TotallyHonestJohn

Honestly Just like Pavel "Ivan was a Geordie" Regards THJ

Honestly Funny that as it's the second time in 24 hours ave heard a holliday anecdote about the spot... last night in a pub in Maryport one of the locals said to his girlfriend soon as this Covid carry on was finished "we'll gan LA lass soon as lock down is owa" so I said "That's nice taking ya girlfriend to America for a holiday have ya been before" he said "America? A was talkin aboot tekin a Lang Allonby Marra not fekin Los Angeles do ya think am med of money" apparently it is a big deal to get a Twentymans Ice Cream... and that is a true story... Romance is alive and well in Cumbria like eh.... Regards THJ

Dunno about that Geoff I've been well looked after in Maryport... Regards THJ

Dave has got a big house in Titley Bay he could do a Gary Lineker and put a few up... Although I did here that he was coming back from a meeting at Kings Lynn a couple of years back and coming round the end of the M18 from Hull where it meets with the A1M Dave passed a refugee on the motorway and the guy was eating the grass just off the hard shoulder and up the banked side of the road... So Dave being a good Samaritan pulled over and asked the guy what he was doing and the guy said "I am a poor refugee from "Iraqistan" and I have nowhere to go" Dave said "that's awful if you have nowhere to stay you must come home with me" the fellow immediately ran up the bank and whistled and 35 other refugees came over the top of the banking and he said "my family" Dave said "whoa lad hold ya horse's how big do you think my lawn is?" True story that (cough cough) absolute gent Wor Dave... Regards THJ

Listen... Am sorry to break even more bad news... in fact a should have told everyone yesterday but a was busy... so this lock down thing has pipped me a bit on the news front but never mind... So here goes... ONLY 99 DAYS TO CHRISTMAS.... YEAH.... WHOOP WHOOP.... SANTA IS COMING.... GET IN... I'm so excited, and I just can't hide it I'm about to lose control and I think I like it... Yeah... as The Pointer Sisters once said... Get in eh!!! 99 days... bring it on... Regards THJ

Not sure Ruff!!! Sorry... but again its privately owned so there would be a lot of hoops to jump through if it was to go forward... however the council have said they wouldn't be to upset if that's were they went ultimately... so having the council on-side is a big plus... where as they wouldn't support an application for the Siemens site I don't think.... but this is just one of several sites I believe Rob has looked at... Regards THJ

I am led to believe the site is the last patch of ground as you go through Seaton Burn on the B1318 to the A19 roundabout on the left hand side that picks up on the A1 southbound slip road; sort of between the two large roundabouts... however; and again this is one of the problems... this land does not belong to the council it belongs to a third party so there are a mountain of issues and I would suggest you are right in that the test drilling will have nothing to do with the Speedway... although it does give some idea as to the type of sites that Rob is looking at/for.... How very dare you... No I would go to Speedway again... just not in Snuderland... there isn't enough Dettol to wash in to get the stink off after a visit and to be fair there is always Northside... That's official... definitely unofficial... Regards THJ

