Halifaxtiger

Not the best meeting I have seen at Sheffield. Easy Tigers win against a disjointed Redcar side. Impressed with Kennedy and big performance from Greaves. Two questions: any idea why Graham Trollope is not doing the track now, and how are the fans going to be accommodated on Championship Riders night now that the first bend can't be used ?

I completely agree about the loss of Derwent Park but, these days, new speedway tracks have to be out of town in order to get planning permission (Scunthorpe, Leicester, Plymouth). Even then its not guaranteed - Kent is a fair distance from major housing and in the middle of an industrial estate but they have been refused a licence to run on Saturdays. That may or may not affect attendances but its something that can't be avoided.

If we had the ready capital, I suspect you and I would even if it was only to shore up an existing promotion (if truth were told, I have already done that as a one time Mildenhall shareholder). I can say for absolutely certain that if one or two in Workington (and possibly one or two outside the town) had the money the Comets would be operating this season. Speedway is anything but alone in being little more than a personal hobby for the owner. According to an article in the Guardian last year, those in charge at Rugby Union Premiership clubs have poured in about £250m. Roman Abramovich has put £1bn in Chelsea. Investing £50 or even £250k in an existing speedway club suddenly looks like peanuts. I really hope - even if it is most unlikely - that the Comets can find some way of making it back. I will miss my journeys to the Wild West hugely in 2019.

You're right, but who would have believed that Leicester, Plymouth & Scunthorpe would have returned ?

Pretty useless if its raining at start time...………...which the forecast said it would be.

Highly entertaining meeting in front of what looked like to me to be a pretty decent attendance. For Redcar, Stewart was highly impressive while Palm Toft's last to first in heat 10 was the highlight of the night. A word, too, for Jack Smith - a battling performance. Newcastle might yet be a much better prospect than some have suggested particularly if Clegg gets going.

I can see both sides here. Both are in the right and, up to a point, in the wrong. Having said that, its difficult to see how Cook's decision is in his own best interests. Obtaining a new PL place won't be easy, I think the point about him being willing to dump sponsors for more money is not unreasonable, no-one else has apparently objected, he won't get the sponsors dependent upon BT sport exposure now any way and at a stroke he's halved his speedway income.

I don't really have an issue with TS or IRR. I have no doubt, though, that the NDL was fine without them.

I tend to agree. There's only one reason to go to speedway, and its not eating. I very rarely eat speedway food because in my (limited) experience it is bloody awful (Tsunami's truly revolting burger at Sheffield probably being the nadir). Isle Of Wight are very much the exception. Then again, if the food is good and reasonably priced why not ? Whatever the case, its hard to argue with Shadders. In almost every case, there is a queue at food outlets before a meeting starts (and usually during as well).

I have had a few bad experiences with speedway food - the rubbish they sell at Belle Vue has to be seen to be believed - so I usually just rely on recommendations. Plan is to do Berwick in May, so I'll take you up on that one .

At the risk repeating myself...……….best food are the Isle of Wight specials. The chicken curry (personally made by Barry Bishop) is the best home made I have ever tasted and the sausage casserole is almost as good. At £3.50 for a plate full with a lump of bread, I usually have two helpings and skip a meal to have it. The only one that came close was when John Anderson was running Berwick. Those burgers were fantastic.

That's the principal reason why they wouldn't take it on. Jonathan Chapman isn't everyone's cup of tea, but I thought he did an excellent job when he took over the Super 7 series. Word is he got booted out partly because of the jealousy his success in organising the sport's top domestic events created.

A very good example of how Isle of Wight work and just how good their customer service is. Its anything but the first time I have heard something of this nature. 'Absolutely flabberghasted' is just about how every speedway fan would feel, but that's a massive indictment of the way the sport is run and its attitude towards those who pay at the turnstiles every week. Simple truth is there is absolutely no reason why that standard of care could not be replicated across the sport. The only thing I would say is that from experience things are getting better. Knowing Barry a bit, I think he could do it. I also think he'd sooner put his head in a pan of boiling chip fat. That's not because of the scale of the problem but because, sooner or later, of the utter lack of support he would get.

I think you're dead right. Question remains, though, would Cook have been treated the same had he behaved the same way ? We are being told that club policy would be identical regardless of who it was. That means booting out your top rider - and the top rider in the league - a few weeks before the start of the season would have led to no more hesitation or consideration than sacking a junior rider in the full knowledge that a better replacement had been banging on your door for weeks before hand. If there are those of us within the speedway world that find that hard to accept its scarcely surprising. I should say that I think Lawlor got the punishment he deserved - based upon the club's statement - and that any other clubs supporters gloating here have no place to. In the same circumstances, they'd be no different.

