Glasgow 2013

[MD 1,307]

Interesting article in Berwick programme about past Glasgow problems over the years.

 

What did it say?

[Rider Replacement 68]

Come on one and all, let's get behind the tigers. I for one love the track and how it rides, its fast and exciting. I'm a speedway & grasstrack fan, always have been and always will be. I regularly visit PL & EL venues, and the crowds are down everywhere. Some of the teams in both leagues are crackers and produce good close racing, yet "sometimes" its far more interesting watching paint dry. It's a sign of the times that we are in, not a lot of spare cash to go around. However given the promotions that are around today who'll just take, take, take and change things without the fans interaction, I'm grateful and hopeful that the new promotion @Glasgow will keep the fans updated and involved wherever possible. Come on we cannot let the tigers fade away without a fight. Let's keep up the good work already achieved by the fighting fund and stand tall for a club with a massive and long standing tradition. God bless and I'll see Saturday.

[crescent girl 1,907]

What did it say?

 

Too long to repeat, but maybe someone could scan it on here

[snapper 193]

As the season culminates, there are clubs who have publicly announced problems and suggested the possibility of – at best -- ownership changes.

 

It is familiar territory to both our clubs in action tonight.

 

In our 44-year history, the Bandits have had six main owners. Although the majority of transitions have been peaceful transactions, twice in that time (in 1989 and 2008) there has been a ‘bit of an emergency’ when the outgoing owner/promoter announced his intention to close the club down unless someone was prepared to take over in the fairly-narrow window between season’s end and the BSPA conference in November.

 

Both times, a buyer came forward and the club progressed. The second time, progressed hugely.

 

Our friends who are here tonight from up the road are currently facing a similar problem. As someone who first watched the Tigers while at primary school, I naturally hope the moves currently afoot in the big city to achieve a peaceful transition, between the present ownership and any prospective incoming buyer who might be knocking on their door, work out.

 

While I recognise that ‘my’ Tigers (you always remember your first love, don’t you?) are currently wobbling a bit as regards a buy-out, the Glasgow club has been in much worse situations in the past.

 

In 1954 I was in tears (I was only little) when they ran half-a-dozen or less meetings and pulled out the league, closing down for a whole ten years.

 

In mid-season 1987 and six different circuits down the line they were in every bit as much trouble, getting thrown out of the league for a series of some of the worst attempts at promoting speedway you ever did see, let alone an overdraft – with no prospect of redemption – of over £50,000. Believe me, in the autumn of that year, Glasgow Tigers were without a doubt dead in the water.

 

That they were resurrected and installed at Shawfield Stadium over the very wet winter of 1987/88 only thanks to the brilliant organisational skills of the late Neil Grant (a hero largely airbrushed out of Tigers’ history) is now rarely chronicled, and tonight we find our friends at an eighth track and yet again experiencing a wobble.

 

However, this is not their greatest crisis when compared to the two I mention above, and I do believe there will be speedway in Glasgow next season. Fingers crossed, Tiger-people!

 

For those wanting to catch a glimpse of the wondrous pleasuredome that is Ashfield – just in case – there would be no better time to do so than tomorrow afternoon, when our A&J Scott Bandits are racing. Tapes up at 4pm.

 

As opposed to 1987/88 (when the bad weather was mainly confined to winter, where it belongs) this has been a truly awful summer, and Sunday past’s PLRC at Sheffield was just one more meeting to suffer wet-weather woes.

 

The really galling bit is that there was not a whit, not a jot, not a whisker of doubt in my mind that Seb was going to win the thing. Now we have to await another fortnight for the restaging (1pm start!) although (of course) I’m still fully confident of the lad’s chances!

 

On the subject of the PLRC, I applaud the BSPA’s decision to allow everyone who was at the original staging to use their raincheck tickets to return without a further charge, or that southern-based supporters can use the same readmission tickets to visit the ELRC at Swindon six days later. Well done, promoters!

 

Finally this week I wanted to mention how well Argentinian Nico Covatti has adapted to the Elite League since joining Birmingham. The folk on TV seem to think he’s an Italian but be assured he ain’t, although (like so many Argentinians who have European ancestry) he is entitled to have two passports.

 

Anyway, Nico has done splendidly since pitching up at Perry Barr, and since I had watched him in action at Bahia Blanca during my wee trip down there in January, I’m really pleased for him.

 

I’m also pleased for our own Bandits. Because our “own Argentinian” Facu Albin, was able – in their clashes I saw, late in their season – to certainly match and often beat his pal Nico when they raced each other.

 

Wee Facu’s got that much potential, and given the chance to bed himself into British circuits next spring, just watch him realise it!

Edited October 2, 2012 by snapper

[crescent girl 1,907]

As the season culminates, there are clubs who have publicly announced problems and suggested the possibility of – at best -- ownership changes.