Here goes.... av got a phone book down the back of me pants... Forget the Siemens site it won't happen... not as long as you have a hole in your posterior... you don't get a licence to create noise... when you apply for planning you tell people what you will be doing and they either put up with it or object... the council will consider whether the noise is acceptable or not and base it on the amount of objections they recieve... and may uphold the objections... it's complicated but again once you start the process there could be post objections then you run the risk of abatement orders that may be applied... Honestly forget Siemens... far to close to housing and difficult to suppress noise, smell and dirt... Rob Grant has been very open and honest as to what his options are and where he is at with various local authorities... he has always stated that he wants to run as a "training track"/"practice track" during the week to generate funds so the noise could be daily not just three hours on a Sunday... (Or Monday) What also needs to be noted is that it won't be a Stadium... you wouldn't call the Redcar or Scunthorpe venues Stadiums they are "Motor Parks" or "Raceways" not Stadiums like the NSS in Manchester... where ever the club ends up think Redcar and Scunthorpe... Not Brough Berwick Ashfield Sheffield NSS and the likes where there are fixed stands and a Stadium format... it won't be the new Brough Park to start with it will be the original New Rough Park... and possibly quite basic... however it will be a new home offering security and longevity for the club and the promotion has to start somewhere... he's called Grant not Abramovich... monies will be tight the first few years I would suggest... So where to... and the outskirts of the city are where we will end up without a doubt... and again Granty has been open with what his options currently are... on the outskirts of Newcastle a couple of sites have been mentioned and met with positivity from Newcastle Authority... these sites are located near Throckley and Seaton Burn... North Tyneside are looking at a couple of more sites with one on the A19 tunnel approach and one or two more out on the coast... although they are struggling with the site size requirement and a site in Gateshead towards Kibblesworth through a Farmer that Rob knows... again it needs to be remembered that the local authority may not own the land... it may be farmland or land owned by a third party but the whole process is a complicated one... this can't be stressed enough... You have to empathise with Rob Grant and his promotional team though surely in these wretched times with this poxy Covid coming along when it did... he bought the club and was late to the party but managed to pull a team together and then wham Covid kicked in... lock down.. and Granty and his team don't get to turn a wheel in anger for a whole season... then the Dogs through ARC start getting a bit bolshie after he has pumped money into the track... it has certainly been a tough start to his promotional career for sure.... If (when) we get to move and wherever it is I hope we draw in some new fans... I know it will be hard to move but we won't be the first side to find a new home and sure some folk will take the losing of Brough Park hard and as the last straw but if you want a viable club it could be the only option the promotion have and I'm sure these decisions won't be taken lightly but if you want to watch Speedway then a change could be imminent and the only answer... Good luck to the promotion and hopefully every one will see the issues with Brough and get behind what the promotion are having to do to ensure the future of the sport in the region... As long as we don't end up in Snuderland cos a couldn't bring me self to go there.... anywhere but Mackum land... Regards THJ

Fresh off Twitter... breaking news!!! Joe Appleton has posted the followng NEWCASTLE owner Rob Grant has provided a fresh update on the club’s search for a new stadium site. Meetings with local council next week. A long-term lease necessary. Plans to base structural ideas on tracks like Redcar and Scunthorpe. So there ya go.a bit of good news for a change... Regards THJ

Never say never as the guy running Northside has some great ideas and even more ambition (and all the shale off DP) it wouldn't take much to lay a another track at the back of the training track and run a National League team... Regards THJ

His Grandad isn't Ozzie and mum Kelly by any chance? Av not seen the Osborne's for a while... Regards THJ

Hello Singy me old pal... how you doing in these Covid impacted times... hope you are well and all the family are good too... now Shielding has been lifted I hope your not doing to much socialising as it's still not fully safe yet... but we will get there. On your question and mine for that matter on the NSSG... well I doubt I will get an answer on here however after doing some digging I found out the craic... The NSSG is run by a young lady and I will withhold her name to be poite and the handle NSSG refers "I believe" to the group she updates on Facebook that has over 1500 followers... and where she keeps the more modern "Facebook set" up to date with the latest happenings at the club... Apparently she does a lot of hard work promoting the club on Facebook and other forms of electronic media and works on the commercial interests of the club... so kudos there on what she is trying to do as it's a thankless task... So the group is an electronic one rather than a physical one run like a fan club... and I will stand corrected if I am wrong... There were one or two other things raised re: the NSSG... but out of deference I will keep my own council on those... It may be more helpful if she chose a different name or used a different non de plume on the Forum as it can get confusing and some comments can be misconstrued in there context in; or to; a response... (if that makes sense) Never mind a might start me own supporters trust over here... have to see what happens or what the interest is like... but I won't be on that Facebook thing any time soon... Finally I definitely miss my Saturday nights at Derwent Park.. an I even had a "toby" around Northside on Saturday just to see what it was lookin like but there was nothing on unfortunately and the place was locked up... Never mind singy one day maybe and hopefully soon we might see a Comet fly high again... Regards THJ

Why? You expecting an outbreak of Dickies? (head lice for the posher folk) Regards THJ

