mikebv

Aye, 'appen yer reet... Tarra chuck....!!☺

'Appen yer reet.... Thus nowt worse than sumwin tekkin' pee art er sumwuns accent... Musstaff lotz ter wurri abart Fred ter get yersell all int lather abart this? Or ar yer juss bein' a bitterer WUM lark? Anyow, aft ter go now Fred, off ter fly me whippets afore shift darn pit starts lark..... Yer contributions t'websart are juss chuffin' Champion marra....

Plenty o'time... Also gives t'mill owner plenty o'time to beat us within an inch of our lives..... Tell that t'southern nancies an they'll never believe a bloody word of it...

Or alternatively do nothing other than a 3 paragraph preview in the corner of the fourth page from the back of the Manchester Evening News..!!! (Just below the 'personal ads')..... That'll bring 'em in..... Everybody now... Ahhh 1, Ahhh 2, Ahhh 1,2,3,4.... "Do not foresake me oh my Darlin'"......

Would imagine the food venders pay for their 'spot' in the stadium? Subletting the food sales is also much simpler in managing any rules with H+S and EHO implications. ie the vendor is responsible not the person they are renting from. If you were a vendor you would rightly expect that the person you pay your money to would do their utmost to help you make a profit on the investment you have made with them.. A Speedway meeting from entrance to home time lasts about two, maybe two and a half hours. I am sure most people can go that without the need for something to eat and drink? And if they do, several food and drink vendors will be very pleased to take your money off you to provide you with exactly that service.. Although you may find that the frozen food fayre prepared by a random selection of 17 year old kids or indeed the food produced in a mobile kitchen run by a generator with very basic cooking facilities, surprisingly isn't up to a Michelin starred rating...! Modern day stadia equals modern day stadia rules, however I did hear someone last week say this.. "It was much better in the old days when I could take me camping chair in, tartan blanket for my knees (I'm a martyr for me knees yer know), a matching tartan flask full of hot sweet tea and lovely foil wrapped corned beef and beetroot butties, four rounds of bread cut in eight same sized squares, got to be all equal" "Used to have me own space every week too at the old place, on a lovely lickle grassy knoll, sat on the second bend just to the right of a broken old park bench type thing and just to the left of the dog poo where the greyhounds used to do their business".. "Its not the same here, last week I were sat in me chair and couldn't even see the racin' as there were a bloody load of people stood in front of me, at the old place no-one ever got in the bloody way!".. "Eeee.. it's not the same at this new place, we'd be better off goin' back down the road"... "Bring yer own butties in there......"

What needs to change? Make the No1 priority a fixture list that grants clubs the maximum opportunity to deliver their biggest crowds. (whatever night or day, that may be).. Then fit only riders into the teams that can deliver that fixture list... Seven man teams? Six man teams? Five man teams? (even four man teams with four teams per meeting which bring three away teams' support?).. Whatever.... Pick the teams size (and overall team strength) against rider numbers that can (to the best of knowledge) commit to 100% availability.. Give the fans consistent race nights, a team made up of 'their riders' each week, and fair and equal team strengths and who knows, maybe the sport can start to move forwards again? Lets hope 'radical' is the biggest word used to describe whatever changes do get made...

The one good thing about making a 'cock up' in speedway is that it will be quickly forgotten as it will be superseded by an even bigger 'cock up' some where else almost immediately... Think they must all play "my cock up is bigger than your cock up" at the AGM...!?😁 As Fergie might have said (if he had heard of the sport) "Speedway eh? Bloody Hell!"

A Speedway conundrum... Pay circa 25k once for track covers to vastly increase the chances of regular speedway meetings taking place thus giving fans confidence to set off and attend? Or circa £100k each year for a No1 that misses several meetings adhoc during the season because he is riding 'somewhere else' and dissuades peed off fans from setting off and attending...? A conundrum indeed....!!!

