Leicester V Workington Pl 18/05/13 7.30pm

[Shadders 4,135]

Look forward to meeting you. I think I met B4E and her mother at Berwick several years ago, but I could be wrong and it was someone completely different. If it was she may remember what I looked like so just add a load more wrinkles and a couple of stones and you should be able to spot me.

I'll just look a dog on a blanket. can't be many of them there!... You'll recognise me, cos I'll be the only one there wearing a Rye House polo shirt!

 

Fingers crossed for decent weather

[Chrall 11]

Last week the track seemed heavy and gnarly providing good racing but giving, the Ipswich riders in particular, lots of problems.

This week the track was very smooth and fast but provided little passing. Mabe there is some halfway point that will give us a little more passing without the difficulties for the riders.

[Gemini 4,894]

I'll just look a dog on a blanket. can't be many of them there!... You'll recognise me, cos I'll be the only one there wearing a Rye House polo shirt!

 

Fingers crossed for decent weather

 

Shame Edward the Golden Retriever won't be there as he is absolutely gorgeous and even if you don't agree with dogs being at speedway tracks you couldn't fail to like him with his Bomber cap on. Another really well behaved dog who just lays on his blanket. Unfortunately (well not for him) he will be on holiday in Cornwall.

Yes, fingers crossed for good weather - that's the main thing.

[Taylorj 1,000]

If you weren't there don't comment. The meeting was exciting and Leicester beat a very strong Workington side. Oh and they beat Glasgow as well so stop knocking us. 28 years without speedway is a long time and what was on offer last night wasn't bad and above what is served up elsewhere. You must watch different meetings to me at Brandon - at the last EL meeting I attended, I was filling in my programme after lap 1!!! Really good racing that was.

Well done to Magnus on regaining his form - a match winner two days running.

I was there , EXCITING :rofl: , was like watching bloody paint dry !!! I was filling in my programme on Saturday after heat 1, there was no good racing on Saturday, if you made the gate that was it end of, and before you start bleating on about sour grapes, I had already congratulated Leicester on their win. Going by this thread and most other Leicester ones everyone can't be wrong about the track even your own fans apart from ones like yourself who watch it through red/yellow glasses . If you think that was exciting on Saturday you really need to get ya self travelling to away tracks , jesus you be wetting ya pants

[lionking 127]

I think Leicester need a new time recorder. No way was the track record broken 4 times in one night.

It is very convenient Cameron Heeps breaks the record in heat 2 then in heat 3 Lasse Bjerre breaks it my 0.01. That stinks to me.

 

The track didn't look that fast on saturday.

I was very impressed by Alex Edberg he seems to be a very hard rider who isn't scared to attack the track & mix it. Totally the opposite to Simon Nielsen who if it was even mildly gripped he didn't want to know.

 

I was stoked for Robert Branford to get his paid win in heat 14 it is well deserved after being very hard done by in his previous 2 away matches both exclusions were not his fault.

[Kester 3,028]

If you weren't there don't comment. The meeting was exciting and Leicester beat a very strong Workington side. Oh and they beat Glasgow as well so stop knocking us. 28 years without speedway is a long time and what was on offer last night wasn't bad and above what is served up elsewhere. You must watch different meetings to me at Brandon - at the last EL meeting I attended, I was filling in my programme after lap 1!!! Really good racing that was.

Well done to Magnus on regaining his form - a match winner two days running.

 

I haven't commented on that meeting, I have commented generally. I don't need to comment about the Worky meeting, you might have noticed plenty of people who were there have already done so. They don't seem to have been as captivated as you were. Can you please tell me which tracks Leicester is ahead of in terms of entertainment?

[Great Central 226]

I was there , EXCITING :rofl: , was like watching bloody paint dry !!! I was filling in my programme on Saturday after heat 1, there was no good racing on Saturday, if you made the gate that was it end of, and before you start bleating on about sour grapes, I had already congratulated Leicester on their win. Going by this thread and most other Leicester ones everyone can't be wrong about the track even your own fans apart from ones like yourself who watch it through red/yellow glasses . If you think that was exciting on Saturday you really need to get ya self travelling to away tracks , jesus you be wetting ya pants

Yes it was exciting watching Workington get beaten by a better side on the night. Leicester had been without speedway for so long it is just good to have a winning team to support. I thought the track for the Ipswich match was brilliant but the Ipswich fans thought it was dangerous.No it had dirt on it.

As for travelling to away tracks, I do go away and I have been to Derwent Park - now that was boring and the track preparation was appalling but that was only one visit so I won't judge it on one visit.

[wandersome 281]

Yes it was exciting watching Workington get beaten by a better side on the night. Leicester had been without speedway for so long it is just good to have a winning team to support. I thought the track for the Ipswich match was brilliant but the Ipswich fans thought it was dangerous.No it had dirt on it.

