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The SKY coverage during the first 10 years at least should have put speedway on a sound footing. Had real business people been running the sport, no doubt it would have done. For two-to-three years from 1999 there were real signs speedway was on the up. Crowds seemed to be improving and SKY really did recognise viewing figures were good for its network of channels. We had our faces painted and kids were let in for a quid on the evening SKY rolled up for a live broadcast. There did seem to be a hint of proper promoting by those who had lazily worn the tag for yonks beforehand. But it didn't really last. It drifted into being taken for granted, speedway being on TV every week, and sometimes twice. I felt the sport - promoters and fans - thought SKY and the influx of cash would always be there. We even began having long faces when certain matches weren't on SKY, despite all they had done for us. Fans began getting picky when commentators were pronouncing riders' names wrong, or if certain teams featured more than theirs. That afternoon SKY had its cameras set up for the Riders' Championship at Coventry, when the promoter was scrambling on the floor looking for the dummy he'd just spat out, that was the final nail for SKY. They had so many rained-off meetings towards the end, I believe they decided to cut their loses. They were a professional broadcasting company working within an amateur sport. They couldn't drag it up to their level. For example, how many times did live matches overrun? BT have only half-heartedly accepted it, but we should be thankful for small mercies and not start bickering of who's doing a bad job and who you'd like to see on the panel. I often look at some of the dross SKY are covering during the summer months and cannot believe how the sport messed up its opportunity and is no longer featured. As a fan, I don't really know the ins and outs. But I do recall the amount of money SKY used to shell out setting up all the gear, and then the match was washed out. They aren't a charity and won't put up with it. BT also. I look at speedway, 20 years after SKY could have saved it, and see a dangerous shortage of riders with clubs having to share them, like the last cigarette being passed around by kids behind the bike sheds. I see clubs going weeks without a match in the height of summer, which will surely mean some fans will simply get out of the habit and get used to the cash in their pockets. Meanwhile, fans are expected to tune in to the GPs and see many of the riders (or their type) who put two fingers up at Britain and merely used it like a Tom Cat when the female was in season. Fans are expected to turn up trackside and support riders in their team who aren't even their riders. It's like visiting someone in hospital you don't know and wishing them to get better. It's not someone you know and love. In fact, you ask yourself why bother turning up at the bedside every week to wish someone you don't know get better. Looking at British speedway right now, I see remnants of what might have been, ghosts of live matches on SKY and all the missed opportunities. That could have been the sport's saviour. It should have. But look at it now. How many lives does it have remaining for British speedway to mess up?

The term keyboard warriors seems to me the only riposte promoters have when they can't or won't give any credible reason for the shambles such has been served up recently.

DIFFICULT to argue with any of that...

I think it would be interesting to know how many “personnel” GB had with them at the SON finals, as I can’t see any benefit apart from maybe a physio, any of the nutritionists, fitness coaches, agony aunts, sleep coaches etc being there, by the time the meeting comes round what can they do? It’s been documented in the past of complaints from other teams about the amount of extra personnel GB had in the pits. It was said on the TV coverage that Dave Rowe was assisting Rossiter in the pits, was he there just for this? or in some journalistic capacity? Now my point about this, it was said Bewley had a visa in place, if so save a seat on the plane for the boy instead of any of the above, let him take a set of his preferred handlebars and seat ( as cook did for the GP challenge there, he didn’t take bikes ) if freight costs were an issue, then if he was required, fit these to a fellow team members bike, not ideal but good enough to feel comfortable. If he wasnt required to ride just let him soak in the occasion, observe and take in how the nations at the sharp end go about things.

Saga Magazine this month(shows my age ) full page Speedway article(GP and domestic) "armchair sport! by John Aizlewood(award winning writer). Decent article, he obviously did some research about the history of the sport. couple of quotes With BT Sport`s coverage seducing a new audience, it`s ticking over very nicely , thank you. Dirty ? yes smelly ? yes loud ? yes. And rather wonderful ? oh, yes

Doesn't Bomber have to guest for every team at least once per season? Isn't that one of the regulations..? And if he isn't available then I believe Scott or Rory must be asked...

Pretty much sums it up perfectly! The revenue received from SKY was never invested in anyway, no short term (let alone medium or long term) strategy was ever implemented and remember that due to a commission the BSPA naively agreed with the man who negotiated the SKY deal, meant a large chunk of the amount paid by the broadcaster never went to the clubs. The BSPA failed to capitalise on the more than credible viewing figures to land a title sponsor, shameful! Too many petty little squabbles saw promoters try and out do each other on points money paid to certain riders. All comes down to the fact that a the sport's weak self governance failed miserably and they totally ballsed everything up by taking SKY for granted and even going back cap in hand at one point! Massive opportunity lost - never get another chance like that!

Spot on , the jealousy surrounding Glasgow threads is quite comical at times. I remember only too well standing in the weeds on the back straight at Glasgow and you were able to do a quick head count, now while 2100 May be a tad over generous , the attendances are much healthier . The Charlie Monk stand is always pretty full , the stand on the home straight is usually pretty full , and the fourth bend terrace always looks well populated and swelled by an extra 10 folk when the Monarchs visit. While there are things about Ashfield since the Facennas took over that I don't like, I.e no decent bar and over zealous stewarding, it's like night and day now compared to the dump it used to be . If people feel the need to pick holes and throw insults in the direction of something that is actually good about British speedway, then that's pretty sad and it's an attitude which is indicative of where the sport in this country is just now .

