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Sky were always "very pleased" with the viewing figures they got, particularly in the first ten years or so.. Often they would easily hit well over 100,000 for the GP's and high 80's and 90,000's (and more sometimes) for domestic racing.. BT delivered circa 50 to 60000+ last time I looked at their figs on BARB which, for them, was also more than a reasonable return, and often would beat their round the world sports and non Premier League football.. I think with Sky it was just the cost of the OB to show Speedway, especially at a time when they had paid out zillions for football, that made them decide to pay up the contract and move on to other sports like Netball which I presume is cheaper to produce and definitely has no weather threats to it taking place.. Speedway's following on the TV though certainly punches well above its weight in relation to its 'live' following I would suggest... Which does make it all the more frustrating to he honest when you see hardly any effort to sell itself when the TV cameras come to town. There is obviously an interested and curious market out there for the sport, sat in their armchairs, so maybe doing more to hide the huge swathes of empty stadia that take 'centre stage' most weeks at the live meeting, and fill the space with fans or advertising, would be worth considering..?

Had you missed naming one of the streets on your map after him then?

Thanks. I wish I hadn't asked now.

Mrs D C-B also was a Cycle Speedway supporter / sponsor as shown. The trophy is currently being restored.

Quality, the clique I refer to is BWitchers mob and I certainly don't suspect everybody that doesn't agree with me is in his clique, but those that defend him definitely are. Your comment suggested that you are one of those. I don't do the 'last word' thing and this is 100% not a last word you clique member

Personally think it’s a good deal 19 heats of speedway on a great track with some quality riders in and the innovative use of 250 riders as part of a 9 man team. It’s a great way of extending a meeting and making the kids feel part of the team can only be good for the future. Maybe this could be part of the bigger picture when the NDL is back next season.

What are you doing on here then!

Nobody has been aloud in for God sake

I attended the SWC at the NSS a few years ago and originally had standing tickets for the first bend, however, upon arrival at the turnstiles we were offered seats on the fourth turn.. Me and many, many others took up the offer... The reason? Well it wasn't the organisers being charitable, it was simply that this section would be more in view than any other part of the stadium, as they showed every start from that camera (positioned directly above our original standing place focusing down the home straight).. They understood how important having a "full stadium" looks to the casual viewer, and the event's sponsors, if you want to grow your product in the ensuing years.. Quite often when the Aces are at home the camera angle at the starting gate (hand held from the centre green just in front of the tapes), shows rows and rows of empty seats interspersed with the odd one or two fans.. The circa 1800 seats are usually around 40 to 50% full on a TV match so there is still approx 700+ fans sat there, yet if you looked at the TV "plenty of empty red seats" would be your over riding view of the place.. Putting these 700+ fans together (for one night only) in line with the camera angles would only improve the overall positive view of the sport from those watching at home.. And any seats left empty would all be together so perfect for being totally covered with large advertising banners for their sponsors, or large adverts for the next meeting at the place with contact details etc.. I am sure for the 'odd time' fans would understand getting moved 'a bit' for the good of their club's long term marketing plan.. It doesnt take much to make something look far more popular than it actually is.. It often just takes a little bit of positive creativity..

You might think that but BWitcher’s just PMed me to say I’m definitely not part of his clique!

It has always seemed widely accepted that when a club is on TV they will get a lower crowd because fans would rather sit at home because they don’t have to shell out their entrance fee. To me that screams out the lack of value for money there is in attending Speedway. I support Stevenage FC. If we are ever on TV (it has happened a few times) I don’t decide to sit at home and watch, if anything I’m more interested in going to the match live. I’m reluctant to draw comparisons to Premier League football as it is a completely different beast but the majority of games are covered live or given extensive highlights yet it is rare to see many empty seats at these games. There is no substitute for attending a live sporting event, yet the numbers watching Speedway on TV don’t seem to correlate to the numbers who appear to walk through the gates to watch meetings in the flesh. I can’t see that being anything other than a promoting and cost to the punter issue. WWE use a technique with their TV shows when they have empty seats in which they move as many people as possible to the seating that their hard (main) camera faces. This gives the impression of a packed arena. It wouldn’t be a bad idea for Speedway tracks to do something similar when the TV cameras are in town. A track like Sheffield, or Wolves, where fans can’t stand on the back straight would surely be better served having the cameras set up facing the main stand where the crowds are packed in as opposed to in the main stand facing a desolate, empty area.

