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Viper

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Everything posted by Viper

  1. A fantastic move from Redcar to offer Newcastle fans a last chance to support their side this season on Friday. Any Newcastle fans out there please support this meeting as Redcar are taking a huge financial hit by putting on this meeting. Let’s get behind the Diamonds for one last time this season and show the club does have a long term future.
  2. I’m not 100% sure but I believe that Dave Tinning became a promoter to help with the workload ect and has not added any financial input other than his normal sponsorship. I may be wrong here but I am such a fan of Dave that I would hate to give the wrong position in terms of any investment he has made. If only Dave had more influence in how the club was run then we probably wouldn’t have been in the position we find ourselves today.
  3. So I have to give the management some credit for finally providing a proper factual update tonight. Well done and hopefully it continues moving forward. Welcome to the Diamonds Kyle, not the answer to the teams problems but he is certainly an upgrade in the reserve department. Fingers crossed we can secure one or two more changes in the top 5 positions.
  4. Are you really surprised? The way forward apparently is just say nothing about anything at all! No comment about the performance on Sunday No comment about progress with team changes No injury update on Paul or Matty No thank you to the fans for still paying their money to watch two consecutive home drubbings. Just stay silent and put out a few adverts for the Poole match and that will suffice.
  5. I honestly believe that In this case an experienced speedway person would be the best fit, which is not the area of expertise I have to be honest. I do have some experience in the areas that would (in my view) need addressing but given the position of the club I do feel an experienced hand would be the best option for them. In terms of approaching Rob, I have a few times offered assistance in which ever way I can and have also supplied potential links to another North East sports club to help with increasing the fan base but neither offer has been taken up. I love the club so have always had a willingness to help fight for survival and have volunteered my time in the past for a number of years. However, like THJ I think that ship has now sailed and I would not be interested in working within the current management structure as my own opinions are so far away from that of the current owner. He has his way and runs the club as he sees fit. It is his club and he has that right to do so and I totally respect that point but it’s not for me.
  6. The club need a public face, someone who can engage in all aspect of the club. As I have said before, the club lacks leaders and unless this is rectified very quickly I can sadly only see one outcome. We have just been thrashed at home for the second consecutive meeting and we still have had no comment from the promotion. This isn’t just a speedway thing, it’s key to any successful business that you keep you customers on side. The silence just adds to the frustration of the fans and will only add to the huge gulf that is being forged between the promotion and the fan base. Sadly, I can only see the current status quo for the remainder of the season.
  7. Summers to Oxford! Local, Experienced and no Polish blockers but still no chance of him coming to Newcastle despite us being desperate for a change and Jack Thomas only getting injured last week! Oxford have found an experienced heat leader in 7 days and Berwick have found a SGP2 calibre rider and had the visa approved. Where are we looking?
  8. Beat me too it Its an easy excuse to use when a rider is attached to a Polish side but in reality it isn’t a total blocker to signing them. After all if it was how did we sign BWD given he has a Polish contract.
  9. Good on Berwick for managing to find two riders when apparently there aren’t ANY that want to ride in the UK. Maybe it’s just how you ask the question and what you offer?
  10. To me the team need a change in dynamics whether it on paper looks to strengthen us or not. There appears no team spirit and that is being shown on track with less commitment being shown into the first turn. Ty and Kyle wouldn’t be my first choice due to the Brough Park record but I would snap your hand off for both if they could come into our side as the reserve pairing (or push James into that spot)
  11. So what an absolute shambles that was last night. I can forgive a team for losing to a better one but not one of those lads (Kasper apart) were giving 100%. That may be a tough statement in terms of Lee as he does try but even he seems to have totally lost his way with his home track. I have tried to be constructive in my posts these last few weeks about where I feel the club can make positive changes, even if it’s difficult to bring new riders in but again we get no management comment either in the stadium or in the press release. The presentation remains poor (and that is not aimed at either Barry or Roy who do their best in the circumstances), the product is shocking and the atmosphere is non existent. I was first taken to Newcastle in the 70s as a small child and have only missed a hand full of meeting since. I have travelled home and away with the club and spend over a decade volunteering for them. I would classify myself as a speedway nut who would stand for hours just watching a rider practice on track but at this point I feel I have made my final visit to Brough Park to watch this club which is a very sad position to be in. Three generations of my family attend home meetings at present and not one of us can understand the reason for us sleepwalking into a ultimate demise. The current promotion seem to believe that the only thing they need to do is put on a meeting, that is only one element of running a club and especially when the meeting is of such poor quality then the wider product needs to provide the customers with some value. There were a number of events last night that have sickened me and I won’t air some of them here for the good of the club but unfortunately the way the club is currently is an embarrassment. After 40+ years of living for the Diamonds I honestly feel last night was the final chapter for me.