As for travelling to away tracks, I do go away and I have been to Derwent Park - now that was boring and the track preparation was appalling but that was only one visit so I won't judge it on one visit.

 

This post sums up why our crowds barely touch 4 figues any more Great Central. Most the speedway supporters don't just want a winning team to support irrespective of the entertainment on view. There is already clear evidence that more than half have voted with their feet in just over two years. A shocking statistic. Who cares what other teams tracks are like. All we should be interested is that Leiicester have failed to retain the majority of it's core audience with the entertainment levels as they are and a decent proportion of what crowd is left also aren't happy.

Edited May 21, 2013 by volty

[LionsDen 124]

This post sums up why our crowds barely touch 4 figues any more Great Central. Most the speedway supporters don't just want a winning team to support irrespective of the entertainment on view. There is already clear evidence that more than half have voted with their feet in just over two years. A shocking statistic. Who cares what other teams tracks are like. All we should be interested is that Leiicester have failed to retain the majority of it's core audience with the entertainment levels as they are and a decent proportion of what crowd is left also aren't happy.

 

Great post Mick. It's amazing how many different pairs of red and yellow tinted specs there are but I suppose you have to credit the many ways the blindly committed continue to find to defend the indefensible.

 

The bottom line is, and if nothing else all these threads show that too many reasoned and neutral speedway fans agree for it not to be true, the track is a massive problem and the entertainment level is subsequently poor.

 

There are exceptions to this notion though.

 

1. The Leicester promoter who refuses to admit it.

 

2. The riders that gate, enjoy the luxury of riding to the chequered flag relatively unchallenged, and then claim the track is 'mint'.

 

3. The die-hard Lions fans who simply want a winning team.

 

4. The new fans who know no better than what they've witnessed the last three years.

 

5. And oh yes, those that simply go for the 'craic' and are not bothered by the standard of the racing (step forward TMW).

 

The above is a dedicated but ultimately small number of people. The question for people outside of this group would be, is it enough to keep the sport sustainable in Leicester over the long term? This is a sensible and grown up debate, and not one of the childish mud-slinging variety as some believe.

 

If the track was fine and the racing was acceptable then surely this discussion would not still be raging into the THIRD season? The concern for those that actually care about the long term is that too many local people who gave speedway in Leicester a try have now walked away unimpressed, and that too many people further afield simply don't bother coming to watch speedway at Leicester as a neutral (a great point recently made by Leicester Lion on page 12 of the Message To The Leicester Promoter thread). Leicester should have been picking up casual fans from all around the midlands who fancied a fix of speedway on a Saturday evening to augment the Leicester fan base, but that just isn't happening if crowds are now down to around the 1000 mark (Edinburgh match excepted) as many state.

 

The facility itself (once you step inside the perimeter fence off the Somme remake outside) is very decent and certainly compares well with a lot of other clubs, especially at Premier League level. Everyone involved in that aspect should be congratulated. However, the bottom line is fans pay out their admission (and travelling money etc) to watch exciting speedway racing, not simply have a decent view and eat a nice hot dog.

 

Sadly this debate will continue for a while longer yet. It's no use the promoter simply moaning at people moaning either, as he did in his programme notes recently. He can't argue black is white and expect everyone to simply agree with him. People aren't stupid. They see it with their own eyes, form their own opinions and inevitably use forums such as this to voice them. That's the way the world is these days so get used to it. If he can't afford to change it then he should come clean and simply say so. People would respect that rather than being told they're wrong and accused of being negative, and worse still, threatening the existence of Leicester Speedway. The entertainment value on offer is doing that - not the internet.

[neb 312]

do you really think lions den with a microphone stuffed under his nose and stood next to his boss and with the other bosses listening,when asked about the track he is going to turn round and say its crap,do you really think he is that stupid with his job on the line?

[jim the whipper 231]

Is anybody going to talk about an all round great team performance with every Lions rider recording at least 1 paid win,or the fantastic paid max by Magnus,or an encouraging debut from Alex,or the track record being broken 4 times,or how we closed out the meeting with two 5-1's and a 4-2 - something we failed to do last week.Thought not!

This is so interesting , I can't see why there has not been hundreds of replies all stating the blindingly obvious . but it seems like people only want to reply to things that are of a debatable nature . well with a few notable exceptions of course . that's the thing with these damn forums people come on them and want to start expressing views on different subjects and then if you don't agree they wish to put counter arguments . that sort of thing has spoilt my enjoyment of forums .why cant we just get back to how things used to be in the good old days and just have pages and pages of how wonderful everything is .

[LionsDen 124]

do you really think lions den with a microphone stuffed under his nose and stood next to his boss and with the other bosses listening,when asked about the track he is going to turn round and say its crap,do you really think he is that stupid with his job on the line?

 

 

Not for one minute neb. Totally agree with you, especially having spoken to some ex-Lions who had differing 'off the record' views!

