Crump99

What do you mean if? It's had cash flow problems for the last 10 years at least!

It may be a fair question but is it relevant? Even I'm not sure that it is. If it was a new broom with new ideas and a vision (such as Martin Rogers, Oakes & Easter, Colin Horton & Rick Frost when they first arrived at the EoES) then Rodders etc might be more positive with it all, but it's not which might be more of an issue for some?

As someone who's turned up and paid at Peterborough for more seasons than I care to remember, I've contributed plenty and am not the reason Peterborough Speedway is in the mess it's in. I even had a season ticket in 2014; what a mistake that was. I don't particularly enjoy PL so why would I want to contribute more without a forward plan, rather than just "beyond"?

Much like last year's loan fees and the supremo I'd imagine?

But yesterday after a dire run of results and the fans not getting the exciting football or fortress London Road that management aspire too, Posh could only attract 3,168 which shows that when people have to dip into their pockets the product has to be worth turning out for. Agree about the location, would be so much easier for all if we were at the dog track or Mick Horton's motorsport complex, both in Fengate (just off town centre) I hope it works this year so that the club builds itself back up so that Rick and Julie think about returning (understand that Swales said that we might not have seen the last of them) to return us to the highest level; whatever that is at that point.

Bratters final blog (of 5 years ago, so you're not saying anything new!) said it all really, although if the product is right then people will turn up IMO as the last few months of Frost's tenure in 2013 showed; before we/he got stitched up by our lords and masters as per usual. Shame it took him so long, he might still be here and the begging bowl would have stayed in the cupboard? "During my time at Peterborough, I have done everything humanly possible to attract newcomers to our sport and all I might add on little or no budget. I have presented to over 2500 kids in various schools road show initiatives, I have invited and hosted whole organisations along for free and whole streets along for free. I have put up banners and posters, I have given away 1000’s of (sponsored) car stickers and more kids goodie bags than you can shake a stick at. I have offered free admission to members of the thriving local Polish club (one person came – once), 2 for 1 offers, Kids for a quid and Kids for free. We have on occasions been overrun by hundreds of Scout groups and I have undertaken umpteen radio interviews and quite a few local TV vox pops. I have put leaflets in newspapers, I have put leaflets through letterboxes, I have handed leaflets out in shopping malls and I have put 1000’s of leaflets on cars (with apologies to the owner of the Blue Vauxhall Astra in the Peterborough Railway Station Car Park in September 2007, honestly, it really did come off in my hand, so it must have already been broken). You name it and I’ve pretty much done it and all the time, our attendances have remained constant. Constantly poor. A successful team will bring you big crowds, but this is only a short term fix and as all Speedway aficionados’ know, and only to well, success in Speedway will never happen, year on year, it can’t, for the sport would simply die. People 'in the know' within the entertainment industry suggest that all Speedway clubs will lose 8% of their core support every year, through a variety of differing reasons. That in itself is quite alarming. And, I do believe this stacks up, in so much as, whilst I may have contributed to overall increasing our attendance by 5% or more each year, I was actually seeing shrinkage of 3%. Two things however, will always stick in my mind about whether Peterborough as a city will support Speedway in the 21st Century. 1) It has always concerned me that an inordinately high percentage of season ticket holders never had a Peterborough post code, this frankly, is shocking. 2) I will never forget that the 2006 Grand Final, arguably the greatest modern day meeting ever, watched live by over 6000 people and by thousands more at home, was followed by a Craven Shield fixture attended by less than 700 people. If that Grand Final won’t pull people in, then what will?!?!" Well Belle Vue never did but a £5/10 offer on the back of Grand Final attendance might have? (speculate to accumulate) Does give some idea of what the new consortium have taken on!

Not many of them are really the good people of Peterborough in the recognised understanding of the phrase. This is taken from the website of a school local to me: "A significant and rising proportion of pupils are from minority ethnic groups and the largest groups are Pakistani and Eastern European. A large proportion of the pupils are at an early stage of learning English. The school has families and children from Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Lithuania, Spain, Portugal, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, amongst many other countries." It looks like that is the situation across much of the city, now transpose that into paying speedway customers or sponsors.

"supremo" was the popular term used in the press.

That looks expensive. It's Swales & Rathbone potentially in charge, not Frost/Mahoney!

I know that you're a big fan of Wayne Sleep but none of our members have requested the need for such a category. They can create a thread should they so wish

Slight maintenance but open again.

It's looking a bit like Del & Boycie's poker game or Fletcher and Blanco playing Monopoly! Anyway better go for lunch and fresh air bearing in mind our agreement

What effort does being a sponsor need? It's a financial issue, not a time one, In fact it could be delegated to someone in the marketing department? The company makes a lot of money (not my words) and this wouldn't scratch the surface so I don't quite understand what the problem is to be in no position?

So why didn't you buy one before when it would also have helped the club?

From looking at Twitter and other sources it all looked positive Tel, and overall I suppose it was, but you've put some alternative viewpoints. It was a party conference though Tel and the vast majority there would support whatever was offered. It was pretty clear that that would only be Prem so no surprises there. Without Frost/Mahoney or someone new with the finances being interested then what was the point of challenging? Someone could have asked whether there was a forward plan I suppose but just replying that survival is the key would bat that question away. If Peterborough Speedway continues then fair play to those involved but it's been too big a backward step for me & I'm feeling like Lewis Bridger at the moment. I'll play it by ear from here if we ride on. It may work & be ok, time will tell. I remember a discussion with Phil Wing once in which I was trying to get across that speedway for speedway's sake didn't work for many; that didn't compute! Not sure what message him turning up sends now that Panthers are virtually where he wanted them to be? He may just have been interested as a fan? And to play devil's advocate and conspiracy theorist, doesn't Horton have a box at the hockey thing?

I said that the money ran out. I know full well what happened. He made bad choices despite advice so not a lot changed.

So why didn't Rick spot that then, because it has as expected? I assume that you mean decent as in good company because what's left of the club is in a mess from which it may never recover. Before the money ran out at least CH delivered 2006, what did Rick deliver with significantly greater resources? There were plenty of pieces to be fair but he never had the management team in place to put the jigsaw together.

Have you seen a GP about your memory loss? That's rather worrying!

Not particularly but when honest communication (to a point) is too difficult then that's the end result.

The old rumour mill in full swing already; it's going well so far!

Always has been willing and able to help, and the mess we now find ourselves in, IMO, is partly because he hasn't been here for the duration of Rick & Julie's promotion. Don't think that these days he's going to be banging down doors to help or work under previous terms so the onus is very much on those who require the service! The first sentence is my own view and the second is my interpretation of a recent conversation with Bratters who had again drawn the short straw with Mrs Bratley regarding the Sunday supermarket trip

I think the theme is what can you do to help, not how much can you eat? That's what the hog tells me anyway

Party in a brewery springs to mind - If those 3,000 Facebook fans turn up then they're gonna need a bigger venue

one for the Friday night will solve all brigade: Peterborough Panthers chiefs hope a proposed return to their traditional Friday racenight in 2013 will bring an end to falling attendances. Panthers co-owner Julie Mahoney said: “Myself and Rick (fellow owner, Frost) have been told constantly that racing on a Friday is what is needed at Peterborough. It's more what's on offer than the night (Tuesday apart) IMO. The complete entertainment package it was called at one point - &: was another tough year off the track with Panthers again making losses of more than £100,000 - the norm during the five-and-a-half-year reign of Frost and fellow owner Julie Mahoney. - Oct 28 2013: "

Don't know how it works Tel but it's not really this item specific IMHO. The information on the website hasn't been very good for a while, in fact has it ever been good?