Brujas Espanolas

And there sadly is the rub. I suspect the vast majority of people demand far more for their leisure buck, than having somewhere to park their car and somewhere to urinate!!!! Of course the hard core anorak will watch the sport anywhere, regardless of facilities. As we know these individuals are a dying breed, and if the sport is to survive beyond the end of the decade, changes need to be made to attract new fans. People now demand to be entertained in pleasant surroundings, with decent catering and facilities. Spedeworth are to be applauded for recognising this......although I fear it may all be too late, for speedway at least. Good to see the perennial Fish and Chip debate thundering on unabated!!!! It would be great if in 10 years time discussion focused on the quality of the Foxhall Paella, the wonders of the Rye House Chorizo, and the diversity of the Mildenhall tapas. That said in ten years time, it'll be great if speedway itself in the UK was still here to discuss!!!!

Another sad little Englander!!! Me thinks he would be better off reading the Daily Mail rather than the speedway forum.

The criteria to gain a GBE which is a prerequisite of gaining either a type 2 or type 5 visa is quite specific. They were set at in 2009 and haven't, as far as I'm aware, been changed. GOVERNING BODY ENDORSEMENT The Governing Body Endorsement (GBE) requirements for non-European Economic Area (EEA) nationals to be employed in British Speedway in 2009 : Any Speedway promotion wishing to employ an individual rider to participate in their team will be required to guarantee that, for the previous season, the rider for whom the application is made has fulfilled one of the following criteria. a) Australia/ New Zealand/ U.S.A. Finished in the first four in the state Championships For the following countries which have professional speedway leagues: Poland, the Czech Republic and Sweden Achieved an average in excess of 6.00 points while competing in:Poland - Extra League and First Division Czech Republic - First Division Sweden - Elite League and First Division c) For riders who have competed, in the previous season, in any country not listed above, the rider must be the current National Champion to be considered eligible. Certificate of Sponsorships are normally approved for the speedway season which runs from 15th March to 31st October or for the contract period which can be for up to four years. Upon expiry of the permission granted by a Certificate of Sponsorship, a rider returning to the U.K. for the new season must have achieved the following averages in the previous U.K. season or have qualified by meeting the requirements of a) or or c) above. Elite League - 4.00 points Premier League - 7.00 points No exceptions or extensions will be granted to riders failing to achieve the averages except in the case of injury, medical evidence of which must be supplied.

Len Silver talking about Tyson: “So we had no reason to think that it was anything more than a "rubber stamp" issue. We were not informed of a new edict issued from the Australian side which stated that there must be a twelve month gap between trips to UK under that particular sponsorship scheme. Alex Harkness ".........We told everyone a year ago , don't let them go home until they've renewed their visa. Unfortunately, some people didn't listen. The situation they find themselves in is self inflicted in every case...........Every club was told what they had to do several times and, unfortunately, we are in this position because they didn't do it........." So is Uncle Len a forgetful old duffer? Is Harkness telling porkies? You pays yer money!!!!!!!

As indeed was my reply. Sadly judging by the comments of some of the sad xenophobic Little Englanders, they appear to take themselves all too seriously!!!!

So that's the criteria for granting a work permit....they were on "our side" in WW2!!!! So that means we should welcome with open arms anyone who was a former ally. Poles,Lithuanians, Russians, Macedonians, Indians, South Africans et all.. This xenophobia is a rum cove!!!!

As has previously been mentioned the stadium is in the London Low Emissions Zone which makes it financially difficult for competitors to race at the stadium. This has been evidenced by the fall in driver numbers at the stadium over recent years. Hence the decision by Spedeworth to pull the plug on Wimbledon once the current deal is finished. It could also help explain Spedeworth's investment in Foxhall, which looks like it will become their premier location. This problem will also hit any promoter hoping to stage speedway given the nature of vehicles that a number of riders choose to transport their equipment. From people that I still keep in touch with in the borough, the vast majority side with AFC Wimbledon. Given that it is nearly 25 years since the team left the borough it will be special if they can return. This is especially true as they average over 4,000 at their home games, attendances that speedway promoters can only dream about.

Can't see how, because if they did Rye would then have 24 away fixtures!!!!!!!!

I wonder if he would have granted a G.B.E? Given that he failed to achieve a seven point average and assuming that he's not a dual national, then unless he finished in the top four in his State Championship, then he would not have met the criteria. So the decision may have been outside his control.