 

Whether the rider's viewpoint is honest, or merely one for public consumption, being able to ride smoothly at the front proves nothing in terms of entertainment and I only used that example because it's one that some other people on the Forum have previously used to claim there's nothing wrong with the track.

[TMW 533]

 

5. And oh yes, those that simply go for the 'craic' and are not bothered by the standard of the racing (step forward TMW).

 

You rang m'lord???

Not for one minute neb. Totally agree with you, especially having spoken to some ex-Lions who had differing 'off the record' views!

 

Whether the rider's viewpoint is honest, or merely one for public consumption, being able to ride smoothly at the front proves nothing in terms of entertainment and I only used that example because it's one that some other people on the Forum have previously used to claim there's nothing wrong with the track.

 

I can't remember if I have already asked this question as this 'debate' for want of a better word has been running for some time.

 

Did you raise concerns about the track shape at the time it was being built when you and yours were pals with the promotion? Or wasi t just when the fall out?

Edited May 22, 2013 by TMW

[bornagainlion 23]

You rang m'lord???

 

 

I can't remember if I have already asked this question as this 'debate' for want of a better word has been running for some time.

 

Did you raise concerns about the track shape at the time it was being built when you and yours were pals with the promotion? Or wasi t just when the fall out?

 

Not posted for a while as I don't go now 1. because with my son now being 17 it costs me double and 2. even in a premier league unbeaten at home season it was all a bit boring last year. I do however read the forum and after the Ipswich meetingwas really thinking about giving it another go but after reading this thread I'll save me £30 for a bit longer. (always said the track was better soaking wet damn that super drainage)

 

The point made in bold doesn't make much sense as I'm pretty sure everyone involved in bringing back the Lions was happy the time but whatever has gone on since does not mean an opinion cannot change. If I bought a nice new car and it turned out to be a pig i wouldn't take it back to the dealer and expect him to say well you were happy to buy it at the time or for them to keep telling me there was nothing wrong with it when i knew there was. Regardless of peoples past and history with the current Promotion there are a lot of posters from elsewhere who have similar opinions regarding the track/racing and it's not all sour grapes. In all honesty cast your minds back to 2011 and how many other clubs race jackets did you see on the terraces Brum , Wolves, Peterborough and even Cov fans were all there not sure if they have returned this year but i know they weren't there last year and they are neutrals just looking for a Saturday night of exciting speedway. I work locally and we have a large Polish community all were keen in 2011 not one goes now no axe to grind with anyone or grudges just don't enjoy the speedway.

 

I don't want speedway in Leicester to die (again) and I don't want David Hemsley to fail far from it i want him to become as big a success in promoting as he was in cycle speedway and make Leicester the envy of everyone because we have great facilities and fantastic speedway but judging on this thread and others we are no nearer fantastic speedway.

 

Shame

[wandersome 281]

Bornagainlion makes some great points. Sad that he is currently lost to the sport in Leicester as he was clearly passionate about it for the first couple of years of BP's return. It also brings home a point i was going to make with regards the views of a lot of people posting on here, to do with the constant argument that it is the same old, same old having the same old moans. It couldn't be further from the truth and a quick view of some old threads makes interesting reading.

 

Whilst Bornagain never really got involved in the track debate as i remember It's interesting If you go back and look at the first year or two of Leicester threads then it noticable that most of the people who are still here now saying that enough is enough are the same posters that spent a year or two saying we need to give the promotion time to find it's feet and make the necessary changes. Posters such as 40-38, Leicester Lion and myself were there almost weekly defending the right of Hemsley to being given time to sort things out and it was us who were attacking the likes of Robert72 (who it has to be said was complaining like an old woman from the first meeting!!), Speediwhipper and Lionsden (although in a more civilised way than appears to happen now!). Something that should also be noted is that Hemsley has spent 2 and 1/2 years intimating to people that changes were going to be done (although seemingly almost weekly changing his mind and telling the completely different story that the track is awesome!). May 8th, 2011 was Glyn's first post saying the track was going to be altered in a few weeks as everyone realises it has problems. That was just over 2 years but more pertinently 2000 fans ago.

 

That appears all that is left at Leicester these days, all the people who blindly defended the return and the track for the first 2 years. Except half of them have now become who they spent the first two years arguing with. And we are left with the Long Eye's, the Mrcts, the TMW's and her better half giving it to us. What happens when we all think of something else to do with our time and the likes of those people mentioned are all thinking why their beloved speedway closed and why we ended up with crowds of 4-500 each week.Or maybe they'll be the next ones complaining that something needs to be done.

 

There are 3 Leicester fans on this thread alone saying the entertainment isn't up to it and i think 2 saying they've had enough are going to stop going. Not people you would associate with complaining about the track, but all three clearly passionate enough about Speedway to spend their time going onto forums and talking about it.

 

As Bornagain says, Shame

 

well, there is another rant over!

 

Mick.

Edited May 23, 2013 by volty