2018 Premiership Predictions

[Pirates Of Poole]

1. Poole

2. Leicester

3. Belle Vue

4. Swindon

5. Rye House 

6. Wolves 

7. Somerset 

8. Kings Lynn 

 

[Clive Ward]

1.  Belle Vue 

2.  Poole 

3.  Leicester

4.  Kings Lynn 

5.  Wolverhampton 

6.  Swindon.

7.  Somerset.

8.  Rye House.

Tbh I don’t think that there is a lot of difference between all of the teams after Belle Vue and Poole who I think will be way ahead of the rest. Most people have us in the bottom 2 but I really believe that we will be the surprise team this year, come on u stars.

[DC2]

 

After six pages, taking all predictions into account, the consensus seems to be:

Swindon

Belle Vue

Kings Lynn

Somerset

Leicester

Wolves

Rye House

Poole

Seems a little harsh on Rye House  

[scottyfan]

3 hours ago, DC2 said:

 

After six pages, taking all predictions into account, the consensus seems to be:

Swindon

Belle Vue

Kings Lynn

Somerset

Leicester

Wolves

Rye House

Poole

Seems a little harsh on Rye House  

Swap 1st and 8th round and you could be right

Edited January 27, 2018 by scottyfan

[g13webb]

1 ,  Poole               Everything that is wrong with our average system is highlighted in this team.   Ford’s astuteness to assemble his team using out of date figures has placed Poole on a pedestal few can match.   Out of date figures have always been the wrath of team building but the BSPA do nothing to remedy it.     This league victory will be a walk in the park …

2,  Leicester          One has to appreciate the strides the Lions have made in their quest to assembly a strong Team.  Spear-headed by a GP rider, coupled with 3 more heat leader quality riders makes them a formidable team.  Pleased that Bates changed his mind that will only add strength lower down. Getting Simon Stead as Team manager was an impressive coup…   They should reach the PO without too much trouble.

3 Belle Vue            I feel disappointed they haven’t won the league recently.    They have been super strong all season only to lose out in the play-offs.    Led by strong heat leaders they will score most over their rivals with their young class reserves.   Losing KB will be a big loss but no doubt Tungate will step up.   A dead cert PO position but I feel they will miss out again.

4, Swindon            Losing Doyle could have been a bigger lost than it has been, but Morris is a readymade No1.   Adding the selfish Batchelor to the solid team could be a master stroke or a mistake, but either way they will have too much strength not to reach the PO.

5.  Wolves             This 1 over 8 rule has cost Wolves more than most.  Losing Freddie is a massive lost that other members will find hard to cover.  When meetings were close it was always Freddie to the rescue.   Thorsell, Masters and Rory should hold their own,   but it is lower down I feel they will struggle.   Although they have an able leader in Adams,  I feel victory this year, the league  will be too much, even for him.

6.  Rye House        They have 2 areas of confidence that will really helps them.  The first is the massive home advantage gained from their tight track, and secondly the experience from their elder riders. Both these issues make them far stronger then would normally be seen and will provide enough strength to be very competitive.   I think the PO will be a step too far.

7.  Kings Lynn        I rate Niels very highly, equally as important to Michael Lee back in his prime. Mr Reliable himself.  To have him back on board is wonderful.   I wish I could be more confident with the team we have assembled.    For us to have a chance of the PO every rider has to up his game.  Lambert and Jorgensen have to become solid heat leaders,   and new boys Proctor and Andersen have to hit the ground running.   It’s a big ask .   I will be there supporting them whatever the outcome.   If the track is in first class condition and the racing is good,  I’ll be more than happy with that…

8. Summerset       Such is the competition this year it will be no disgrace to come bottom.   The bottom 4 are all of similar quality and could finish in any order.    Doyle is the master when results are close and could be a deciding factor.   But like Lynn, Somerset could suffer as most opposition like to come ride on a decent tracks,  the  home advantage disappears.    Hope they do well but I feel the competition is too strong.

 

Conclusions:         I fear Poole are way too strong.  They have no weak links and will win by a distant.  The next 3 teams are all solid and competent enough to make the PO.   The bottom 4 again a competitive group that could finish in any of those positions, but I will be very surprised if one manages to jump into another grouping.,.,

[poolebolton]

Very well written piece above! 

[Steve Shovlar]

Ok now most riders are in place I thought I would give my opinion of the teams and season ending positions. 

 

8th. KING'S LYNN

1. Niels Iversen 9.04

2. Robert Lambert  7.38

3. Ty Proctor 5.5

4. Lewis Kerr 5.06

5. Thomas Jorgensen 5.93

6. Lewis Rose 5.25

7. Kasper Andersen 4.0

A lack of serious thought going on here. A management going through the motions and who haven’t got their finger on the pulse of what is going on in the big wide world of speedway. A serious lack of strength in depth with no third heat leader and a couple of journeymen means that Kings Lynn will be propping up the table in 2018. The signing of Proctor is frankly mystifying. And with Robert Lambert mouthing off in the Star about how he doesn’t want to be there, it doesn’t bode well for the stars. Decent reserves though.

