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Oh great ~ just what we needed ~ another negative topic. Why don't you have a cup of tea and then take a walk outside in the sunshine, listen to the birds singing and relax.

At least he hasn't mentioned stock cars! Yet... We all know the sport is in dire straits right now, but I will agree that all the ultra-negative posts from the same handful of posters does get tiresome...

Fine humid weather due for tomorrow. I gather the special 'holes and ruts' squad are all set for the special track prep for The Stars top 2. Also the track marshall with the red flag on track for the rider presentations is being fitted for his protective suit today.

The problem is the plans have had to be altered, yet again, because we've had to submit revised proposals to the council to increase the size of our trophy cabinet.

I remember one of my favourite quotes, a rare piece of BSF wit, when someone said "Garrity has declared himself fit", to which someone else replied "He'd declare himself fit if he had three broken legs."

There are loads on incidents where it is very difficult to determine where the fault lies, first bend incidents are usually all 4 back for bunching but it could be argued someone was at fault.

hi Richard. thanks for your comments. we are all gutted in the potteries to lose the team. I really thought this was going to be the turn around season for the potters and to be fair the promoters have done a great deal of good in improving the old place. alas the team did not quite live up to the hopes and the crowds fell to an alarming level. last Saturday in particular was the smallest crowd I have ever seen there. lets just hope that this Saturday we get a good crowd to send the potters into oblivion with a rousing cheer. whatever the gripes with the management in the past nobody can deny that dave tattum and all his team have done their best but when you are only a tenant you are going to be on a sticky wicket and all of this is beyond his control. so come on everyone lets go out with our heads held high and trounce the lion cubs. come on the potters give it some welly..

It is a rule that should be changed then, if it had maybe the 1982 Penhall/Carter incident would of never arisen there is not a black/white area everyone see's something differently.Just think back to that incident why not have a rerun with all four back ? nobody in the stadium really knew who was at fault that night.The sport was robbed again of a spectacle when common sense could of been applied.

I can see why you picked your forum name

Run it like a proper team sport with credibility? Run it to a budget that makes it sustainable for you rather than reflecting the costs your employees stump up? (Often to assist funding their own individual aspirations) Run it on nights when your customers tell you they can get there, not when your employees tell you they can get there.? Stop sharing employees who see you as the lowest paying employer out of the three they have..? Set an admission fee reflective of what you offer to the public, not one which needs to try and cover ridiculous salary levels which are far in excess of what a sport with such a poor following can ever hope to maintain.. ? A few starters for ten...

I’ve been to Belle Vue more than I have Lynn this year. Like I said, stop trapping off, be a bit more humble and you’ll not look quite so silly.

The stated aim for all Premiership clubs at the start of the season was to operate to an affordable operating budget so as to avoid any more clubs going bust or wanting to drop to a lower league. Obviously an 'affordable operating budget' will differ from club to club due to variable costs and different levels of sponsorship income. Belle Vue have been in the top 4 until the death and reached the cup final. I know a couple of clubs at least that would have been very pleased with that.

Jensen is a perfect example of a rider who was in form, out of nowhere, and available in the middle of the season on an average which was only going one way. However, he is now the perfect example of a rider you would stay well clear of in winter team building. Hes been too good for his own good. Such is speedway.

I've got that one on a DVD and it's like something out of a circus. In the first running Ayres knocks off Jason Garrod and both fall off, for some reason Garrod is excluded. In the rerun Ayres falls on his own, as he tries to get up the two Cradley riders knock each other off half a lap further on. Greaves remounts but thinking the race has been stopped due to all the carnage rides back into the pits leaving the ridiculous sight of Ayres and Phillips trying to push start their bikes half a lap apart. With the crowd laughing their heads off the referee waits for a bit and then excludes both of them for exceeding the time limit thus ending possibly the funniest and most ridiculous speedway race I have ever seen!

The Diamonds are awaiting Redcar's fixture plans that will also include at least the Championship play-off semi-finals (maybe the final as well) before settling on the two home Newcastle dates beyond the end of the regular season, namely the 90th Anniversary meeting as well as their leg of the Cup Final. The one Sunday that the Diamonds want to avoid if at all possible for either of these big occasions for the club is Sunday 6th October for the simple reason that the Newcastle United v Manchester United football match in their Premier League has been switched for TV to a 4.30 kick-off that afternoon at St James' Park and it would be financial suicide to schedule any big speedway occasion that hopes to attract a crowd beyond the speedway regulars immediately after such a huge football game

Never mind George at least he reads it even if he doesn’t like it

The chap with a Red flag shouldn't be On the track anyway. but behind the white line.

