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Honestly Ian Being a former chauffeur to Mr English in the past I am sure you were told information that differed wildly from the press release and that the official comments and that those press releases were no where near the truth and lets say what was actually put out was more diplomatic and a little bit sanitised than the true events of what went on and I may get a wrist slapping for this but hey ho... So here it is as far as I know... from the start of the season and over the last two months or so (and from Matty getting injured) the club have tried for Kenneth and Lasse Bjerre; Ludvig Lingren and Claus again (twice) also Rene Bach and we have even asked about trying to get Kenni Larsen's licence back but all to no avail... also when the Visa issues started with Claus feelers were put out to Martin Smolinski and Adam Skornicki; certain avenues were explored and even UK access sponsorship and Elite Sports Person's visas were looked into for all these riders. There were also three other riders two Danes and one Swede who were approached but ruled out coming to Newcastle from the start and these contacts were not taken any further. We had to all intents and purposes Troy Batch signed on as we believed we were the only side in the league who could fit him in then Kent got the jump on us so that went out of the window and we have also tried Rohan Tungate; Brady Kurtz and Luke Bekker and finally Dan Bewley and Dan was the only one we got near to be fair but his Polish team are in the play offs and he couldn't afford a Mickey Mouse injury at Brough jeopardising those play off finals especially with what his Polish team has invested in him so that stopped him... Ellis Perks; Bradley Wilson Dean; Josh Auty and Josh Bates are amongst others who the promotion have talked to... Wages and travel costs have never ever in any of the guys mentioned above been an issue... Work permits; Visas; Sunday racing and Poland were all the primary issue for the foreign riders and as far as the riders already here their issues have been as stated above or different again on personal grounds... That's SEVENTEEN riders they have tried to bring in that I know about and there have been others on top of those named above... However the club now being run by consummate professionals would never reveal such things would they; however me being a "Merchant Banker" who doesn't give a "Rats Behind" and is too big to hit... well... there you go... I can also confirm that the riders wages are all up to date and riders are paid according to contract and they get everything they are entitled to... any issues are resolved immediately and the promotion are having to re-build the clubs reputation with regards to this matter following on from the mess that the previous shower left and those same people who although used to cry foul when other clubs were slow paying riders proved to be just as bad and if not worse than the worst of them carrying out the same practice with riders still owed monies at the start of the next season... So your belief Ian that wages and costs are the issue are wrong... Totally Wrong... Regards THJ Oops I forgot one make that EIGHTEEN as another one they got quite a way down the "contract talks" track with was Hans Andersen however another one who cited that Sunday and Poland was a problem... not the offer...

I find it pretty disgusting that the BSI mouthpiece website speedwaygp.com has had absolutely nothing to say about the passing of Mr Rising. The omission should be seen as as disrespectful enough just because of the man's stature in the sport. But when one considers that he has been one of the strongest public advocates of the SGP system and that without his personal support at the helm of the sports premier journal it is doubtful that the whole circus would have seen the success it has. Add in the dark days of BSI cock-ups at Gelsenkirchen, Gothenburg, Warsaw and the Cardiff shale fiasco where Philip refused to sharpen his journalistic knife and stab at the culprits. Instead he chose to play the long game, hold back on public criticism and allow the series to regroup for the greater good of the sport. On top of that he played a great part as Olsen's assistant in the pits at just about every GP for years and years. To not even acknowledge his passing on the public website is utterly disgraceful . Shame on you BSI.

Belatedly there is now a tribute by Paul Bellamy:- https://www.speedwaygp.com/news/article/9156/bellamy-pays-tribute-to-rising Only briefly met him when staying in same hotel in Udine for last Italian GP, and he updated us on what had happened in the UK on the Friday. Although the internet is now widely used for instant news & results, you cannot beat the Speedway Star for quality news & articles which I have always enjoyed reading at my leisure, and PR was at the helm in maintaining it's high standard for our benefit.

