for 2011: Plummet Airlines!

Well done, Rob Lyon! OK, it's not a team to win - this year. What would have been achieved by including disappointment-at-the-back-for-Lee-Richardson and Saturday's Handbag Hero? Even with a head start GB (or will it be Eng-ger-land ) woould finish third. Get some experience into the younger riders - by the way without Chris Louis patronising "Lion Cub" comment Now if they can only get some new blood into the GP.............

And I joined you. I guess the celebrations were as a result of the tidal wave of emotion summoned up by the presentation team which started with the rider introductions: "If ever there was a rider that needed his country to be behind him...." Christ Almighty, setting aside the other two English riders who were representing Great Britain on the day, why not just say what you mean: "Here's a rider who's been a bit crap lately, but c'mon & give him a cheer..." At least with his current form there's little need for Sky to line up another replacement blonde - there's little reason for the curent bird to speak to him!

Harris doesn't ride for Poole - that's why

Good to see people think the Heat 5 incident "fired up Nicholls passion": fired him up so much he scored 1 point less than Holta who only finished 3 rides! I've read comments that Nicholls was within his rights to be "riled" at the dig Sayfutdinov made earlier in the race, but evidently that doesn't cut both ways. "Nicholls was trying to get back to the pits first"? Then he needs to be informed that he needs to aim for the gap in the safety fence - not the bouncy castle attached to the pit gate The quicker Nicholls is flushed down the pan & GB nominations are available for the likes of Woffinden & Kennett there might be a chnce of GB making progress. At least Harris got stuck into his riding & made the semis. Still at least Nicholls was there for his first ride - progress of sorts. The presentation on the night was as usual from the same crew. Appalling. Taped football chants before the heats with the British representatives (I know they're all English, but the weren't representing ENG-GER-LAND) - what the hell was that about? Trying to disguise the apathy of the crowd immediately prior to another poor performnce? Some Bloke Singing To A Backing Tape - that's karaoke in a pub - not interval entertainment for THE Grand Prix of the year. I'm not suggesting Springsteen or The Stones like the Superbowl, but God Almighty....... And a "Tribute Act" beforehand too - was this a "major sporting event" or outtakes from Pheonix Nights?

Well, they got round to showing the Season Opener tonight @ 6:00. In some respects it's improved - a bit (or were there simply less cameras at the meeting?), but mostly it's reassuringly just as appalling. Either it was recorded in betamax (remember that?) or there's a total lack of ability to convert NTSC to PAL. The editing (for want of a better expression) is err... "innovative", with s-l-o-w cross fades between the cameras, monotone commentary, either overpowering or non-existent live audio, 1980's home-movie graphics, etc. etc. From the amount of footage that features only the heads & occasionally the torsos of those racing it's evidently been recorded in 4:3 and cropped to fit 16:9 widescreen without the footage actually being LOOKED at. Christ even the sponsors logo is stretched! Totally amateurish "production" that we should be pleased is being aired - because there isn't enough of a rag tag & bobtail image for speedway Still, I guess if they have to air 12 month old, second rate footage that is an embarrassment to the sport, at least they got their sponsorship right

What? You mean the Coventry Past & Present? Knowing what Brandon might be like after practising earlier today? Nah! "Restoring some pride" now

Pearson plugged the PL Fours earlier, but I wasn't paying much attention. Maybe he should have suggested that the wildcard for that should be given to Team GB: maybe (just maybe ) they could win that. Now that they're picking up a few points I'm sure it'll be okay & "onwards to the challenge of the run-off" Anybody want to bet on the Russians & Brits for 4th place ? ? ?