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Before Speedway finally dies a slow death, can't promotors see that FRN is not working and causing financial suicide to many clubs. Speedway should be run on any night/day that clubs think is best to get crowds in.

And if I am correct my cousin Martin Elliott finished last in the last heat, and is proud he was the last rider to officially ride the track

That and grafting in the track shop were the best shifts he put in all season Regards THJ

I also concur (for what it's worth). The makings of a fine team there.

38 has made the product inferior. We need to go 40 points at least, preferably 42.

Not fair... I didn't really know what I was voting for... So therefore, I want another vote.. And I also demand at least three years worth of prevarication before the original decision is finally verified.. Or isn't..... Anyway, just got in, popcorn freshly popped and ready... Good thread this...

Give or take a few quid and notwithstanding the public liability insurance risks for bouncy castles, there are some sound suggestions here. But, it's all pretty worthless if speedway takes place on a school night in the middle of the week. Straight away you are restricting the number of potential customers. Football, Rugby Union, Rugby League, Ice Hockey, Netball, Basketball all have a core schedule for the weekend for this very reason. What makes speedway so special that it expects to entice families out on a school night every week? If ever a sport needed to widen its net, it's speedway. British speedway needs to be honest, cut its cloth and stop working itself around Sweden, Poland and the GPs and go for the weekend crowd. If that means we lose a few riders on the way, so be it. Let's face it, bending over backwards to accommodate riders demands isn't working now. So what is there to lose? You would more likely get greater commitment from riders who put their UK team first and foremost and we got that stronger team identity we all crave. I think speedway works best as a team sport, but I would incorporate much of the above alongside some other track-based sport...sidecars, quad bikes, flat track perhaps and give the families a full 4-5 hours entertainment on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon.

Be good to see Shovvys posts in this section, shame Newport aren’t running anymore !!! sadly, he will bring the dross out of the Poole threads with him like Lisa the full time mummy and Skidmark . Not to mention Starman.

At first I didn't like the look of that team, but having had a long thought about it, I dont reckon it'll be as bad as people are making it out to be.. Auty wont be number 1 after a month, Danny will only improve, Jake is number 1 quality and Simon will mentor Jordie.. Tero had a really good 2019 and feel like he can kick on in 2020, just which TJ would we get

We wanted him as he was on a sub 7 average and knew he would add to it. That's how it is meant to work is it not.

We only signed one fantastic heat leader the other one became fantastic

Who is it causing financial suicide to ? we were told that guests and rr were causing this financial suicide ...Of course if we change back people will then moan about the riders missing and the reason they are not going . FRN has been one the best things to happen in recent years imo.

Good luck with that!!

I seem to remember that you even had 1 of this years team turning out most weeks during the winter helping with track work, cleaning, replacing ready for this last year.

Watching the replay and at no point did Wright have both wheels over the white line

But it's not the same comparison. Moxey can still have a passion about speedway without going to the meetings. How many football fans say they are Man United fans, but never go and watch them live, but may still have an opinion about the club.

But to be fair, even if Moxey went to speedway, it wouldn't change the sports fortunes here in Britain. The sport is on life support here. We can all say the glass is half full rather than half empty, but you still don't have a pint!

Inferior to what ? The PL it’s supposed to be!

Practically they are 100% why Somerset Speedway are in existence, nothing technical about it!

Great meeting with proper racing in most heats,congrats to Leicester on a well deserved aggregate win. I was sat next to 2 Leicester fans whose first visit to the NSS sent them home very happy. Full of praise for the NSS. Come on promoters, give riders tracks that give them confidence to race,and see whats happens to the attendance.

Speedway could learn from chocolate, tasted for the first time how many go back for more chocolate,, chocolate has also moved with the times to keep relavent. Cider did the same, now gin is doing it, it's giving the customer what it wants, by investing in itself and moving on. Speedway needs to be more like chocolate and gin.

Leave him alone; he's on a "roll". You don't "knead" to ridicule him, he just wants a "slice" of the action.

Where does the money come from to attract this sort of team? Attendances overall are probably down, that is not because of a lack of world class riders, maybe a small % is but you would need to quadruple attendance to generate a gate to even consider having 2 world class riders in the same team never mind 6 Poland didn't grow through promoting the sport and offering value for money in terms of ticket pricing They grew from local government backing, tv backing, a shed load of sponsorship, in fact polish speedway could give tickets to fans for free and survive healthily... No TV company will give British speedway the money to compete with Poland, they had that before and failed to utilise it. The next 5 years is all about watering it down as much as possibly year-on-year offering the opportunity for younger riders to progress through the divisions and hopefully after 5 years we have a batch of 16-23 yr old riders who are making up 50% of most teams.

Here what your saying. However, I would think though there are enough fundamental improvements that most fans would sign up for, and by their implementation would make a clear, positive impact to crowds.. Running on the best days/nights for your customers to attend rather than planning your opening hours around your employees availability must see an improvement in crowd levels surely? Also running regularly during the warmer, dryer summer months, when the kids are off school, must deliver better crowds than running in dark, cold, damp October? And running finals staggered through the season must also help with crowd levels and rider availability too, rather than cramming them all in post September on random, cold nights, using guests (which devalue the competition), to beat the season dead line? And finally, running the sport with credibilty and integrity must improve crowds simply as those who don't any longer attend due to amount the contrived meetings put out far too often, would go back to attending again.. As you say, many are the varied ideas in how to improve things on here, some almost wish lists, but these four suggestions are pretty much standard, basic business practice rather than any re invention of the business wheel.. In summary... Open your doors when your customers want you to, at the optimum times for them to use your services so maximising your sales... And then ensure that what they are buying is something they can trust and believe in and want to repeatedly purchase.. Pretty basic stuff..