Well if I knew they were doing requests how about the 2009 PREMIER LEAGUE PROMOTION PLAY-OFFS and the meeting on FRIDAY OCTOBER 9th 2009: which was the SEMI-FINAL 2ND LEG of the competition which ended up Edinburgh 52 Newcastle 43 (Agg: 93-93) and the meeting went to an exciting sudden-death Golden Heats match decider. This was I believe the first ever time Golden Heats had been used and unfortunately (for me anyway) the result went the wrong way. Would love to see that one again... Also it was the first time that season that I had seen the Diamonds loose in all my travels that year... Regards THJ

Aye but as ever it will turn out nice again won't it... Regards THJ

So where are they all on a Speedway night... you get 1500 fans through the door and we are running in the Premiership rather than the Championship... Oh and any further forward on me request for information? Regards THJ

Good Morning NSSG As you previously mentioned last night that everything is hard work; therefore so as not to undermine your hard work and not give you to much to do please be advised I have recalled my email to save you the effort of clicking on it to access it or reading it which will give you more rest time before you start the real hard work of typing out another post to stick on Facebook... after all I thought my emailed suggestions were going to "The Management" or "The Promotion" not a Supporters Group as I was under the impression the request came from them rather than the NSSG... However following your post last night you have spiked my interest and I would be grateful if you could find the time in your busy schedule to answer a few questions for me please... First off if one wanted to become a member of the Newcastle Speedway Supporters Group (NSSG) how would one go about this? as I have not seen anything advertised anywhere (unless its on Facebook and as advised I am not on; nor can I have access to; that medium) and I was a former fully paid up member of the Newcastle Diamonds Fan Club both as a Junior and Full Member in the past... So following on from that how much is membership of the NSSG and who do I need to contact to be a member? When does the membership year run from and to; is it January to January or the regular speedway season? Does the NSSG have a Charter? what are they trying to achieve? and what do they do with the funds they raise? and how do they raise funds? and how many current members do the NSSG have... Who is the Chair Person of the NSSG? furthermore who is the Secretary and Treasurer of the group? Are the NSSG a voluntary or non-profit-making organisation and do they follow good auditing practices? Do they have their accounts audited and do they make them available to members to see where the members monies are being used? Is there a process for advising members as to where their monies are being spent? do the club promotion make requests to the NSSG for support? Are any of the Promotion/Management involved in running the NSSG or are the NSSG fully independent of the Promotion/Management? What benefits do NSSG members get once they become a member? Just a few questions I would be grateful for a response to before I consider becoming a member as you will appreciate having open and honest communication leads more quickly to a mutual understanding and respect for a difference in views, interests and needs. ... Simply put, being open and honest builds a sense of self-worth. It is about being moral, truthful to yourself and with others. However stating all that I am not sure if I would want to be a member of something that had me as a member... something for me to consider I suppose... however if you could take some time out of your very busy schedule that you work very hard at and recognising your hard work I would be most humbly grateful if you could give me some answers to my questions... Regards THJ

Oh get me the "Aloe Vera" av just been burned by the NSSG... aaarrrggghhhhh!!! Honestly If you posted information on the Newcastle Speedway Website first, which is where most people look and have free access to, and give them the gist of what's going on or tell them where on Facebook (with a link) they might be able to find your additional information... instead of wapping it on your little clique(y) group on Facebook then you wouldn't get posts on here which maybe are at cross purposes... Information for the masses please... or you can do the "Secret Squirrel" routine aka like the last promotions "modus operandi" and leave people to find out what's going on through the rumor mill... your choice of course... yes? By the way... most of your first paragraph is spot on but totally contradicts what you say you are trying to achieve... also in the last line am I to assume you are part of the management? And can I ask when has anyone from the management run a supporters group... don't tell Mike Ashley or he will be putting Lee Charnley onto the Newcastle Supporters Trust Committee.... So after everything you state in the first paragraph on how no one has Facebook you tell us in the second one this is your best medium of contacting fans... Yes? Well who are you contacting then if no one is on Facebook... then you state it helps you make decisions as a club again this infers that you are part of the management or promotion so how can you make impartial decisions as a supposed supporters group if you are part of the management... Then finally you state all your hard work is being undermined... what hard work? Typing up a post and sticking it on here or on Facebook... wow... hard work that like... ya must be knackered... one post yesterday and one today on Facebook and a post on here... Wow... should take a lie down... Tell ya what a don't want to wear you out so when a get in the office tomorrow I will recall my email so you don't have to read that... I would hate to be responsible for you suffering occupational burnout syndrome... And yes it's a thing according to the World Health Organization (WHO), "occupational burnout" is a syndrome resulting from chronic work-related stress, with symptoms characterized by "feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion; increased mental distance from one's job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one's job; and reduced professional efficacy... Sound familiar... Yes?... then ya doing to much hard work... And yes still laughing my toggle off... Regards THJ