Michael Michelsen replaces Martin Smolinski in all 8 GP`s

Neglected, is how I would describe it.

I agree with Steve!! This never happens. Sandhu shut Coventry down, whatever Matt did or didn't do, he didn't shut it down. He apparently tried to help to keep it open. Only people with other issues they have with Matt blame him for it.

Hmm, I'm pretty sure Sandhu did that.

Not that you are biased in any way of course.. TBH I rather have Matt in charge of the club I support than the terrible threesome of Sandhu, Trump and Horton!

Reckon Premier Sports think EPG means every programme (is) guesswork.

You've led a very sheltered life, Steve!

I'm genuinely sorry to hear of the circumstances of your father's death ianb, however having now read the full exchanges on pages 21 and 22 it's clear that Bwitcher was referring to flu and not your father's death.

Another clique member methinks.

This section of the forum is rapidly plummetting to the childish standards of the main British section.

he named 15

You're right, that paragraph was a general response to all of the day' posting's, not meant to be aimed at you personally. I should have placed it in a separate posting.

The same. I guess we move in more civilised circles.

Only the xGoals clique.

Never a fan of Shirra but a briilliant tactical ride! Out foxed Ermolenko.

Of course there is something to reply too. You have claimed 'more cobblers'. Do explain what is 'cobblers'. Let's here your reasoned opinion, backed up by supporting facts why my post was 'cobblers'. Once again, I am uninterested in 'having the last word', which is why I am inviting you to expand on your 'cobblers' statement.

REDCAR REWIND from the archives of Tapes Up Productions: The Bears were bottom of the League table in 2016 when the Glasgow Tigers rolled into town but, as you'll see, gave the Scottish side a real run for their money. Thanks again to sponsor Paul Routledge. Tapes up 7.15

Yep he just had too reply.

I went to a grammar school in Surrey, so it was exactly the same for me. In fact, a school friend of mine (he was a couple of years older than me) was Ian Skinner, who captained the England youth team! The only football we had was the "Pupils vs the Masters" annual challenge...

It was much safer than leaving it on the road!

Anderson got 11 and Kurtz 7

Despite being in a rugby league stronghold, my secondary school forced rugby union on its pupils (thankfully, for only one term each academic year; football being the main sporting activity). Wind forward a few decades, and the retirement of its union-loving Welsh headmaster and a union-playing games teacher, and the school switched - very successfully - to rugby league. It's a crying shame many Britons still believe all 'rugby' has to offer is rugby union.

I sensed from the person who told me that as Eleven Sport are showing in Poland- it will be live streamed so that the rest can watch it. Bit like onesport did with the World U 21 championship when Eleven showed the rounds in Poland and we had the meetings streamed via you tube.

Well Polish speedway isn't just about which riders is the most suitable due to merit but there is also allot of politics involved.

If only someone would post the video, we could all sleep soundly at night.

i have a feeling they will be like rocking horse stuff .

They would not be liable to pay rent if the law prevents them from having meetings. Tenants as such could not be haemorrhaging vast sums of money, as they are not employing anybody. Areas where they could have lost money is if they paid out signing fees/deals up front, and if they have spent monies on their racing equipment like air fence panels, start gates, office upgrades, replacement equipment like tractors and graders/blades as well of course with new shale, which would then be new investment for next season.

