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jeff

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Everything posted by jeff

  1. jeff

    Rye House 2015

    Found this http://www.teambmr.com/news/Team-BMR-Challenge-2014 Maybe it's about the go kart track?
  2. jeff

    Charlie Webster

    Dave Kitson The Secret Footballer in his book 'I Am The Secret Footballer' recounts a tale of when he was leaving Millwall's ground with a teammate and was approached by a 7 year old child who went up his teammate and said 'african american'. He then goes on to say "The point, though this is an extreme case, is that much of what a child learns comes directly from his or her parents. They are the closest influence and a guide to acceptable behaviour. This is why I struggle to accept the idea of footballers as role models. While I'm not condoning some of the things that players do, if your son or daughter is copying them, ask yourself why they're taking more notice of a Premier League footballer than they are of you.." When I read and thought about that in the context of Ched Evans it did make me wonder about the validity of barring him from returning to his previous employment/trade on the grounds that he should be 'made an example of' and because he is supposedly a 'role model'. Obviously an emotional response that rape is bad (as is war, murder etc ) is wholly understandable but unless I've missed it I'm not convinced that Charlie has made a well reasoned case for her resignation. was approached by a 7 year old child who went up his teammate and said 'african american'. Note The original post has been automatically changed to remove the offensive word, nonetheless I think you can work out what was said.
  3. Think you might want to edit your post SCB - 'traditionalists' may not approve!
  4. jeff

    Premier League Play Offs

    Thanks Screm. I read that on the BSPA website and assume that the teams finishing 5th and 6th go into different groups but then not sure whether 3rd and 4th are allocated or get to choose. Then 1st and 2nd get to choose. The wording in the BSPA note is a tad confusing because if the team finishing first gets to choose first before anything else is known then you aren't basing your choice on very much information. So I think it must be a bottom up thing (cue annoying Benny Hill music) i.e. 5th & 6th are in different groups, then 3rd chooses, then 4th, then 1st then 2nd.
  5. jeff

    Over Seas Riders

    But are there sufficient numbers of British lads to come through? When I started going to speedway in the late sixties, League 2 riders were plentiful. They included semi-veterans dropping down/coming out of retirement, grass track riders transferring across, many youngsters and even a policeman (John Hibben) having a go. I have read about the Collins brothers & Chris Morton developing their skills on farms, wasteland etc. But with the demise of grasstrack and much wider range of hobbies now on offer I wonder just why and how a 16 year old in 2014 is going to give it a go unless their speedway knowledgeable father or uncle etc sets them up.
  6. jeff

    Pirates 2014

    I nearly choked on my dinner just now when I opened today's Speedway Star and read Matt Ford's quotes: "If they choose to ban him on Friday or Saturday, they totally screw my team and my business. That needs to be taken into consideration. You're not just affecting the rider". "Anyone can guess what's going to happen to him, but no-one actually knows. Fingers crossed he gets away with it because obviously we need him desperately for the play-offs". I don't think Matt is grasping the bigger picture here - rules? right and wrong? morality? ethics?
  7. jeff

    The Future Of The Elite League

    Monday is the worst day of the week to schedule meetings for. First day back at work, kids back to school, bit tired and skint after the weekend. Even in the good old days few clubs elected to run on Mondays (Reading did though). Monday is only being suggested because it's the only remaining day available, no other country opted for Mondays and for good reason. It won't be viable. Guess what my favourite Boomtown Rats song is?
  8. jeff

    Rye V Newcastle 2nd August.

