Sheffield Tigers: It may have gone quiet but bosses are happy with progress on signings

And they've confirmed they are still working closely with Josh Bates to deal with his personal problems in the hope he will come to the tapes again in March.Co-promoter Damien Bates has even hinted at a further signing this week as they try and piece the jigsaw together for the defence of their title.He said: 'People start to wonder what's going on when we stop announcing riders but it's all under control and we are fairly satisfied with the way the team is going.'It's always a daunting prospect for anyone building a team to defend a league title but that's what we are faced with and we're doing everything we can.'As for Josh, we are in regular contact with him and we are supporting him in every way we can to help him through his personal issues.'We remain hopeful he will come to the tapes in March but nothing is certain where that is concerned. He's a good rider who has what it takes to carve out a successful career in this sport for a good few years.'He's an important part of our team and I know how much support he's had since last week when it went public about his problems.'We're not in a rush to replace him and then by March regret it because he's available again, but then again we do want the team in place.'There's one or two other issues behind the scenes to deal with and we have to speak to riders and their clubs before making final plans.'And we're not ruling out riders coming back from last season too. We just have to be careful about saying anything until we have written confirmation.'