stratton

Was he a Phil Crump protege? see him a few times had rides at Swindon had ability. You have a point about the series it is a great product but for me the one off final still beats it certainly for atmosphere.As for the league racing, i still believe the good ol days were miles better then, there were BETTER riders more of them the old BL was the best in the world.Today the EL is second rate to be honest a very average product,no comparison to the old days of most teams having three top heat leaders and often having a regular 1/7 supporters could identify with.

Really nice Dave, i have a few of the 1970s cartoon stickers of riders these of yours are the best i have ever seen love the Ashby,Betts,Lee,Crump senior ones.

If you believe that is why the top riders don't ride here you are mistaken they don't ride here because it is a inconvienence and the other STRONGER better paid leagues take preference.As someone else said the EL is barely better than the PL bar a few outstanding riders now so are you saying go out and try and get more of the top stars back? Is there a endless pit of money,say you get a crowd of 2000 if you are lucky how can you afford say two big hitters in the same team its seems impossible to me to get better quality in costs proper money and the money coming in does not justify it.

The point about promoting the sport better has been made for decades but nothing has happened.Also the day out at Cardiff is a one off, chalk and cheese really to our bread and butter league programme.I don't know what the answers are Stephen to be honest i really hope Orion is right in the future fingers crossed eh!

No its put clubs in the mire,without the sky money would the EL clubs bar Poole be in a good position?.Your stance is commendable,but unless you can pluck a couple of hundred new supporters out of thin air it does not look good.The worrying thing is the supporters some of them who are die hard who are just not going anymore at least three or four on the Swindon forum who are staunch supporters don't bother anymore that trend is worrying.

That was in the 90s a different climate altogether, give me the supporters pluck them out of the sky if you have a plan to entice new ones in yes then maybe you have a shout.If you can't then why is not getting thing's on a even keel balancing the books such a bad idea?

Join the two leagues together everyone be united? ( what a laugh) balance the books go from there.WIthout the handful of great riders we have in Britain there are alot there who could be employed who could make it an enjoyable league and viable.

Not moving forward but they are stable,stable as it can be i know what league i would rather be paying the bills at.!!

The value for money has gone down year by year in the EL,it is a poor product end of.We are light years behind in the standard of our league racing at EL racing level the GP series has alot to answer for on that front to be honest.It amazes me if i am feeling the crunch at home i cut back i don't SPEND more is that not sensible.?If you can come back and give me a inclination of encouragement crowds going up the revenue there then yes take a risk now i suggest most will just hope to survive.

A different day different circumstances a different climate simple really,your opinion i hope comes true but i cannot see it.If Leigh was riding today it would be no different better of course but the sport in this country has come to a standstill certainly in the EL.

No one is bigger than the club and since Leigh retired the sport has changed so much certainly in Britain.One meeting at the abbey against Eastbourne we had about 800.? Unreal we used to get 1200, 1500 plus times have changed people pick and choose meetings now.To have a high roller now is risky at the moment the sky money compensates for that.Two choices really have a handful of stars get rid of them miss them of course but you may still have a product longterm after.?

Keep paying and you won't have a sport simples, certainly the EL the sport has not cut cut cut in Britain they still pay a decent wedge i have heard sums mentioned the top boys anyway( thats the problem).But we are now down the list of priorities in riders minds,we are a league to ride in for a bit of extra revenue no more than that.

Not anough to justify keeping them though,Adams put 300 on the gate Briggs more than anyone in Swindon's history and Ashby and Crump senior on par with Leigh.The difference is Orion the sport was in better shape then much better than now these top guys do not earn shirt buttons now they are exspensive and they deserve that.We can all watch the top boys on the tv anyway, we can all except Britain is a after thought the days of watching a top rider once a year only and being excited are long gone.So why not be prudent for the long haul balance the books and go from there.!

In your belief and i respect that,you believe the stars have to stay i don't disagree what a pleasure it is to see Ward (ect) but now we all know it is hanging on by a thread.Some longterm planning has to be made changes some hard ones to be made but there is still hope.As the Belle Vue bloke made a great post about Zagar in a earlier post, the crowds would not change that much the die hard fans will still go also the club would be minus a fat weekly salary.From then on you could maybe have a ten/twelve pound night out and the most important thing is to try and give a good evening's entertainment.

Not save speedway but maybe it could stabilise it and put a new longterm approach in.If Ward, Puk,Tai, and a few others were missing next year would the EL crumble in your opinion.?

Every meeting that is run has to pay for itself to the penny, at the moment that is not happening.Without the sky money clubs certainly would go under i am not as frightened as you about seeing a lower grade i would miss the Top boys of course. But the survival of the league as a whole has to be more important.

The product and version i see everyweek will struggle to survive in the next six years in my opinion.Why don't the clubs balance the books and save the sky money?

Plan ahead for when sky eventually pull out,be ahead of the game then there has to be radical changes.I wonder how many clubs make money? not many the sky money is covering over the cracks.

I wish you were right but the sums do not add up,also even if we signed Emil the crowds would not go up to the Leigh heyday.You want to know why because alot of people who even go feel short changed the value for money is not there.Forget other clubs the EL has to cut its cloth accordingly and believe me without the sky money clubs would never be able to afford the Wards of this world.

Well Poole might be riding amongst them selves soon? your points about some PL clubs are right there is struggle at all levels.But most people are saying start again re plan for the future and try and put the clubs back on a even keel .Have the plight of Swindon,Eastbourne,Peterborough,Birmingham not told you there has to be change at EL level and soon.?

Terrible news enjoyed him riding for the Robins, can remember him along with Malc Holloway riding in the 1982 British Final RIP Mike.

Great post this is the way to go, we cannot afford to pay the likes of Ward anymore as much as we delight in watching him ride.Clubs are struggling and that's even with the sky top up money,so i see no other option to be honest.Speedway can be entertaining without the top boys,and lets be brutal we have not that many riding here anyway.Also if the top boys don't ride who knows it might give a chance to create new stars of the future.!

Agree a mega talent we all want to see the best, in two or three years time could Oliver Burnstzon be in the mix.?

Give it a rest, you and Gavan are you!

Crap commentator end of, up his own a.. loved being centre of attention 30 years behind his sell buy date.