 

7th. SOMERSET

1. Jason Doyle 9.69

2. Jack Holder 5.82

3. Richard Lawson 6.43

4. Charles Wright 6.69

5. Bradley Wilson Dean 4.67

6. Jake Allen 5.07

7. Jonas Jeppersen 4.00

The Rebels look to improve their first season in the top flight but I don’t think it will happen for them in 2018. Doyle is a great signing, but after that backup is a bit low on the ground and away from the Oaktree they could take some poundings. Doyle apart, the Rebels have solid looking reserves but the middle of the team looks very lacking. Lawson and Wright don’t really have any improvement in them, and it leaves Jack Holder to kick on from a poor 2017 season and show his potential.

 

6th. RYE HOUSE

1. KK?

2. Ben Barker 6.00

3. Eddie Kennett 6.39

4. Scott Nicholls 7.48

5. Chris Harris. 7.63

6. Stuart Robson 5.72

7. Max Clegg 2.00

I listened to the podcast from Steve Jensen, which was full of enthusiasm. Then he goes out and puts together a team like this. Who do you think you are kidding Mr Jensen? Dads Army or what? The team is full of Brits which is great. But they are all passed their prime. Sure, they will turn over teams at home and lose a couple but away they will struggle to get much and like others have said, will end up in the Lakeside trap. A step backwards from 2017.

 

5th. WOLVERHAMPTON

1. Jacob Thorssell 8.64

2. Sam Masters 7.92

3. Rory Schlein 7.72

4. Kyle Howarth 6.64

5. Cameron Heeps 5.25

6. Ashley Morris 3.75

7. Nathan Greaves 2.54

The loss of Lindgren is big. And he hasn’t really been replaced. Thorsell steps up to fill Freddie’s boots but Lindgren he is not, especially away from Monmore. At home Thorsell is dialled in and will do his job. Masters and Schlein are good riders but can go awol at times. Howarth still has improvement. But Heeps, Morris and Greaves leave a big wagging tail and they will get turned over at home a couple of times. Away from Monmore they might pickup points at a couple of places. Will miss out on the playoffs this time around IMO.

 

4th. SWINDON

1. Nick Morris 8.87

2. Troy Batchelor 7.63

3. David Bellego 7.37

4. Tobiasz Musielak 7.37

5. Adam Ellis 5.56

6. Zach Wajtknecht 3.21

7. Mitchel Davey 2.00

 

Swindon won the league last year due to bringing  in Musielak. They had a tremendous run mid season before running out of steam but it was enough to finish top. They had riders who all improved and upped their averages and although they got very lucky in the final, they did finish top of the league. It has to be asked though. In 2018 where is the big improvement going to come from? Morris is now riding at number one with no Doyle for support. Musielak, Bellego and Batchelor are all topped out.  I can only really see Adam Ellis upping his average, perhaps by a point or more. At reserve they are extremely weak and this could really hit them. Playoffs? Yes I think they will get into the playoffs but I don’t see them retaining the title.

 

3rd. BELLE VUE

1. Craig Cook 8.45

2. Steve Worrall 6.77

3. Rohan Tungate 6.18

4. Damian Drodz 5.00

5. Max Fricke.

6. Dan Bewley 4.71

7. Jye Etheridge 3.89

Belle Vue keep 5 of last years 7 and look very good. Led by Cook who steps up to number one they should go though the card at home and pick up quite a few points on their travels. Tungate will score highly at home so the loss of Bjerre won’t be felt. Drodz will soon settle in at home but may find it tough on the road. Fricke really needs to show his full potential if BV are in with a shout of the title. In Bewley they have a great young rider who will more than likely move up into the team at the first set of GS, with Drodz going the other way. 

 

2nd. LEICESTER

1. Martin Vaculik 8.00

2. Krystian Pieszczek 6.5

3. Danny King 6.66

4. Josh Bates 5.52

5. Hans Andersen  7.75

6. Kyle Newman 4.86

7. James Sarjeant  2.56

Since Leicester have returned to the top flight they have been something of a Mickey Mouse outfit, with chucked together teams worthy of a wooden spoon. However, in 2018 under new management, the team looks very good. In fact good enough to challenge for the title. Martin Vaculik is a proven top rider on the continent and Pieszczek is an impressive and very fast young Pole. Backed up with Danny King and Hans Andersen it is an impressive top four. Leicester will also have a scoring reserve at all times with Kyle Newman and Josh Bates swapping and reswapping all season. A very good looking team.

 

1st. POOLE

1. Brady Kurtz 8.08

2. Josh Grajczonek 7.34

3. Kacper Woryna 4.65

4. Linus Sundstrom 7.22 

5. Chris Holder 7.16

6. Mateusz Szczepaniak 4.54

7. James Shanes 2.38

After the disappointment of 2017 Matt Ford has spent a lot of time and effort assembling what looks to be one of the best looking Poole teams in several years. A team built with the word improvement written across all seven riders. Led by one of the lowest averaged number one in the league in Kurtz, who should stick a point on his starting average. The return of Chris Holder on 7.16 is an absolute steal. But the whole team from one to seven have improvement in them, perhaps with the exception of Josh G who is capable of maintaining. Poole will also have strength at reserve all season with Szczepaniak at 6, to be replaced by any of the top 5 should he do well. Young James Shanes has the ability to improve as well with such good riders around him.