  12. Really? So when have this management or promotion been considered top dogs then considering we have only won a few matches in a season and a half? It always makes me laugh this attitude that for some reason anyone involved in speedway is doing supporters a favour; unlike any other sport. Supporters are entitled to their own opinions, it’s what makes sport so great. Let’s not forget that speedway is no different and anyone is entitled to have their views on teams, riders or how the team is set up. Yes the promotion don’t make money and some work on a voluntary basis to help the club and good on them for doing that but let’s not forget that is their own choice to do so. If you are involved in sport at any level you will get people questioning decisions ect. Even as a junior football coach at under 7s you get questions and challenged by parents on line ups and tactics. So why should speedway be any different? The RR one for today is certainly a strange one but at the end of the day it is the managers call.
  13. I respect your opinion but don’t totally agree. I have watched some terrible sides in the late 80s and early ninety’s and again under the old promotion but the key was that George, Darryl, Dave ect used to use their voices to control the messages going out. I have been going to Newcastle since the late 70s and have worked for the club for a lot of years in George’s era. A bad team isn’t the only reason why people have walked. I know of at least 30-40 people who have stuck by Newcastle for years, even through those terrible years and who now watch their speedway elsewhere on a weekly basis. As I say you are entitled to your own opinion and I totally respect that but I have spoken to a lot of supporter at Brough when issues have arisen (Berwick protest and the Glasgow match are just two) and the absolute silence has angered people.
  14. I totally see your point but as I’ve stated before a lot of the issues you have raised could be controlled if the club had a proper communication and engagement strategy to bring fans into what is happening, especially around some of these events you have quoted. I have nothing but admiration for the work that Rob and the promoter put in just to get a meeting on at Brough and I know we need to cut our cloth accordingly but (and it’s a big BUT) the poorly worded statements, split platform messaging and lack of fan interaction either at meetings or between them to discuss barriers, blockers and future plans is where our supporters lose the faith. I know Rob has had a lot of issues since picking up the club, continues to have issues with other things but the fans can only judge on what they see and are told. The latest post on Facebook is the prime example. Poorly worded with no context and being used to right incorrect information published in another media form. I see some additional context has now been added but the confusion has already been created from the original post as to what it’s about. It’s simple stuff and is so frustrating that it can cause loyal fans like yourself to get frustrated, especially if you had the opportunity to understand some of the drivers that have led to the points you have raised. I’ve posted this so many time, the club need Rob to keep running but without a fan base it hasn’t got a chance. It’s time to look at how this area can be improved but honestly I can’t see that happening.
  15. Risky approach not editing the content before publication.
  16. So who edits the Diamonds articles for the Speedway Star then? How can an article published yesterday be so factual incorrect today. Another example of the terrible communication strategy at our club, no wonder we all get confused!
  17. Look at the Newcastle article, it’s stated in there in terms of riders available. What isn’t know is when the interview was conducted with BWD. It may have been before the latest developments which I believe only happened this week.
  18. I’m not convinced that he will greatly improve the scoring power of the team but George has been struggling for any points at all so a change at the bottom can’t weaken us. I have seen a bit of Jack over the years and it hasn’t ever seemed to work for him at the higher levels in this country but will reserve judgement to give him the chance to shine. I have no knowledge of what the promotions plan is in terms of making the club more competitive but I can see that Robs comment of a 100% change by this weekend meant that really he had no other choice but to make at least one change. The BWD position may have pushed them into another rethink as I believe under the ‘withholding of services’ position we will only be permitted a 28 day guest facility rather than the rolling guest option while is was injured. I would believe the promotion would have wanted to retain BWD (using 8+ average guests) and replace a lower average rider with another that would offer a more competitive side as replacing our guest facility with another rider would not improve the side at all. As I say I have no idea but maybe that, the injury to Matty (not sure how long he is out) and Starkey injury position may mean a lot more surgery is needed to the team. This added uncertainty may mean more time needed to come up with some answers but Rob had committed to a change and this one fulfils his promise without impacting on his longer terms options. I only wish we heard this from Rob himself as again we have radio silence which doesn’t help the mood of the supporters. Don’t get me wrong I don’t necessarily agree with what is happening. I believe that given where we stand in the league and the trouble we have recruiting experienced riders then maybe looking to the future and building our asset base is the way to go. At least this will show commitment to the future from the owner while showing we are putting building blocks in place for the next few seasons. Maybe a look across to the Danish market that has previously served the club so well would get a few fans interested again but only if the new strategic policy of the club is articulated to the fans in a way that they understood how it would benefit the club going forward. A change has to come in the next 4 weeks so let’s see how this all plays out, again over to the owner to show what his vision is for the club as that is the key to managing fans expectations.
