Tsunami

No way.

Reported as being up 25%, but from a very poor attendance level the previous year. Different atmosphere now, track has improved, more spirit at the track and their fans are now coming back to Brough for their away visit. Different attitudes and the return of many big sponsors have helped to get it back to where it used to be, but now without the idiots. Worth a visit, and I stand with Bears fans by invitation.

One good thing is that the rearranged PLRC at Glasgow is planned for a Saturday rather than a Sunday again. Would have caused greater problems to Newcastle, having one less Sunday to utilise to get the the outstanding fixtures run before the deadline. Still not been announced of a 7.30 start next Sunday against Worky ?

And one of the main deficiencies is the shortage of British riders. In the last years massive efforts have been made to get kids riding with a hope we can get them up to standard. That would greatly reduce the number of poor foreigners riding here and help eliminate guests and R/R except for injuries. When the Fast track reserves in the "Premier League" it brought out criticism which basically was not real, but some fans still think it was wrong. Yes it should have been introduced in the then Premier League, but it was the then Elite League who also wanted to reduce their costs whilst the PL teams didn't want to. Get the right number of riders to staff all the teams and a lot of the complications will go away. It will take time though and will the present fans accept change and a possible slight reduction in the standard. Ironically some NL fans think the racing can be better in the NL that the usual stuff in the PL and Championship.

If only it was all that easy. There has not been the same pressure to change nights mandatory in the past as there wasn't the same clashes, and/or need for so many guests and R/R's. In the past older clubs have run on favoured nights based on better crowds and/or stadium availability. Why would they volunteer to change to a worse night and lose more money. Fixed nights might be overall beneficial in the long run, but there will be casualties, you can bet on that. Been there and done it, and I do all Newcastle's promotions , schools and shows. Advertised in free local papers, had a radio adverts programme for a while, handouts with free or reduced offers and none of them can be certain to have brought more than a half dozen extra fans. Existing people bringing friends and families usually are accepted as bringing fans that just might come back regularly. I was involved in the promotion or the Newcastle Vipers in the early 00's. Different scenario all together. Only once went to a match which was called off(for soft ice reasons) and usually you can guarantee it being on regardless of the weather outside. It's usually warmer being enclosed by other fans, and Ice Hockey Stadia usually have fixed shops/stalls inside for merchandise, food outlets, bars, etc. Meetings can be held on say three different nights just the same as speedway like Sat Sun and Wed, due to others match nights, so fixed nights are not in ice Hockey as far as I experienced. Sometimes you can can two away meeting over the weekend so some weeks no matches unless they put on a one on say Wednesday, which does not give you good crowds In many other ways Speedway and Ice Hockey have had similar histories, answers, TV coverage, crisis league revisions, etc. In many dual cities, a lot of speedway fans go to the Ice Hockey and vice versa. Most Promotors have tried just about everything, and a few blown their brains out trying to grow their business. Unfortunately you have to accept sometimes that the times are a changing, and there will never be the same appetite for speedway given all the distractions there are in modern society. Regardless there will always be some with the obvious answers, but no money, but expect others to 'walk the walk' when it has cost them dearly in the past and not seen any tangible improvement in their support.

Allegedly been scrapped.

...after winning the NJL last week.

He should be free from Polish meetings now. I was told last week there is likely to be a double header sometime.

So after that we can talk about the cup meetings. What's the possibility of a double header like the old days ? I think the likely date for our home leg is the 9th October. Could be Glasgow's leg on the 7th, but not sure whether either side wants a couple more meetings this year, especially us.

Yes sorry. I meant that would all change after they got stuffed so likely to get knocked out in the return leg.

I believe the intention is to start our meeting at 7.30pm. I believe Glasgow do not want to be tied down to cup fixtures whilst they are still riding playoffs. Could well all change when they get stuffed at Sheffield on Thursday. Unfortunately it takes two to tango.

I remember a few years ago a Swedish GP being saved by the authorities shipping in some red hot coke( maybe furnace bottoms) from a nearby coke works. It was dropped all over the track and in no time produced a pretty good surface in a reasonable time scale. I don't think this was an isolated time that it was used. Correct that Glyn did pioneer with a heating system, similar to a tar laying apparatus, that was going to be used by all the tracks when it was needed. With reference to concrete dust at Coventry. It might have dried up the wet shale on the night, but can you image the damage it would have caused when they returned the following week to try and blade it for their next meeting. I have heard of promotions useing that sort of solution with holes in the track, but the drive is affected quite badly as a spinning wheel goes over from loose shale, to concert surface to loose shale again. A recipe for disaster.

Was it not part of the buyout by Laura to buy out Denham and then announced as the Comets main sponsor. He was in the riders enclosure a couple of weeks ago when Newcastle were the opposition in both meetings.

On the other hand of course, is the realisation that if you don't get into the situation you will not get good riders, end up with a poor team which will be accused by fans of a 'team on the cheap', and end up having no crowd and losing speedway at the end of the season after finishing at the bottom of the league. You pays your money and take a chance.

Is that apart from setting up their team, providing the capital and settling debts ?

Were the Newcastle meetings a one off as well.

Not in my experience. Being in the Playoffs, the team is obviously winning so no reason to miss meetings. That's logical.

At the time of the change from aggregate to points, the teams that had massive home advantages were Exeter, Sheffield, Eastbourne and also Kings Lynn. In the early 00's Sheffield was odds on for the aggregate along with Exeter, but teams like Newcastle and Hull had good teams always in the title fight but lost out until we won in 2001 and Hull always in the fight for a number of years with a great team but little home advantage. Ironically Exeter was closed, but Sheffield and Kings Lynn fans got sick of 60-30 wins every week, because of their heavy dirt clay tracks, and both clubs opted to change their preparation and made slicker tracks which made the meetings a bit fairer.

I have been at the track working most of the day. Alan's family set up the track shop after lunch and Alan arrived later. After the calloff with a heavy downpour, I lelt the track and Alan was in the office with George discussing future fixtures which is going to be a problem. I would have said, knowing both George and Alan very well, that everything was usual and normal in their demeanour and comments. We just took delivery of a brand new power washer for fence cleaning and banners, so that would be a bit strange if the rumour was true. The original person to post it was a Scottish lass but removed it after a short period. It was also stated that Redcar were going to be awarded 4 points for a win, as Newcastle without Alan were not going to restate the meeting. Utter bollocks. Methinks there is a Scottish troll inventing a situation which replicated what happened to the result of the meeting between Redcar and Glasgow and was awarded.These sort of people are trouble making and can seriously damage a club financially.

Opening meeting in 1999 was against my Newcastle Diamonds with a crowd of 4400. Even when it averaged out with just the Worky fans, in the days of Stoney and Karlsson, gates average about 2200 and they came in their droves to away meetings. We all made money on their away meetings and they created a great atmosphere. Same with Newport two years earlier.

and Sheffield.

You are just about 2 or 3 decades out with that comment.

As did Rachel Helliwell, and a certain Kate McAuley( Mason) who rode at Hackney and Weymouth at the same time as Mark Loram. Kate only stopped riding about 4to5 years ago.

I agree it can happen, but not on a wide scale. Most riders are still needing money for food, family and bikes and just like racing. All sports have that few who won't give their all leading up to a big final, or end of season looking forward to their holidays.

Could be worse if he was going to Worky of course. They couldn't even beat us at home last week.