Leaderboard

Middle of June and I have seen Poole race in person just once. Years ago, I wouldnt have missed even a single meeting. Did that for around 25-30 years. Last week I had intended going to 4 meetings in as many days. Incredibly, there would have been 7 guests! Complete and utter madness. I accept injury cover,but I do want to watch each teams declared riders racing where possible. None of this 'because his Swedish,Polish,Danish' club needs him. WE need him. Get out of the FIM. End of. Poland seem to be pulling all the strings. That makes everyone else their puppet. Cut the strings then they have no one to manipulate. They wanted Sundays, they got it.Now they want every other day as well. So do Sweden and Denmark. UK now has so little speedway on days when the fans can freely attend, home or away. We dont need the so called 'big names'. Well, at least they dont need us, so get rid. The Provincial League did it all back in 1960 and arguably saved British Speedway. We want our declared 1-7 to be there week in week out. Give us back OUR teams. All the others get theirs, but not us. British Speedway is being raped by the Polish lead FIM. We need to stand up and be counted. Neil Vatcher,grow a pair and stand up for British Speedway. Stuff them.

The problem the clubs have is the large cost of having a meeting postponed after all the riders and staff are present. If a meeting is rained off we have all seen posts wanting to know why they didn't cancel earlier, very often those posts are from people who also object to an early cancellation! On the other hand we have all seen forecasts that show dreadful weather and the club cancel early only for the forecast to be proved totally wrong at which point the posts flow saying they were wrong to cancel so early! Seems the promotions are damned either way!

And you would be happy if two teams full of guests plus r/r plus juniors raced against each other. Throw in the dodgy weather and that would really draw in the crowds. Do you really want scunthorpe to join the ranks of former speedway tracks.

I do t think and die hard are enjoying them selves. I'm certainly not. And I'd say all die hard know the sports on its knees. Trouble is Pearson/BSPA actually think all things are rosy. They need to start looking inwards at the sport from a fans perspective and not outwards from a biased perspective

A key issue is whether the fans would turn out given consistent awful weather forecasts.

i remember him when he was a midget gem .

2002 and 2003, best prospect around at the time.

Give it a rest, its like the record that is stuck over and over again, we get it we have only read it several hundred times.

whats the score? can have a cheeky bet then......

No! You said they should have been told to race this Friday. Sadly riders are self employed and this Friday wasn't on there list of dates. It is safe to assume that both Glasgow and Newcastle wouldn't have been able to field there full team hence why they allegedly said they couldn't come. Scunthorpe have injury problems and as another poster said the track has taken a pasting from the weather hence why they appear not to be keen. Do you get it now

No doubt you`ll be first in the queue with your £10.

Regarding guests and R/R on a FRN. I think most know my take on it. Every club just ride on there preferred day and get on with it.

You might have a bit of a wait because it's not July yet.

Exactly, if the supporters cup doesn't get priority why schedule them on a day knowing that riders will not be available.

Yep, be glad when the supporters cup is done so we can have a full team back! Shame they can't have all the cup meetings on Monday's.

The major problem is that because the clanger was dropped in signing him at the start of the season it allowed the other decent 2.00 riders to be snapped up, the remaining are either not quite ready (but would benefit from the experience) or doing NL only and have deals sorted for next season already. Fortunately the limit goes up to 40 soon so will be 3 and a bit points available to replace Phillips with......lets see if that actually happens?

Not quite understanding that one, Bellego will be at home watching Eastenders

All of those are capable of winning a GP. Had he not perked up in recent years, people would have had Lindgren in the same bracket. Ditto Andreas Jonsson before he had a stormer of a year and finished second. Did you also find it a bit samey when riders like Phil Crump, Shawn Moran, Soren Sjosten, Chris Morton, Kai Niemi, Jan Andersson make lots of world finals and not win any? That's sport, not everyone can win, but you need those contenders to fully appreciate the winners. A few years ago, all those sprinters had no chance against Usain Bolt, but seeing the best of the rest trailing in his wake is what made the spectacle.

This may sound daft, but I think he was actually past his best when he won it. Certainly in the mid-to late 70s, he would have a strong case for being in the world's elite. After that, I think he was on the fringes at best. There is scant evidence from World Speedway in or around that time, except for the Norden World Final which you can hold up as evidence that he was one of the very best. It was just that everything was geared up for a Muller win for that final - his superior GM machinery, access to practice on the circuit, input into track preparation. He was also effectively seeded through with a place reserved for the leading German from the much easier continental rounds. Aside from those who battled through from the tougher (intercontinental) half, I'd have the Moran bros, Knudsen, Crump, Andersson, Schwartz, PC all above him at that time. In short, the 83 championship is probably the poorest example to choose if you were still advocating the one off World Final as the best model. For me, a backwater venue, a daytime lack of occasion feel, a tailored track and a result that didn't accurately reflect the very best in the sport, that was the beginning of the end of the World Final right there. Certainly 20 or even 10 years earlier places like Bradford, Pocking, Vojens and Amsterdam were unimaginable as World Final venues, but after Norden, the bar had been forever lowered.