This picture shows the mess that British speedway has got itself into, by constantly cutting costs and averages. A team full of GP riders from 1-6 with only stead who probably wouldn’t be a heat leader in today’s league. With three genuine world class riders. 15 years later Jason Doyle is probably the only rider who would have a chance to be world champion next season, And that is a big ask with the injuries he’s had. Even the British number 1 doesn’t wish to ride here. And that’s a loss, especially when you see the respect he has for Peter Adams. At the AGM I suggest the promoters should look at this picture and other teams from that year. Ask themselves how they could increase the participation from world class riders. Poland were nothing years ago. And they took the sport to another level by promoting the sport and giving value for money entertainment. TV will always pay for entertainment and well promoted sport. If it’s a value to them. Cost cutting had left the sport without any more cloth to cut!! This is not to create a Poole bashing thread. Just a genuine observation from someone who has become so disillusioned and bored watching the sport that I supported as boy in the eighties.

Bought Aaron from Redcar at the same time we bought Richard Lawson from Workington.

Agree with this comment... To me he took Ully's standing leg and was hard done by... if it was the other way round I would been screaming for all 4 back... however it didn't happen but at the end of the day it's down to how the Ref saw it an Ruff agreed with the Ref on the Barker/Phillips decission which I and many others didn't agree with so ya pays ya money and takes ya chance... Ultimately and luckily it had no bearing on the final result as the best team won over the two legs... If either of those incidents did have an impact can you imagine the bloody uproar on here... and that's before Jenga started stirring the shot... It comes to something when the winning team are still moaning after the event... Regards THJ

And I've been to Reggie Randell's shed but it's what's inside that counts .....

Not this year’s finishing 7 on 43.39 though?

The clutch of fans who post on here, but don't go have always been a pathetic bunch of sad old pricks wishing the sport dead and they have done it for the entire existence of this forum which is about 14 years now. "this time next year the sport will be dead" The desperation for it to happen that pours from some is utterly tragic "I went to speedway so I can say things that will change it" No, you can't and you won't because no one actually gives a idiot that you used to attend but now don't because your persona non grata and things have moved on without you If people acted like this in a pub, they would be politely told to piss off

why are we having a thread discussing what the points limit will be when pooles skidder has told everybody poole know what the points limit is

Jolly fine idea. And what about maintaining such a reduction throughout the year should they stay with their starting team? I think many fans build a sense of attachment to riders over time. The constant chopping and changing will tend to push them away. The feeling that there are riders hiding in a cupboard to be wheeled out when a team isn't winning every week is a bit of a mystery. But then I disregard the "win at all costs" mentality don't I?

Dont feed the troll, much better left ignored.

??? The Barker exclusion could have gone either way. Wright was excluded for having both wheels on the centre green, not for colliding with Ulrich.

Honestly May be because they don't have another 5 names to give!!!! Regards THJ

it certainly used to be .. i worked for Phil Pratt for a bit around '83 and that's pretty much how it was when he was one of the top tuners, and i've also been to Peter Johns shed in his mums garden

I can't understand it either. But I've read people criticise honest newspaper critiques on current day speedway. The journo probably got in for free too.

I can introduce you to Gustix if you wish Pinny?

What are these 'various yearbooks' you refer to? Genuinely interested.

It was Steve. He was a Post Office person, and he left to go down to the Humberside area. Walked around a lot, good voice and content with black hair. I remember he came back for a little while, while we were stuck, Newcastle's own version of the "Guest' system. He was with us though the 90's and early 00's I think. I thought he was very professional.

Two laps Tommy Allen must be nailed on for a team place.

im sure a lot of people will disagree with me . so here goes I believe we will find winning this league will be far more difficult than winning the premiership . a lot of assets we have acquired over the years will not be able to ride for us because of averages and maybe don't want to drop down a league anyway . I also think this league is more of a level playing field . be interesting to see how other people view this just my opinion

When he was at Berwick he was a bit “over the top” with the nicknames ect,but he was very informative regarding the the sport and good filling in between races.

If the suggested team is true don’t personally think it’s to bad Simon lambert at reserve is a good move and with the averages he and Danny Ayers will potentially swap places always leaving cover for Jordan . But for me Thomas Jorgensen is the big if and depending on his fitness could be a trump card . Only time will tell is it March yet

Their probly still there now, untouched. But just leaving your empty glass bottles around on the dog track is totally unacceptable, even in Walker.

As Kent have confirmed they will be applying to join the Championship, and Berwick have confirmed "business as usual" and announced two signings, time to put this one to bed, eh? Good old CVS!

So what kind of state will the NL be in next year? Will it just be a MDL style? It looks like Kent & Plymouth are moving up. Leicester aren't running and uncertainty over Belle Vue i think as well. So out of this years league we have Mildenhall & the IOW. Seemingly the promotion on the IOW have done a fantastic job and have a great reputation now I sincerely hope that they can run in some kind of fashion next season we've lost enough clubs already. We need 3 leagues it's natural progression, if we just have the MDL you can't expect kids to jump from there straight into the Championship it would be too big a step, I hope this doesn't mean we see a number of riders walking away from the sport because it seems like in saving the Premier League it's having a very big impact on the National League.

So was anything about the meeting in the Journal on Monday. I'm an ex Parsons worker BTW.

It will be fine... We put the clocks back an hour yesterday,..

Don't think Ryan will be with us if he is set on riding in Poland too ? Ellis Perks has to be number 1 priority - only getting better