 

So that is my opinion. Not many will agree with it. Of course this is not taking into account any injuries which might come along to decimate a teams chances.

[ytsejam]

1. Leicester 

2. Poole

3. Belle Vue

4. Wolves 

5. Swindon

6. Kings Lynn

7. Somerset

8. Rye House

 

Going for a shock with the perennial wooden spoonists, winning the league (don't think they will win the actual play offs though)

[g13webb]

Its unusual  for Shovlar and I to have similar ideas.    but looking at each's  predictions,  it seem we may have something in common..

 I could've said great minds think alike,    buy didn't want to leave myself open to personal abuse.....

[Jonny the spud]

Can’t you all predict Swindon for the wooden spoon ? 

 

 

It worked last year. 

[Shirl]

On 30/01/2018 at 6:05 PM, ytsejam said:

1. Leicester 

2. Poole

3. Belle Vue

4. Wolves 

5. Swindon

6. Kings Lynn

7. Somerset

8. Rye House

 

Going for a shock with the perennial wooden spoonists, winning the league (don't think they will win the actual play offs though)

Funnier things happened 

5000/1 for Leicester City to win the league not many would have given them a chance

As for there chances this season, I think most lions fans will be happy to see a really competitive team and if we make the playoffs that would be a massive step forward 

Congratulations to the promotion for assembling a solid team and Steady as team manager

[hyderd]

2 hours ago, Shirl said:

Funnier things happened 

5000/1 for Leicester City to win the league not many would have given them a chance

As for there chances this season, I think most lions fans will be happy to see a really competitive team and if we make the playoffs that would be a massive step forward 

Congratulations to the promotion for assembling a solid team and Steady as team manager

Keep the starting 7 fit and injury free, then I see no reason why Leicester won't be in the P/Off's this season.

[Steve0]

 Now that teams are just about finalised, my prediction is:

Top 4: 1 Poole, 2 Belle Vue, 3 Swindon, 4 Leicester. When it gets to the playoffs, it will depend on what changes have been made as to who will be the champions although I think the teams will complete the league in the listed positions.

Just missing out: 5 Wolves, 6 Somerset

Wooden spoon battle: 7 Rye House,  8 Kings Lynn

[hyderd]

Assuming all teams compete as the fans expect/hope this is my final prediction.

1st Poole

2nd Leicester

3rd Belle Vue

4th Swindon

5th Somerset

6th Wolves

7th K/Lynn

8th R House

Poole to pick Swindon in P/Off semi.........Leicester V Belle Vue in the other

Final Belle Vue v Swindon

Winners...............Belle Vue 

[Aces High]

Anyone else feel that Poole will have binned off one of their two poles before the end of the season?

Edited February 5, 2018 by Aces High
Terrible spelling

[Steve Shovlar]

22 minutes ago, Aces High said:

Anyone else fee that Poole will have binned off one of their two poles before the end of the season.

No. Both will do very well and help bring home the bacon.

Edited February 5, 2018 by Steve Shovlar

[poole keith]

nope barring injuries or unexpected conflicts with their polish clubs restricting appearances think theyre both there for the full season at poole

[hyderd]

1 hour ago, Steve Shovlar said:

No. Both will do very well and help bring home the bacon.

 

1 hour ago, poole keith said:

nope barring injuries or unexpected conflicts with their polish clubs restricting appearances think theyre both there for the full season at poole

not if they underperform, Matt will make changes at some point if that is the case.  

[waiheke1]

I think people are under rating KL.

Poole leicester and belle vue imo look nailed on for the playoffs. But i yhink there is very littke between the other 5.

KL have a top two as good as any, and arguably the strongest reserves. The only area they are lacking is 3rd HL, but Jorgensen could do ok, and arguably if your top two and reserves do the job you csn ger awsy with being weak in this area. Although i think swinfon will finish 4th, i do think KL are more likely to scrspe into the play offs than finish bottom, wheras many seem to hsve them lined up as wooden spooners.

[Gavan]

3 hours ago, Aces High said:

Anyone else feel that Poole will have binned off one of their two poles before the end of the season?

Woryna i would expect to do a full season but the other one could be gone i would imagine.

Poole never go a full season without changes hence why they often successful.

Its to blinkered to expect the current 1-7 to be the end 1-7. 

This time last year Poole were huge favourites and nobody could have predicted that the best number one in the league (KK), Mr Loyalty (Newman) and a high scoring reserve (Klindt) would be binned off in favour of Kennett , Starke and Lahti.....if you had suggested that on here you would have been laughed at........so its naive to think that no changes can or will be made