    Rye House Rockets ‏@RyeHouseFans 13m The meeting between the Rockets & Newcastle, scheduled for next Saturday, has been POSTPONED, due to a clash with the World Cup Final
  9. Modd Just to echo what others have said, I have always found Criss/Shadders posts to be fair, insightful, witty and erudite. Your post is none of those things and your final sentence could be construed as aggressive. Next meeting I would like to meet you and discuss a few issues with you personally. I think an apology is called for.
  10. The rakes stopped working and the bulk order of dustpan & brush sets will be placed with Wilkinsons when the financial situation permits. http://www.wilko.com/sweeping-brushing+dusting/wilko-functional-dustpanbrush-set/invt/0189805
  11. I read all the stuff about 'passing on experience' and 'geeing up the lads' but I struggle to see what the point of the team captain role currently actually is. Surely how 7 riders get on, communicate and support each other during a meeting will be down to what they are like as individuals and with so many riders riding for numerous teams in this country and abroad it's probably like ships passing in the night. It may well have been different years ago but it's a nonsense now isn't it?
  12. It may take some time for the investigation to detail the facts, particularly to work through the details of the lines of responsibility for track curation and whether these were discharged properly. A neutrals view might be that some blame can be attached to all parties (BSPA for not monitoring that the contractual responsibilities were unclear or being adhered to, Mick Horton for not responding promptly to the messages from Coventry Stadium and the stadium for leaving it late for the new track team to start remedial work on the track. 'Lessons learned' will be interesting reading if we ever get to see them. However far more worrying is the breakdown in the relationship between Mick Horton and Coventry Stadium. Mick Horton's statement (below) did suggest that a resolution to the disagreement was possible “There is no way that I will allow a Coventry team on that track until it is correct, and until that time, until it is in a suitable condition to race on, we will decline any further shared events or TV meetings" However the Coventry Stadium statement points the finger at Mick Horton and escalates the rift ("the chronology is important.....so that disappointed fans can draw the correct conclusions" "In the past Colin Pratt as the promoter of the Bees would have been on site making sure the track could be made ready" "we fulfilled our obligation to inform Mick Horton about our doubts which he chose to ignore" "We are sorry that Mick Horton has decided not to race at Coventry"). The only way to resolve this is an ACAS type process between Mick Horton and Coventry Stadium. I can't see how speedway can continue at Brandon unless either (a) a mutually agreed way forward is brokered or ( a very quick change of promoter happens - this assumes someone is willing to come forward and that Mick agrees to the switch. I think the best hope lies in all parties swallowing a bit of pride and recognising that they could have handled things better or maybe just improved how they communicated. Taking sides/entrenched positions now or waiting for a BSPA investigation to clobber one of the parties isn't going to lead to an outcome of benefit to anyone other than lawyers or someone's ego. Someone needs to convince both parties that it is in everyone's interest to find a solution. Could an 'honest broker' be found whom both parties would trust and if so who? I'll head off some obvious replies by getting in first: 'no-one with a Dorset postcode'?
  13. The rider average conversion factors between the leagues might need revisiting too. Jo Jacobs could have a high average for Mildenhall, his next highest league average could be for Wolves and his lowest average for Peterborough.
  14. jeff

    Speedway In Wales

    ... that informative and tidy answer appeared 5-posts above (or 9-hours before) your question !! Here's an idea ... when a thread's in as early a stage as this one, requiring just a few moments to be fully digested, how about reading it before showcasing your ignorance to the rest of the forum ? This may well have occurred because the poster has <10 posts in which case moderator approval is necessary before the post is displayed. Once approved the post is then inserted into the thread backdated to the time it was originally submitted. I am/have been in this situation. By the time my post was approved 48 hours later the discussion had moved on so I too looked like a muppet!
  15. Apologies if this has already been discussed but when the new race format is known then I assume this will only be used in the Elite League. As a different format will be used by the Premier and National Leagues, won't this mean that the rider average conversion factors between the leagues will need to change too? I can see this being tricky to calculate. Jo Jacobs could have a high average for Mildenhall, his next highest league average could be for Wolves and his lowest average forKings Lynn - so his individual conversion factor from Premier to Elite would then be negative. Clearly I need to get out more................Nurse!
  16. "I remember being with John Berry at one of the winter conferences at a time when he was having a lot of trouble trying to do a deal with Billy Sanders, who wanted a lot more money than Ipswich were offering him. So during one meeting of the general council, JB told them all exactly what was going on with Sanders and asked for everyones agreement not to approach his star rider or offer him more money under any circumstances. If they did, he warned them that he would never deal with them or do them any favours ever again. And they all stuck by that verbal agreement, it worked. No-one else came in for Billy and so he stayed with Ipswich on the same money as before. Promoters have got to stick together in this way." Surely this situation occurred at a time when promoters were making decent money - in which case this is about maximising promoter profit at the expense of Billy Sanders income. It was not a case of pay restraint necessary to enable the business to survive. I don't think John Berry's action was a gesture intended to save British speedway or even Ipswich speedway. It was to protect his own income and contribute to the building of a substantial early retirement nest egg.
  17. jeff

    Sky Sports New Deal

    I know that this may now be considered 'off topic' but I would like to reply here as my comments relate to recent posts on this thread. Dorothy: How do you talk if you don't have a brain? Scarecrow: Well, some people without brains do an awful lot of talking don't they? Contributors to this forum include: people who ramble on and on to no clear or constructive purpose (see above) or to a restate their own personal fixed agenda those Lamenting Past times ( etc) attention seekers (KKS anyone?) those who make perceptive and /or witty observations that actually add something new to a discussion e.g. a Shadwell resident providers of new information. It is the only the last two categories that are actually worth reading (in my opinion) however I understand why others might enjoy the banter involved for 1,2 and 3 So why am I writing this? Because I really appreciate the posts that Phil Rising takes the trouble to contribute and am horrified at the lack of respect and gratitude he sometimes receives as a 'thank you' for his efforts. It is a minority but if I were Phil I would wonder why I bother. So I like to offer my thanks to Phil, my apologies for some of the mindless replies he attracts and to say please continue to keep us informed as best as you are able.
  18. jeff

    Sheffield For Sale

    “I can’t just let it go for nothing after all these years, I have put my heart and soul into Sheffield Speedway. I can’t be looking to build a team, I have told David Hoggart and Nigel Hinchliffe (team managers) not to do anything on that side of things because the club is on hold.” He added: “I will do everything I can to ensure the sport continues at Sheffield..." I like Neil but isn't there a bit of a contradiction there?
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