The Start Of The Decline

[stratton 1,491]

 

 

Can remember Facey...then I had a 30 year break from the sport. not returning till 2004. Just as keen now as when I was at school.

'beefy/ ER I went in 69/70 With me uncle got programmes Facey there certainly Facey,Mac Woolford,Bishop, the good old days second halves great moving on.Remember Holloway Young,Pope, Evans and later Rob Henry ( great Mildenhall servant) remember Wellie moved on and was good beating Crash,MAstrup,Gramstad, on his merits.1970s Billy Wall and Bobo Valentine stick in my mind.

 

 

[P T Preece 262]

Its the daft rules for me, a rider gets excluded for touching the tapes and should go back 15 mtrs, but lets put a reserve in off the gate instead.

Double points and the use of the word Joker in the world cup. its speedway not its a knockout.

How can a bloke who comes in second get more points than the bloke who comes first.

[EnglishRoundabout 1,752]

'beefy/ ER I went in 69/70 With me uncle got programmes Facey there certainly Facey,Mac Woolford,Bishop, the good old days second halves great moving on.Remember Holloway Young,Pope, Evans and later Rob Henry ( great Mildenhall servant) remember Wellie moved on and was good beating Crash,MAstrup,Gramstad, on his merits.1970s Billy Wall and Bobo Valentine stick in my mind.

 

Where did you used to stand Sidders?

[stratton 1,491]

 

 

Where did you used to stand Sidders?

Bend 2 sometimes after heat 8 got in the dear side what a treat that was usually bend 3 god that was cold mate pits get me autographs in my Eliment.

[Jacques 3,114]

Bend 2 sometimes after heat 8 got in the dear side what a treat that was usually bend 3 god that was cold mate pits get me autographs in my Eliment.

 

What?

 

 

Is this Wiltshire dialogue?

Edited March 2, 2013 by Jacques

[Tsunami 10,219]

What?

 

 

Is this Wiltshire dialogue?

 

It's something you rub on if you are an athlete, or are cold at a speedway meeting apparently.

[foamfence 2,917]

It's something you rub on if you are an athlete, or are cold at a speedway meeting apparently.

Yes it's called "thick as pig rubbish" lotion.

[EnglishRoundabout 1,752]

What?

 

 

Is this Wiltshire dialogue?

 

They have similar dialect in Somerset Jacques....thought you would have picked it up living there?

[keef robin 551]

 

 

It's something you rub on if you are an athlete, or are cold at a speedway meeting apparently.

 

Thought that was liniment?

 

Oive lived in the west-country alf me loive and sometimes dont know what them buggerrs are talking bout, specially them there country bumpkins in Wiltshire, Cornwall, Devon, Zummerrzet, Dorset, Glawcester. Just as bad for me to understand some peeps elsewhere with them scousers, Mancs, Black Country folk, Brummies, yorkies, Cumbrian marras, Aberdonians, Glaswegees, Taffies, even that weird souf London accent you hear now. Best to live in the Ome Counties I reckons, somewhere likes Surrey, Ampshire, Kent, Sussex, but couldnt stand that there Essex accent,(although I can get by in Geordieland and Carlisle as have rellies from there).

Strange how in this country dialects can vary just 20-miles up the road.

Edited March 3, 2013 by beefy keefy

[EnglishRoundabout 1,752]

Yes it's called "thick as pig rubbish" lotion.

 

Thanks for that. Why post that?

[The White Knight 9,039]

Thanks for that. Why post that?

 

Obviously in to SELF Praise. :rofl:

[uk_martin 1,606]

i've got programmes/speedway stars from the 80s lamenting the decline of speedway, so it must have started in the 70s or earlier....in terms of crowd attendances, i'm guessing speedway has technically been in decline since the end of the boon post-war years of the 40s/50s?

 

From a Birmingham perspective, speedway and football were the only 2 shows in town in the 40's and early 50's. Graham Warren brought the city centre to a standstill with the crowds that thronged to his wedding at St Martin's in the Bull Ring. THere are rumours of attendance figures in the order of 40,000-50,000 to see the Golden Helmet match race between Graham Warren and Jack Parker in that period too.

 

Compared to that, in the 1970's the biggest crowd would have been about 10,000 in around 1974-75 for the classic encounters with Eastbourne and later for the first season or two in the "First Division". Already comparing the 70's to the 50's there's an 80% reduction in the crowd.

 

Since then, we've got a top class athletics facility, the National Indoor Arena, the National Exhibition Centre, an international BMX / Skate Park, so between all those, any number of World and European Championships in any number of sports you care to think of have been fighting for the £££ in our pockets. Far more choice than there ever was for the ever more scarce spondooliks.

 

Sports come and sports go in this city, The Brummies were a pillar of 1950's speedway in the UK, and then they went into decline, revival, more decline, and now revived again. Moseley rugby club failed to embrace professionalism properly and went from being on a level playing field with Bath and Harlequins to a tail spin down to the depths of the league structure. The Birmingham Bulls were once the 2nd best American Football team, but went into decline. The Birmingham Bullets basketball team were one of the top clubs in the country and they declined and folded.

 

Speedway isn't alone in it's plight. Other sports have suffered too.

Edited March 6, 2013 by uk martin

[mickyp 12]

Me and the misses were just having a debate about the decline of speedway and was there a single thing which started the decline. She said the time when characters started to be repremanded for a bit of playing up, so much so that there are very few characters today. I said bruce penhall retiring, speedway just seem to slowly slide away after he quit. Its not dead just yet but its definatly not thriving. Whats everybody elses single moment?

i think when sky showed speedway on monday nites to poor crowds and no atmospere it showed the sport in a bad light and to show 15 miniutes racing over 2 hours bored people, then the tape exclusions and back to the pits for tea,plus the tractor race, then none speedway fans being confused why bees chris harris was riding for poole the next week, then theres the joker, rule changes, riders burnt out from wandering the world , plus most tracks today are sheds, we had better stadiums 50 years ago , when leicester opened i was thrilled, i only live down the road but i was bored stiff and last year was the first time in 40 years i did,nt go. so av we seen it all and got the t.shirt.i think the elite is a dead duck and dare i say im thinking of going to coventry for the national league cos i think we need to get back to basics and we might see some close racing and 14 lads that turn up. micky p.