NO WORD FROM THE BSPA

[Spl77 337]

22 hours ago, ChrisSimpson said:

In my opinion, which is not that highly regarded.....

Speedway needs to become staged and treated as a form of  entertainment more so than a sport.  Not necessarily from a results point of view but definitely from a rivalry point of view with staged banter, fights between riders / team managers, pre match enticing, after match aggro etc. Virtually the same as wrestling which is thriving all over the world packing the likes of Cardiff on a weekly basis in the USA.

Most importantly new fans need to be found to support speedway. If you say the average age of a speedway fan is about 50, then the life of the sport here in the UK is 30 years max.

Without new fans flocking in, and I do mean flocking in then the sport is doomed.  If we can't compete with what's on offer entertainment wise in 2018 what hope do we have in another 5 or 10 years.

Time for big changes or time to accept the best days are behind us and thank the lord that we have the memories of better times, when we were kids etc and went to busy stadiums with atmospheres and craved the next visit.

Nothing else to add, but nice to be slightly involved again this year and I've actually booked the day off next year to take the family to Cardiff to show them what speedway used to be like and the buzz it gave you.

There used to be plenty of inter team rivalry and riders having fisty cuffs however that difficult for that to happen when the following night those riders could be in the same team. For that to happen you need to return to 7 riders 1 team end of. 

[moxey63 1,785]

I think it was the other night in that True Grit documentary, Nigel Pearson stating a rider could be racing one night for the same team and in opposition the next. Had I been a casual observer, I'd have ditched any thought of getting serious about such a silly sport. To blame riders having to earn a living for such an oddity is bowing too much to the riders who must be wanting the sport to fund them all year through.  

[singy13 372]

17 minutes ago, moxey63 said:

I think it was the other night in that True Grit documentary, Nigel Pearson stating a rider could be racing one night for the same team and in opposition the next. Had I been a casual observer, I'd have ditched any thought of getting serious about such a silly sport. To blame riders having to earn a living for such an oddity is bowing too much to the riders who must be wanting the sport to fund them all year through.  

I'll never forget sticking up for Speedway when the Workington RL club Directors were slating the sport during a coach journey with them.....speedway, incidentally, did bring much needed earnings to the RL hosts...(maybe still does?).

However to a man they were convinced that Speedway was seriously unreal....the example they touted as their evidence was when Stoney had guested, and scored well, for Newcastle who were challenging the Comets for honours, how could that happen?...They wouldn't wear the 'guest' system at all.......and maybe other non fans see it similarily.??

Edited July 28, 2018 by singy13

[foamfence 2,917]

7 minutes ago, singy13 said:

I'll never forget sticking up for Speedway when the Workington RL club Directors were slating the sport during a coach journey with them.....speedway, incidentally, did bring much needed earnings to the RL hosts...(maybe still does?).

However to a man they were convinced that Speedway was seriously unreal....the example they touted as their evidence was when Stoney had guested, and scored well, for Newcastle who were challenging the Comets for honours, how could that happen?...They wouldn't wear the 'guest' system at all.......and maybe other non fans see it similarily.??

Plenty of 'actual' fans see it that way too.

[singy13 372]

35 minutes ago, foamfence said:

Plenty of 'actual' fans see it that way too.

Yes I agree.......it's just something that's been in place many years, a difficult prob, and we fans tend to accept it while ignoring what 'outsiders' think? I mean we turn the proverbial 'blind eye' to the situation because of loving the sport !

Edited July 28, 2018 by singy13

[00000 1,279]

48 minutes ago, singy13 said:

Yes I agree.......it's just something that's been in place many years, a difficult prob, and we fans tend to accept it while ignoring what 'outsiders' think? I mean we turn the proverbial 'blind eye' to the situation because of loving the sport !

And because some clubs find it difficult to get guests,  matches are removed from the fixture list.

Bonkers!

[customhouseregular 1,651]

Somebody may have mentioned this already and if so, sorry for the repeat. Large branches of Sainsbury's stock SS, at least my local does so I guess other branches do too.

[E I Addio 15,843]

If the hijackers will now let us get this thread back in line with its title, it is interesting that Speedway Star have devoted a whole page to an interview with Rob Godfrey and he has simply used it to blame everyone but himself for the trouble he has caused in having fixtures removed from the fixture list. Fixtures, that is, that Godfrey and his (mis) Management Committee, had approved before the season started and the fans relied on. This is the problem with this blinkered shower on the Management Committee (and I use the term "management " in its loosest possible sense) , they are apparently unaware that the sport is on its knees and each time they mess up in this way, more fans walk away.  It really is a disgrace and unacceptable for the person whose committee is supposed to be running the sport , to blame other people for the problem he caused. If Scunthorpe hadn't needed guests none of this would have arisen.

Still at least we have a member of the (mis) Management Committee acknowledging there is a problem. Until now we  have simply had fixtures being pulled out of the list and  a month of conspicuous silence from the MC, who have carried on as if nothing had happened, completely ignoring the fans..

