thebaron

Surely Alex having attained +7 CMA in 2013 will be ok. In his last full season he reached the threashold. If push comes to shove Alex was born here!!. So we give right to stay to Somali criminals and such like and then haggle over pts threasholds and state titles for English born Aussie Speedway riders! who are actually here for all the right reasons.

Looks like I am answering my own questions here but; Ryan was second in the 2014 Australian U21 Championship and third in the Queensland State title in 2013; that covers the minimum 4th place or higher in the State Championship criteria. Alex Davies was actually born in the UK; although his parents are both Australian nationals. Alex was fourth in the Australian U21 Champions in 2013. Alex also had a 7.38 CMA with Somerset in 2013, So that surely boxes him off for us. Notwithstanding Rob has posted to allay concerns. Sorry but the Campton/Weathers outcome set the alarm bells ringing for me again. Pass me the tablets!!

Noting that both Mason Campton and Mathew Weathers have both been moved aside at Workington in favour of Rusty Harrison and Nathan Greaves. That's seems to indicate a while flag going up against the UKVI Visa problems from Comets. Mmmmmmm

Top man Rob; thanks for this because all this talk of Visas and Ryan just off crutches is giving us all sleepless nights. Roll on March and everyone home and hose.

Would'nt surprise me NBT; Nicolai is our "go too rider" and his average I think would fit in the scheme of things. It might look a bit hasty allowing Tommy Gun to go to Berwick if anything went Pete Tong with the Visa's for Ryan and Alex. But then sure Nicolai for me; but he don't come cheap as I read it.

Ryan tweeted yesterday that hes off crutches and building it back up to get back on the bike again.Thought he seemed quiet in Oz; and absent from the Aussie season. Have I missed something anyone know what the injury was and how? Told him to get fit sort out his Visa and get back over here for March.

I had a letter from a Professional Footballer its was all in crayon, in big writing and signed with a thumb print.! Alex Davies is a legend. Av' calmed darn a bit having read his eloquent words. Cheers Alex mate; see you at the EWR in March.

As daft as that sounds - you know its right!

You are having a laugh which two out of your list(possibly excepting Bunyan and that's debatable) are anywhere near capable of replacing Ryan Douglas and Alex Davies at Scunthorpe. For Gods (due reverence to Rob) sake do you watch these riders ?.

Apologies I was thinking more of the Crankie couple Salmon and "Jimmy" Sturgeon than Scots generally.

On that point what do your reckon the political landscape of speedway actually is; its authority; promoters, riders and supporters. What would speedway vote if it could vote in May. My educated guess is that speedway would vote UKIP or Conservative. No chance Liberal, not an earthly for Green, may be an odd left leaner (to be expected in this game) but not enough for a Liebore majority, not enough Scottish Nastis in it. So for me defo Speedway will vote Conservative or UKIP at the election.

Alex "The Thunder" Davies is a Scunny Legend for me already. Just have a read of that letter; super intelligent, well crafted words; clear understanding of his situation, thorough explanation. Clearing wanting to connect with the Scunny fans and looking forward to the new speedway season here. In fact just exactly the sort of person who we should be laying out the Red Carpet to. Never mind sending him and Ryan through a bureaucratic nightmare. Let me say this; there's nobody at the UKBA better qualified to decided who crosses these shores than ME! if I were on that watch trust me there's none of these terrorist looking types getting past me. But when Alex and Ryan stroll up all they have to say is "G'day mate I'm Ryan and I'm Alex were from Oz" ...so what you here for lads ? ..errr we're professional Speedway Riders ....right lads that's what they all say a couple of Track Terrorists if ever there were two! ....ONLY JOKING LADS NO NEED TO SAY OWT ELSE YER IN!.

What is a sponsorship licence? - is that some sort of authorisation to employ someone from another country in your business. Because there's a chap down the road from us runs a Pizza place and I bet he ain't got no sponsors licence for three dodgy looking characters round the back dishing up the pizzas.

