david2905

JL is pretty blameless in all of this, as someone else said the iceberg had been hit prior to his arrival and by the time he was in his role, team management was the least of our worries.

Why this assumption that everyone gives a stuff about Speedway outside their own club ?, although I wish them no ill at all, I coulden't give a toss what Swindon, Poole, Wolves etc are getting up to, if it's not Birmingham related then I'm not terribly interested, I'm sure there's plenty with similar mindsets, therefore this (however mickey mouse it is) interests me more than Eastbourne V Belle Vue. So it's a case of getting my money for this sort of thing (until a functioning full time Birmingham side is revived), or not getting my money at all.

Interesting how all those slagging it have a functioning club they can support, might be a while till the next Birmingham or Oxford fixture (hopefully only 7 months for the former).

Tony Mole never stays in charge of any club long term so that's far from unique to Birmingham (I seem to recall Patchett not liking how the figures looked in the PL, which backs up the theory that the EL wasn't the problem). I can't speak for Chris Luty as he largely stayed out of the spotlight, but his business partner can certainly shoulder plenty of the blame for any 400k loss, alienating plenty of your income from supporters and sponsors alike.

Don't think anyones disputing British Speedway has many problems that require urgent attention, but I'm convinced we'd be where we are now regardless of league, national league level may have delayed the inevitable a bit longer, but inevitable it would be under such poor stewardship IMO.

What are you on about ?, the track was perfectly fine and one of the better ones in the EL for actual racing than gate n go guff. I'm fed of this myth that going up to the EL was the problem as people in the know have stated Birmingham Speedway can be made to work with the right management, the mistake was selling to a naive and ill equipped accountant from Solihull, who with hindsight, I'm convinced would have ruined us in the national league, let alone PL or EL. While the what league question might well have relevance in future (though I remain to be convinced as many non hardcore fans will turn up for the PL, certainly the PL doesn't appear to be working for Peterborough) , I don't believe it was a contributing factor in our downfall, not so much as Alan Phllips being allowed to steer the ship solo, having disposed of everyone with any Speedway experience and his original partner in the club who provided plenty of the financial backing.

Probably true, but someone from Leicester is hardly in a position of strength to criticise others tracks.

From what I've seen, Kelvins opinion is worthless more often than not, about 70% of the time he has the wrong view IMO, hopefuly he's right, but I'd say it would be by coincidence than any actual knowledge.

It's rational for anyone to fall out of love with the sport after what we've been through, I'm sure we'll be chomping at the bit to get going again when February rolls around mind.

To anyone who attended this, you have my admiration, don't give the git any peace, he has a lot to answer for and continual lying and hiding behind the police will not cut it.

The EL brought us more exposure and sponsors IMO, what put most people off was a dopey owner and his dopey ideals, Phillips would have killed us regardless of league IMO. That's not to say the EL doesn't have plenty of problems, but this idea that the PL would have cured all our ill's is just silly, the league we were in wasn't the root problem at Birmingham. If the PL is the holy land of speedway finances, why is a club like Peterborough with a racers track coming up short still ?.

OK now I'm getting the infamous 404 error. Then again, what is there to discuss until someone announces plans for 2015 ?, which I'd have thought is unlikely before late autumn/winter.

Works fine for me, presumably as we are "hibernating" until 2015, there is no news currently.

Indeed, why stay and damage your reputation when Captain Phillips is determined to sink the ship in the face of advice otherwise ?.

Would you give your money to a bloke who is ruining the club and having a go at the fans and giving off a totally amateurish appearance ?, Speedway is backwards in this respect in that it automatically expects people to turn up and it's their fault when they don't, modern leisure attractions don't and can't work like that, because they know there are many alternatives should the customer not be happy with you and your product, the Phillips regime showed an unwelcoming and negative manner far too often with a poor team selection this year exacerbating the problem. If you want people to turn up, make them feel welcome and entertained at a friendly venue, if you believe lambasting them every so often is the way, then frankly you deserve to fail, Speedway as a whole is p*** poor on the whole promoting and PR thing, it needs dragging kicking and screaming up to 21st century standards.

I'd like to second that opinion. I still maintain Phillips antics has put plenty off over the last 18 months, no disrespect, but plenty of outsiders seem to underestimate how much damage this man did to the crowd levels, I've seen plenty who said they woulden't be returning while he was in charge. It's a great gesture by Coventry, Wolves, Bell Vue etc, but I won't be using it as I am a one club man, Brummies or nothing for me.

Perhaps he was repeatedly thwarted in attempts to turn things around and came to the conclusion nothing he did would make any difference under Phillips ?.

He said he had money to clear the debt, and chose not to, which no doubt put off potential new owners... Two words Alan Phillips, the second is "off".

Bang on, Birmingham Speedway had plenty of issues, but non insurmountable, apart from an incompetent and lying owner, who despite allegedly being an accountant, took us into a mess even a year 4 maths class could see would wreck any possible future if persisted with in the same manner. Unless I'm mistaken, that meeting was effectively to tell supporters the true state of play at that time, given no one no longer believed anything spewing out of Phillips towers as genuine.

Can they not use that pic ?, my monitor is at great risk of breaking from a punch.

You are Alan Phillips and I claim my £10 In such grim circumstances and on a worknight, just how much people under retirement age were you expecting to make a 120 mile round trip to away game massacre that involves multiple hours battle with the M6 ? Prize prat.

Drury's hands are clean in this, otherwise the statement would have picked that up, ultimately the buck stops with the owner. Also clear now that any suggestion that any of the people who have left were the cause of the behind the scenes issues (the afformentioned GD and Mrs GD, Phil Morris, Joe MacLaughlin, etc) were totally false and an attempt to deceive the Birmingham public as to the identity of the real bad apple at the club.

If Charles and Alan can somehow stump up the cost of the debts owed, do the honourable thing of paying them off so the club owes nothing, then seeing if the new terms are acceptable to Tony Mole, seeing as the level of debt seems to be what's counting him out. They ultimately want out, we want to continue under a new regime, best for all concerned.

That's where I differ, I coulden't bring myself to support another club, so my speedway interest dies if the Brummies do.