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Starman, I love Led Zeppelin.... they’re great, probably the best band ever. But even I, as a rabid fan admit that they’ve released some lemons in their time. As much as I love them, if I’m honest, I know in my heart of hearts not everything they do is the mutts nuts. Even gods muck it up from time to time we appreciate you’re a Poole fan, but your constant leaping to defend Matt at every opportunity is a bit over the top. Dont take everything about Poole that you might not understand of disagree with as a personal insult, look at it with an open mind and see that from time to time, even Led Ford can get it wrong.

I agree that the fiasco of overwatering the 3rd bend and no information given was unacceptable. We were watching the riders standing about at first bend and then a couple of them went over to 3rd bend to inspect the track and no announcement was made for 20 minutes. And why so much water was put down when in fact it was raining at the time is just plain madness. Other than that it was a good meeting with some good racing. Shame that there were not more people to see it, no wonder there are rumours of riders not getting paid, I can't see how Laura can pay them if that is the normal crowd level and that was with about 100 Glasgow fans. I fear for the future of Workington speedway, Laura has put everything into saving it but she needs more to people to come through the door or some big support from sponsorship. We know how that feels at Glasgow, yes we are getting slagged as the millionaires but before the Faccennas took over we were concerned every season if we would be running the next. I sincerely hope the Comets can survive.

You missed out this bit "Apologies for not being able to keep you informed, I'm only allowed to give out some information on the instruction of the Referee but you could see what I could see, that water from the bowser had dropped onto the track we were working on it, it's not hard" Now if that's insulting please accept my apologies that wasn't the intention but to get some of the verbals I did was uncalled for, I don't make the decisions, never the less I'm pleased you came and as you are well aware last night my presentation was not up to the usual standard, sorry.

I am praying for it to happen. Poland get a 5-1 in every heat. Then in the final against GB, the Poles gate again and disappear into the dust by a whole straight, only for one of then to have an ef on the last bend. Woffinden and Cook poodle past him waiving to lift the title. The commentators go mad with Pearson shouting Woffy woffy woffy! And that will be the end of this crap competition.

ASSETS are a nonsense. Unless a rider is under contract he should be free to go wherever he pleases. Works everywhere else.

Matt: “Lovely salad nicoise, Mike, but I’m looking for a bit of inspiration: Auty, Starke, Klindt, Baran .... which team would you pick?” Starman: “Swindon”.

The problem is new people have been tried several times ........ and they fail miserably because of lack of knowledge of the sport. It’s a total embarrassment. only this season Eurosport started their Polish coverage with a ‘new’ commentator who lasted a couple of weeks because his commentary was beyond shocking and clueless. Thankfully Dave Goddard is now doing it who is a speedway fan. speedway fans commentating is the only credible way. Im not ashamed to admit I’m a fan of Nigel and Kelvin and find their excitement and exuberance exciting and sums up our sport perfectly. Also what I’ve found in speedway is that fans like to moan about everything and anything. If there is a better commentator(s) out there put their names forward to BT as that’s the only way of making changes happen. our sport is too niche for any recognised commentator to do a credible job, facts that have been proven by those who have tried and failed. long like our current commentary team, and that includes Dave Goddard on other channels.

Sometimes it might be best to simply not post at all Starman. There is no possible sensible defence of what Ford is complaining about here so best to simply remain quiet.

The constant Pearson / Tatum criticism on here is so boring. Get a life and think of another subject to moan about ladies and gents.

So, he's allegedly not being paid by Worky but you want the club to fine him from the money that they owe him?

The two day World final was an embsrassment, although having it in Holland probably didn't help. Last night's meeting was not good. It was supposed to be a pairs event, but where was the team riding? Whatever happened to thr great USA team racing style? Hancock racing off into the distance while his partner got passed by all and sundry cost USA a place in the final. Did anyone really care about the World Pairs in the past? It was always the poor relation of the World Team Cup and the individual championship, and still is. If they are having the World Cup every 2 years, with this as a filler, then fine. But if this is replacing it then it is a disastrous decision.

