mikebv

Not great planning is it? Anyway, let's hope Emil gets signed off by the BSPL....

It seemed quite clear in the SS article.. "All riders are self employed so can ride wherever they want" was the gist... Cannot see how anyone can prevent a "self employed" person from working elsewhere alongside any other current jobs they have, unless of course, an "exclusivity deal" is built (and paid for), into the contract... I have 230 people who work for me, all with a contract, but all free to work elsewhere too.. I can suggest that "company x" "might" not have the same legal coverage as I have, but I cannot stop them going to work for them.. I also have plenty of companies come in and use my property to advertise their products, but they sign legal waivers to do so, meaning my business has legal indemnity if anything untoward happens on my property towards staff, customers or premises, resulting from their presence in my store...

Stockport now ride on the Offerton track... My lad rode for them for a few years until his football took over... A great sport which encourages fitness, resilience and a will to win... All valuable traits you would want to take forward in life...

Speedway did get over a million a year from Sky, for circa 20 years.. And ended up with absolutely nothing to show for it.. And, as soon as the money stopped, the worlds best (who basically swallowed up this cash), all "Foxtrot Oscared" to Poland... As a follower of RL, there is a certain synergy with Speedway in the narrow minded, self interest that pervades at club ownership level.. With the "greater good" for the development of the sports organic, long term, general growth, often taking a back seat, (if indeed in the car at all).. Sports such as Cricket and RU realised that no team itself, no matter how successful, would generate national interest, but that a consistently successful national team would.. Hence central contracts came about, the teams became more successful and the domestic games prospered off the back of it.. In the 70's it was watching England's Speedway team on TV during the summer months on Saturdays, beating the rest of the world consistently, that hugely helped swell the domestic following... This country loves a successful national sporting success story, so let's hope GB can build on their current high performance levels for another five years or so, as that could really kick start wider media coverage, and boost the domestic product off its coat tails...

And it also made one million percent clear in the article that "all riders are self employed" so cannot be stopped riding where they like... Which opens a can of worms re the asset system I would suggest... Can you be "self employed" but "owned by somebody?"..

What an idea for some great publicity... A rider with a helmet stood on the centre green with a load of fans there shouting "Take it off!, Take it off"..... With Jonathan Ross sat in the stands saying it was "definitely Mick Poole"....

Ipswich are the team who can generate the largest crowds I would say... Good Friday seems to always bring probably the largest domestic crowd of the season anywhere outside of the play offs.. I seem to remember over 4000 being quoted, and that wasnt actually too many years ago... With circa 3000 more recently...

I have always thought Tai's idea of only needing to do home matches had some mileage.. RR then away from home for your "global superstar"... That way the track can give them the "big money" knowing that they won't be paying for the away leg from that meeting. "If" Dudek wanted £5k a night then a track could give him that without having to pay another £5k for the away leg out of their gate money.. If every track had a global star, then you could then advertise the whole of the sport off the back of having "The World's Best" riding over here, without threatening the clubs' sustainability...

Most plan, I would think, to run at an "affordable loss/tax reduction on a wider business", therefore running "below break even" is almost "par for the course" for many.. Workington's issue was four fold... The actual size of the home wins... Too many "unexpected" away wins, and, again, some by wide margins... A change of race nights so "guests" were available for everyone else who ran Friday's... And too many consecutive meetings, too close together, at the end of the season, meaning, even though they were often semi finals and finals, fans picked and chose which ones to attend due to cost.. I do hope Ipswich can get Emil over, and I am sure all will have been costed and funded as Chris Louis seems quite a switched on promoter... Emil will definitely put a fair few extra hundred bums on seats at the away tracks, (first visit anyway), and, hopefully, will put Ipswich high up the table all season , thus keeping their punters interested enough to keep turning up at their own track after the initial "novelty value" has subsided...

The downward spiral of the sport certainly began with the demise of WoS.. By the end of the show though, the USA and Danes had taken over the British sport which didnt attract the same "floating" number of viewers who had become enthralled by watching the likes of PC, Mike Lee etc beating the worlds best, and in often exhilarating style. And they often got to see 'England" rule the roost over the rest over the previous 20 years or so at a time when England as a nation didnt exactly win very much other than the odd Eurovision song contest... RIP Dickie Davis, one of those presenters who made everything look effortless and natural whilst live on air..

Not true... Lambert already on stand by for the Aces which will rule him out for the rest... "He's one of our own".... #aceslegend To be honest, I thought they would have retired the No5 Kevlar in his honour...

Post... Well done.... No one will know what impact such things will have...

Should be worth watching though at home... Never a bad thing for the Colts to get pushed close at home, as it keeps interest in the meeting... The racing is always good so a close score too is real value for money.. Not familiar with quite a few of the lads mentioned so it will be worth a trip to see what they are like..

Didn't Sheffield use up THREE of their allowed TWO changes last season?

Fandabidoubledozi...

Surely they should just treat all riders the same and use the 10 match rolling average rule? ie you dont get an official average until you have completed ten matches meaning your "assessed average" is dropped as soon as you start your 11th meeting... And if clubs want to replace a "new rider" before those ten matches, then his actual average (not including his assessed figure), up until that point is used.. It would mean that riders who maybe dont start too well, and drop their assesed average will be less likely to get replaced before they have had a fair chance to show what they can do.. And riders who do start well and score above their assesed figure, but get injured, provide the team with a higher figure to get replacements in with.. It seems daft to reward failure but dissuade those who could do well, from riding, which currently happens.. If I was any good and came in towards the end of season, I would be crap for the first 4 matches, get my average down, and then open up the table for my offers for the following year.. A "wunderkind" going from a 3pt to a 1pt average would name his price.. But a club wouldnt allow ten matches with him not scoring well.. Unless, of course, they already had given up on that season and were looking towards the next..

Geoff wanted everyone who had "shot putted" for Great Britain in for free to watch... But David Vine wouldn't allow it....

The Poles want to nurture his talent by giving him an opportunity to show what he can do.. The UK on the other hand, doesn't... A strange way to develop your sport by allowing "young talent" to sit on the sidelines... And. No doubt. If he develops into a genuine top level rider in Poland, many within British Speedway will then be moaning that the Poles are out of order dictating when and where he can ride...

Similar thoughts...

I thought that "nomadic clubs" from "defunct tracks" had been banned from competing...?

Ironically... "Made up Speedway Teams" are not allowed, even though "Made up Speedway Teams" are an integral part of the operating model...

Slough Sliders.... One for the teenagers there....

Nice wide, more circle than oval, track Dan B should enjoy himself around there. Jensen too...

And some contracts (maybe all?), contain a clause that any injuries sustained in other leagues will result in no payments and/or return of monies paid up front... Was it Nicki P that published his with that clause in it a couple of years ago?

Fnaaaar, Fnaaaar.. Gwop! Gwop!... I will have to take you in hand Mr Gimlet etc etc etc..