waytogo28

GRW 123 wrote " With a little bit of thought, the sport could be made far more appealing then it is at present.......... But directives need to be done from the top at all levels" And it is that "little bit of thought" that has been missing from the BSPA and the AGM for at least 20 years . It is far to inward looking and seems incapable of stepping outside it's comfort zone and taking a look at the sport, as if from the outside. The fans views and well meant feedback have been completely ignored for at least the last decade, as if they are of little value and the gate money is inconsequential. With the Sky cash stream and sponsors and advertisers maybe the fans were less important? The way that other sports have dealt with a changing society and technology and re-invented themselves has been ignored by the BSPA to a large extent and they have contented themselves with minor rule changing that no-one outside the sport even noticed ( and many fan's disagreed with ). What did that "brainwave" of name changing the leagues last year achieve? If it has attracted a major sponsor - then Hooray! Perhaps they are going to announce that very soon?

Speedway is advertised as exciting, thrilling, full of drama but for those 15 mins or racing ( of which 5 might be genuinely exciting ) you have to suffer 8 - 10 mins per race of tractor racing, inaudible announcements and interviews with riders, old music played too loudly and other boring pointless goings on. Or you can go to buy very unhealthy, expensive junk food. The overall experience for a newbie - can't be very impressive can it? Why I became addicted to it I just can't work out 60 years later. I blame my parents. Thankfully my love affair / obsession has slowly ebbed away over the past few years ( of disillusionment at how it has been run ) and I'm free to waste my money on something else. Over the years I took many newbies and very, very few returned of their own accord. Most cited - the first away nearly always wins. The only thing to be improved is better, closer more exciting racing and crisply run meetings where fans are more involved. Sadly in my experience the promoters, collectively can't or won't do that. It's very reminiscent of what happened to the British motorcycle industry.

Or they might just have enough - only Poole at Heart riders to run three teams and they could tour the country as other clubs teams to save money in 2018?

Lets hope it is Jakob Jamrog AND Thomas Jorgensen. Jamrog would be an interesting addition.

We are sure to know before the new season begins in March 2018.

So, what is it that stops KLS and most other promotions from putting on their show in this way? It has to be that the the paying public standing on the terraces are of no concern, after they have paid to get in. It has to be that, doesn't it? Even the incentive of falling crowds almost everywhere, doesn't seem to make the BSPA take presentation of their product ( 15 mins of racing - maybe 4 mins of exciting close racing ) seriously enough to improve it. Rules were introduced about limiting "gardening at the tapes" and were never properly enforced and within a few matches faded away to the same old, same old - dragging on.

And perhaps it is over issues like this, that the yawning chasm between how promoters see the sport they sell to supporters and how many supporters see it ? I am and have been a fierce critic of Buster's role within and at the head of the BSPA and as above says I still do hope that the ending of his involvement, will be seen as a positive one. But and it is Big But, he needs to be more interested in the opinion of fans and listen to their ideas more openly. No-one will succeed by telling themselves that they "know best" about everything ( because no-one does except God Almighty ).

It looks as if most posters cannot see Cook making the Big Breakthrough that we all ( mostly ) want to see him have. I can't but Fingers Crossed that he can do better than we imagine.

I make no apologies to posting this here as well as in the AGM thread. To his credit Buster Chapman has built up Saddlebow Rd - now the AFA, into an excellent little stadium and had much success over the years as a Promoter. Sadly we now have the stadium but Buster has lost the hearts and mind of many KL fans. He pledges in the SS this week to "never let things slip again" at the club. He just needs to look long and hard at the nature of the "little bit" that he admits to letting things slip. There is a massive job to be done ASAP to win back those disillusioned supporters.

To his credit Buster Chapman has built up Saddlebow Rd - now the AFA, into an excellent little stadium and had much success over the years as a Promoter. Sadly we now have the stadium but Buster has lost the hearts and mind of many KL fans. He pledges in the SS this week to "never let things slip again" at the club. He just needs to look long and hard at the nature of the "little bit" that he admits to letting things slip. There is a massive job to be done ASAP to win back those disillusioned supporters.