WTF do the UKBA know about Speedway? have they any idea what a 7pt average is. I have this picture of some jobs worth tasked with researching what speedway is then coming up with some ludicrous notions as to how he see's it running. Get me back to the 40-50's when all the Aussies came over on boats for the season with their bikes and the carpet was rolled out at Passport Control. Or the 70's when Les Whaley brought Bradford with Brenton Langlois, Rob Maxfield and Mike Fullerton for the 73 season. The Aussies/New Zealanders ARE US for Christ's sake; half of them were sent out on boats as the £10 Pom's from the UK in the 60's or are related to someone who was. Angry! you bet I am.

Let me just get this right; there 22 speedway riders (absolutely integral to the success of speedway in this country) barred from entering what is their Mother Country. What has HM Queen to say about this; lets be straight to the point I have more in common with Ryan Douglas than the 22000 illegals(and more) from the EU and Third World trudging the streets of Bradford. So what the hell is going on with the UKBA to bar skilled Commonwealth citizens from working here. Speedways not just any old job; we cannot find 22 riders of their standard just off the cuff. I would fiercely contend that their absence seriously damages Speedway PLC in the UK and each individual promotion that employed them. Where can Scunny find two riders to replace Ryan Douglas and Alex Davies. A guy I work with his son; announced he was off to Australia at Christmas; packs his bags and flies to Sydney. Only got A Levels and has found a job already he's no specialised skills or qualifications; but the Aussies have not kicked him out. What sort of Visa would he need to bum around in Oz for a year. My neice works in Sydney has done for two years. She has a degree in Sociology and works in their equivalent of BUPA in administration what sort of Visa is that?. So why are we discriminating against Australians. Think about football and all the useless EU and African players that rock up here; end up sitting around on benches on ££££s then disappear. How the hell do they get in. This needs taking to the highest level of protest; the Queen as far as I am aware is the Head of the Commonwealth; and has the power to over rule the useless UKBA. As far as I am aware the Commonwealth still exists (it did for the games last summer anyway) so I cannot see how the UKBA can prevent the free movement of Commonwealth citizens from one country to another provided they have a viable occupation to go to or can secure work on arrival. I am spitting feathers about this; I bloody am.

Any one want to make any comment about the rumour on the General Discussion thread that UKBA have cancelled VISA's for 22 Non EU riders. Right now I am a bit worried.

Mmm if I was in charge of the music; I would try to theme it for the meeting; thinking not only of our riders (and their backing tracks) but also come up with something that fits the opposition. . At the start of the meeting we usually have all 14 riders (home and away) do a lap or two coming out from the pits. The trouble is that there is not a great deal of time; and if the weather is against us then it tends to become truncated. But preferably we should always have a full parade. The away team should be introduced first; and the Scorpions second. They could come out on their machines; or as a team on the parade truck. When the Scorpions take to the track I would use the Scorpion Theme Extended Remix - for the new Scorpion TV Series by Brian Tyler & Xonosphere . It is quite dramatic as we are building up to the riders taking to the track. Have a listen. So that's the intro theme when the Scorpions take to the track together at the start of the meeting. Look it up on YouTube. I don't want to embed the link on here for fear of messing anything up for the moderator. We use each of the previously suggested Individual Rider "Scorps Sound tracks" when they have won a race (lap of honour always with the chequered race flag) or when we want to focus on them as Individuals. We should retain the That's The Way by KC & The Sunshine Band (very familiar tune now at Scunny for the 5-1 MAX Heat Win). But for say a 4-2 we could throw in another tune to salute the advantage to the Scorps. I like 63' Burnout by 63 Burnout - Trouble At The Speedway - very catchy very catchy. Or we can throw that in at the end of the meeting when we have won and let the firework(s) off!!! If your struggling to find them I could PM you the links on YouTube. At this rate I will have let Barry speak to my agent about the fee for all this. Of course as with the others if anyone can come up with their choice stick it up and lets have a listen. All the best.

Of which you are perfectly entitled; but my point is that we as speedway regulars might have to admit it could take more than what's happening on track to get them through the door. Ian Thomas had all manner of "celebrities" head lining at Derwent Park in the 70's-80's just to get folks in the door. Then once they're in they can start having a closer look at what's on offer. Like him or not JQ is a Scunny celeb and he comes into the category that might bring young Scunthorpe people to the EWR. Personally yes I would prefer Guy Martin anytime.

