Seasons Greetings!

I trust everyone has had a fine festive period, though there is a little bit of it to go, so take care of yourselves and have fun.

The Tigers have signed up Parker, Leverington and Ksiesak, along with Ross Brady for the up-coming season. The latter three need no introduction and neither does Mr Brady to the Glasgow (or Hull) faithful. This is where I admit that Ross was before my time and I can only go on his his potential realised at other clubs and what I hope was a blip in his career the last time he rode for Glasgow. Certainly, having paid a fair amount of cash for him first time round, the Glasgow promotion will be keen to make use of a rider whose average is low enough to fit into the 'David McAllan Slot', but who could, if the circumstances were right, become a heat leader. Only time will tell.

My guess is that Lee Dicken and Gary Beaton will be slotted in at No6 & No 7, with a foreign rider (Scandinavian/Polish/Czech) coming in at 7-odd points as another heat leader. I could be very wrong though. Maybe I shouldn't put so much credence in speculation..................

Some sad news regarding Oxford Cheetahs. Having dropped from Elite to Conference level last season, they looked to be back 'on the up'. A very good season in the Conference saw them finish 2nd to the 'all conquering' Scunthorpe, former Tiger Lee Smethills regularly on the top scorersheets on the BBC results service. They were due to make the move to the Premier, but it would seem that the GRA have put the rent on the stadium up to a level that promoter Alan Trump was unwilling to pay. The result is that Oxford will probably not race at all next season.

I hope something is sorted out before the Cheetahs join the ever expanding ranks of 'Those Without A Home', but I somehow think it's forlorn..............

Finally, it seems someone has posted upfootage of the final league meeting of the season from Ashfield. The first incident involves David McAllan being unceremoniously bunged into the chain-link fencing by Birmingham rider Phil Morris, resulting in a spinal injury that could cost him his career. Phil looks to have a club next season. I sincerely hope Tigers fans and riders don't allow emotion to overtake them when he visits next. Whilst a bit of banter and good guy/bad guy stuff is all part of the game, this is something that could get out of control and no justice would be served by any type of retribution. My own opinion is that it wasn't a 'racing incident', it was simply the worst piece of riding I've seen in my short time at the Shale-face. What the footage doesn't show is the previous lap where McAllan takes the high line into turn three and the inside line through turn four. He balances the bike through the fourth bend, keeps it upright as much as possible and provides room for his rival to fire down the outside line. Morris failed resolutely to make the same consideration 0n the following lap when they swapped lines into bends three and four. McAllan went under Morris into turn three and drifted to the outside. David seemed to decrease his radius on the exit of the fourth bend but it doesn't take away from the fact that Morris simply gunned it out of the final bend like there was nobody there.....................

On another day, McAllan would have walked away, or maybe only been mildly injured. It wasn't 'another day'. It was that particular day, he fucked his back in the accident. Maybe(hopefully) it's been rammed home to Phil Morris that riding like a headless chicken isn't exactly a victimless crime. I hope so and on such a premise conditionally welcome him back to Ashfield next season (even if few others do). Nobody sets out to harm or maim other riders, but the moment you switch your brain off on the track, anything can happen, and sometimes it does.................