I doubt whether Godfrey and his mates could run a stall in a Women's institute  jumble say successfully. Incompetent beyond belief

 

[topaz325 1,853]

Exactly..... here’s a poor fixture list at the start of the season....oh well change it....er no well change it again.

[Whisperer 276]

50 minutes ago, E I Addio said:

If the hijackers will now let us get this thread back in line with its title, it is interesting that Speedway Star have devoted a whole page to an interview with Rob Godfrey and he has simply used it to blame everyone but himself for the trouble he has caused in having fixtures removed from the fixture list. Fixtures, that is, that Godfrey and his (mis) Management Committee, had approved before the season started and the fans relied on. This is the problem with this blinkered shower on the Management Committee (and I use the term "management " in its loosest possible sense) , they are apparently unaware that the sport is on its knees and each time they mess up in this way, more fans walk away.  It really is a disgrace and unacceptable for the person whose committee is supposed to be running the sport , to blame other people for the problem he caused. If Scunthorpe hadn't needed guests none of this would have arisen.

Still at least we have a member of the (mis) Management Committee acknowledging there is a problem. Until now we  have simply had fixtures being pulled out of the list and  a month of conspicuous silence from the MC, who have carried on as if nothing had happened, completely ignoring the fans..

I doubt whether Godfrey and his mates could run a stall in a Women's institute  jumble say successfully. Incompetent beyond belief

 

They could sell their engines on that stall!

[waytogo28 2,054]

11 hours ago, E I Addio said:

If the hijackers will now let us get this thread back in line with its title, it is interesting that Speedway Star have devoted a whole page to an interview with Rob Godfrey and he has simply used it to blame everyone but himself for the trouble he has caused in having fixtures removed from the fixture list. Fixtures, that is, that Godfrey and his (mis) Management Committee, had approved before the season started and the fans relied on. This is the problem with this blinkered shower on the Management Committee (and I use the term "management " in its loosest possible sense) , they are apparently unaware that the sport is on its knees and each time they mess up in this way, more fans walk away.  It really is a disgrace and unacceptable for the person whose committee is supposed to be running the sport , to blame other people for the problem he caused. If Scunthorpe hadn't needed guests none of this would have arisen.

Still at least we have a member of the (mis) Management Committee acknowledging there is a problem. Until now we  have simply had fixtures being pulled out of the list and  a month of conspicuous silence from the MC, who have carried on as if nothing had happened, completely ignoring the fans..

I doubt whether Godfrey and his mates could run a stall in a Women's institute  jumble say successfully. Incompetent beyond belief

 

I truly do not think they incompetent, they are corrupt.

[Halifaxtiger 5,318]

11 hours ago, E I Addio said:

If the hijackers will now let us get this thread back in line with its title, it is interesting that Speedway Star have devoted a whole page to an interview with Rob Godfrey and he has simply used it to blame everyone but himself for the trouble he has caused in having fixtures removed from the fixture list. Fixtures, that is, that Godfrey and his (mis) Management Committee, had approved before the season started and the fans relied on. This is the problem with this blinkered shower on the Management Committee (and I use the term "management " in its loosest possible sense) , they are apparently unaware that the sport is on its knees and each time they mess up in this way, more fans walk away.  It really is a disgrace and unacceptable for the person whose committee is supposed to be running the sport , to blame other people for the problem he caused. If Scunthorpe hadn't needed guests none of this would have arisen.

Still at least we have a member of the (mis) Management Committee acknowledging there is a problem. Until now we  have simply had fixtures being pulled out of the list and  a month of conspicuous silence from the MC, who have carried on as if nothing had happened, completely ignoring the fans..

I doubt whether Godfrey and his mates could run a stall in a Women's institute  jumble say successfully. Incompetent beyond belief

 

Incompetence is one thing, self interest is another. This is far more about the latter, and that's much less forgivable.

Edited July 29, 2018 by Halifaxtiger

[Fromafar 10,333]

Reading Godfreys article in the SS it looks like when he sobered up after the AGM he realised the rest had just pulled a flanker on him ,but has just brassed it out hoping it would sort it's self out. Bad luck Rob,it hasn't.

[PHILIPRISING 7,298]

MANY years ago the then Chairman of the SCB told me that it was easy to impose discipline on promoters because most of them were leaving meetings with shed loads of money in their car boots and the thought of losing their licence ensured they toed the line.

Now, any threats are likely to be met with "we will close." 

[waytogo28 2,054]

2 hours ago, PHILIPRISING said:

MANY years ago the then Chairman of the SCB told me that it was easy to impose discipline on promoters because most of them were leaving meetings with shed loads of money in their car boots and the thought of losing their licence ensured they toed the line.

Now, any threats are likely to be met with "we will close." 

It might be better is some did close down, sooner rather than later. because if they all "hang on" it is going to drag out the dying of UK speedway even longer and more painfully. Lets end up with 12 - 14 or however few that intend to make a serious go of one league. Close down or drop to CL level.