Mossy, Superstar your missing the point we dont have to be JQ died fans but I bet a lot of young people are especially round Scunny are. Remember Ian Thomas one of the best promoters of speedway of his time. Had "em all" up at Derwent Park Workington - many famous TV names of the 70-80s. We get speedway but a awful lot of people dont or did but no longer do!. We gotta give them a reason to come through the door and try it. This is not really about US the regulars its the newbies and used to be"s we need to connect with them. Johnnie Hoskins at Bradford in the 40s -50s knew how to promote. He pulled endless stunts for the public and if "the wer nowt to report from Odsal he just made summat up!". Genius.

Another local Scunny celeb X Factor and Im a Celeb Jake Quickenden ? Very popular guy right now

Hey Bazza thanks for reading and considering my "sound track for the Scorps" see what you think; ask the management and indeed for that matter the riders themselves who may have their own thoughts. Others on here may want to throw an idea in; but when I listen the tracks; they seem to fit the more I hear them. We worked hard on the presentation at Odsal and arguably it was the best at the time; and I have not seen a lot better since. Did you get to Peterborough last season? I think its is Edwin Overland in the box. Before and during the Fours meeting he played some cracking tunes and it all seemed to be "co-ordinated". With speedway we have about 20 minutes intense action on the track; and then the meeting presentation kicks in between the Heats. So the build up to the next Heat and Meeting momentum needs to be maintained. Sometimes you could theme the meeting sound track; it could be 60's night, 70's night, or 80's etc...or just something for all tastes night. Thing about music today is that it is pretty much "for all tastes". If you look at the download chart my kids are listening to stuff I listened to in the 70's and 80's anything goes really. So no need to worry about playing Marc Bolan T Rex "Get It On" because the kids have just as likely heard it and like it. I was too young for much of the 60's music but recently I have been re-listening to a lot of the sounds of the 60s' and liking what I hear. Your banter with Rob always makes me smile; especially when he says "play that tune Barry" - That's The Way ..KC & The Sunshine Band. It has become very recognisable with Scunny. Land Down Under for Ryan and Tommy Gun were great selections for Ryan and Tommy. All this may seem trivial but it just helps send people away with a better picture of the Riders. Connecting the Riders with the spectators is just one of the things that can help with the promotion. Rob is brilliant on the mike; his banter with yourself; the riders and promoters adds to the meeting for me; and we could build on that. Think about how Nigel Pearson/Kelvin Tatum present on Sky. They usually stand at desk with a canopy over head to keep the weather off. In an ideal world I would give Rob a "side kick" to interact with. There are usually a few former riders or officials in the crowd - knowledgeable people. Create a focus on the centre green (under a light at night) and Rob asking "the guest expert" what happened there ? or explaining a technical point or two to the crowd. Also how about a scoreboard on the centre green. I do not need one or the next regular; but if you are newbie without a prog it would help to see the Heat result and cumulative score. I like the starting gate arrangement at Sheffield with the lighting overhead. It really focuses the crowd on "the start". Obviously that is all down to cost; but would a rig of coloured lights be that costly?. It builds the excitement; speedways quite explosive that way. I thank you for taking time to read my suggestions for the "sound track for the Scorps 2015. I am sure that everyone is looking forward as I am to the new season and seeing if with some little tweaks here and there we can make sure we make sure we can keep on looking forward to many more seasons. At the end of the day we know we have a great race track at the EWR and that is the starting point for everything else. All the best.

Eh? so what happened ?....that makes it sound like it descended into a night on the beer.

Agree entirely that this would be a real coup and create a lot of interest. Better still if it was turned into one of his TV Challenges; for sure I reckon Guy Martin would very quickly look competitive on a speedway bike. He could also explain the challenge of mastering the art of sliding sideways to a big audience. He would bring in interest from the road bike fraternity.