  19. States in this weeks Speedway Star that BWD is now classified as “Withholding his Services” rather than on the injury list.
  20. There is 0% chance of Adam coming in to replace George unless more changes are made to the 1-7. Its an interesting position we find ourselves in given we have fixtures on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday this week. If we are to replace someone in our declared line up it would need BSP approval so can’t see many chances to do so this week, unless the outgoing rider is happy to race despite being moved on. In my view if we don’t get an announcement of a change tomorrow then we will most likely have to wait a little longer for a change to the side than the statement from Rob suggested. Fingers crossed the promotions hard work pays off and we do manage to strengthen the side before this weekend.
  21. As much as it is hard to say, you just needed to look at the away pits yesterday to see how it is entirely possible. It wasn’t long ago that Redcar were not in the best position themselves but the initial great work by Kevin Keay built on by Ben Duffil and then taken on by Jamie and Jade has transformed that club. You just need to see the atmosphere with the riders and the fans to see the clubs is completely together and it is paying off with the crowd levels at their matches both home and away. The key is how they engage their fan base and interact with them on a regular basis. The club don’t have a huge budget compared to others but they have the rider bought into their project and that means the likes of Charles, Lewi and Erik will always be likely to return. They also have been growing their future with the signing of up and coming Brits like Jason Edwards which shows the direction they are looking to take the club. As I say it’s is possible but it’s going to need a change in approach from the promotion to make it happen.
  22. Great post and sums up the position perfectly for me. The crowd numbers are a concern and you have to ask yourself why they are reducing so dramatically. I have been coming to Newcastle speedway for over 40 years and have seen some shocking sides in the past but it has never had the effect on the crowd numbers that we are seeing today. One thing that is hugely concerning to me is that I have attended Redcar and Berwick over the last few weeks and the number of long time Newcastle fans in attendance has been an real eye opener, a large percentage of them who no longer attend Brough Park on a Sunday. As I have said we have seen some shocking teams over the years and these supporters have stuck with the club so why now?. I am sure they have their reasons but that is where the club need to look to start building our fan base, regular speedway fans from Newcastle who are already spending there money at other track on a regular basis. This is only my own personal view but the club needs leaders, someone to lead the direction of the club, build strategies to drive the club forward, leaders to motivate the riders on track and leaders on track to inspire some of the younger guys in our side. The club is drifting at the moment and desperately needs someone to start building a new identity for the club and bringing in people who can work together to achieve it. I am not specifically knocking Rob and I so want him to make the club a success for both the fans and himself but unless the load is spread across some new blood in every department of the club then he will continue to struggle on his own against a tide which he will struggle to turn by himself. I do believe the club can be successful under the current ownership but it needs a new fresh approach as obviously the current one is not working. Newcastle is a club divided at present and the only way that it can survive is with the promotion, staff and fans all pulling together to make it work. Newcastle speedway needs Rob Grant to survive but also the club needs the fans to make it viable. If it was me I would use this break in fixtures to open up the channels of communication with the fans, start being open about the challenges faced, the plans for moving forward and give the fans a voice in terms of their own thinking. The key to keeping this club in business is getting everyone back to pulling in the same direction, the fans can’t do that but the club has a huge opportunity to turn things round if they have the appetite for it.
  23. My comment is more about are we actually going to improve the side to any significant level to make the team competitive. What was glaringly missing from the statement was that fact and a like for like change will not give us the improvement we so dearly need. We have BWD injured and we at this point do not know how bad an injury Starkey has sustained. My biggest fear is an average signing replacing one of our more dependable scorers and bring down the overall team average, this or a NL rider joining at reserve which may add a couple of points to the team scores but won’t change the overall strength to the level that will even make us competitive at home. This feels like a huge cross roads for the club after the shambolic match and score last night. There is a big statement needed to ensure the club hangs onto its core supporters who are the key to the club future, otherwise I can only see crowds falling to even lower levels than they are currently. Let’s hope we see a couple of positive signings before we next take to the track.
  24. Totally agree but what wasn’t said is where in team the changes were going to occur!
  25. I am led to believe that Paul only informed the promotion that he was not fit last night and meant it was virtually impossible to get a guest.
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