Todd Kurtz should be the first name on our list

The answer is provided in an article in Track News Weekly Illustrated Volume 2, Number 2, which stated: North v South Cup To fill in the vacant dates made by the withdrawal of Halifax from the league table a North v South Competition has been arranged, and is to be included in the Third Division fixture lists, with the title of the competition being North v South Twenty-First Speedway Anniversary Cup. The competition will consist of the teams in the third division playing each other in pairs as scheduled below (being divided into a north and south section) once home and away, the winner of each section being the team with the greatest aggregate of race points in its home and away fixture. In the event of a draw the teams shall meet in a deciding match on a neutral track nominated by the Speedway Control Board. The pairings and number of heats shall be in accordance with supplementary Regulation No. 532 in Appendix C to the Speedway Regulations. The final contest shall consist of the winning team from the South Section meeting the winning team of the North Section in one match to be held on a neutral track nominated by the Speedway Control Board and the team scoring the highest points being the winner. Schedule South:- Tuesday, May 11th, Southampton v Hastings; Wednesday, June 9th, Hastings v Southampton; Thursday, May 13th, Plymouth v Exeter; Monday, May 24th, Exeter v Plymouth; Saturday, July 31st, Coventry v Poole; Monday, August 9th, Poole v Coventry. North:- Thursday, May 6th, Stoke v Wombwell; Friday, June 4th, Wombwell v Stoke; Friday, May 21st, Cradley Heath v Tamworth; Wednesday, July 28th, Tamworth v Cradley Heath; Tuesday, August 17th, Yarmouth v Hull; Saturday, August 21st, Hull v Yarmouth.

Good line-up, just a shame its held at Somerset, which takes 2hrs to get there from Cardiff with the Friday afternoon traffic, and crap facilities that takes an age to get a drink , a loo and miss 4-5 heats while doing so like last time , no thanks !! . I'll stick to a nice evening in Cardiff and keep an eye on the updates

All clear and obvious points and opportunities.. But as you say, no chance of anything changing... I do actually think that they probably do realise that their operating model and business plan is crap, but, bless them, they are simply incapable of doing anything about it to radically develop the sport... Hence we will have the same old, same old next season, and the season after, and the season after etc etc, until it all eventually becomes not worth doing as one by one the tracks disappear.. It has simply two clear options.. One. To do a 'Poland' and go balls out to attract the best in the hope fans will come back to the sport. (personally not a chance in hell they could deliver this).. Or Two. Set clear demarcation between two leagues where reaching the highest level is aspirational, with one being a mix of a few professional (but in the main), semi professional competitors, and the other being very much a development league to help supply the top tier over the long term. With all meetings ran when punters can get there not around when riders can fit it in their non UK schedule.. To keep doing the same thing again though surely isn't an option even to those currently doing it?

A lot of speedway fans don't think about things like that, but I have said repeatedly that a lot of speedway's major issues aren't actually speedway related. It's been 27 years since I moved across the Atlantic. In the overall scheme of things, it doesn't seem like that long a period, but looking back, it isn't the Britain I left. People have changed, and the culture has changed. Yes, a lot of speedway tracks have disappeared in that time, but is it just because of speedway? Sadly, there are other factors; things like health and safety, the "need" for more housing, the desire for industrial and other business parks, and of course, the great British NIMBY... Look at the great football stadia that have gone, impressive and atmospheric places that have been destroyed, simply because they were outdated and "uncool". Of course, most have been been replaced, because of the greater finances in footy. Even the great old pubs I frequented have fallen at an alarming rate. Why? Because they are "uncool", and modern society wants something newer and more fashionable. Trouble is, it is not just the venues that have become "uncool", but speedway itself, and the developers are the ones with the pull and the money - and these days, money doesn't just talk, it provides the entire script... Steve

The visibility was getting to be the problem tonight, the riders were not having much trouble with track although it was getting quite wet.The entertainment was pretty good even in Ht 10.Think it was sensible to end it there though.

