mikebv

Buddum tish....😁

Sleeveless denim jacket, worn over a sleeved denim jacket.. The sleeveless jacket will have lots of sew on patches, with 'happiness is 40-38' on at least one of them.. A baseball cap type of headgear is preferred from circa 1985 with an obscure USA surfing company name on the front of it. Camping chair with tartan blanket and matching flask, with a dark blue gola bag worn over the shoulder is optional.

WOW!!! Just WOW!!!! Now that is why we follow this Sport!!!

Craig Cook.... Three years or so ago he spent time with my then 11 year old lad in the pits before a meeting at Brum when the Aces were there.. He made a fan for life that evening... A now 'ultra cool' 14 year old still shouts himself hoarse when Cookie races, and is gutted to see him beat.. A great lad, hope this year sees him make the breakthrough to the very top level... If passion for the Sport and drive to get there is any marker, he should...

I believe a new dart board and three new darts were recently delivered to the Speedway HQ in Rugby so any time soon should see the new rider averages published. .. They would have been published sooner, but unfortunately there has been a slight delay as no blindfold was delivered for the person throwing the darts to wear!!!.. 😆😉

Looks like the tide only came in on one half of the harbour?😂

For me, no rules re when you can use one or maybe two tacticals.. Programmed riders or a reserve replacement can take the 'joker', one only per rider... Team managers will have to pick the right race(s). Could be heat one, could be fifteen could be any... If nothing else, it would stop teams deliberately not winning races to prevent or allow a joker heat..

There are many sports that include "gimmicks" to enliven or enhance the entertainment value. . Power plays, free hits, and bonus points for runs scored/wickets taken in Cricket. Rugby has its bonus points for tries. Three point scores in basketball and even horse racing has subjective weight control to provide a more 'level' playing field.... All are decreed as 'acceptable' mainly because everyone can use them to their advantage... The issue with Speedways 'joker' is it rewards a losing performance (lose a race and score more than the winner?!) and invariably will end up, the vast majority of time, only positively impacting one team with the other not having a chance to use it... Maybe if it has to stay, it should be open to both teams at any time as a true tactical move from the team managers?

Is the tide in or out? 😀

Just the very fact he elicits such an emotional response from you and others says he would be box office for the team and the event... Some will want him to win, some will want him to lose... Either way the Sport gets noticed... Sky and the Premier League love Man United, why?.. Millions of fans want to watch us win, Millions of ABU's want to see us beat,.... A perfect storm for viewing numbers... Better to be hated and adored than be ignored.... ☺

And you just know that some 'non entity' in the sport (who if they walked into a room full of people only their mother would recognise) is sat back, thinking to themselves, "what goes around comes around Tai!"...... The whole thing smacks of a small time attitude for a small time Sport... The most recognised, talented and successful Speedway rider in the Country with a chance to gain the Sport desperately needed National Media coverage?... You would think there would be great synergy there.... Obviously those marketing wizards in the BSPA know better.. (Their track record of success over the past years would confirm it too wouldn't it?)... Get Rory in, if we win they could play a medley of Waltzing Matilda and God Save The Queen. "But they could do that with Tai, he's Australian, he isnt really British, etc etc etc ad nauseam" 😟😞

Speedway in the World Games? What an oportunity for some mainstream media coverage over here, there's nothing like a National Teams success at World level to boost a Sports profile.... Now, who is the ONLY person involved in Speedway the wider general public recognise due to his appearances on National TV and Radio?.. Who is the No1 rider in the British team, the one rider who can compete against and regularly beat the World's elite? Which British rider competing today has won not One but Two World Titles as proof of his ability at the highest level of the Sport?... Well... We don't want him representing the nation do we?... 😩😲😈

Seem to remember Belle Vue winning at Lakeside not too long ago with just three of their own riders.. I say 'Belle Vue', but it obviously wasn't really... Still, nothing wrong with that, because it's in the rules isn't it? So perfectly acceptable.... I think the issue was caused by the meeting being arranged on the same night as the 'Azerbaijani Masters' which took priority......😁

Which is basically saying "I give up on League racing ever being fit for purpose in Britain so I will just watch the Speedway itself'!... And you are most probably 100% right... Speedway can be truly great when you get four riders per heat of similar ability, yet this proves almost impossible to deliver consistently in League racing, therefore maybe the sport should just face up to reality and go 'individual' only? Tracks could run say 16 meetings a year with the sixteen riders earning a an average of £750 a night each as a basic (more for 'top riders', less for 'lower grades') then put up say an extra £10k prize pot for the top four finalists...? £22k a night in total, charge £17 admission and after VAT you need circa 1500 adults to break even without sponsorship.. No guests, no RR, no Mickey Mouse rules, a fixture list to encourage regular visits, and plenty of track time and income for British riders which can only help the National team (and deliver the increased media coverage a successful sporting National team brings). Any rider riding five nights a week could earn well over £3k a week and thats without ever reaching a final... Bang in the odd heavily promoted and marketed 'annual special' at each track where only the 'top riders' are invited, and the prize fund increases accordingly, and maybe both promoters and riders will start to make money...? Bottom line with 'team speedway' is, (like anything that relies on a repeated loyal customer base and their income to succeed), "if you can't do it properly, then don't do it at all"!... As quite simply in the long run, you will be 100% bound to fail..

