Steve Shovlar

I still support the town and get along a few times during the season. Went to see them against Newport. What a load of crap that was. Town really gone down the pan in recent seasons.

It doesn’t matter if it’s Wednesday or Thursday. A handful of people affected on either day. Unimportant distraction.

This meeting could be rain affected looking at the latest radar. Wet track leveller?

Thought the showers might die out but they are very heavy and heading Swindon’s way. Could be a real leveller.

70% said they would accept it. Not wanted it.

Clearly the near £40,000 shortfall from losing the main sponsor had a serious affect in finances. Add to that no money from TV and BT wanting to show us at every opportunity also added to the attendances. We were moaning a couple of seasons ago about there being only 9 teams. The league should never have run with 7. A change should have been made last winter. It will be a very sad day if Middlo is calling it quits. Best manager the club has ever had and impossible to replace a speedway man with a wealth of experience.

Bloody hell there’s a name from the past! Yes a wet track in the first leg took away our chance of a proper lead. But at this moment I bet many neutrals would have loved us to be against Swindon tonight. Even if it was to play the baddies. Would have put some life in this one sided final.

You have changed your tune a bit.

The playoff final and 6 pages. Shows what people think of this second leg. No one cares other than the two teams involved and it’s a real shame. There’s no drama, jeopardy, nerves or anything about tonight. Flat as a fart pre meeting excitement sorry to say. Just calling it as I see it, not trying to wind anyone up. It’s just a fact. There’s no baddies you hope will fail, no goodies you hope will win. We can only hope Ipswich turn up with some fire in their bellies. Because they certainly didn’t have any in the first leg. If Ipswich get within 20 I will be suprised.

It isn’t crucial at all. A few people might be affected on any particular evening. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, It makes no difference. Midweek is midweek. Poole used to ride on Tuesdays in the NL. Had a good crowd on a Tuesday. Would we get a bigger crowd on a Sunday afternoon? Possibly but then some would say something else is a priority. I really believe Matt Ford announcing the club is up for sale affected crowd levels.

Neither are many I have spoken to either. The question in the echo was loaded. And a third of Poole fans said no to that as well. A good percentage of fans will be lost if we ended up with someone like Harris or Worrall as a number one.

Yes I think it’s crap. From watching Darcy and Noddy to novice wobblers in the space of a few short years is 5hite in anyone’s book. I understand why financially but it doesn’t make it any more palatable. Think the crowd will take a bit of a knock as well.

No it wasn’t one meeting. He should have ridden about 12 but was stopped from riding time and again so he remained below 6 meetings and get an official average and be used at reserve in the final.

Anything north of Swindon and I get nose bleed.

Poole Stadium to Somerset Speedway Is exactly 74 miles. Poole, Dorchester, Yeovil, Somerton, Street, Puritan, Oak Tree Arena. https://www.dropbox.com/s/9kdqeizt9ll3sl7/IMG_7529.PNG?dl=0

Poole is 74 miles on google maps. Your taking the long route via Taunton.

Because yesterday was the pre AGM meeting where this was discussed in detail. So if it hadn’t been announced by Poole it would have come out elsewhere.

Wrong. Swindon is 78 miles from Somerset speedway. Poole is 74 miles.

You won’t see a gathering even less so a crowd with a lineup like that.

No you were not!

I’m not posting down here. They’re not worthy!

£40,000 the main sponsor failed to pay? The reason why we remained with r/r for so long and our replacement was low key on the cheap. I really believe Matt saying the club was up for sale affected attendances. A lack of enthusiasm from the top filtered down to the fans. Well, if Ford can’t be bothered, why should the fans? A watered down league, not enough clubs for variation, the success of AFCB 5 miles up the road and it’s not difficult to see why crowds dipped. The best solution could well be one big league. Variation of opposition would help ease the issue of lesser quality teams.

Chapman buying Poole would see the end of the club pretty quickly as it wouldn’t be an independent and it wouldn’t wash. The current PL is dead. It was rumoured Somerset we’re considering moving back up but if Poole have dropped down they won’t make the move up as the local derby would have gone. Perhaps MikeBv’s idea has some legs in it. But an issue would be, what if the powerhouse teams were all in one region? What if, for example, Poole, Eastbourne, Swindon and Somerset were dominant? The playoffs should be the four strongest teams regardless of whether they are north or south. The four highest points scorers of the two leagues combines should be the playoff teams, and not two from each league.

Hardly a local derby. It’s 113 miles away! I don’t think it’s a good move at all. The crowd will drop at least 25% so no gain there. Add a drop to get in, as fans won’t tolerate £18 for an inferior product and there’s a shortfall already. With a 38 points limit we will be watching a couple of wobblers at reserve. This hasn’t been mentioned but I think the rise of AFCB has a link to one of the reasons why the crowds have dropped at Poole. Their success from about 4 years ago ties in as a direct possibility. There are some that used to post regularly on here that are now season ticket holders at AFCB who no longer attend speedway and have said they can’t afford both. I myself find it very disheartening. I heard the main sponsor fiasco cost the club over £40,000. Thats a huge missing lump to cover wages, rent etc. No wonder the club has found funds tight, leading to extended r/r with Worrall and cheap replacements. But is dropping down going to lead to a main team sponsor who is prepared to pay out for the privilege, in the knowledge that his or her company is not going to get any TV coverage? Unless Eurosport, who we hear have put a decent TV deal on the table, are willing to spread their investment over all leagues, there’s no piece of the pie to be snaffled up. The Premier league is not a viable league with 6 clubs. Everyone can see that. So, either Matt Ford has a ploy to get Chapman or another to buy the club to take the PL back to 7 clubs, or alternatively it’s to crash the PL so that all clubs have to sit down together and form new leagues, with a decent amount of clubs in whatever format to make it more attractive to the fans. Swindon and Poole are good rivals. Love going up to Blunsdon. Swindon will miss us badly. Instead, as it currently stands, they will see 5 other teams in 2020. Never going to work and we all know it. And currently no club is going to come up to replace Poole. I personally don’t believe a regional league, north and south, with playoffs (2 from south 2 from north) is a viable or sensible concept. The U.K. is a small country. Wolves north or south? Birmingham north or south/ Belle Vue to Monmore is just over an hour but they could be in different leagues? Not going to work. Perhaps a year of one league would be a way forward. I see that would be 27 riders short, due to doubling up. But it can be covered. NL reserves. Or, if there is decent TV money, entice a few young Swedes and Poles over from the lower leagues. Experience gained over making a wedge. Eurosport would surely like a league 20 + over a league of 6. Sorry for length of post just thinking and typing ideas as they come into my head.

It should be 25% cheaper to get in. Matt Ford said cost are 25% less. So instead of £18 it should be £13.50 next season.