 

It is familiar territory to both our clubs in action tonight.

 

In our 44-year history, the Bandits have had six main owners. Although the majority of transitions have been peaceful transactions, twice in that time (in 1989 and 2008) there has been a ‘bit of an emergency’ when the outgoing owner/promoter announced his intention to close the club down unless someone was prepared to take over in the fairly-narrow window between season’s end and the BSPA conference in November.

 

Both times, a buyer came forward and the club progressed. The second time, progressed hugely.

 

Our friends who are here tonight from up the road are currently facing a similar problem. As someone who first watched the Tigers while at primary school, I naturally hope the moves currently afoot in the big city to achieve a peaceful transition, between the present ownership and any prospective incoming buyer who might be knocking on their door, work out.

 

While I recognise that ‘my’ Tigers (you always remember your first love, don’t you?) are currently wobbling a bit as regards a buy-out, the Glasgow club has been in much worse situations in the past.

 

In 1954 I was in tears (I was only little) when they ran half-a-dozen or less meetings and pulled out the league, closing down for a whole ten years.

 

In mid-season 1987 and six different circuits down the line they were in every bit as much trouble, getting thrown out of the league for a series of some of the worst attempts at promoting speedway you ever did see, let alone an overdraft – with no prospect of redemption – of over £50,000. Believe me, in the autumn of that year, Glasgow Tigers were without a doubt dead in the water.

 

That they were resurrected and installed at Shawfield Stadium over the very wet winter of 1987/88 only thanks to the brilliant organisational skills of the late Neil Grant (a hero largely airbrushed out of Tigers’ history) is now rarely chronicled, and tonight we find our friends at an eighth track and yet again experiencing a wobble.

 

However, this is not their greatest crisis when compared to the two I mention above, and I do believe there will be speedway in Glasgow next season. Fingers crossed, Tiger-people!

 

For those wanting to catch a glimpse of the wondrous pleasuredome that is Ashfield – just in case – there would be no better time to do so than tomorrow afternoon, when our A&J Scott Bandits are racing. Tapes up at 4pm.

 

As opposed to 1987/88 (when the bad weather was mainly confined to winter, where it belongs) this has been a truly awful summer, and Sunday past’s PLRC at Sheffield was just one more meeting to suffer wet-weather woes.

 

The really galling bit is that there was not a whit, not a jot, not a whisker of doubt in my mind that Seb was going to win the thing. Now we have to await another fortnight for the restaging (1pm start!) although (of course) I’m still fully confident of the lad’s chances!

 

On the subject of the PLRC, I applaud the BSPA’s decision to allow everyone who was at the original staging to use their raincheck tickets to return without a further charge, or that southern-based supporters can use the same readmission tickets to visit the ELRC at Swindon six days later. Well done, promoters!

 

Finally this week I wanted to mention how well Argentinian Nico Covatti has adapted to the Elite League since joining Birmingham. The folk on TV seem to think he’s an Italian but be assured he ain’t, although (like so many Argentinians who have European ancestry) he is entitled to have two passports.

 

Anyway, Nico has done splendidly since pitching up at Perry Barr, and since I had watched him in action at Bahia Blanca during my wee trip down there in January, I’m really pleased for him.

 

I’m also pleased for our own Bandits. Because our “own Argentinian” Facu Albin, was able – in their clashes I saw, late in their season – to certainly match and often beat his pal Nico when they raced each other.

 

Wee Facu’s got that much potential, and given the chance to bed himself into British circuits next spring, just watch him realise it!

 

Yes, that's the Berwick programme article -- word for word!

[Fromafar 10,384]

Yes, that's the Berwick programme article -- word for word!

Did you write the article

[crescent girl 1,907]

Did you write the article

 

No, you well know who wrote it

[MD 1,307]

As the season culminates, there are clubs who have publicly announced problems and suggested the possibility of – at best -- ownership changes.

 

It is familiar territory to both our clubs in action tonight.

 

In our 44-year history, the Bandits have had six main owners. Although the majority of transitions have been peaceful transactions, twice in that time (in 1989 and 2008) there has been a ‘bit of an emergency’ when the outgoing owner/promoter announced his intention to close the club down unless someone was prepared to take over in the fairly-narrow window between season’s end and the BSPA conference in November.

 

Both times, a buyer came forward and the club progressed. The second time, progressed hugely.

 

Our friends who are here tonight from up the road are currently facing a similar problem. As someone who first watched the Tigers while at primary school, I naturally hope the moves currently afoot in the big city to achieve a peaceful transition, between the present ownership and any prospective incoming buyer who might be knocking on their door, work out.

 

While I recognise that ‘my’ Tigers (you always remember your first love, don’t you?) are currently wobbling a bit as regards a buy-out, the Glasgow club has been in much worse situations in the past.