Arson is absolutely right - let's face it by the law of averages it had to happen eventually!!! Certainly if you were looking for the better rider, at this point in time Barker would be the better option. However the secret of putting a potentially successful team together is selecting riders who can improve their averages. Worrall's starting average of 8.42 certainly gives him the opportunity to increase this by the end of the season, whereas Barker will have to ride exceptionally well just to stand still, given that he commences on a 9.44 average. Certainly the Witches septet all have the potential to increase their averages, and if they do Ipswich will be there or thereabouts.

Whilst it is a daft name, most people know who he is. An ex promoter, so just thank your lucky stars that we have CL and JL rather than.........!!!!!!

As far as I can remember,the world's oldest club now playing association football. Sheffield Football Club, played at the Stadium during the nineties. From what I recall this had little or no impact upon the speedway, so can't see why staging rugby league would be any different.

As a marketing tool offering reduced admission on a selected number of meetings makes good business sesense. However it doesn't always follow that increased crowds would come along week in week out if admission was lower. The only sustainable way to reduce admission prices, is to reduce costs. For a speedway promoter the most significant cost are riders' wages. If the riders could be persuaded to take a 50% to 65% haircut then lower admission prices could be a goer, otherwise not.

I'm sure that if speedway riders were prepared to ride for just some prize money and a trophy, and they also paid an entrance fee for each race they rode in, then speedway promoters could match the admission policy of their stockcar counterparts. Something tells me that most riders are not that altruistic!!!!

Unless speedway riders have radically changed of late, most guests won't give a rat's backside about what team they ride for, or the result. Most will see it as an extra meeting and the opportunity to earn some extra dough. Consequently most will use the booking to score as many points as possible so as to boost their bank balances by as much as possible.

Spot on. A thumping twenty point away win isn't always enough for some folk!!!! The problem is that there are some on here who haven't grasped the concept of debate. Instead of accepting that people can adopt contrary positions, they see this as having "a pop" at them. Instead of arguing their case coherently, they choose to make personal remarks instead. What this says about the individual involved is for others to judge, but it is rather sad.

Oh dear another typical Suffolk response. What on earth makes you think I was having "a pop" at you? I was just passing comment on your extremely negative comments. Try to get a grip, and understand the dynamic of debate!!! Mind you the comment "...pretty much universal agreement..." did make me smile. Superb gobbledygook!!!!

A typical Suffolk response!! Reminds me of the lass next door. Gains 8 A*s, 2 As, and a B in her GCSEs. Does her grandmother congratulate her on her excellent achievement? Yes eventually, but only after an initial comment expressing disappointment at the B!!!! So instead of focusing on the positives of a massive away win, we get another whinge about one rider. As I said typical Suffolk.

I won't be worried at all old boy. If this does happen let's hope that Cook can behave himself in an adult professional, rather than a moronic imbecile.

Ah last week it was Ben Barker's fault, this week it's down to the ref. Anyway I'm glad you're taking the positives out of yet another Monarchs' defeat.

Pity he was unable to inspire his team to victory against the Bandits last night!!!

Sales of sour lemons must be going through the roof in Edinburgh!! At the end of the day your team took one hell of a beating. Get over it and move on.

No it isn't. On the surface it's something that would be very easy to implement. However can you imagine someone jumping up at Conference and suggesting a change that would cost the promoters a collective £70,000 a season? It would make it a non starter. In fairness the situation is particularly acute at Foxhall. The problem is the relative low position of the referee's box. It doesn't provide the referee with any perspective, particularly on the back straight / third bend. Several years ago I remember having a natter with Tony Steele over a similar incident, where again a Witches rider "got lucky". He made the point that from his position it was difficult to judge the relative line of riders, and could only use his experience in reaching his decision. One would hope that as the redevelopment at Foxhall gathers pace, that the Referee's Box is relocated to a more elevated position.

With three PL teams having Thursday as their normal race night, it's time for the BSPA to start playing hard ball. As from next season any rider who races for an Allsvenskan League club should not be allowed to sign for a PL promotion. Unless of course speedway in this country took the decision to adopt a squad system, when situations such as tonight could be easily accommodated. As it stands at the moment it's the British fan that ends up short changed.

Rasmus is a Dane, and great mates with Cameron Heeps. Surprised you don't remember him practising at Foxhall. Coming in on an assessed seven point average, there is a school of thought that Plymouth are being used to get his average down, thereby making him rather attractive to another promotion next season. Pure speculation of course and only time will tell how things pan out.