Just wanted everyone to know that Jane, Gerald’s wife, has informed me that StarFever passed away yesterday morning. Such sad news about a fellow Stars fan, I stood on the 1st/2nd bend with them for years without really knowing one another, then met him and Jane and shared memories, like you do and of course remained speedway buddies from then on. He loved the sport, was a knowledgable guy, straight talking on here and even after he suffered a stroke a few years back, Jane still brought him along to watch the Stars. RIP Gerald

Glyn can do a job, he doesn't turn bad overnight, maybe the problem here is the equipment at his disposal and the amount of time the Poole track has been neglected.

You can't always make excuses Phil.....The last time I was there was just after a GP and it looked like they had brought a few garden sheds from B+Q to use as official offices for some of the officials!!People knew what the place was like as it must have been inspected and anyway has by the time of this meeting been used often enough now.And given the likely poor crowd in attendance the tv feed is going to be very important as more are going to watch on tv,so at the very least you have to get that right!!!! But no,along with all the other problems it is known that tv are also going to have a hard time doing the job right Honestly,is it not time to give up or say,we basically have no choice,this is as good as it is going to get.Nobody else wants to host the meetings.........

You have to feel for the Panthers, after signing Kennett just at the right time (fitting snuggly to fill the 42.50 limit),,, then being undone by the lads injury.

I fear you misunderstand the principle and practice of team declarations. I can assure you however that there is not a ‘fast one’ here (except the riders involved.....).

It’s funny because most Newcastle fans think things are all rosy with Lindgren because they turn up at Brough most Sunday’s and watch him stroll in and get double figures but if they actually went to any away meetings they would realise that he is ABSOLUTELY useless at most away tracks and puts 0 effort in, I know he had an ef or whatever but he’s the same every single time he comes here.

Whether it was just my ears that deceived me I dont know but I'm pretty sure I heard Dave mumbling the words, he was only "allowed" to announce so much with regards to on track events, how you interpret that is entirely your choice!!

Speedway and commentary is a strange one. More often than not there's not much to comment on as we see 4 strung out rider's 'playing follow the leader.' I believe Nigel and Kelvin do a terrific job, yes they can be ott but what is there to talk about. Even during the breaks when they go back to Nicholls and Quirk, I find that very boring. Tend to just repeat all that's already been said. 3 hours to waffle over 23 minutes of racing isn't an easy task.

Whilst we are obviously grateful to Laura and her team for providing us with a team to watch, they really need to sharpen up on the promotion side of things. The official website is still always days behind. Just looking at it now they are 'looking forward to Lakeside tonight'. Did we ever get a full report from our victories at Peterborough and Glasgow, or are we still waiting for 'more to follow'. I don't live in West Cumbria so don't know how last nights meeting was publicised, if at all. For me it was a big meeting due to the fact that it gave us a great opportunity to progress in the cup, we haven't ridden at home for ages, and Glasgow would be seeking revenge for that big defeat and bringing with them a good number of supporters. Yet if I didn't read this message board I would hardly know there was a meeting on at all save for a standard picture on the Comets website saying 'next home meeting'. At the risk of having my head chopped off for sticking it just above the parapet, I just get the impression from our (albeit very few meetings this year) that we are all simply going through the motions so far this season, and that is not what I want to feel like when visiting DP. I want to see/hear a bit of a buzz, a bit of excitement, a bit of enthusiasm. It is a 2 way thing I know, but it has to start at the top, working its way through the riders and us, the supporters. I hate rumours, (as most of them turn out to be complete bo****ks) but the best way to stop them is to be open and to have a constant dialogue with those who have a vested interest. This is plainly not happening at present and has manifested itself quite often in the past few days resulting in things like who was our team manager at Lakeside, why are certain riders not appearing to be giving 100%, not keeping us informed last night with what was going on with the track......I could go on. I love my speedway and will be down at DP whenever I can this season, but others may need a bit more encouragement. Are they getting that?

Think we will pass on that one

Matt has had quite a few "very embarrassing moments" in recent years. At the end of the day the buck stops with him. Employ the wrong track guy, it's Matt's fault. Employ the wrong rider's, it's Matt's fault etc etc. As much as he cries foul the blame is with him. Maybe he needs to take a long hard look at himself and realise the way he treats his employee's needs to change and show some honesty to his customers. He's now reaping the rewards of historical behaviours.

