RobMcCaffery

I once managed a decent bar crawl round Stockholm - but it took a surprise win on the roulette table in the first bar to fund it.... That was thirty years ago, lord knows what it's like now. Funny how they try to restrict tax booze out of the consumer's pocket (and fail) but allow gaming tables in ordinary bars. Stunning city though.

One I thought of using if anyone ever let me back on the mic (unlikely) would be this OTT gem - written and part-performed by Meat Loaf's writer Jim Steinman, "Tonight Is What It Means To Be Young" by Fire Inc. has the motorcycle roar and excitement that matches a great speedway race and the title itself sums the sport up. The only problem is that it takes 1 min 17 to get into its stride so would need editing to lose the drawn-out intro but if we're in the business of building atmosphere I think this might have done the trick: https://vimeo.com/37336849 The problem with music at speedway is not the age but the style. Too often we end up with any old selection from the presenter's youth played without thought of relevance or blindly just playing the current chart. You play chart and you alienate the majority, you play oldies and you alienate the young. It needs a mixture - more than one radio station has worked on the basis of "If you don't like this one then you'll love the next". We get a lot of complaints on here about tired old music being played. The trick is to play music that isn't tired or over-used. In the past 60 years a massive amount of music has been published and there are always new gems to be found, from any era. What we need to do at speedway is to build the mood. No, I'm not talking about head-banging hard rock but music that may not be familiar or may be forgotten but which builds atmosphere in an open air sports stadium which is a heck of a hard job to do, compared to an indoor venue. Ballads and other slow tunes are just not right, neither is Adele-style r'n'b. That has its place, but not at a sports event. There is so much that could be played but isn't, mainly due to a lack of imagination or people just lazily playing the latest music that they know. More ambition is needed and quite frankly more knowledge but as long as we expect amateurs to present for free we're very unlikely to get better. Sadly the sport probably can't afford the presentation that it needs. Instead it has to hope that a willing amateur might do the job. Of course, ideally you don't want to use music. With the right mix of talk (not chat or idiotic banter) from the box, working with a roving interviewer who knows what they're doing you could eliminate most music, or just use it correctly to build on what the racing and presenters are already providing. I know from personal experience (and pain) how antiquated p.a. systems often are at speedway though and I know how hard it is to get the right people to make the meeting come alive and it's one of the tragedies of modern speedway that the elements that could really make it work have to be sacrificed to fit tiny budgets. Another asp[ect of presentation that needs to be borne in mind is the spectre of heavy fines for 'inappropriate comment' hanging over licensed announcers - no wonder guys these days play safe! No. we don't want anarchy and blatantly unjust comment but right now the whole show is too sanitised. We need the fun of the odd row, team managers taking on the ref on the phone in public view and on the mic. Kept in reason it could bring some of the fun back. As ever, so much that could be done but it won't. Promoters won't and can't afford to take risks. One prominent presentation team that tried to do something different and creative appear to have been hounded out of the sport, sadly. We expect everything to be done on the cheap, and to be honest most of the time you get what you pay for. Hmmm - I was just supposed to be commenting on music. Apologies but these things frustrate me every time I go to a poorly-presented meeting. Just one final point re 'themes' - they cvan work but it's vital not to overdo them so they irritate. I remember years back they used to play 'Jimmy Mack' by Martha Reeves & The Vandellas every time Jim McMillan won a race at Monmore. After a few weeks you used to pray that someone beat him... A good idea, if repeated too often becomes a cliche - it's true of music just as it is with words.

It's odd because I thought I'd read that there were no bonus points in the play-offs but C-More showed 5 match points for Rospiggarna. Perhaps they are awarded, except when there's an aggregate draw?

Nearly had a stroke (©.R. Varney) Look but don't touch! I was there on business. The swinger party was the next night... Never mind Greg, tell Sam ;-)

I was staying with a journalist in Kalmar once. In the morning he took us off to the beach to collect his wife and kids - totally forgetting to mention it was a nudist beach. Not the most conventional way to meet someone's wife.

Last I remember, pirates didn't respect slavery laws. Must get my Johnny Depp collection out and check. As for Lindback, perhaps Poole do 'own' his contract or registration? I lose track of all the twists and turns as the sport ties itself in knots. Anyway, as we build up to the playoffs I think anyone with a stack of blank medical certificates and a willing medic is going to make a killing. "Johnny is not fit to ride because he has a cold/broken fingernail/hangover/promoter he doesn't get on with/has heard about the random drug tests, signed his Mum".

