Jonny the spud

Not blasted. Just pitied. You tell me any other rider who wouldn’t have tried ?

By birth …..? so no Mark Loram ? no Adam Ellis ?

Forgetting that 8 days previously he’d scored a 4 ride maximum in the European semi final ( which Team GB won) while Harris was replaced in two of his rides after scoring only 4 points. It pîsses me off that I even need to point this out but it seems that the numpties online spout cråp with impunity. i know I shouldn’t bite, but when I get personal messages slagging him off and read some of this on here I just like to put the record straight. it’s no wonder 99% of riders and officials in the sport avoid this site like the plague.

He doesn’t deserve it and is not a genuine competitor …. yet 8 days previously he rode to a 4 ride maximum in the European pairs semi final while Chris Harris only scored 4, being replaced in two of his rides. You really have some serious issues to bring up school sports days and parenting. I don’t make up the rules, I flew over to watch my son race. Nothing more, nothing less. if speedway isn’t considered a serious sport , maybe look at the kind of people that follow it and how unreasonable they can be when things don’t go their way. ( clue, you’ll find him in the mirror) I’d love to discuss it more but you seem so angry and looking to blame Adam / me / anyone it would be a waste of time. I’ve met some great people in speedway. I’ve also me some idiots who spend so much time being so angry with everything it’s a waste of energy trying to engage. guess which ones I don’t waste time on.

Well… you seem like a nice level headed kind of fella.

Apart from Adams retirement in his first race last night, he’s finished either first of second in every meeting at Sheffield apart from the season opener. just saying.

It’s hard to convince world speedway that Britain’s a force to be reckoned with after this debacle

Shiiiïït. Embarrassing from start to finish. From presentation, to air fence, to Sam, to the delay. How the he’ll go you expect to be taken seriously when you finally get a platform to show your sport worldwide and serve up this?

If King was injured, he’d have healed up by now.

Sigh ….. you big the meeting up with everyone you know, you put it on live on the big screen in two town center pubs, your brother is at the track with 3 newbies…….. and this happens …..

That’s the problem with looking fabulous "on paper"….. you don’t race on paper.

There’s a lot of crap on this thread ( I even looked back to when his signing was announced and there was “oooh he’ll be on £1500 a match “ and “well apparently he was on 2k a match last year at Sunny”. It just goes to prove that the rumour mill grinds on every year with a lot of people not having a clue on the subject they’re talking about, then others repeat it just to stir shït up. same old same old.

Didn’t Swindon once drop the price to £10 once for a televised match? If I recall it may even have been free entry for kids. The increased crowd looked great on tv and I think the gate money was around the same as for a usual meeting. In the current climate, free entry for kids has to be the way to go. How many families can’t afford a night out as a group because of childrens entry costs ?

A complete farce

Not my cup of tea as a commentator but obviously a well liked, knowledgeable and dedicated fan of the sport. His loss will be felt through many facets of speedway as he had his fingers in so many pies. Always looking for new ways to push the sport and drag it into the digital / satellite age and offer help and advice along the way. Condolences to his family, friends, colleagues and all who felt a connection to him as one part of the shouty brothers. I think we’ll find just how good he was now that he’s no longer here. If we can find someone with even half of his talent and enthusiasm then we should be ok. rest in peace sir.

Is there an updates thread for this meeting?

He was on nowhere hear that.

And there’s me gonna add a little titbit to the thread. Oh well I’m outta here

Where did you get that figure from ?

Lakeside owed thousands to several riders too

Until a major league sponsor invests enough money to take the sport forward, and insists that their investment is professionally run. It will continue to lurch from year to year. The failure to attract a major sponsor is the biggest failing of the powers that be and should be recognised as such

A while ago I posted that topics on the future of the sports always descend into the “good old days” just saying.

I stopped my subscription to speedway star for that very reason. Most of their “news” has already been online before it’s published and if I wanted to look at speedway in the 50’s I’d look it up elsewhere. Someone said about marketing, I own two pubs. Nothing big but I have one full time and one part time member of staff handling social media, concert organisation, advertising, posters, liaisons with student groups / businesses etc. With the amount of money that’s spent in speedway it shouldn’t be too hard to get someone who’s forward thinking and internet savvy. But then again the will to do it needs to be there.

When the BSPA can’t even get a main league sponsor for a sport that has tv coverage you know you’re in trouble. you only have to look on here whenever trying to modernise speedway comes up, within a few pages it reverts to “eeeeh in 1958 we had Jap’s, black leathers and cinders…..and the fish & chips were served in real newspaper. When Adam first started (10 years ago next season ..jeeez) I remember suggesting on a thread, that sticking a questionaire Into a program and having a drop box at the exit is a good way of getting customer opinion. Plus if you added a draw for a free entry if they include an email address you automatically have a database that you can hit with offers / promotions etc. Almost everyone has access to a printer, image being able to print off a poster advertising the next home match ? It could be put up in shops, cars etc. Lots of free publicity at zero cost to the club. If you have 500 people on your mailing list and even a percentage of them print it off… result. That’s micro managing the problem, it needs leadership. The club’s websites all look the same and press releases seem to be written by a 1950’s newsreader. Ultimately, the lead needs to come from the top. Unfortunately the top ain’t listening.

Speedway in the UK failing to move with the times ? i’m shocked I tell you