If it belongs to Ridley it will be getting houses built on it for sure it's all he's about these days... however in my email to the club today I proposed a site in Cramlington between the Banks open cast site and Nelson industrial estate... Your Dean can drive man ya not thinking reet... Regards THJ

Good guy Nick Brown and I know him from way back in his council days and no pun intended he's as straight as the day is long... he is a politician who is true to his word and if he said he would help he would do just that... one of the very few... On that Facebook thing Steve... I can't see the relevant post without logging in or creating an account and not that I would want to anyway but I can't at present due to my job... It may work for others but I have just had it sent encrypted so I have now read both posts... Still laughing... Regards THJ By the way and just for information. . Not Everyone Is On Facebook.... and certainly not all of the demographic at this Speedway Club that's for sure...

Hahahaha LMFAO The Newcastle Speedway Supporters Group have posted on their Facebook group within the last hour the latest sites they have looked at which include Seaton Burn Gateshead and Wylam to name but a few... Steve Park may be able to set up a link... Wonder if they got my email today with my suggested sites on? Regards THJ Oh... and there was a one on yesterday apparently asking "how far would you travel to watch Speedway" FFS why does the Supporters Group assume everyone has Facebook.... Well I used to go to to all of the away meetings when I could so as long as it's not the moon (Or Sunderland) am in... and I reckon Tsunami, Ruff, Terrace Grumbler, ArsonFire, Pienpeesman and anyone else with a car would say the same... Regards THJ

Cash will be the problem and getting council backing... in the late 40's the 50's and early 60's when Speedway was second only to Football for crowd attendances it wouldn't have been an issue... but now... getting enough cash and local council support will be very difficult I reckon.. and it won't be a stadium... no NSS or Gateshead Stadium... more Gateshead Tip... An some French bloke screwed the other plan a had up me sleeve when he won the euro lottery last night... Regards THJ

Honestly lads a love ya pragmatism... build build build refers to houses houses and more houses due to a national shortage (in the South East) (cough cough) apparently and councils will still get the ultimate say on new developments Sports and leisure are always a high priority because they employ people and generate a spend in the community however we are talking about motor sport... it will be difficult but not impossible... It will be down to Rob and his team to sell the idea and how it will benefit the region locally and nationally and more importantly the local community (getting the kids in and keeping them entertained is a big plus) and also how much oomph he can put into his business plan... and the other thing in the Speedways favour is that it is there now so there would need to be a massive number of complainants to muddy the water.... It's all if's but"s and the proverbial and's at the moment however it is the right time to start looking and engaging in the process because I feel the writing is on the wall for Brough... sadly... Regards THJ

Dave I can remember when that site was being mooted as the new St James Park replacement and I would also would suggest you are right in that the land will be classified as "Industrial Land" however to hold Speedway it will need a change of classification from a current B Classification (As it will be a classification from B1 through to B8 for its current purpose) to a "Sui generis" classification and this will need planning permission and it as at this stage where it will come unstuck I would suggest. Most classifications can swap over as long as certain criteria are met without going to planning as I have been involved with in the past when we built a leisure centre on an old industrial site but the D2 Planning Classification which states as follows D2. Assembly and leisure - Cinemas, music and concert halls, bingo and dance halls (but not night clubs), swimming baths, skating rinks, gymnasiums or area for indoor or outdoor sports and recreations (except for motor sports, or where firearms are used). You will note from the above the D2 Classification strictly rules out motor sports hence the need of a Sui generis classification and the requirement for full planning consent which in that location may struggle to go through. The whole planning process is an absolute minefield (unless you can get buy in from local councillors and the local MP's) and more so for motor sports... If you are struggling to sleep have a look at this it explains a great deal of it https://www.designingbuildings.co.uk/wiki/Use_class_designation_for_land_and_buildings That's why some brown field sites that haven't been fully classified yet can be easier to develop than a site already with a classification and again its all down to cash and also how many jobs you can create within the development area. If they were to say they were opening a hotel; a cafe; a pub and other venues with employment opportunities and create 10/20/30 full time jobs then this carries a great deal of weigh and the planning is looked upon more favourably. That is why a private site off plan so to speak would be a better call... I am with you on this one Ruff as the car park is always full(ish) there are many travelling fans and also with a new location it will surely show a bounce on new fans who are new fangled with something different to do near to where they live Regards THJ

