Fromafar Posted June 9, 2021 Report Share Posted June 9, 2021 Very harsh to Criticise the Thompson twins.IMO. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teromaafan Posted June 9, 2021 Report Share Posted June 9, 2021 9 hours ago, Lionspride said: So its quite clear changes are needed at Leicester if we want to compete for the play offs . Maybe an unpopular opinion but Dan & Joe have not been the same this season , last season they dominated in the NDL but this season they are nowhere near that, in the past around BP they would wipe the floor with the over rated Flint & Bickley but not last sunday. Josh Bates has to go , he is well off the pace . Not making starts & there is no sign of improvement . The options are so limited though. The only people I can see out there are Nicolas Porsing or the return of baby Bjerre . If we look at making 2 changes (Bates & Proctor) then do we go with someone like Krystian Pieszczek & then a 5 point rider at no 2 like Young Scandinavian with room for improvement? I think it would be harsh to sack Proctor though because for Leicester he has done well in 2 of the 3 lions meetings. 6+1 & 5+2 . Thats what you expect from the number 2 berth. What he does for Kings Lynn where he has been poor shouldn’t effect his spot at Leicester . Would love to hear fellow Lions fans thoughts on the team situation. A good post to start the ball rolling for a few people to get things off their chest. National League aside, Dan & Joe are now competing at a higher level and are punching well above their averages and will surely continue to do so. Any criticism of them is extremely harsh, especially at this stage of the season. The team that Dickson built was based on it doing 'what is says on the tin', and any criticism should focus on the 1 to 5 of the team. So far, that narrows it down to the second strings. Proctor is only going to move in one direction, but if he can maintain his average I think that is all anyone can expect of him. No need to press the eject button there (for now). Bates is the big concern, as other posters have highlighted. Being brave and fearless is important for a rider, but so is being responsible. For some time now he has been a danger to himself and other riders. So when he has to withdraw from a meeting and miss the next one, where does that leave his team? Using R/R is a strain on the Lions since only Proctor and the twins can cover. Going back to Dan & Joe, that's not fair. Guests are an option but the availability of alternatives is more limited than ever. Let's not forget that we are talking about the current Lions track record holder here though! Surely someone can educate (okay, could be a big task) him to ride with his head not his throttle. (Back to Dan & Joe again, sorry to say but they already seem to be smarter than Josh in this department). Josh might be relying on his management connections but I'm sure that Dickson won't tolerate that for too long. Always end on a positive though, the top three are flying! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Al Posted June 9, 2021 Report Share Posted June 9, 2021 Is Dakota Ballantyne eligible to get a visa? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Normski Posted June 9, 2021 Report Share Posted June 9, 2021 7 hours ago, Bandits4eva said: Okay..... *take a deep breath* first of all... I’m not a Leicester fan.. my name clearly states that... but I’ve got a problem with this part of your post... You talk about the Thompson twins and how they dominated in their last season racing... they’re young laddies who have worked their way up to heatleader status in NDL and have taken a massive jump into championship level... with the top 5 you have, they should be 2 that are exempt from criticism. Now... “the overrated Flint”... are you having a laugh... that laddy has worked his way up and deserves every bit of praise that he is receiving and has rightfully earned the chance to ride in Poland for Rybnik. You need to remember that this is only his 2nd full season at championship level. He’s probably had to work harder than most due to his locality... Berwick now has the facilities for the youngsters in the north but Leon has had to travel many thousands of miles over his short years in this sport... he’s worked hard to build up sponsors... he’s completely changed the way he trained and his overall fitness level is second to none... he’s got a great team behind him and is quite frankly the brightest prospect to come from North Northumberland for quite some time! So quite frankly, “the overrated Flint” is quite an insult to what that lad has actually achieved! Overrated Flint got 11+2 tonight 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IainB Posted June 10, 2021 Report Share Posted June 10, 2021 (edited) 20 hours ago, False dawn said: But the long term aim is to help develop them into top class riders and the Leicester management have taken this brave decision on that basis. Let's not kid ourselves, if their averages don't fit they'll be farmed out elsewhere. Look at Connor Mountain who had an