Didn't realise extent of his back injuries. Hopefully makes a full recovery. Had certainly proved me wrong in his performances in the stripes this season. A sad end

I meant Sheffield took advantage as Rowe had a GSA of 5.49 at the time. I appreciate they are both 4* Rising Stars, but this was yet another example (if one was needed) where one rule contradicts another with Sheffield taking full advantage of having a rider at reserve who shouldn’t have been as his average was higher than other current Sheffield riders in the 1-5.

Yet again people jumping on this because its Poole.

Just like Lewis Kerr in 2018, Ulrich has been our rider of the season and his points have covered the arses of some of his colleagues who have more than underperformed. Perhaps announcing Ulle's season being over is that a signing is imminent. Its a hard average to fill.

Feel like the Jack Holder being missing joke is getting a bit old now - save for when he had a pretty horrific looking crash and was injured, how many meetings has he actually missed? One? Think people need to move on with their lives

no self isolating for people with double jabs from the 16th aug so wont happen again,another step towards normality and people realising covid(like many other things) will always be with us and we live with it and work with it

And the beauty is you can both book a table for one...

But APART from ALL that Barry..... What promoting are you doing???

Sorry Bob, but I disagree entirely with you. The meeting should be restaged to allow riders to earn money and the club to earn revenue. The sport is in trouble with dwindling crowds add in the delayed start to this season and at Poole Stadium because of Covid restrictions the club lost money with only being allowed 1300 spectators at the first two meetings. Without supporters and meetings, clubs will not survive. Tomorrow's meeting being cancelled is beyond the control of Poole Speedway. Stadium staff being pinged by the NHS Covid App to self isolate. Therefore the club has no access to the stadium tomorrow evening . I will also take you to task on the fact you stated Redcar fans won't trust the Poole management to honour tickets for any restaging date. That remark is not only inappropriate its borderline slanderous. You are entitled to your opinion but its not constructive and I don't consider your post is a fair reflection at all.

I often disagreed with him on here ... In a very enjoyable way. His view was to be respected and I greatly appreciated the numerous times he instigated one to one discussions via personal messenger that greatly enlightened my understanding of the 'real story' that would not be possible to print. My respect for him was greatest just because he did have the balls to come on here and engage in real debate with us. He did so with the passion of someone still in love with the sport but with the deep knowledge of his lifetime of covering it so magnificently in print. A wonderful combination. His biggest legacy is of course Speedway Star, which PR curated for so long, offering Michelin Star coverage of what is often a transport cafe sport. I trust the team will carry his torch well. Farewell Philip.

Quote on Live Updates proceeding ht13 :- "Water bowers is driving round but its not on" What happened to the monies raised by the Go Fund Me appeal which I thought was intended to repair/replace damaged track equipment? Perhaps either Rogers or Mason can explain why it appears they still do not have a functioning bowser. Given the feedback from those who attended about extreme dust conditions, how can the Brum Promotion expect to retain, never mind attract additional customers. Obviously it's a personal choice whether to attend future meetings, but I certainly would not be inclined to part with my money to endure dust clouds as part of the "entertainment package"!

Better late than never. And I will leave it at that. To comment further would be inappropriate. Let's just remember the guy himself and the family he leaves behind.

Yeah, I can never remember when things like that were introduced, but it is funny considering his averages were still up there. However, I just looked at the stats again: From 1984 to to 1988, he rode between 41 and 50 meetings a year. In 1989 and 1990 he rode 34 meetings. In 1991 he rode 24 meetings, and in 1992 he rode 25. So, BIG difference there...

Would depend on many factors such as race night/league etc but given that there’s no Swindon, Reading, Coventry I would say Oxford would be sitting pretty sweet in attracting a crowd from further a field

That will keep the fans coming back NOT

Nice to see another healthy crowd.. Similar to last weeks I'd estimate

Is quite funny that ! Unlucky really crump got injured as could have had a few points to spare with to tinker the team with and strengthen. I think Plymouth’s team next year could be very good now they have survived this year and got Gary may in, personally I think Gary is going to make a huge difference.

only one meeting so far has had more than that figure in attendance. Also let's debunk another myth Poole don't and have never paid top dollar wages.

As has been said why would Poole not want to run on a sunny Wednesday evening with holidaymakers everywhere?