Only a supreme optimist would hold out much hope for almost any meeting over the next 3-4 days if forecasts are to be believed. Some seem to think that if it's not raining at "tapes up time" all we be OK and you can just ignore 24-48-72 hours of rain and that track staff can just prepare a track at the click of a finger. I'd rather when weather is as bad as it seems in a lot of places, commonsense prevail and decisions be made the day before if the track is clearly not usable and no later than 10am on the morning as that stops all unnecessary travel and expectation. One thing you an't control is extreme unseasonal weather.

i'd say he has a fair argument to be first reserve for the final

As I’ve said before he’s in it to make money and therefore home defeats and struggling teams won’t work. Wins and Play Off qualification will. To that end I’m not sure why he wouldn’t treat all three the same. Agree about him being incapable of reforming our sport but it’s the same for pretty much all of the current promoters. It needs a completely fresh approach but anyone who has tried that in recent times has been forced out by the old boys club.

Make sure you don`t tell them that the race last`s a minute.

Like many of your posts take a good coat in october

Now now peeps. Lets not split hairs.

tomorrow? id rather he guested on thursday.....

Willie Lawson.... he was a Gem.....

nigel pearson does a darn good job trying to promote our sport at every opportunity

The plot thickens! are u saying it was called off soon last week due to guests and r-r and not the weather?

Holder didn’t look comfortable on track.

Nothing worth reading......

It's not the fans fault Col, speedway itself has to change to bring back the fans, the product has to be enjoyable. So stop blaming the fans, the sport has to earn the loyalty of the fan

After our previous conversation you would be well within your rights to call me a hypocrite if was to mention that wouldn't you .

Think this will be a very very tough test for us against the team i believe will be champions Last time we won by 6 but Ellis, Shanes, Zach and Lampart only got 10 between them I would expect Ellis , Perks, Starke and Jensen to score much more I will gladly take 3 points now by any margin

Speedway clearly is becoming so devoid of interest ( even off track between matches ) that only "the crack" counts.

Like watching the 'magazine' programmes on NSPORT and ELEVEN... Both showing tonight, one live and one from yesterday.. Not a clue what they are saying but great to watch the race highlights and key moments from those races.. Presents the sport so professionally... Can see why major companies want to be involved to sponsor it..

Reasonable planning would dictate that you acquire the shale as soon as possible (and cover it over) so that it can be laid as soon as the grading has been completed. The next excuse will be that “we can’t get the right grade, type, consistency or mix of shale”.. Sorry to be boring but we’ve heard it all before.

I don't see any alternative. I've stopped keeping programmes but my recollection is of his scoring quite heavily round BP within the last 2 or 3 years and Roy offering the view that he couldn't join us because we run on Sundays: however if I'm wrong about that, I apologize. My recollection is of him and the Australian Scott Smith doing laps in the second half around that time.

Lahti 4th at Abensberg and misses out. Should be 4th reserve now on the sub list. Bugger!

Hole aint big enough

Feel really sorry for Timo Lahti missing out because of the wildcard rule.

Still say cost is not the issue, but the product itself that is the problem, fans have fallen out of love with the way speedway is run and presented

I just think the club as been poorly promoted in the last two or three years and i know some people will say i am just criticizing but tha the way i see it

Or... Allow the second and third best riders in the team take all his four rides between them..? Unless the manager thinks someone else might score more..? All riders below the No1 should be able take as many of his rides as needed up to a max of seven each per meeting.. At present the two Second Strings are scheduled to take two of his rides, which isn't much of a plan..

40 years on, what an awful day. I knew it was bad on the night and remember seeing the news report in the paper. Sad day for Steve Weatherley also should be remembered. RIP Vic

Correct.. There should be some clear demarcation between every league. (If they want to keep three leagues going forward?) You improve and become the best at that level then you move up.. You go backwards and can't compete then you drop down a level.. A natural order of things.. If you look at the top fives in the PL then all are pretty similar standards wise, (and have been for donkeys years), therefore why not run with five man teams until enough riders are available to ride at that level and add another if it suits... The Premiership should be the aspirational level.. The Championship the one that holds those who still wish to climb to the top step, or are happy with their lot. And the NL the breeding ground for new talent, of any age.. Running with five men per team will hopefully lead to excess riders too which puts pressure on those holding the positions which can never be a bad thing. And it will also keep salaries in check as well as providing injury cover credibly.. Still let riders double or treble up as their ability allows until enough riders fill the teams. Ensure no clashes of fixtures but the higher league will have priority if it happens unavoidably.. The UK seems to have a much better pathway now for young riders to progress. Be a shame if they are just thrown in at the deep end before they are ready without any support if they struggle to swim..

Not sure what other sports have to do with it . The bottom line is Muller only made World Finals due to a stupid and unfair system .

Sir Shoutalot at his very loudest last night His screaming every time there's an exciting race is getting more and more childlike by each meeting Is there not a decent professional commentator available for UK TV coverage?

British speedway should have come out of the FIM years ago and done their own thing. The FIM have never been interested in the sport this side of the channel