Bwitcher is right about Covid and he has given compelling arguments, citing government figures. Those who argue with him cite opinions, not facts, and consequently they are poor debaters and ultimately resort to insults rather than admit that they are wrong.

And I think he should lay off the Covid stuff and stop being an obsessive bully. Saying "having an interest in numbers and figures doesn't automatically make someone Rain Man" could be interpreted as being pretty offensive in itself and shows a complete lack of understanding of Autism. You've watched Rain Man that's your benchmark? I only ask if he is Autistic as then I could possibly understand his behaviour and adapt my interaction with him. If he isn't then he's just a rude, obsessive, cantankerous man who just won't accept anybody else's opinion or point of view.

You could almost predict who was going to "Like" this post... disagree away, keep it polite, civil and don't be obsessive and bait people I'd say we're a long long way from being "normal"... I don't know if you've noticed but we can't even go to the Speedway! I totally agree with your point about attacking people by calling them mentally ill, I'm not quite sure who has done this though? I have said I suspect he is and I've suggested he see a doctor as I'm concerned for him if he has. I have asked him if he has Autism, which he displays all the signs of, he's not answered that question, which of course he is quite within his rights to do. If you think his behaviour is "normal" and his baiting of forum posters is acceptable that's a sad reflection on you.

Sorry R+R, wildly drifting off topic on a well maintained thread, but it's a subject that interests me Виктор would be the Russian equivalent of Victor/Wiktor. Latvian is the only official language in Latvia, something that has caused some problems/criticisms from the Russian speaking population in the South. From his online presence, it seems that the rider in question spells his name Andžejs Lebedevs, but the most visible and prominent thing on the back of his kevlars recently has just been "AnJ" Most transliterators I have used have taken a name starting with H to the cyrilic Х, which fits with the way that you pronounce the names of Cities like Ха́рьков or Хаба́ровск...And yet in English those get turned into Kharkov and Khabarovsk...I've never really understood how/why the "K" got involved there I always enjoy seeing an online transliteration of a name that has gone from latin to cyrilic and back again but using different rules in each direction. You can end up with some strange results... A simple example is the main speedway City of Russia, Тольятти, which depending on the transliterator used will probably give you Tolyatti, Toljatti or some other similar variant. The City was named after Palmiro Togliatti, so it should really come back to Togliatti, but the transliteration rules going in each direction pretty much make it impossible for that to happen. That's always been a translation that amused me... It ultimately makes sense, but the alternative meaning in English makes it amusing... Probably the more relevant question about those letters is why English still has them. They are completely worthless and could be replaced by others in almost all cases where they are used. Anyway, to get back on topic, the current top 4 in the Ekstraliga seem like they should stay the top 4 for the playoffs if my predictions for results in the last 4 rounds are accurate. Given the fact that I regularly lose when betting on speedway, it's probably safe to say my predictions are worthless

They don't have v because they use w instead and l with a bar gives them w. It's just how languages evolve. Most central European languages, including German use w for v. The Germans pronounce v as f. They probably think it's odd we use v in the way we do. It's only the same as how languages evolve with different words for the same thing.

They're all full of s**t, whatever colour they wear.

Personally i honestly think he has a hard task ahead of him .and that is last thing we want to see is our team disappear.

I'm not Ford's biggest fan and certainly don't agree with some of the suspect antics he's carried out over the years, BUT he's now doing everything he can to save Poole Speedway. So no matter who you are or what you think give the guy some credit. Losing our beloved team would be a huge loss, not only to me personally but to UK speedway. We've lost enough teams in recent years for goodness sake!!

All this stuff is in the past, it's the future we should be worrying about.

Or a parting memento for the fans to cherish I suppose, even being an Eastie fan I hope that's not the case, still looking forward to the usual beating them at Arlington followed by the not looking forward to stuffing at Poole.

New-style Pirates merchandise launched this week shows a lot of confidence. Many items sold out already have to be re-ordered!!!

Comedy Gold even in such sad times, and you don’t even do it on purpose