Halifaxtiger

Frozen certain important parts of my anatomy at Isle of Wight on occasion so its not just in the north that it gets cold. Truth is, unnecessary delays are not welcome at any time. Never met a fan that likes intervals and have met many that do not. Apparently, the riders just want to get on with it as well. The only time they can be justified is when other attractions take place. Isle of Wight, for example, have a nippers running race that is part of the show for them. I think clubs are learning about it. Somerset didn't have an interval last night and Workington seemed to have dumped them, too.

Garry May made the point last night that if any track is like NSS, its Somerset. He's right. However poor Cook was at Leicester, he was just sublime last night. Not once did he enter the first turn in front and to pick off the likes of Doyle and Holder on their own track had him at his very best (the only criticism I would make was that he could have been a bit more ruthless (as Doyle was)). You could tell from his after meeting interview he was pleased, both with his own performance and that of the team. Whatever the case, it was a cracking meeting in front of a very decent crowd with credit going to both teams and Somerset Speedway.

Cook said last night at Somerset that he was riding for Glasgow because the Swindon match had been re-arranged.

I was going to post but you two gentleman have said everything I wanted to

And long may you continue to do so. I have found reports given out by individual fans to be of huge value. Where the reports that clubs give out are concerned, its a question of trust. I went to King's Lynn a few years ago for a Young Stars meeting and it was called off due to rain. By all accounts (apart from theirs) that simply wasn't true. How can a fan 'defer' to the club website (to be fair, this isn't just King's Lynn) when we know they are more than capable of lying ?

Its not as though they are replacing him with a 30 year old from Hungary. Connor Mountain is just 20 and, with respect to Lawlor, at this stage a far better rider.

Not Pickering's track at all. Last night was light years away from a brilliant performance he banged in at Scunthorpe - where you can pass inside or out - recently.

Met Office now say stopping late morning, with maybe a bit after. If they are right (and they often are not) should be on.

Quite possibly because they were long on promises and slow on delivery. I don't recall any questions being raised last season and you don't become a bad team manager overnight.

Word I got was that they were long on promises and short on delivery.

Its a consequence of the appalling, selfish actions of the BSPA I had not thought of - and this may not be the last occasion, either. Speedway descends yet lower - if that were possible - by forcing a club to change the dates of their fixtures and when they do, denies them a proper facility for riders absent as a result of the change of dates. Defies description

Unless you don't have a track, that is. I find that people tend to defend their track from attacks by others rather than say how good it is.

Someone who hasn't been to Belle Vue. In the 30 meetings I have seen there none has been average (never mind poor) and the overwhelming majority have been outstanding. Of the 80 meetings I saw last season, 3 of the best 5 were at the NSS.

I must admit I didn't see that. I thought it was a cracking meeting and a superb advert for NL speedway. The Colts did better than I expected but the Fen Tigers young talent showed through in the end, aided by some furious determination when the chips were down. I'd give a shout to Sam Bebee on that issue. Under huge pressure from Paul Bowen in heat 14 (a rider with far more experience, especially of the NSS) he refused to give in in the battle for a point. In these days of savage self interest within the sport, its brilliant to read the comments made by James Easter and Phil Kirk about the way Mildenhall were treated by Belle Vue.

I think there has to be a reasonable belief that riders can pass. If that's the case, then close racing is excellent. If not, then its rubbish. The problem with Lakeside is that many are prejudiced about it and that's unfair. I have said before and no doubt will again that I have seen some very good racing there. In my experience its better than Ipswich, for example.

I don't think they can do that. There simply aren't enough riders at NL level and even if they change the rules and allow more current Championship riders I still don't think there will be.

I have heard 16. 12 means that no less than 6 will be forced to close and that's hard to imagine.

I'd agree, although I suspect Riss will be slightly stronger, particularly away. Very surprised anyway.

Incompetence is one thing, self interest is another. This is far more about the latter, and that's much less forgivable.

That might be your view. I merely suggested that if you do use words like that you are asking for a ban. Merely being critical is usually enough to get you thrown off.

To turn the argument around, you'd think that a reputation as an utter incompetent would become common knowledge and the person concerned would never get another post anywhere, wouldn't you ? This is what Peter Mole had to say in the Sheffield programme on Thursday : 'I must express my thanks to Laurence Rogers for stepping in on both occasions (as team manager at Sheffield's meetings at Peterborough and Lakeside) and doing an excellent job.....and his decisions and motivation of the boys was spot on'. Contrasts rather starkly with some of the comments we have, doesn't it ? Courage to air their thoughts' ? You mean stick the boot in on a public forum after someone else had raised the matter hiding behind a pseudonym. Very brave, that. On the other hand, I have chosen to stand up for someone I count as a friend because I believe that he is being harshly and vindictively treated. I have done so alone and in the face of every other comment on this thread. I'll let others decide which of us have shown the 'courage' here.

Par for the course on an official forum. As long as you are praising the club to the skies you are OK. Anything critical - however fair or reasonable - and you're history. Mind you, 'clown' and 'liar' are undoubtedly abusive and if your posts are couched in those terms you are asking for a ban.

I think we can get away with 6, Bob. After all, it happens a lot anyway. 5 I am not so certain about.

I have heard 5.

First of all, I should say that I count Laurence Rogers as a friend and have done for many years. Might be seen, then, that my remarks are biased. Then again, I doubt if they are much more prejudiced than many of the comments made on this thread. Interesting that a King's Lynn fan chooses to comment on an incident that took place 15 years ago. Bearing in mind that his promoter is now presiding over - and some might suggest help to create - the worst crisis in speedway that Phil Rising has ever known perhaps he would be better pointing fingers about bad practice and incompetence a little closer to home. The sort of disastrous errors he has made - including blowing hundreds of thousands of pounds on engines that no rider wants to buy - make Laurence's failings look positively trivial. A team manager might - and it is a case of might, because the Birmingham website says 'oversight' and 'assumption' - have told lies about a team make up and there are demands for him to be sacked and disciplined. Presumably this is on the basis that no member of speedway management has ever told lies before A mechanic once told me that there is a sure way to know when a speedway promoter is lying : his lips move. Bit drastic, but I suspect we all know where he is coming from so to single Laurence Rogers out here is the height of hypocrisy and almost certainly the result of people with an axe to grind. You should hear what my pals at Plymouth have to say about the commercial marketing of the Devils over the last few seasons, for example. It's not pleasant. One thing I can say for certain : of all the hundreds of speedway people I have met over the years - mostly fans, but riders, promoters, team managers and sponsors as well - no -one is more passionate about and dedicated to this sport of ours than Laurence Rogers. EDIT : One final point : Laurence was never paid any travelling expenses by Mildenhall Speedway.