Another IDEA ! .. I am a Bradford City fan and we play Millwall on Wednesday for the right to face Chelsea in the FA Cup 4th Round. At the last home game v Rochdale they were handing out fliers outside Valley Parade - with BE THE DIFFERENCE on one side and on the reverse the following: WHAT IF ITS 2-2? WHAT IF THERES 5 MINUTES LEFT? WHAT IF WE SCRAMBLE IT OFF THE LINE? WHAT IF THE LADS HAVE GIVEN THEIR ALL? WHAT IF THE CROWD ROARS ONE LAST TIME ? WHAT IF BILLY GETS THE BALL? WHAT IF IT CRASHES INTO THE TOP CORNER? WHAT IF YOU WEREN'T THERE TO SEE IT? #BETHE DIFFERENCE What has that to do with Scunthorpe Speedway? everything because we can use the idea ourselves to market the Scorpions. Just think of 7-8 Good Reasons why YOU have to be at the speedway and why it is NOT TO BE MISSED. - It could be that Miss It Miss Out #MISSITMISSOUT. I could easily come up with 7-8 things not to miss about Scunthorpe Speedway; indeed it could feature all 7 Riders and why you would not want to miss seeing them race at the EWR on a Friday Night. I am sure these would not be costly to produce and would pay for themselves. Go into Tesco's off the roundabout and hand them out to EVERYONE with a FIXTURE LIST or the fixture list could be part of it. Another Idea I arrive at the track via the M180 off the M18. As I arrive at the Tesco's roundabout we need a large billboard dedicated to Scunthorpe Speedway and a massive poster emblazoned with a fantastic Alex Summerfield shot of a Scunthorpe rider pointing you to the EWR. We could also use this pre-season to drop "BIG HINTS' about what is COMING UP when the Speedway Season starts. So there needs to be three or four hints in the lead up to the season, sewing a seed in someone's mind "what is this? what is going on?. Raising questions. Anyone who puts on a show needs to tell folks why they have to go. Basic promoting that costs very little; your asking for nothing from the public; your merely saying this who we; this what we do; this where we are. and this is when we do it COME AND SEE IT! We are in Bradford and would have attended the meeting ourselves; but unfortunately work and commitments do not allow tomorrow. But I am very interested to here what emerges from the meeting and how it can help take the club forward. By the way back to the theme tunes Josh - Automatic by Leandro Cesar - Niki Minaj (Male Version) is absolutely the right one for me - try getting that out of your head! All the best.

Not sure what happened on this thread yesterday; but thank Mod for sorting it. See my post on rider "backing tracks" has taken the chop. If it was anything to do with posting those URL's to YouTube clips; then I most humbly apologise. But if anyone is interested the tracks were SOUND TRACK FOR THE SCORPIONS 2015 David - Rocket by Def Leppard - I referred last season to David's bike being "The Rocket" Ryan - Land Down Under by Men At Work - has become Ryan's signature tune at the EWR. Wilko - Going Back Home by Roger Daltry & Wilko Johnson - seems appropriate; as Wilko goes home again to the EWR for 2015 Nike - The Lunatics Have Taken Over The Asylum - Fun Boy Three - Lunna is very very marketable and this is magic Ellis - New Sensation by INXS - keeping with Aussie Bands ...Ellis the new sensation Alex - Thunderstruck by AC/DC - again sticking with the Aussie Bands - Alex "The Thunder" Davies. Josh - I had gone for Atomic by Blondie (but this may be a tad slow). Then I heard Automatic by Niki Minaj - very "catchy"(by the way there is also a "male version" of the track as well as the Minaj version). But it is one that gets into your head. But I also heard Automatic by Tokio Hotel which is a great track. Anywhich way it has to be something with Auto in the title I think. I won't post the URL's for the tracks on YouTube just in case it did cause a problem on the thread. But YouTube them yourself; have a listen and see what you think. You may have your own ideas or indeed the riders themselves may have. We used to do this at Bradford; where the "backing tracks" were soon associated with the riders when they won a heat or were introduced to the crowd. I recall Gary Havelock choosing his track - The Dominator; Joe Screen - Cotton Eye Joe; Sean Wilson - Little Willy by Sweet; but the best was Jimmy Nilsen - Jimmy Jimmy by the Undertones. Realise this is a small thing; but it is an idea worth putting forward to help market the Scorpions riders to the public. Hoping the support turn out in good numbers tomorrow evening and it proves helpful to the club going forward. Some good points in there Paul.