So on the 1st of July 2020 the question was raised about a move to another track and it wasn't received very warmly to say the least; however it now seems that it is being embraced with various sites and options being proposed but the main thing being overlooked with all the proposals being put forward is as follows... All free land in the region is now being assessed for housing and that includes land formally thought of as not being suitable for housing; so land previously contaminated; land previously prone to flooding; land on difficult terrain that requires the likes of contiguous piling and land over mine workings and under high voltage lines.... Land and "any land" is now at a premium and the nearer you get to the city centre the more it will command value wise... Brough will be a housing estate within the next 20 years or less for sure... There is contaminated land on a city centre site (by the now empty O2 Arena) and it will cost £350k an acre in "Remediation Works" to sort the contamination issues out so what that means is Remedial Works for investigating, removing, remedying, cleaning up, abating, modifying or ameliorating the presence or effects of any and all "Hazardous Materials" and it will be very costly. This is all before any founds or footings go into the ground and a brick is laid... The costs are astronomical and the only site I can remember in the last 20 years that went on hold was in North Shields on a former hide and tanning site where animals were processed and we found dormant Anthrax spores on the site which at the time proved too costly an exercise to remove to make the site viable. However I was told recently that developers were back looking at the site as the returns on the development were starting to make this a viable site once again. We have been down this route before and discussed this to death just a couple of months back and honestly it will take an awful lot of good will from any of the regions local authorities to make anything happen and who other than a Speedway fan would have a noisy; smelly; dust creating speedway track anywhere near their homes because again we are not talking about one day a week here as Rob Grant wants to develop a training track and hire the place out utilising it to its maximum; so lets get real people its not going to happen around any built up area; on any type of land that could be used first and foremost for housing then secondly for job creation developments like a trading estate. So we are back looking at areas where noise; smell; dust creation traffic and crowds wont be an issue and with reasonable traffic links... and this leads us back to the likes of the outskirts of Cramlington; Blyth; Gloucester Sports Field near Seaton Sluice; Bedlington or on the way out of Newcastle on the A69 to the back end of Throckley which is the very outskirts of Newcastle or possibly on the Tyne Tunnel Approach Road at the back of the SUEZ recycling and recovery UK plant in Willington Quay which is in North Tyneside or how about at the other site ARC own in the area "High Gosforth Park" at the race track? they have land that used to be Rugby pitches that are no longer used and it was used for an open air concert just recently. After all the Reuben Brothers said they wanted to invest in Newcastle whilst trying to buy Newcastle United with "Wor Manda" and the "Saudi PIF" However the issues don't stop there as the bigger question should be who will finance the building of the new set up (note I did not say Stadium), I asked the question the last time as to what it cost to set up the likes of Redcar and Scunthorpe without getting any feedback however both are good Speedway set ups... I was told (and I don't know how true it is) that Rob Godfrey spent £150 grand back in the day to set up Scunny which was pretty basic when he first started out but he has successfully added and improved the venue over the last 15/20 years to where it is now. So where does this start up cash come from? and even if it is just £150k to get the ball rolling that's not peanuts by any stretch of the imagination. Finding 12/20 Acres of land is just the start of the problems.. Sorry if it seems I am "scooting on anyone's parade" but this is a big issue for the club; the fans the promotion and the region if they want to keep a Newcastle Speedway team... Regards THJ