If you have a crap haircut I believe there is now a little known rule that says no barber necessarily needs to be criticised for it...

Glasgow fans, be honest, was that track worse than v Scunthorpe? Because you’s are saying it was an excellent meeting and much better but it was raining and got abandoned at heat 10? But when you’s got beat v Scunthorpe in 15 heats it was awful?

Yes Eastie are not in the BSPA clique like a number of other clubs and the unwritten rule has been applied.

The meeting on the 14th was Our last Home meeting and the other dates in the programme were there in case meetings were cancelled and had to be run later that's why they are said to be Reserved so no Puzzle as the sale came as a shock to all concerned. I believe Mr Reese has been on to the owners to ask to run the stock car meetings as things were in motion arranging them.Stoke have one remaining Meeting to Run and that is KOC 2nd leg against Leicester at Leicester that was cancelled a few Weeks ago. In My opinion the site will become a Warehouse for a Clothing Firm. So ends a 46 Year Association with Stoke Speedway.

Should be fun then Skidder

The downside is it's the easy option even when it's not so much of a tough call

Speedway World 18th May 1949 reported on 'Speedway in Ireland', with the article referring to a recent meeting in which Santry beat a team from England 39-29. Speedway Researcher has a meeting listed for 8th May with the result being Santry 35 English League 37. However, the meeting on 22nd May had the result 35-37 and it looks likely that the meeting on 8th May is the one mentioned in Speedway World, with the score of 39-29.

Despite the belief that Spurs are a Jewish club . they are no more Jewish than Arsenal or Chelsea.

Great work again Mike. Thank you so much for doing it so well from often scant information. It is much appreciated.

'Not a full bag of chips' ' Penny short of a pound'

I have always thought that it was unfair to penalise a rider and the fans of a race involving 4 riders to be reduced to 3 just because of a incident where nobody is at fault. Having said that Vissing would have still been last in the re-run judging by the rest of his evening but it is a poor rule in my opinion.

I think stoke going, and Cradley in doubt I am pretty certain there will just be 2 bigger leagues with an mdl running beneath it.

Sadly it is THE most easily embraced option for the BSPA whilst "led" by someone who believes he ( they inc. the Deputy ) "have got it right". As you say what will happen is the same old, same old ( or very close to it ) will be served up as being the way forward and tracks will slowly go out of business a few at a time. UK speedway will not exist as a professional sport by the time it's centenary rolls around. Only your proposition Two can be the real way forward.

To be fair what Colin posts is no worse than the utter drivel you write on that dirt extra page. If you could get any further up the clubs rear you’d come out their bellybutton.

I'll give you a few clues and see if you can work it out. Tonight Rasmus unbeaten by an opponent in a match curtailed by rain, last night at Peterborough on a track frequently described as having had a lot of rain and difficult Rasmus was superb. Against Scunthorpe he couldn't turn the bike.

That will be Ostergaard getting into the Glasgow Hall of Fame then,And a contract for next season!!

They'll be denied by the hockey pitch on the infield. Even the bikes are not allowed anywhere near it.

Now the Tigers don't need the points they can let Berwick have 4 points

Bloody hell, not another one. Coventry, Workington, Buxton, Stoke and Peterborough in the future, what on earth is happening. I feel so sorry for everyone connected with all of these clubs.

Correct, you dont an opinion, just a mish mash of letter most of which are totally unintelligible to anyone with any skill of the English language. As I posted yesterday, best left ignored and hopefully he will disappear from the scene.

Never mind Ostergaard can they beat Danny Philips ?.

Nobody should be blocked unless they are abusive. Just because someone has a different opinion, you are entitled to disagree with them, if you cannot be bothered so be it. It brightens up my day when Colin witters on, I think it's great to work out what he's on about.

For me Hyabb win or lose, this year it has been a really enjoyable one a breath of fresh air.I would just love to go back to the continuity of fixtures again and get back to having at least 15/20 home meeting's again.

Best hurry up while there are some track still open lol

Excellent blog by Dick on the website about Saturday nights meeting

Ridiculous statement. You got to be in a race to win it. You can’t do that if you dead, and at that point you just a memory to the fans, and memories fade. The “trick” is to win as many races as possible by putting in as much effort as possible but staying on the bike.

Thank you for your expert opinion Doctor. (Sigh)