excellent season for Leicester, showed great promise, was signed with great fanfare and then binned off when his average didn't fit. I've only seen the twins at Scunny so far this year and I was well impressed with them! To be chopping and changing in this season of all seasons, with rider availability, imo is, as King's Lynn are proving, complete madness Edited June 10, 2021 by iainb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sings4Speedway Posted June 10, 2021 Report Share Posted June 10, 2021 37 minutes ago, iainb said: Let's not kid ourselves, if their averages don't fit they'll be farmed out elsewhere. Look at Connor Mountain who had an excellent season for Leicester, showed great promise, was signed with great fanfare and then binned off when his average didn't fit. I've only seen the twins at Scunny so far this year and I was well impressed with them! To be chopping and changing in this season of all seasons, with rider availability, imo is, as King's Lynn are proving, complete madness Only time i can see the Thompsons moving away from Leicester is because of thier choice to better themselves on other tracks. The club and local sponsors have invested a lot into the two over the years and i do believe they acknowledge that and have a good degree of loyalty. Averages whatever they may be the team will be built around these two for years to come Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
screm Posted June 10, 2021 Report Share Posted June 10, 2021 On 6/9/2021 at 11:03 AM, Lionspride said: Maybe an unpopular opinion but Dan & Joe have not been the same this season , last season they dominated in the NDL but this season they are nowhere near that, in the past around BP they would wipe the floor with the over rated Flint & Bickley but not last sunday. Something tells me your going to regret this, now we can either keep coming back to this post every time Leon knocks in another good score or we can sit back and let Leon himself make a bit of a fool of you. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
W9 Lion Posted June 10, 2021 Report Share Posted June 10, 2021 11 minutes ago, screm said: Something tells me your going to regret this, now we can either keep coming back to this post every time Leon knocks in another good score or we can sit back and let Leon himself make a bit of a fool of you. Can we keep coming back to it please? Its priceless in so many ways. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IainB Posted June 10, 2021 Report Share Posted June 10, 2021 (edited) 1 hour ago, Sings4Speedway said: Only time i can see the Thompsons moving away from Leicester is because of thier choice to better themselves on other tracks. The club and local sponsors have invested a lot into the two over the years and i do believe they acknowledge that and have a good degree of loyalty. Averages whatever they may be the team will be built around these two for years to come History, especially since the play offs were introduced, clearly shows there is zero loyalty in British Speedway. Clubs will drop a rider like a hat if their average doesn't fit. Who, I wonder, was the last rider to actually achieve a genuine testimonial, for actually being with a club for 10 years? Believe it or not it used to happen, these days you get a testimonial if you manage to stay in the sport for 10 years let alone a single club! Believe me, they will be dropped if their averages don't fit and Leicester are struggling to secure a play off place. Edited June 10, 2021 by iainb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arnieg Posted June 10, 2021 Report Share Posted June 10, 2021 2 minutes ago, iainb said: Who, I wonder, was the last rider to actually achieve a genuine testimonial, for actually being with a club for 10 years? Believe it or not it used to happen, these days you get a testimonial if you manage to stay in the sport for 10 years let alone a single club There is one due https://wwosbackup.proboards.com/thread/133/josh-auty 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IainB Posted June 10, 2021 Report Share Posted June 10, 2021 1 minute ago, arnieg said: There is one due https://wwosbackup.proboards.com/thread/133/josh-auty 1! In the whole 3 leagues! Who was the last I wonder? How many promising youngsters have been lost to the sport over the years because of a lack of loyalty? Countless! Well the chickens have come home to roost this year. Are the "rising star" positions this year protected? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sings4Speedway Posted June 10, 2021 Report Share Posted June 10, 2021 44 minutes ago, iainb said: History, especially since the play offs were introduced, clearly shows there is zero loyalty in British Speedway. Clubs will drop a rider like a hat if their average doesn't fit. Who, I wonder, was the last rider to actually achieve a genuine testimonial, for actually being with a club for 10 years? Believe it or not it used to happen, these days you get a testimonial if you manage to stay in the sport for 10 years let alone a single club! Believe me, they will be dropped if their averages don't fit and Leicester are struggling to secure a play off place. Luke Bowen would be my guess and as arnieg pointed out Josh Auty's is due. I don't disagree that loyalty from both sides is a rare thing these days but i just feel that Leicester have two riders on their books who could go on to 'Scott Nicholls levels' and would be barmy to let them slip away chasing a season that isn't even lost yet. Sadly promising doesn't cut it, whilst you are right there are a huge number lost to the sport the best way to ensure that you keep a team place is to be too good to not be signed up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IainB Posted June 10, 2021 Report Share Posted June 10, 2021 9 minutes ago, Sings4Speedway said: Sadly promising doesn't cut it, whilst you are right there are a huge number lost to the sport the best way to ensure that you keep a team place is to be too good to not be signed up. There should be room in our sport for those that don't go on to show continuous improvement, or they drift away from the sport, like they have and you end up in a situation where you're relying on foreign riders and doubling up to make the sport viable. There has been enough throughput of riders over the last 10 years to negate the need for doubling up and recruiting foreign riders. Not every rider is going to succeed, Josh Auty being a great example, showed great promise in his early years but stagnated and has been a great club man at Scunny, who to their credit have actually shown him some loyalty. He is the exception rather than the rule though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 valve Posted June 10, 2021 Author Report Share Posted June 10, 2021 On 6/9/2021 at 11:03 AM, Lionspride said: So its quite clear changes are needed at Leicester if we want to compete for the play offs . Maybe an unpopular opinion but Dan & Joe have not been the same this season , If we look at making 2 changes (Bates & Proctor) then do we go with someone like Krystian Pieszczek & then a 5 point rider at no 2 like Young Scandinavian with room for improvement? There are zero issues with the twins - both have increased their averages as heat leaders in NDL (second stringers in 2019) and this is their first year in the championship where they are outscoring their allocated average to such an extent that if (say)the other 5 riders improved by the same percentage the Lions would be scoring close to 50 points every meeting. At the moment Bates and proctor are not riding as expected and clearly from comments made by the management and NM it is something that all concerned are aware of. However, first things first and give the riders a chance to get back into the groove after a long layoff from racing and deliver what is expected of them, especially at home. making any changes after three meetings (two away) is way too soon whilst three home meetings would be a better base to make longer term judgments if needed. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LionsFan Posted June 11, 2021 Report Share Posted June 11, 2021 Interesting comments from Mr Dickson in the Edinburgh match preview article on the website. I wonder if he is looking at any Birmingham riders? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*JJ Posted June 11, 2021 Report Share Posted June 11, 2021 7 minutes ago, LionsFan said: Interesting comments from Mr Dickson in the Edinburgh match preview article on the website. I wonder if he is looking at any Birmingham riders? Birmingham has only been postponed for three weeks, not closed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LionsFan Posted June 11, 2021 Report Share Posted June 11, 2021 I know, but I think it's likely existing restrictions will be extended and can you deny riders the opportunity to earn a living? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Al Posted June 11, 2021 Report Share Posted June 11, 2021 I think that Proctor and Bates have both had employment from the Bates family businesses as key workers in Sewage and Waste Water. I'm not sure if this is still the case, but if they are still engaged as key workers, could that be a factor in their struggling a bit, so far? In the case of the Thompsons, surely it is better a case of "steady as it goes" at present and assess them fairly at end of the season? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fromafar Posted June 11, 2021 Report Share Posted June 11, 2021 Like I stated before season started Top5 lack consistency.Dickson won’t be a happy bunny.!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
W9 Lion Posted June 12, 2021 Report Share Posted June 12, 2021 I have looked at what the riders have achievied this season Morris 10.00, Douglas 9.25, Howarth 8.25, Proctor 3.50, Joe 3.50, Dan 3.25, Bates 2.75. Five of the team have increased their averages and two riders have dropped almost seven points between them. So what should "the special one" do next.... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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