Not another Newport. PLEASE!

Like I said..... Hilarious, just like reading stories about idiots getting themselves jailed for contempt of court.

I'd prefer shooting......... Anyway, there seemed to be a very suspicious number of star riders scoring very little which suggests that the motivation to ride lay in 'contractual obligations'. It p[roves that it's not just our ELRC that has a problem.

When I started with speedway it was to go and watch my local team race. Obviously I soon found out about international events but the sport I fell in love with was a team sport, raced in leagues. The rest to me were just 'extras' 45 years on I still feel the same way. I know others don't but fortunately I have the freedom to have my own preferences. I enjoy GPs and the lesser events but even then I do prefer the SWC. Give me a league match over an SGP any time - but that's just my preference, no matter how illogical it may be to others. I do think I'm not alone though.

The local radio stations are a bit out on a limb so can do their 'own thing' to quite an extent. We've just had a Radio Norfolk sports presenter transfer to my local station and I can't say I'm impressed. Mind you we have a guy who gets beside himself over Forest Green Rovers, while down in Devon Gordon Sparks is a well-known OTT Plymouth fan as well as commentator. Most of that is just good-natured over-excitenent. There are times recently when Nigel and Kelvin have started going too far and it comes over as forced and insincere, but that is Sky's style - direct and always seeking sensation and opinion. At TV level the closest you would get to such antics is Johnathan Pearce who cut his teeth in Independent Local Radio in Bristol and with Capital in London. I watch a great deal of BT Sport and it really is far closer to the BBC's style - many involved were BBC people. The speedway commentary is not to the station style at all. Look at the intelligent conversations Natalie Quirke has been having with Scott Nicholls and Rosco - that is much more their style and is the only content that they control and is far more interesting and competent that the bluster we had with her Eurosport and Sky predecessors. She is a genuine fan and knows her stuff. Even then there is criticism from those who prefer a less-informed but punchy style. I do worry whether speedway is really the right sport for BT - it just doesn't match the more intelligent, less hyped style that they use on their main sports.

What mods? Thought it was just Phil now. Anyway 'sub judice' isn't that well known in these parts.

If it's any consolation Paul I once fouled-up a war cry at Eastbourne. I miscounted the E's. No, it wasn't deliberate, HONEST! At least the BSPA managed to schedule some meeting on a sunny day - doesn't seem to happen that often, especially at EL level.

Gorzow, August 27th. "Three Aussies on the podium" J.Doyle. Doesn't help does it?

I do hope it's true, although a lot of obstacles seem to have been shifted remarkably quickly. Being a Bank Holiday I'm not really into detailed research right now. Ultimately I want Swindon Speedway to have a secure future and whatever it takes is fine by me. Talking about getting into the present place, I was queuing in the pass-holders shed to hand in my internet pre-printed ticket. I noticed a sticker on the wall showing various credit cards so I asked a sour-faced woman supervising the 'welcome' if they took credit cards. The wasp she seemed to be chewing rapidly turned into a hornet as her face took on anger as well as disgust, as if I'd just asked for the contents of the till. 21st century world, 19th century customer relations. Sponsors and the press were using that entrance...

Given the remarkable level of debate shown in this thread and too many others I'd be amazed if anyone in a position of authority in the sport bothers with it now. I only stay with it for the useful information that's buried beneath the idiocy and sheer nastiness, but it's becoming an ever more tedious job to sift through the bull for the nuggets. Apart from that I'm concerned I'm developing a morbid sense of curiosity. Despite the insanity of the EL I've really enjoyed the racing next year and while the sport's got severe problems IO don't recognise that sport in this forum. It's like they've taken all of the nutters from each track and locked them in a pub so they can kill any decent conversations. I've made some harsh postings but they're sincere and from the heart, intended to make people think. Sadly that kind of thing doesn't really have a place here now. If you were a promoter would you want to waste time sorting through it all to find what might be useful feedback? You'd be better off talking to your fans in the bar.