Which makes it even more frustrating HT.. The racing at Scunthorpe is superb and those 'aficionados' watching will undoubtedly put this first, and turn up every week. . Sadly, the rest of the bollox that British Speedway self inflicts on its competitions will undoubtedly take away from what Scunny has to offer... Credibility and integrity of the competition should be the minimum expectation of a Speedway fan. .... A superb race track with great racing on it then should be the icing on the cake...

Three 'self inflicted' main issues which decimate crowds.. 'Select Teams' can never engender the emotional loyalty needed to follow 'your local team' which is so important in team sports, therefore fans will often give these far too numerous 'contrived' meetings with zero credibilty a wide swerve.. Teams losing at home quickly sees crowds drop. All supposedly start relatively equal but very quickly one maybe two get cut completely adrift and damage not only their own business but the business of the other teams in the league when they ride away... However, instead of being able to strengthen up properly to match the top teams of that season that have emerged, they have to use a half arsed system to try and improve themselves, and invariably replace riders to do nothing but effectively stand still, staying both cut adrift and a continuing 'brand' liability.. And finally running a disjointed fixture list for the benefit of the riders rather than running meetings at opportune times to maximise the crowd levels is a killer if you want to run British Speedway successfully.. Entertainment level and VFM is very subjective so may or may not impact crowd levels dependent on what your view is, however.... These three self inflicted issues definitely do 100% effect attendances negatively, but surely it's not beyond the capability of those in charge to undo the nonsense that has led to these issues going a long way in ruining the sport..? Fix them I would suggest and it can only make a positive difference to attendances..

Basically sign up the low average.... The name of the rider fitting that average will be irrelevant as all won't be available for every meeting.. Let them all ride once then use a choice of good guests for every 'double up/down' fixture clash (and there will be loads).. Surely that won't be allowed to happen though, I am sure those in charge will have another fool proof system devised to ensure the sport doesn't look ridiculous... Just like they always do.. (Bless them)😁 Got to have planned in a conversion rate surely? Wasn't it x1.4 in the past..?

And of course as more than 99.9% of the country don't attend Speedway and they wont know who Holder, Lindgren and Doyle are anyway, it wouldn't preclude them from attending if those three are not there.. Four riders of similar ability, from the teams they are contracted to, in every race. Is the mantra fans want more than anything. Someone winning a race in 58 seconds miles in front of the rest isn't as good as a race on the same track over 62 seconds where winning is still up for grabs going into lap four.. If top riders put 500 on the gate then have them. Zagar this year isn't at BV. Gates don't seem to have dropped any, but I bet the wage bill has...

But do we need the top boys? Only three of them now anyway... There is simply far too much messing around with fixtures to accommodate too many riders' other commitments... Time for British Speedway to bite the bullet and decide it's future path.. It's simply nonsense the way it has been ran for years.... Surely those in charge realise this..? And if they do, have they got the resolve to change things?

Always appears to be the away side that misses the most riders too.. Very rarely, if ever, do you see a home team agree to a meeting with three or four of their own riders (their star man usually being one of them) missing. Wonder why?...😮 A meeting like this has zero credibilty yet the result incredibly will impact a professional sports national league! You could be forgiven to assume one team suggests the fixture thinking they could steal a march on their rivals knowing riders are unavailable, whilst the other agrees to the fixture due to the potential they see of bringing track specialist ringers in... The only loses are of course the fans that will, once again, fail to see a Premiership meeting worthy of the name. If they turn up to it obviously...

Thought it was the tide that is the issue?😆

Excellent way of looking at it. Nearly a 9% saving. Hope it's a success .

Well done the Rebels... Maybe BV should plan in more matches when Bjerre is somewhere else again? Seems to keep the meetings close when he isn't there... And after all, it's all about entertainment... Isn't it?.. 😁😩

😊 No chance of either of us being inducted into the 'super fan' group I would suggest..!!! Enjoying the sunshine in the local park... 😁😉

Really WG? A true fan would be there today regardless of the Mickey Mouse situation caused by yet more administrative nonsense... It's all about four riders going round don't forget, it isn't important for the sport to have any integrity or credibility. A true fan would realise this too... You get great racing at the NSS regardless of who the riders are, and what standard they may be, so everyone should be very pleased with that and ignore the names in the programme. Who they are and what team or division they are from isn't relevant... Never forget also, true fans know that these riders only do it for our entertainment so therefore we should be expected to pay top dollar regardless of riders there, in fact true fans would happily pay double to watch any Speedway regardless of standard.. Remember if you don't attend, Speedway will cease to exist and that would destroy people's lives (or something like that), and even by saying why your not attending on here will mean thousands now won't attend todays match.. FFS don't put any weather forecasts out as well WG.... (Unless of course it says, 'its dead sunny in Longsight' or 'its lovely here in Ardwick').. Remember, it's not those who run the sports' responsibility to provide a 'Professional' sport worthy of the phrase, it's simply down to YOU to attend any old bullshine they serve up... And be bloody grateful about it too I might add!!.... If people don't like what is being offered up then they simply should just stay away, (and join the many tens of thousands in Britain who have already done this).. Now, as a true fan I am off to the track... Hang on, is that a large dark cloud I see over Mcvities on the A6?... 😁