Speedway: Glasgow Tigers new boy Henning Bager out to prove a point to Coventry Bees

Jul 26 2012 By Fraser Wilson

HENNING BAGER reckons Glasgow Tigers can help him forget the agony of being axed by Coventry Bees as the club look to mount a late Premier League title push.

The 31-year-old speed demon moved to Ashfield last week, a fortnight after Coventry boss Blayne Scroggins
brought his Elite League dream to an abrupt end.

Bager, who was averaging 3.7 at reserve for Coventry, was taken aback by the decision. But he insists the move to Glasgow is perfect for him and helping his new club to a 52-40 derby day win over Edinburgh on Sunday was the ideal start.

Eleven years after he became Tigers bosses Alan Dick and Stewart Dickson’s first signing, Bager is back – and with a point to prove.

The no-nonsense Dane, who was once banned for fighting a rival in his homeland, said: “I started the year at Coventry in the Elite League and thought I did pretty well there but obviously they thought different. It was a shock but now I’m at Glasgow.

“Not long after Coventry made their decision Alan Dick rang me and asked if I wanted the job with Glasgow.

“I took just a couple of hours to make my mind up that it was the right move.It’s been a few years since I was first here, back in 2001, but I feel comfortable in these surroundings.

“The track is a little bit different to back in the day but it’s a racetrack I like. I took a little wander round it halfway through Sunday’s meeting because when you haven’t been here regularly it’s important you know every bit of the track.

“I couldn’t have asked for a better start than to beat Edinburgh at home. There was pressure in that we wanted to win the derby and I was keen to sort out my part of the job.

“Hopefully everything goes well from here and we can grab enough wins to get ourselves into contention. That’s what everyone wants here.”

Bager made a solid start to his second stint in Glasgow with a seven-point total against Edinburgh.

But the main plaudits on Sunday went to home hero James Grieves as he tore Edinburgh apart with a sensational five-race, 15-point maximum.

Grieves was in unstoppable form as he and his team-mates gained sweet revenge on their fiercest rivals just three weeks after being dumped in the KO Cup by Monarchs.

This Sunday the Tigers tackle the Rye House Rockets in Premier League action at Ashfield with a 4pm start.