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Good luck to Glasgow next season. Brilliant owners who have improved every aspect of the club. They are entitled to pay good wages, & some people are jealous of this. Hope they win the league next season.

Thoughts and prayers with Steve Shovlar at this difficult time.

You got that right! You should see me during the season, sometimes almost tearing my hair out trying to get everything organised whilst also going to work, looking after my parents etc. However, I wouldn't be able to do what I do, or the site be as good as it is without the absolutely amazing team I have around me....they need a medal for putting up with my sometimes very stressy and increasingly desperate text messages! To everyone else, huge thanks for all the kind messages, it really is very much appreciated.

Come on, hurry up and close this down and don't rush back,,,,,, bye bye Some Poole fans will be missed,,, unfortunately a few ruined it for you good ones. When Ipswich dropped down, we had a great time, I'm sure most of you will to.

Shock news in from the AGM: In a major announcement Matt Ford has agreed a deal for the sale of Poole Speedway. Grinning from ear to ear, a half-baked Matt said, “After a year with no one coming forward I was beginning to think that there are no fools out there, but I am pleased to announce that Jeremy Corbyn has taken over the club with immediate effect in return for a year’s free broadband subscription, and he will build upon my success of the last few months”. The team will be called Team GB and it will retain the seven foreign riders that rode for Poole last year in an effort to encourage more home grown talent from abroad. Matt also thanked Jeremy for his advice on the recent Poole “PL v CL referendum”, agreeing that the 10% CL vote should be honoured. And finally he thanked John McDonnell, the new director of finance, and his ground-breaking plan to offer free admission and run the club for as long as possible. ”We hope to get to heat ten of the first meeting”, beamed John. “That would be a result!”

So true, just promise you will pay them.

Sadly the sport as we can see no longer can support the costs that riders need to spend. If the promoters were all running around in Rolls Royce cars with sheep skin coats and big cigars then riders would have a case for getting what we all believe they are worth. The sport has to go back to basics and build from the bottom and that has to include the riders. We have to realise that apart from the very top level that the sport now is a part time sport for riders and unless you have some really good sponsors then you have a job which supplements your income like they had a few years ago. Ive first hand experience of the costs and stresses involved but if something can't sustain itself then it has to change sadly.

Your post makes very depressing reading from a Newcastle perspective, but I think you are spot on Financial "investment" from individuals does not make sense as you will never get a financial return on your investment and your capital will be dissipated over a period of time again with little or no return. Business sponsorship coupled with a source of media income is really the only way this sport can make its way at Premiership/Championship level coupled with THJ's witty quote about someone starting with a large fortune prepared to end up with a small fortune. I suspect Newcastle have been on borrowed time for a couple of seasons and I for one really just pray for a miracle as the prospect of Sunday night without speedway at Brough is unthinkable. Just so sad if we close that the English family in particular along with the whole team (Steve Brock, Andrew Dalby, Roy Clarke, Graham Smith, Dr Jenny Hogg, Lawrence Heppell, Graeme Patterson, track staff, Martin Phillips, Phil Day, Barry Wallace and apologies to anyone I have missed ....) behind the scenes who have put so much into keeping the Diamonds going will have ended their involvement without the fans having an opportunity to show their recognition for all they have done!!

Can't he bring himself to post in the Championship section. Which is where you should be posting now, so run along

As i said just my opinion .shame you dont do opinions other than being abusive to other posters

Shock news in from the AGM: In a major announcement Matt Ford has agreed a deal for the sale of Poole Speedway. Grinning from ear to ear, a half-baked Matt said, “After a year with no one coming forward I was beginning to think that there are no fools out there, but I am pleased to announce that Jeremy Corbyn has taken over the club with immediate effect in return for a year’s free broadband subscription, and he will build upon my success of the last few months”. The team will be called Team GB and it will retain the seven foreign riders that rode for Poole last year in an effort to encourage more home grown talent from abroad.  Matt also thanked Jeremy for his advice on the recent Poole “PL v CL referendum”, agreeing that the 10% CL vote should be honoured.  And finally he thanked John McDonnell, the new director of finance, and his ground-breaking plan to offer free admission and run the club for as long as possible.  ”We hope to get to heat ten of the first meeting”, beamed John. “That would be a result!”

It’s obvious the set up at Glasgow will tempt any rider nowadays,that wasn’t always the case in the past,so good luck to them.At least he will get paid the deal he is offered, which is more that can be said at all clubs(GB and ABROAD).It is also worth mentioning that they can only sign riders up to Points Limit the same as other Clubs.Most Clubs are looking for riders to increase their average,so these type also have an advantage negotiating Terms.