How often do teams ever go to Lakeside with a full septet of their own riders? Joh Cook has been quoted as saying he isn't in favour of six man teams yet most weeks at Lakeside it appears he is lucky if teams can cobble together six of their own riders.. Cannot help him in drawing a crowd when 'select' teams come to town far too often. And from what I remember from working 'darn sarf' near (ish) to Lakeside they did more than most to get the message out there..

Correct on all points, however... Many on here quote examples such as guests, EDR nonsense rules, Double points, crap tracks, select teams being put together regularly, poor presentation etc etc as amongst the reasons why they don't attend or less frequently attend... The irony is that the internet (eg forums like this) actively dissuade people to attend matches nowadays as all the information as to who is or isn't there, why they are missing, track problems if any, etc etc are all laid bare for people to read prior to the meeting taking place. An example was a fortnight ago as just as I was setting off to watch him at BV I found out via the BSF that AJ was missing. Hence coat off and TV on to watch sod knows. (Wasn't forking out circa £50 for me and the lad).. Years ago, we had lots of the same issues but didn't have any media outlet other than the Star and Mail which retrospectively informed people. We basically turned up to be told that "PC was in Germany for a longtrack final so xxxx replaces him". Or a poor meeting was read about a week later after the event, but not dissected 100 times. You may get the odd letter to the sports media but that was it... Totally agree that the sport should embrace social media and any other IT medium to get their message out there.. But to gain any extra fans they have a lot of work to do logistically around the integrity and presentation of the sport to ensure that the message isn't open to ridicule, especially in the 'instant, critically focused' feedback world we live in today.. Maybe that should be the 2017 focus..? Although unravelling what has been allowed to masquerade itself as a 'proper professional sport' for far, far too long, may take considerably longer than just one year..!

Looks like Tai is 'calling the BSPA out'... Get everyone talking, and plenty of rumour and speculation later, the BSPA will, (eventually) have to release some kind of statement themselves... Rory's another who has never been shy in coming forward and voicing an opinion so his comments will lead to more conjecture. (How is his relationship with the BSPA Chairman these days by the way?)...!! Lets hope Tai's obvious passion for Team GB isn't lost (and wasted) and the BSPA and himself can work alongside each other to build on what was a great Silver Medal performance..

Looking at that conversation with Phil Morris and the riders then, I think some have already decided...!

Didn't Richard Hall have an average from 1974 (or sometime round there)used recently when he wanted to ride NL??😁 Fair play then only using Tai's from two years ago... Least the BSPA are being consistent...😝

An eight point average rider delivers 10 points off five rides... Don't think Tai would have too many problems delivering an eight point average between now and the end of the season will he? Looking at the 'swing' in points between him and JK I would reckon at least five more a match to the Wolves as Tai would I am sure take five rides a night. Makes perfect sense for them to bring him in and, for once at least, Speedway looks like a proper professional sport where the participants want to do everything (and do it legally, without making up or simply ignoring rules) to win the League... Shame we have already rode against them twice. Would have definitely gone to watch him against us.. Be great to see him ride at our place in the final though!!

Why exactly is NKI not facing a ban anyway for 'witholding his services"? Whether a 'facility' is, or isnt, granted or used, is surely irrelevant given the fact that last night he should have been riding for KL but simply chose not to? Agreed by KL or not.... Or has riders being able to pick and choose when to turn up, and when not to, become another new rule we have missed? More self inflicted nonsense sadly this time from the BSPA chair himself. Still I presume a few bob was saved in wages so every cloud and all that... AJ, KK, Zagar, and now NKI all missing in the last 8 days from EL meetings for 'various' reasons.. Not good for the sport really this is it?

Correct Steve... You should only be able to bring in ringers during the season when you use guest riders!!😁 The whole season is based on ringer after ringer, week in week out so why should the play offs be any different? Good to have the World Champ back. A Speedway team improving their chances by bringing better riders in to try and win the league is just like a normal sport for once..

JK's announcement appearing on page "108" of the thread!!! Spooky!!!!! MOTWYW.....!!!!