The supporters will argue that it's the local comments that matter but ironically those 'local' comments are not strictly local in this case. Due to a quirk in the local government boundaries the track comes under East Herts Council while the rest of Hoddesdon and the main Lee Valley come under Broxbourne. Our argument would be that the Hoddesdon comments are not local either. What matters are the numbers. We can show that there is substantial interest in this case well outside the area - within our sport it is a national matter. You also have to bear in mind that the developers' 'selling' of their scheme is local so only people in the area are seeing and being taken in by their argument. They promise a regeneration of Rye House, providing a nice clean 'Affordable community hub' for the kiddies. I think we can quickly see through tis. They are creating a facility for the well-off adults, not the local children, but playing the card that local children will benefit is, while underhand, very persuasive. In effect, they're read the propaganda, most of us haven't. We're stressing the national and international aspect of Rye House within the sport. The developers are trying to portray us like an abandoned skate park where the users have moved on to other things. The track was apparently abandoned and no longer used. Brandon Estates are doing the same over Coventry. Our chief weapon is our concern whether planning guidelines have been flouted. The way in which Rye House Group have ploughed ahead without even considering applying for permission does not count in their favour while the constant fobbing-off of both park and council shows a similar lack of respect for standard planning procedures. It looks, and I repeat looks like this is all pre-judged and that parties are just going through the motions. IF this is so then there is a serious breach of planning procedures. This is why our barrister has filed a case with the Local Government Ombudsman with the intention that they will perform a thorough investigation. A court order to suspend the process is also under serious consideration. The key issue there would be cost. As you can see, there is far more going on than just registering objections. Thanks for objecting. Every little helps. Rob.

That is already more than the entire Premiership put together!

Not sure where the 1300 attendance came from. Both restricted meetings had well under 800 at a time when stadium rental was increased to cover the costs of all the extra Covid things eg 21 extra stewards etc. Lets not forget that wages from away meetings also had to be paid. Poole only get income from admissions/programmes/sponsors and advertising.

The rent is not as much as some clubs are paying that's a fact. Riders wages probably the same as lots of clubs, as for car park most times the money goes to the owner. So I would say 1300 you would be making money or at least brake even.

By "protecting" the RS the danger is you will build "flat track bullies" who get used to beating their peer group only, and also some teams will end up with riders well in advance of the average RS rider, so getting all the advantages of having him ride in protected heats.. Wasnt that why the last "system" tried failed? Jordan Palin the other night showed a simple fact.. If you are good enough then you will compete, if you are not good enough then you wont... That is sport.. The perfect obvious stepping stone scenario would be to only run the RS system in the 2nd Division, but as 90% of all 1st Division riders ride in it, many will be found just as wanting in that league too if not of the required capability.. However, again, that is sport.. And the aim of the RS scheme isn't dont forget to make "World Class Superstars", but it is in place to make "decent riders" who can hold down team places in the top two leagues, thus meaning less reliance on "journeymen foreign" riders, especially post Brexit..

Any tweak to these rules would have a minor impact in practice, but would add a few more paragraphs to the rulebook, but create further opportunities for confusion. The key is to consider how the rules are structured to ensure an exit strategy which allows riders continued progression. This was the major failing of past schemes and is a notable absentee from the current regulations.

No gentleman George Barclay WK ? you have probably missed endless others that you admired.For me i admire any rider of any ability that has the guts to ride a speedway bike.

And I bet his equipment was 'gleaming' as well... Something my lad said on Monday was "how good do his bikes look?" He rode on Sunday at Newcastle too... A true professional...

Adams was more than happy to start the season with the assumed advantage of having Tom Bacon as his rising star but as that didnt work in his favour at all much the same as Sheffield's choice of Josh Bates , Palin was chosen by Peterborough as the so called last pick as they finished bottom in 2019 and was the lowest ranked rising star in the premiership which in effect slightly disadvantaged Peterborough, now its seems its an advantage to Peterborough with the way the Panthers team building was carried out with the points available to them he thinks it's wrong, at present he has Ryan Douglas at reserve so theres nothing stopping him doing the same with Flint , or is it just that Rob Lyon is a better TM to use whats at his disposal to maximum effect..