You have to admit the prompt/guaranteed pay, fantastic race track, rider support, excellent sponsorship and fanatical fans make a compelling package compared to many. Given our geographical position it has to be.

Trouble is even if investment can be secured Newcastle will struggle to be competitive and that isn't sustainable. With Glasgow and now Poole money in the mix, a Sunday race night, no access to foreign newcomers and a track that doesn't suit the modern bikes we're always going to struggle to attract riders. With no blame attached to the promotion. The 2019 team on paper was decent but it became apparent that the likes of Worrall, Jorgensen and Bjerre weren't there as a preference. Why the authorities insist that the three league structure is maintainable is beyond me, given the number of tracks which have folded recently. Looks like there'll only be three stand alone National League clubs next season if Plymouth run at that level. You can't cut costs at Championship level because half the riders need to be competitive in the Premiership and on the continent, effectively using the Championship to supplement their priority fixtures. With the reducing number of tracks the Championship needs to be the development league for young British and UK based riders who don't ride on the continent. At that level the costs can come down. But with the likes of Glasgow and Poole splashing cash at this level there's only going to be more closures as the have nots struggle to keep up.

As I posted on the other thread assuming Newcastle run then it's 16 home league fixtures plus KO Cup against different opposition. More fixtures more variety Wednesday race nights (except when away at Kent Somerset and Brum). What's not to like?

There's one thing posting how poor he was and it's another thing being completely disrespectful and disgusting to the lad... Personally I would watch NL meetings at Newcastle because at least the teams would be full of young Brits who want to go somewhere... My experiences of NL speedway was they're the best meetings I've ever seen (Racing wise)... And that includes all the GPs I've been to...

There you go people a thread just for you.Whinge away and leave the other threads to people who still like and enjoy talking about the sport.You have helped drive a good few away from this forum so let us please keep the ones we have left. Thanks in advance I live in hope (well at least until the first reply).

Stefan has not let the Scorpions down but has been beset with injuries(again) & confidence. He is always there at the post meetings in the clubhouse & is honest. I truly believe he is a better rider than Simon, who performed well on his return, with it showing that the sport is a confidence thing, being in your head & on track. I do not think Simon will up his average but Stefan would improve his to around the 6 mark.

It's a sad day when any club leaves the Premiership and in some ways, more so when it's a club like Poole, who have been so successful. If it were my club dropping down it would be an understatement to say I would be very disappointed but I would continue to support them whichever league they were in. Far better to be in a lower league than to close down. I have watched a lot of second tier racing and it can be just as entertaining as the top tier. For some, It can be more a psychological issue knowing that the overall standard of riders you are watching is lower. Overcome that and just enjoy it. I wish Poole and all of their supporters well in the Championship. I have my doubts but I hope that the expected financial savings work out and that crowd levels are maintained, if not improved.

How can the championship now ever be taken seriously when teams do not race each other an equal number of times... it's either got to be once or twice but not some 3 and some four.. absolute shambles

Again, he puts 'what's in the best interest for british speedway' before the best interests of his club .

Boris Johnson has committed free mops for everyone who has flooded and goes further by saying there'll never be a speedway rain-off again and every track will get a mop.

Similar situation to last year when he had a team agreed/pencilled in only for the VOTE of the promoters at the AGM agreed to a lower points level & we had to change riders around.

Really ? Stop a major hobby in retirement for £1, what can you actually buy for £1 in this day & age ?

Well said, racing has been superb last season, and how anyone can say the rest of the team is boring have not seen Cookie, Sam and Connor in action at Glasgow, ( providing they are back) Cookie when he misses the start is phenomenal to watch cutting his way to the front.

In any walk of life you want to work in a happy environment. Hence why he's ended up at Glasgow.

Moto X have 30 riders hitting the first bend, which narrows massively from a wide start and sometimes they crash... Superbikes and Moto GP have 20 or so riders aiming to get the pole position coming out of the start, and sometimes they crash.. Short track has many riders from a staggered start in a race and sometimes they crash. (On UK speedway tracks).. British Speedway with just four riders on track has sadly had fatalities and serious injuries.. It's the nature of Motorsport that there are crashes.. One rider by themselves can crash and suffer severe injury. Having seen 8 man races from two starting points it is very exciting with so much happening over four laps.. And as it doesn't look like any time soon that most tracks can deliver enough exciting racing from four riders to keep the punters coming back often enough, (be it down to track surfaces, or bike characteristics, rider standard etc), then we have to look at the possibility of increasing the excitement value by other means.. Given the 'tenuous' way Speedway is ran as a 'team sport' in the UK, I would suggest most who go regularly attend for 'the racing' rather than the team aspect.. Therefore, focus 1000% on improving the racing as an exciting spectacle which leaves you wanting more...