Correct.. If the sport wants to slavishly follow averages for team building with all the inherent inconsistences around how they get delivered, then no one can complain if they get used to bring a World Champion in on his current figure... Either use them, or don't. Cant have it both ways..

Or maybe have a transfer window set for half way through the season or SWC week where teams can bring in ŕiders up to the mean average of the EL at that particular time.? Would definitely help the lower ranked teams a) become more competitive or b. still push for a play off spot Teams in play off contention already would, by definition, probably be over the mean average so would more than likely have to release a heat leader to bring someone in but if they did it would have a spin off that lower ranked teams could maybe include the released riders in their teams.. It would keep the season extended for several teams that currently have nothing to compete for and maybe be tempting to the top names whose diaries are less congested later in the year. (Similar to Hancock when he went to Poole)..

Everyone can see Poole are still the overwhelming favourites due, in the main and deservingly so, to the significant advantage they gleaned from the rules regarding reserve picks at the start of the year.. However, last year they did let slip a large lead in the final at BV before just managing to scrape over the line on home shale, so when under pressure there is a precedent that they can wobble. (And who will ever forget Cov beating them?) And this year dont forget there is no Magic to steady the Pirate ship like he did last... Their nearest challenger I would suggest are the Aces but with still no clear home track advantage in what becomes effectively a home and away knockout cup they could be vulnerable in the play off.. Poole's to lose for me and would be a poor year for them really if they don't win it, especially when you put their team up against the others at the start of the season..

What's not true? Riders are allowed to miss EL matches to ride in the SEC. KK did it on Saturday.. Absolute nonsense planning any meeting when knowingly riders are missing.. Absolute nonsense the BSPA ignoring this competition and putting their head in the sand hoping it will go away.. This comp now has FIM backing so wont be going anywhere soon I would imagine... Might as well work around it and ensure that each team has its own riders appearing (injuries excepted) each week... Facility for this, facility for that!.. Don't plan half the bloody meetings when you know in advance that riders are missing and you wouldn't need facilities!! Seems to be a speedway thing that more time seems to be spent on making loads and loads of supplementary regulations for rules, than focusing on sorting why such things are needed in the first place..

Been a great competition racing wise since inception. Four riders of similar ability in each race is certainly the recipe for great racing as we know.. Shame the likes of Cook and Lambert don't get a chance to ride in it.. The opportunity to ride on more types of tracks with riders of above average ability must help their progression.. Seems crackers that the BSPA won't let them ride as they say it effects Saturday night meetings in the EL. Yet they allow Anderson, KK, Kylmakorpi to ride over here and miss EL meetings on a Saturday night when they ride in it!! British or European, it is irrelevant the nationality of the missing riders. The issue is that they are missing, therefore simply don't plan meetings against teams with SEC participants... (There's plenty of blank Saturdays to work with)! Also, we ban British riders from competing in the SEC because it may effect the Saturdsy EL, yet openly plan in and run fixtures on Fridays before GP's, GP challenges, U21 meetings etc. which mean some teams using four guests!! Strange priorities..

Agree about weak teams but the sport then compounds the issue by not letting a weak team improve to the level of the team with the highest average, (in sport the best should be the benchmark for the rest).. Poole start tonight approx 8 points higher as a team average, yet Leicester (if they wished) could still only bring replacement riders in using the start of season/contrived/best guess average which is much lower than the averages the top teams are now running on... Cant be good for their business, the home tracks business when they visit, and the sport in general to let the weak teams stay weak... Yet its done year in, year out by the sports own regulations..

Sadly tonight, it looks like even 10 rides each from the heat leaders wont help!! Ouch.... In Boxing the ref would step in about now....!

Ok with that rather than guests as it at least keeps some credibility.... However, where it unravels is that Lakeside should be able to use any of their 2 - 6 as many times as needed up to a max of seven rides for any individual. Eg The two heat leaders should be able to take two rides each of the No1's races it the team manager wishes.. Instead, four riders get one ride each meaning second strings or even reserves replacing a No1...