Well if it is his last season what a way to go out! Saw his first meeting away at Scunthorpe and thought he was outstanding. Glad to see he has kept it up pretty much every week Just gotta enjoy his class while he is here, same with Nicholls. Both loyal and consistent riders over the years.

No , no need, Willie is usually socially distanced and well tailed off out the back.

Wow how weird that would be, it would mean both #1 for our lge title years in 99 and 06 would of had spells at reserve in 21 now that would make a good trivia quiz question

Way its going he could end up as Peterborough reserve if that happened

Probably waiting for crump to get new average and start using him as guest

Only cos if I think I'm right I won't let it go. So be prepared for other posts depending on what Zaney Waney compared to Benjamin Brasso does next!!

No jest at all.. The BSP's made it crystal clear that the NDL is now "back to its roots" as a development league only.. My lad has been lucky enough to be in a League One Football development squad for the past two years and results simply "didnt matter"... The measure of success of any development leagues are the number of competitors who make it to a higher level.. My lads team "won" the league both years but after every game there was never any discussion win or lose, no celebration and no autopsy.. At the next training session two hours were spent reviewing the video on things they did well and things to improve on. As for the top two leagues 90% of the riders race in both as they need to, to make it feasible, hence neither of those leagues have any real credibility on the back of this operating model.. And added to that dont forget is that every single rider, including the very best rider riding in both leagues, can ride for every team in those leagues on an adhoc basis, as and when required, meaning even less authenticity to the leagues.. Speedway is set up in the UK for the lads to ride as many times as they can during the season, to pay for their large outgoings, and can still be a very entertaining night out given the (even in the UK) serious talent on show, however you cant take it seriously from a "proper sport" perspective.. As for Mildenhall? They decided to stay within the "development league" as was their right to do so as it must have suited their business plan... However, that still doesnt mean the league is any more than a training ground for talent, which is what the BSP's wanted so tracks could run "second teams" at a cost level that they could afford... Let's hope giving as many lads the opportunity to learn their craft (without pressure), pays dividends..

Aren't we going a bit off topic here because I thought this was about merchandise, or the last 10 pages or more.

I gather that he is going to further appeal to a higher authority in Denmark than the DMU

I believe he calls you something similar.... Depending on which one of you he is talking to obviously.....

You beat me to it. I was going to offer them "both" a pint if they came

As others have said Adams was quite happy to start this year with 28 year old Tom Bacon as a rising star, (which like Josh Bates was an utter disgrace) only to see Bacon retire and leaving Wolves with Flint. As with a lot of new ideas the Rising Star plan was in principle a good idea but damaged by poor thought out rules, some of which are not in the public domain. The fact that practically all of them now have effective GSA but these are yet to be published suggests some will take advantage as Rowe did when guesting for Bates at Sheffield recently. They should all have been given assessed averages and had them included in a team building limit as per past seasons. Many people on here wrote the Panthers off at the start of the season but the team with the help of an astute team manager has well exceeded expectations and this has clearly rattled some of the old guard who didn’t see it coming. For the record I still see Wolves as favourites as their team is very good and has a serious home track advantage but this year has caused more than its fair share of interesting results and their could be more to come.

And managed to pass another rider in one race!

My favourite riders, not the best in the world but here goes: Jim Airey Gordon Guasco Jack Millen Graeme Smith and finally, the one and only 'Briggo'. You did ask. You may notice a little Sunderland bias here.

Thursday's match line-ups Rospiggarna v Smederna Rospiggarna 1 Nilsson 2 Huckenbeck 3 Lahti 4 Dudek 5 Miedzinski 6 Henderson Smederna 1 MJJ 2 Woryna 3 Chugunov 4 Lebedevs 5 Aspgren 6 Stark 7 Kling

Hans Nielsen was another rider that winning races was not always the most important thing when riding for Oxford...the number of times I witnessed him shepherding his team mate home are too numerous to mention. A great team man of his and any other era.

Some really excellent work going on at the stadium, which I’ve been proud to be apart of. For those not following the progress on Facebook, here is a recent image of the current status of the track

And keep getting added too....

It was a big crowd. It suprised me.