Is there just a little bit of jealousy in there ? I wonder how many people would sooner have Barry Bishop and Martin Widman in charge of British Speedway than Buster Chapman and Rob Godfrey ? You have it the wrong way round. Cleaning the fence - after I had paid to go in - on a wet day and getting soaked and covered in mud was due to the good will already built up in previous visits (plus the fact that I was helping someone I count as a friend). Feeling valued at Isle of Wight is due to the way that the club treats its fans - or, more accurately, its paying customers. No-one else comes close, and everyone else can learn from them. I should point out that I have been to every track in the country in the last few seasons.

This is fair point but should be put in context with other sports. Most Rugby Union clubs, for example, have been loaned £millions by wealthy owners. According to the Guardian, Roman Abramovich has put over £1bn into Chelsea. Even allowing for the difference in revenues, attendances and almost every other factor, in comparison the investment in speedway by certain individuals is chicken feed.

Absolutely bang on . To me, that's just a matter of good business practice. It says a lot about the way speedway fans are viewed that their opinions are largely ignored by those who should be most interested in them. If I remember rightly, at my last visit you had me cleaning it I think that's the thing with Isle of Wight - the supporter actually feels valued simply because he's treated as though he is valued. There's nowhere else that hits the same standard.

No, you wouldn't

Pity it has to be Championship, because in recommending a club it would simply have to be Isle of Wight. None other even comes close.

I really hope you are right here but...………... That means that the potential and/or ability of a rider are irrelevant when disciplinary action is taken. No matter how important to the team and its chances of winning a rider might be if he breaks the code he's out, and when punishment is decided that's not even considered. Given that virtually every club is desperate to gain an advantage over rivals - and equally determined to stop others getting an advantage - that's hard to believe. Lawlor was very easy to replace - indeed, the club will almost certainly benefit from it. Cook, for example, most certainly wouldn't be, and I think that would be a factor in any decision. It might be me being uncharacteristically cynical but, as Paulco says, that's what speedway does to you.

You should be able to. After all, if there is a code of club conduct then the same punishment should apply to whoever breaks it - regardless of seniority, ability or any other factor. Otherwise its near useless and worse can be seen as merely an inconsistent management tool to punish those who faces for what ever reason do not fit.

The point made by Geoff is not a totally unreasonable one. I certainly think that the effect on the speedway team would be taken into account when any decision was made. To turn your position round, say you had an outstanding starlet almost guaranteed to put 3 points on his average - and league titles are won by such riders - and his replacement was a 2.00 rider who would stay as a 2.00 rider. Can you say for definite that the reaction would have been the same or that it would have been if this were Craig Cook ?

Lets face it, you certainly wouldn't be the only one to be cynical given the information that you had. I like to think I am fair minded, but that my first reaction was that this was an excuse to get rid of a rider and replace him with a far better one. If we are cynical, I'd say that's what actions within speedway have made us. Even now, and even taking into account the circumstances (and its difficult to suggest Glasgow's actions aren't reasonable) there's still a suspicion that had the riders been different so the reaction might have been.

Barry Bishop and his partner Martin Widman do this (Barry usually, Martin is doing everything else ). Thing is its not difficult to appreciate your customers and the worst of it is I could probably cite about another half dozen examples similar to the above. I actually think things are getting better. Belle Vue's Adrian Smith, certainly, is both approachable and personable

Spot on. I touched on it in my post earlier but this is something else the BSPA can't blame anyone else for : absolutely dreadful customer care. A friend of mine and his dad used to occasionally attend a certain track. One day, they complained about the racing surface and were told : 'If you don't like it, don't come'. They took the advice and never went back. That track has now closed, citing poor attendances as one reason. A good friend has attended another track every week for years. Fed up with the poor quality of the racing, he took to the internet and complained. On entry they next week, a member of the track staff sought him out, verbally abused him and said he would get my friend banned from the stadium. The promotions initial response was to agree, but fortunately wiser heads prevailed. When I was told, my reaction was disbelief then anger, because what was proposed was surely contrary to any sensible practice. Had he been banned, 4 other regulars and one occasional fan would have walked out and not come back. I'm no business man, but if it had been me I would have made the member of track staff apologise (and if he had refused I would have sacked him) apologised myself, explained why things were not as good as they should be and invited him to come direct to me in future with any issue rather than using the internet. To really put this in perspective, I went to a meeting a few years ago and it was clear the track surface was extremely poor from the outset and the meeting was eventually abandoned because it became dangerous. I took to the internet and complained. The next time I saw a co-promoter he too was verbally abusive. I haven't been back since. In early 2016, I went to the newly reopened Isle of Wight. The track was in a similar condition and again I complained. Barry Bishop contacted me and said : 'We're really sorry about the track. We are new and learning, and will try hard to make sure it doesn't happen again. We really hope you come back and see us soon, and if you do we'll give you a pits tour and a go on the centre green'. It says everything about speedway PR that I was astonished. Barry has since become a friend, I have been back numerous times and have turned into a huge advocate for Isle of Wight speedway. The incredible difference between reactions is simply down to a few words in response to criticism.