 

In 1954 I was in tears (I was only little) when they ran half-a-dozen or less meetings and pulled out the league, closing down for a whole ten years.

 

In mid-season 1987 and six different circuits down the line they were in every bit as much trouble, getting thrown out of the league for a series of some of the worst attempts at promoting speedway you ever did see, let alone an overdraft – with no prospect of redemption – of over £50,000. Believe me, in the autumn of that year, Glasgow Tigers were without a doubt dead in the water.

 

That they were resurrected and installed at Shawfield Stadium over the very wet winter of 1987/88 only thanks to the brilliant organisational skills of the late Neil Grant (a hero largely airbrushed out of Tigers’ history) is now rarely chronicled, and tonight we find our friends at an eighth track and yet again experiencing a wobble.

 

However, this is not their greatest crisis when compared to the two I mention above, and I do believe there will be speedway in Glasgow next season. Fingers crossed, Tiger-people!

 

For those wanting to catch a glimpse of the wondrous pleasuredome that is Ashfield – just in case – there would be no better time to do so than tomorrow afternoon, when our A&J Scott Bandits are racing. Tapes up at 4pm.

 

As opposed to 1987/88 (when the bad weather was mainly confined to winter, where it belongs) this has been a truly awful summer, and Sunday past’s PLRC at Sheffield was just one more meeting to suffer wet-weather woes.

 

The really galling bit is that there was not a whit, not a jot, not a whisker of doubt in my mind that Seb was going to win the thing. Now we have to await another fortnight for the restaging (1pm start!) although (of course) I’m still fully confident of the lad’s chances!

 

On the subject of the PLRC, I applaud the BSPA’s decision to allow everyone who was at the original staging to use their raincheck tickets to return without a further charge, or that southern-based supporters can use the same readmission tickets to visit the ELRC at Swindon six days later. Well done, promoters!

 

Finally this week I wanted to mention how well Argentinian Nico Covatti has adapted to the Elite League since joining Birmingham. The folk on TV seem to think he’s an Italian but be assured he ain’t, although (like so many Argentinians who have European ancestry) he is entitled to have two passports.

 

Anyway, Nico has done splendidly since pitching up at Perry Barr, and since I had watched him in action at Bahia Blanca during my wee trip down there in January, I’m really pleased for him.

 

I’m also pleased for our own Bandits. Because our “own Argentinian” Facu Albin, was able – in their clashes I saw, late in their season – to certainly match and often beat his pal Nico when they raced each other.

 

Wee Facu’s got that much potential, and given the chance to bed himself into British circuits next spring, just watch him realise it!

 

Thanks for posting it, an excellent article.

[Backless 538]

As we're quoting, how's this one looking?

 

 

Although I am no longer a promoter at Glasgow, nor a director of the promoting company, I am still a one-third owner.

As far as I am concerned, there is no imminent danger of the Tigers folding for financial or any other reasons.

[Gordon Pairman 457]

As we're quoting, how's this one looking?

Pretty good, I would say.

In April, I said that, as far as I was concerned, there was no imminent danger of the Tigers folding for financial or any other reasons. Imminent, of course, is defined as "About to happen" and here we are, nearly six months later, with Glasgow speedway still running.

Much credit and thanks for this is due to the supporters from Glasgow and elsewhere who dug deep to ensure that the Tigers would keep going.

Edited October 3, 2012 by Gordon Pairman

[Backless 538]

So the fans cough up whatever was required at the time to stave off imminent closure, and your assessment of the last six moths is "pretty good".

 

I'm sure there'll be a whole load of people who'll agree with "pretty good".

[tyretrax 2,254]

Once again the snide comment about the late Neil Grant being "airbrushed" out of Glasgow speedway history. Who was the artist? Who wrote anything other than what happened regarding the move to Shawfield? I know people who lay claim to being instrumental in getting speedway into Shawfield, a lot of people had input after the stadium became available but it was one man who secured it Jimmy Beaton Snr.

[Gordon Pairman 457]

So the fans cough up whatever was required at the time to stave off imminent closure, and your assessment of the last six moths is "pretty good".

 

I'm sure there'll be a whole load of people who'll agree with "pretty good".

Please don't twist my words - you asked how my quote was looking, not for my assessment of the last six months.

[Backless 538]

 

Please don't twist my words - you asked how my quote was looking, not for my assessment of the last six months.

 

 

Ah, right, my apologies for misinterpreting your comment.

 

"Imminently' "pretty good" that'll be the 15 or 20 minutes after the fans in the main coughed up enough to pay the due bills.

 

How would you assess the last six months then? "Bit of a downward turn"?

[crescent girl 1,907]

Gary Havelock will apparently be at the Marriot Hotel tomorrow -- maybe coming up with Joe Screen? -- to watch the GP with Tigers fans and hear what's to be announced.

 

The organisers are attracting big names as well as a big attendance it seems