They're not working for BT Sport. They are working for BSi, providing the world feed that BT Sport have the right to show in the UK with the addition of their own studio links. What we get from Pearson and Tatum is the same hype that they have perfected working for Sky. If you look for overstated hype look at Sky, not BT - this style of excess is certainly not BT Sports' style at all which on the whole is much more in the style of the BBC than Sky. As someone who has done the job a few times, albeit long ago and on a much lower scale I agree that they are now going too far - and they are repeating their favourite phrases just far too often. I used to work with a co-commentator on Stock Car racing who constantly relied on "They're pouring it on" and "No-one's leaving their seats". Well, one person did - I was soon sole commentator.... Jason Doyle's comment about three Aussies on the podium was stirring of the highest order! What we can't allow these trivialities to spoil is that was a great speedway meeting to all but a sad, spiteful troll who supports Gorzow's local rivals.

So, a guy goes into Sainsburys and asks for free shopping. "Why do you think you deserve that?" "Well I spend far too much at Tesco"..... "Never mind. hopefully someone will shoplift for me."

Delighted to hear it. Now good luck with the Edinburgh and Newcastle peace treaties

Still at war with Russia too, if I remember rightly Didn't help when in the days of the Scotland v England NL matches the Scots were in the red and blue helmets at Shielfield... A case of the town being in one country and the county in another.

Chris has given me more entertainment and enjoyment over the years than probably any other rider in Elite League racing, and certainly any other member of the current "Team GB", Woffinden included. What happens in the GP does nothing in the slightest to change that. Others can get uptight about his engineering or his non-achievement in other competitions. I just enjoy good racing and I know with Chris in a league match I've got more chance of some great races than with many other riders with far greater reputations.

What would you prefer, a four team 'Elite' League? The madness is on the track right now - a bankrupt league with insane rules. Yes it would be great to have an 18 team first division again with all the world's stars riding - but while Poland is paying the money and BSI and One Sport making Saturdays unusable the madness is in the blinkered, simplistic attitude that you preach. The stark reality is that the sport can't afford these 'names', even if they bring in a few more supporters to help pay for their costs - and, quite frankly I begin to wonder if it can afford supporters like you who clearly couldn't care less about speedway unless they're seeing the 'stars' and their team's winning. It does prove that there's a way to go before there can be proper reform of the leagues - stubborn ignorance won't let it happen. Best to let Elite League carry on killing itself until there's an even smaller handful of fans bleating about 'names'. That's the madness. The EL's problems may be eased but they are certainly not solved by the World Champion keeping himself in practice for the remaining GPs. I could book Beyonce into my village hall. I'd get loads more people - but certainly not enough to pay her.....

Rugby League used that system very successfully for decades. The side top of the league were the champions who were then joined by their closest challengers for a competition called "The Premiership". Then along came Sky and they had to switch to just a play-off system, as in Australia. Now, where's the connection?

You spell it f-i-e-n-d ;-) Normally I would agree with you and have argued the same in various threads. I have the wretch on block so only see his inanities when someone quotes him or I read the forum without logging in. Of course he's trolling but the depths that he has sunk to make it hard not to comment. You'll notice if I respond I talk generally, not to him and do not quote him. It grieves me that anyone should have such an appalling attitude to the sport that has given me so much enjoyment for so long and am frustrated that he has not been ejected from the forum. Others have had suspensions for far less than he's been coming up with. We've had to put up with a hell of a lot in the sport in Britain over the past few years and the last 'reward' we should get for not doing like thousands of others and walk away from the sport is to endure his taunts. To many trolls have been allowed free reign on this forum, and it's usually the ones who respond who have been getting the punishments.....

The past does matter when it gives wonderful memories. I have had 45 years of enjoying speedway and those happy memories (and some sad, even tragic) help you through the poorer times like now. I've seen speedway ebb and flow. I've seen England dominate, then the Danes and now the Poles. Everyone has their day. Some can cope with the success, others can't - clearly in Grunberg. Over those years I've written on the sport, broadcasted it, but most of all I've been a supporter. In all that time I've yet to meet in reality any follower so spiteful and ignorant as the troll. If he's a waiter I suspect he doesn't get many tips. If a customer behaved like him wherever he worked he'd be in the street. Yes, I was working on the expectation that Grudziadz would be able to get the bonus. So, Tai might not be so lacking in meetings in September after all.