OGT 612 Posted April 2, 2014 Clueless or penniless? The latter is nearer the mark than the former. I actually feel for Phillips, he has bought into a sport that it seems few people in the city are interested in supporting. Enthusiastic team management and a plethora of sponsorship deals can only paper over the cracks for so long. Fans are the life blood of any club and if you can't get enough through the turnstiles then you're in trouble. The chickens will eventually come home to roost. I really hope that Brum can turn the corner with this team, but I fear it will take a miracle for that to happen. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
EnglishRoundabout 1,752 Posted April 2, 2014 How can anyone feel sorry for Phillips? He put this side together along with Dury. As soon as it was announced the World & it's wife said it was an absolute abysmal team. I believe Birmingham only held it together last season because of Phil Morris's enthusiasm for the sport. As harsh as it sounds, the Birmingham management only have themselves to blame. Clueless is the only word to describe the way they're running the club. The only people to feel sorry for are the fans I reckon they held it together predominantly because they had Smolinski banging in double figure scores from reserve until mid-summer. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Moorski 51 Posted April 2, 2014 A dismal result that will only drive away more supporters, The team was put together on a tight budget which folk understand, however they will not pay good money to watch a weak product which sadly Birmingham are. Losing is one thing but not competing is another, I sincerely hope things change but unless it does very quickly the future is bleak for the Club. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bellevueace 913 Posted April 2, 2014 sad to see a city that went so long without speedway struggling for crowds, even a losing team is better than no team at all, the question is does birmingham as a city really want speedway? 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
orion 7,615 Posted April 2, 2014 Sad day for brum ...and like many I don't think with this small fan base they will see the season out with this side . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gerry1875 4 Posted April 2, 2014 (edited) sad to see a city that went so long without speedway struggling for crowds, even a losing team is better than no team at all, the question is does birmingham as a city really want speedway? A losing team will only drive the fanbase away even further though, I do have to say though that i have often asked the question about Speedway in Brum on numerous occasions, but its just not the speedway in Birmingham that is affected by dwindling crowds, Birmingham City and Aston Villa have both suffered losses in fan base, Warwickshire Cricket Club another , i would just like to say one thing about Birmingham in general and its not having a dig at anyone in particular but Birmingham is very multicultural and when you walk through our city centre it is now very hard to even hear an english conversation, its either Polish, Hindi, Romanian and god knows what other languages are spoken in our wonderful city, i just dont think that sport is high on the agenda of this city anymore, least we not forget also that when Birmingham closed in the 80s and re-opened in 2007 there was a lost generation in speedway support, maybe without internet, social media the younger generations would have seen speedway as a cheaper version than the ridiculous high priced football, i cant honestly say that Birmingham will see the season through or not, hopefully NOT the latter, but i do fear beyond this season, but when a team crumbles as badly as tonight at home, it wont help the situation Edited April 2, 2014 by gerry1875 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Yikes 28 Posted April 2, 2014 Disappointing meeting. Hope the Brummies warm up soon before the season gets too far gone. Lakeside won most from the gate and then extended the lead, some nice team riding too. Not the best team that Drury has come up with over a winter. On to the next one when the Bees are in town. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LagutaRacingFan 1,936 Posted April 2, 2014 (edited) Birmingham should sign Sundstrom. He's better than anyone in their side and he's looking for a UK ride. Also.. Why did they get rid of Smolinski? I saw him in the Pairs and he was as quick as Holder and Ward with his straight line cutback speed. Edited April 2, 2014 by Hougaard Racing Fans Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Arson fire 4,785 Posted April 2, 2014 Birmingham should sign Sundstrom. He's better than anyone in their side. There's a reason he rides in the Swedish Elite League. aye... He's French?? 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bostonian 188 Posted April 2, 2014 Birmingham should sign Sundstrom. He's better than anyone in their side and he's looking for a UK ride. Also.. Why did they get rid of Smolinski? I saw him in the Pairs and he was as quick as Holder and Ward with his straight line cutback speed. Smolinski is only racing in Germany and Denmark so he can concentrate on the GP's. Gone a different way to all the other GP boys but will see if it pays off or not Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gerry1875 4 Posted April 2, 2014 Not being disrespectful to Smolinski, but i do believe he will be seriously outclassed in the GP series, if he makes anywhere near the top 8 then i,m afraid Speedway is going downhill, because there is no way he is up to that class 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
waiheke1 4,295 Posted April 3, 2014 Not being disrespectful to Smolinski, but i do believe he will be seriously outclassed in the GP series, if he makes anywhere near the top 8 then i,m afraid Speedway is going downhill, because there is no way he is up to that class Of course everone said that about tai last year. If smolinski majes top 8 it will be because he deserves it and has improved to world class. I think he will finish 15th though. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
g13webb 4,254 Posted April 3, 2014 How can anyone feel sorry for Phillips? He put this side together along with Dury. As soon as it was announced the World & it's wife said it was an absolute abysmal team. I believe Birmingham only held it together last season because of Phil Morris's enthusiasm for the sport. As harsh as it sounds, the Birmingham management only have themselves to blame. Clueless is the only word to describe the way they're running the club. The only people to feel sorry for are the fans That's a bit harsh! so easy to be judgemental when on the outside. It has been so obvious the financial implication has dictated the team selection and for that reason, one has to feel for the Brummie team and fans. Not everyone can be winners, and Birmingham are no alone, in that they will not win the league. Their fans will appreciate that, but the pill that is harder to swallow, is when there is no effort from the team. when that happens you have to question your own indulgence. I sincerely hope Birmingham survive these trouble times... 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
semion 2,192 Posted April 3, 2014 I think any Genuine Speedway fan should feel for the Brummies. Havent we all ( Poole fans excluded of course) been there ? I remember at Lynn In Waggys last season there. Use to turn up in blind hope for just an odd win at Saddlebow. It really was a poor team, and all the fans knew it from the start. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Had Enough 233 Posted April 3, 2014 (edited) Looks like Adam Ellis will be top of the Lakeside averages at this rate. Draft riders don't get averages :-) Although it seems he was on the pace and was racing with Nomark in 14, Ellis's points were scored against Lambert & Starke. Hopefully though, the boost in confidence he's getting will result in some bigger scalps. Edited April 3, 2014 by Had Enough Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