These days I think it is easier to find a new commentator than a new fan,so.....,,,,

Rather than jump in and talk replacements etc ....Best wishes to Edward speedy recovery

It is a bloody big difference.Someone can win a final,but the rider with the most points wins in the end and that is how it was in the SWC as well.This new innovative comp is just rubbish.Plenty said it before a wheel was turned and after a few wheels it looks even worse that some thought

Busy weekend so had to watch this on delay tonight and for once I really do wish I hadn't bothered. The line about adding to the variety of teams and giving those a chance who couldn't raise a full four man team. Well, several 'teams' tonight couldn't raise two competitive riders. It was a night of nostalgia, but not of the pleasant kind, watching Germany capitalising on home advantage on a crap track in a poor stadium. It was so reminiscent of Norden in 1983, but for some reason we have to do our bit to prop up German speedway by allocating meetings to their inadequate tracks. Oh yes, another bit of nostalgia, 'Pocking Hell'. Oh for the good old World Team Cup, whatever happened to it? Then next week, more nostalgia with a two day final. Oh the triumph of Amsterdam in 1987! Some learn from mistakes. The FIM just plough on, propping up the backwoods of speedway while letting major nations go to pot (Poland excepted) as a result. The tail has wagged the dog at the FIM for decades. Back in the 70s the World Championship qualifying system was rigged to favour the east Europeans with the result being endless Pole, Russian and Czech no-hopers occupying the bottom of the scorechart. Nothing changes - the minor nations had too much say then and do have now, although who is major and who is minor has changed. We didn't need to change to a poor race format to get the Latvian upset last year and I very much doubt whether we'll see any this year, apart from pious comments about "wonderful to see the minor nations competing", - but are they? Will they? They're in the meeting and while some had one good, competitive rider overall they were just making up the numbers. The only surprises tonight were how poor the Latvians were after last year's success and even with home advantage, how many the Germans scored. The track looked inconsistent and was catching too many quality riders out. There was nothing on the outside line with the little racing on offer giving 'kerb crawling' a bad name.... The delays at the end were unacceptable but the least acceptable aspect of the whole TV 'extravaganza' was the commentary over heat 21. Declaring both teams out so definitively was sloppy commentating and well below the normal or required standard. I'm sure both they and their producer will know as well. Surely someone on the production team can monitor the scores and tell the commentary team when they're wrong? I know back in the early days of Sky coverage the late Bryn Williams was on hand to advise Tony Millard if necessary. Like someone else said, it made even One Sport's pairs events look good and I never thought I'd ever say that! Let's hope for better on Tuesday, and that we aren't bored rigid by 42 qualifying heats to see who makes it to a final where it's not about winning, just not finishing last. Good luck, explaining that to those casual viewers that are so carefully cared for in the commentary! Pairs events just do not suit knock-out systems. I was going to say winner takes all but, well, er.....can you hype "second and third TAKE ALL". I fear we will find out all too soon. It's okay having semis and finals for events like the Championship Pairs at Somerset - that's a fun night out before Cardiff. This isn't, and certainly "Raceoff 1" was far from amusing, unless you were a drunk German.......

spoke to some permanent stadium employees today who confirmed there was no rain at the stadium all day and that bends 1 and 2 had puddles of water early am but instead of brushing off the water the track was bladed then rolled so 1st 2 bends were hard on top but mush underneath,nothing to do with rain on the day or high tides!! i was informed that the track curator was sacked that day as i posted on the day.i was told that people were still being turned away at 7.30 would have been a bumper much needed crowd.Matt was heard saying it was his most embarrassing moment in speedway,i feel for any speedway promoter that suffers such a hit through no fault of their own,i understand extensive work is planned for next week and im sure all genuine speedway fans hope its successful

Speedway just showing once again how Amateur it really is. Any nation that doesnt have 3 riders present shouldn't be there

Yes i agree to moan about assets like Hans riding elsewhere when he could have used them its his own fault for not using them. Crazy not using Hans.