The most curious thing is that as the Saddlebow Rd track has become less and less conducive to good racing is that Buster has spent longer and longer on the various tractors and other heavy machinery. Has he become less knowledgeable about the material he is trying to lay properly or the bikes that riders are now blasting around on? Is it the only time that he actually feels in control of KLS and BSPA affairs?

And Please No More double headers a la Stoke's end of season frolics! 30 heats plus advertised and 20 run - was a refund offered?

Who are these wealthy sponsors and how long is the queue of them vying to be the "Durex" Premier League 2018 brand owners?

Of course it will, as we all know how successful the GB UK Speedway re-branding was in 2017. The crowds just - ebbed away as they have done for the last five years or so.

I do hope that, as some posters suggest, Buster Chapman does read Forum comments, because this is very relevant to how he has been running KLS.

And with no really substantial regular home crowds for their own season.

My thoughts are along the lines of Doyle ( Yes Back to Back ), Woffinden, Dudek ( or those places reversed ), Sayfutdinov with Cook around 10th place. Cook is likely to shine well at times but be very inconsistent. Never going to Do A Doyle and pull himself up by his jockstrap or whatever, to the cream level of world class. Much as I am a fan of Robert Lambert, the next truly great Englishman is going to be Dan Bewley.

Signing them could be much, much easier than giving them a track they can perform on and race well on. Buster was unable to get that right - a racing track the like of which we have usually had in the past at the AFA. IF he gets that right some fans may return. Signing them is only down to how much risk Buster wants to put on the belief that the top riders will substantially improve attendances. I like the idea of Lebedev more than Milik - but I do not think he would see the season out. I actually prefer the idea of Lebedev to the return of NKI.

Even before his Meltdown Tantrum night Holder's arrival added very few to the AFA crowd on average. His poor form did not help as many lost faith in him as a No1 "Big Hitter". Why will Vaculik's arrival in Leicester bring in the necessary 250 - 500 extra punters needed to keep the club afloat financially? It is the wrong route to "bringing back the crowds: in UK speedway. The crowds are not going to materialise doing things that way. A lower cost sport with UK based ( and racing there only ) riders and a £10 - £12 max entry price might help to stop further fans walking away and might bring in a few more - with closer, more exciting races. One of the negative points is that when the cost went past £1 a minute for VFM racing it became too expensive. And the reality of close exciting races is that we are paying £3 to £4 per decent competitive race. There are no races I have seen recently worth the "cost of admission alone" - £15 plus?

You need to be well rooted Europhile to live in thriving Peterborough. After the £1 million given to Boston for extensive English Language training - Peterborough is the next most "needy" city in that respect.

They have never worried about promptly or properly run meetings.

Except for a large dollop of cash, from a cash rich sponsor or a group of cash rich fans can save Newcastle. Best thing would be for all interested in saving the Diamonds to buy an extra Lottery ticket and hope for the best. If I win more than £10 million I will step in and help.

Crowds will never recover substantially at KLS while Buster in is Total Control - as he is. He has no empathy with present day fans and is stuck in the " I was a fan, so I must be right" mode of thinking. Pity because he built up an excellent stadium facility which other sports might yet flourish in - but not speedway racing.

Just let it go bust, as it will if it continues to be run in the way it has been for 20 years and then let's enjoy the UK based semi pro racing that will survive in a few places. Maybe, just maybe speedway can then re-build itself in the UK. It can't do that with the current promoters to whom "everything is hunky dory and even better with the cream of riders enticed back". Blind leading the blind.

Grand Central wrote " It is difficult to see what is different in giving a page over to a one-sided rant by Mr Gordono this week to giving Peter Collins a similar platform, without counter-argument, just two weeks prior. And yet that article was almost unanimously judged to have been a flawed journalistic piece and an editorial mistake to publish in that way," On & On & On this sad saga goes. David Gordon and Chris Morton brought about the magnificent stadium and track that is the NSS. But they were unable to navigate successfully and on a sound financial basis, their first season there. They were inept in that respect and are extremely unlikely to recoup a penny from the debacle that was of their own making. Some will never believe or accept that I know.