You could have 4/5 right

Any rider can blast round in a big circle,not all can ride tracks which need skill and throtle control..

It ultimately goes back to a lack of clear demarcation between the Leagues which is driven in so many ways by the vanity of the Promoters 'playing above their level'... Poole are dropping down because they are not making the money Matt Ford wants to make, and many criticise him for it, however, it is 1000% the right decision as a business man.. He could decide to keep rubbing shoulders with the 'top riders' but has decided to cut his cloth accordingly.. Doubling up/down is a classic example of Promoters wanting better riders in their teams than their bank accounts can afford, and is only in place to provide them with these riders who, by the same, need to make ends meet by riding in two leagues.. There should be three clear Leagues based on support and income. With clear differing levels to make them aspirational, not comfort zoned.. League One = Teams who get circa 1000+ on average. £18 x 1000 punters = £18,000 (ex vat equals £14400). @£100 average per point equals £9000 for an average of 90 points home and away. Meaning £5400 to pay other meeting costs. (Not including any other income streams). League Two = Teams who get circa 600 minimum to 999 on average. £15 × 600 punters = £9,000 (ex vat equals £7200). @£50 average per point equals £4500 for 90 points home and away. Meaning £2700 to pay other meeting costs. (Not including any other income streams). League Three = Teams who get circa 300 minimum to 599 on average. £12 x 300 punters = £3600 (ex vat equals £2880). @£10 average per point equals £900 for 90 points home and away. Meaning £2700 to pay other meeting costs. (Not including any other income streams). In the top Two Leagues, individual deals are negotiated but the whole outlay is never higher than the £ per point average in total. And in League Three all get the same 'entry level Speedway' money.. Time to align the Three Leagues for aspirational advancement both for the riders and the teams themselves. As you organically grow then you move up. If you recede then you drop... Each though (riders and teams) 'play at their true level'..

Don’t be daft, they’d need seven.

Just in from Steve Shovlar, precariously balanced on the white cliffs of Dover: “We'll meet againDon't know whereDon't know whenBut I know we'll meet again some sunny dayKeep smiling throughJust like you always do'Till the blue skies drive the dark clouds far awayyyyyyyyyyyy .... “ Over and out.

Richie will be a Monarch in 2020

Ged Rathbone and the BSPA? ( Chairman Rob Godfrey ) no clash there then.

How classy. Pathetic post.

The thing is if Newcastle were forced to make a commitment now they may well throw in the towel and we'd lose another club - and, believe me, if Newcastle lost planning permission at Brough Park there's a good chance they'd never get it back. I do take your point here but given the choice I'd do exactly the same as the BSPA have done and allow them more time. That amount of time, though, has to be fair on Plymouth if (and it is an if) they are in line to replace Newcastle.

To be fair, in Scunny's case you're right. Trouble is they are in the middle of the country so its either Glasgow or Poole. Blame the BSPA chairman

Godfrey said: “One message which has come out very strongly from supporters is that they don’t want things tinkered with, and we’ve taken that on board So there you go. If there isn't enough in the action plan to save the sport, it's YOUR fault.

A club like Poole dropping down should be a warning sign. The sport has lost the likes of Coventry, Oxford, Cradley and Reading that once dominated the leagues. And a lot more before them. Poole are the club of the last two decades. Perhaps Pirates deciding to do this will encourage the sport that the best way forward is to cut costs and plan for what each club can afford.

Nope, he’s the new leader of the Labour Party.

Corbyn has just announced free speedway admission for all and shale quarries are being taken into public ownership. Foreign riders regardless of ability will be allowed free choice of clubs, in line with Labours free for all immigration policy.

The problem is they lowered the standard by dropping down a League and made or more expensive for concessions, not clever. It’s like getting relegated in football and making it more expensive to go, don’t be surprised then by all the empty seats.

Not much but you can spend an hour in the ever-increasing post office queue counting out the one hundred pennies you've saved to hand over

I just hope they bring the green helmet colour back.

Hancock making a return at Rybnik which may mean his wife is getting over her illness.

I am not too sure either to be honest. As I said, it was merely some spreadsheet speculation, pending the outcome of the AGM. And at least I have one team member right, so far...

Riders averages should be capped in the lower leagues. Would be much better racing if you had a two full teams of 6 point men riding against each other rather than Cookie against Danny Phillips

Excellent signing,improving rider who rides Ashfield well.

Nicol looks an excellent signing. Possibly one of the most sort after riders in CL on that average. Decent first signing. Should out 2pts on that average.

Oh no it isn't