First leg of the Shield semi final is upon us and it's not even October . Few questions to be answered , will Mr Maximum's dodgy wrist prevent another maximum ? Will Son of God be as minging again as he was last time the Eagles were up here ? How will we cope after actually losing a match on Sunday ? Will Easty's long tail be their undoing ? Will we get the twenty point lead to be comfortable going down there ? Will my stupid phone stop changing words ? All this and more to be answered at the citadel of speed .

Have to take your hat off to Peter/David (Mason) for at least trying to give 'us' an entertaining team....they could easily have carried on with R/R for Morris. I admire their dedication and commitment to the cause.

Probably because he’s useless

Fire some dirt on the track ,that will take care of their No1 ,gives you a wee chance

Great speedway races at Lynn are a thing of the past, you have more chance of enjoying roast Dodo for Sunday dinner ...

So is it a World Championship, or a development/experience event for younger riders with potential?

Not missing the point at all. If a nation doesn't have three strong senior riders, it is highly unlikely that they will have a competitive under-21. Again, that is where GB are lucky; the best under-21 is also the nation's second best senior rider! I have said this before though, that throwing kids in at the deep end can be very counter-productive. In hindsight, it may have been better to take another under-21 instead of Harris, but you must admit, once you get past Woffinden, Lambert, and Cook, the list of Brits who can genuinely compete at world level is pretty bloody sparse! Funny thing is, we have a lot of "good" youngsters, but none of them (outside of Lambert) are anywhere near ready. Having said that, history will show that VERY few of the best teenagers actually develop into true world-class riders, and that youth development programs actually generate little in the way of world-class contenders. What happens in reality is that once every few years, someone special comes along, and any connections to a youth programme are likely to be coincidental. That isn't just a British thing, and neither is it a speedway problem either; it is the way of things. Steve

Forever the loyalist that’s trees lol None of the above matter when the promotion (and I used the word promotion in a very lose way as there isn’t much promoting going on ) doesn’t have any intention of using red shale they are quite happy using clay based with a few stone thrown in - sooner everyone realises its all about stock cars rather than speedway the better

Well, if he's got a broken wrist and does manage to win any trophies, I hope he's gonna be able to pick them up.

You'll not be an Alan Partridge fan Rodders but he had the perfect retort for a similar loon: "No way you big spastic you're a mentalist!"

Enjoyed that tonight, looked like a fair sized crowd too.. Guesstimate would be around 700-800 from where I was sitting... Plenty of kids with it being hols too.. Cant complain at a tenner in and free for teenagers up to eighteen years old can you? Nice to see a bit of needle too between Jack Smith and some of the Aces lads, maybe those Facebook comments about not getting picked for the U21 were being shared around... Cannot knock the NL can you? A very, very decent product, full of lads giving their all... PS, Barry's Curry must be good down there looking at how 'well fed' several of the IOW lads looked... Made me feel quite 'svelte' like.... (A 'trim' ahem, 15 and a half stone by the way). Well done to all tonight, including Chase The Ace who, with the kids in attendance, did a great job of engagement.. My only gripe would be that on nights like this more could be done to get people to come back to watch either more Colts or 'the big boys'. A massive opportunity to advertise more meetings to a captured market and several around me were first time attendees.. Maybe discounted Aces meeting tickets to any of the newbies? A bit of market research on the night can guide who you try and engage.. Fair play to Mark Lemon too, not a short flight from Russia yet in the pits tonight.. Well done that man.. You do feel that there is hope when the NL shows what can be done..

Based on original team declarations is Chris Harris guesting in place of himself?

I don't think speedway's competitions are Mickey Mouse at all but otherwise you are pretty much spot on. The other thing is that in those days speedway was very much a part time occupation for the overwhelming majority of riders even during the season - Mick Bell (a three time British League championship winner and decent second string/reserve in the 1970's) once said that for him it was 'a good paying hobby'. Nowadays, it seems to me that - NL riders excepted - they regard it as a full time job (which is why we have the blight of uncontrolled doubling up) and require payment to that level. Costs have definitely risen, but so have expectations. That simply has to change.

I hate the phrase keyboard warriors. Those are your customers !!!!

Yeh one slight typo and your whole message is urined

It must be a difficult job working for a promotion that have ulterior motives..at least with Ged he cared about winning...which is kind of important in sport.

There are two great articles in this weeks Speedway Star that cover your Nice meeting at the IOW and another by Josh Auty about running costs and how modern speedway is going. It's not rocket Science when you read the quotes from riders about the meeting, and it's benefits and the positives that came out of it. Club Speedway has to go down this route...for every conceivable positive reason. Both for the benefit of fans and riders alike. The only recurring theme is riders saying what do they do with the engines they've already invested in. Just use them in Individual events...sell them to riders for Individual events. The maintenance and tuning costs will catch up over time....to their benefit. As Auty says...the only people benefiting are the tuners. £350 for labour alone to strip a bike before parts Quoted. Madness considering how often that has to happen. Unfortunately riders and promotors in general seem set in their ways...it's so ingrained. And riders are like lemmings...they just follow whoever is fastest and winning. Copy them in the hope of also winning. As Auty pointed out...however much he spent on fast engines, he came to the conclusion it was his technique that was lacking, regardless of how much money he spent. Which is pretty much what we witness now every meeting. Things have got to change...and the 'Nice' way is the way forward imo.