Sorry, highlights just don't cut it. You have to see the full story to understand the scoring. Many people want to keep a scorecard going while watching and the result would probably be known which would ruin it all. If you want to watch bikes going round then fine, but I think speedway supporters look for more. To me, if it's not the whole meeting I couldn't be bothered. After all it only takes under half an hour to show a complete meeting. Also the emphasis on services like BT and Sky is very much live sport. As for highlights of other meetings much of the video footage shot at UK tracks isn't really of broadcast TV standard technically, especially when shot single camera from the back of the terracing. Of course some are up to standard but it would be a tangled web. I expect you'd have to pay out for full match coverage rights of Polish and Swedish matches - and then just show one or two heats? Not cost-effective. If nothing else doesn't such a line send out the message that speedway really isn't worth watching unless you just cut it down to a few minutes of action? Things are bad but not that bad! While BT aren't paying much for their coverage their on-air promotion of the sport is top quality. Trails for the SGP and Premiership coverage are shown constantly, often during their coverage of major sports. In addition you often see a trailer run between say a top football Champions League match trailer and one for a top Rugby match. These are big money deals and there is speedway being given equal prominence. During the Champions League final, which was watched by just under three million viewers which is incredibly high for pay_TV, during a break in coverage, there was the Rye House Rockets logo on screen as part of a promo for the following Monday's Premiership match. As a Rockets fan of old (back to Rayleigh) I could never dream of the team getting a mention during what used to be the European Cup Final! You can't buy publicity like that! Well you could, but we certainly couldn't afford that. On air, BT take the sport very seriously, promote it heavily and give it high prominence. Hopefully in time the financial deal will reflect this.

Dreadful decision to change the WTC format for a Pairs event. What were they thinking? Poland were too dominant? 4 individual riders going for it will always deliver over 2 team riders content to sit 2nd & 3rd. They had a decent product, only essential was to ditch the ridiculous joker.

I really like Dave Goddard's style and he does it solo. Just about right.

Yes but his mind boggles more than most.

I think Ben would admit his scores have not been great, especially at home. He is unquestionably box office though, and he never gives up. If we had had another heatleader before now it would also have taken a bit of pressure off him.

that would quickly become matts most embarrassing moment in speedway lol

Your not suggesting that something untoward would happen in Speedway , surely not would never thought this would be possible .

Too busy trying to get @UKgirlf**k to send him more porn pics and vids in his twitter.

Time to ressurect this post i made several days ago

they arn’t signing him? what point of that don’t you get? they’re just undoing the signing of kennett

Rules need looked at as IMO no team should be competing if they cant come with a full team, that team including an Under-21 reserve. It just looks amateurish.

Perhaps if you don't use an asset for a set period, they become free agents again.

The thing is most of us are very replaceable, Speedway commentators less so. Anyway what's the beef? He didn't swear, I'm sure he didn't deliberately try and mislead people, just got the score wrong, something I did myself the other night at Leicester, I think you should be a little more tolerant of people, he's not a machine I was toying with the idea of going to BV on Tuesday, I will not bother after last nights borefest... if it had been SWC, I would have gone. They've obviously got to see this years competition out now but it'll be interesting to see how they go forward

Agreed,... It truly must be a nightmare trying to run a Speedway track with the Operating Model that the Sport (over here) uses.. An Operating Model, that fundamentally by its very content, surely cannot hope to help ANY track be successful... Yet year on year seems to be blindly followed (and agreed to) by the very people who invariably struggle by its usage... I really do find it quite staggering that 'successful business people' slavishly follow an 'obviously unfit for purpose' Operating Model without making any radical changes to it to help improve their position.. Couldn't make it up sometimes could you?

If you could provide Ben Barker with bikes and a mechanic and just get him to arrive and ride you will get the best out of him. Was brilliant in two spells at Ipswich but carries a lot of baggage.

We all know Matt has never put any time, effort and money into the track...

If any of us made as many mistakes as that clown last night we’d have no work!

Well done lads. Sorry jenga got my prediction for wee Dan wrong. He was like that for us despite us having loadsa money.

Spud's stalking, then his pass, on Tero Aarnio in Heat 13 was sublime.

It is a big problem having so many "assets" to not choose from.

Absolute rubbishe camera work and direction