uk_martin

So anyone connected to a VPN connects to a Polish server to fool the streaming source into granting you access for free.....and if someone isn't connected to a VPN, free links to foreign streaming services will be provided in the usual way, via that International World of Speedway section of this forum, eh? That's one hell of a risky strategy.

Hold on, hold on, hold on....are you suggesting that the BSPZzz imposes a ban on riders contracted to British clubs riding for any other team, anywhere in Europe? Are you serious? Well that'll be even less then. Given the choice of British & Polish pay scales, those with a Polish team place will opt to ride there. So if you take away the likes of Dan Bewley, Jack Holder, Brady Kurtz, Luke Becker, Sam Masters, Erik Riss, look at how much you'll be devaluing the British League product. And that's just those who ride in the Polish leagues. If you do that to the riders with Polish contracts, then you have to do the same for the Danes, Germans and Swedes too, because that's, um, discrimination, and that's illegal. But is that what you want to do? Seriously? So how many riders will you have in your one big league, given that anyone riding for a foreign team will be excluded from your plans? The names are available on the team averages pages of the SGB web site, just cross off those who ride abroad, and let us know how many that leaves. Divide that by 7 and let us know how many teams there are enough riders for. I'm intrigued to know the figures you come up with. You might end up with one league, but it won't be "big".

About 137 riders were registered with the SCB in 2021 across all divisions. If you have one big league, with 17 clubs, 112 of them will be needed, leaving only 22 (net of Pedersen's Summers's and Crump's retirements) left for 6 teams to fight over in the NDL. I doubt that there are 17 riders of genuine #1 stature to lead each of these teams. Ulrich Ostergaard, Dan Bewley, Brady Kurtz, Jack Holder...um...er...there may be one or two more...

16 teams will need 112 riders. As only 137 riders were registered in 2021, including NDL riders, on the basis of one rider one club, when the 112 plumb jobs have been taken, that'll leave only 25 riders for the NDL to be spread out amongst their 6 teams. So, plenty of Sits Vacant for the MDL / SDL etc types who may have struggled to have found a place in years gone by. This could have the effect of either drastically weakening the NDL product or it could be the springboard to greatness that some of these riders were hoping for...time will tell. So there were 137 riders in 2021. Barny Pedersen is retiring, so that's one less in the pot...will Jason Crump hang up his boots after this year's fling? Another one less if he does...Aaron Summers, another one less...any more? Any suggestions about who the 17 x #1's could be, bearing in mind how many of them rode for 2 teams last year? Oh, and IF Birmingham find a replacement promoter, make that 17 teams, needing 119 riders, with even less left over for the NDL.

I've seen collections of speedway badges on sale in Bargain Hunt...very often being sold at auction a lot cheaper than you'd get on sale from certain "specialist" speedway memorabilia auctions / sellers.

A sad end indeed to speedway's tenure in Birmingham. The apathy of the fans (another v.poor attendance - compare that to the crowd in Newcastle on their "last day") matched by the lethargy of the team. Can't help but think that they were under instruction not to drag the season out longer than it had to be. Birmingham Brummies, RIP.

Virgin Media carry the Disco group of channels, if cable TV is an option in your area.

Having just watched the FIM / Discovery+ video, outlining the plans for the real SGP series, including SGP2 (u21) SGP3 (u16) and SGP4 which features Poland Denmark and Sweden but NOT Great Britain, I'm left wondering if an ultimately true word hasn't been inadvertently spoken in jest here. I wonder if the BSPZzz will take an active part in the FIM's plans or if AGAIN the BSPZzz won't interested in playing on the world stage. Anyone who remembers the early years of the Speedway European Championship will remember the BSPA cold-shouldering the FIM. I wonder how long this attitude of "we're British, WE know best, and you (FIM) aren't telling us how to run our sport in our country" will last, and what damage it could do to the sport in this country? I wonder who will prevail? Who will prosper and who will go under? https://www.speedwaygp.com/news/article/9277/fim-speedway-world-championships-2022

Great! Has anyone worked out where they are going to get their riders from? The continent? Cue more absences, RR, Guests and more of the same old same old. Bear in mind that at the height of this season, there were only 137 riders licensed / registered to ride in the UK. One big league will mean no doubling up/down so those riders are going to be spread very thinly.

IF there are 15* teams to make up your "one big league" then you'll need to find 30 "rising stars". Honestly...are there enough riders out there deserving of that accolade? Sorting out the 75 "senior" riders will be interesting too. With all but 6 or 7 riders doubling up/down between the leagues, the standards are more or less the same now anyway. * - assuming the 2021 compliment of teams less Birmingham & Newcastle. Can't honestly see Eastbourne or Swindon returning either (and where would they get their riders from if they were to return?)

New age culture - there's always someone to blame for everything, and it's always someone else. Just surprised that nobody's blamed Boris Johnson for the Brummies demise yet. He cops the blame for everything else, innit?

Yes he is - Smolinski's out through injury. https://www.speedwayofnations.com/son/news/article/9240/smolinski-out-of-son-semi-finals Any other fake news ?

It's not allowed. Reality and speedway don't belong together.

I gave up...it was a warm and muggy evening, and then they stop the meeting to test out everyone's patience. I went home before my frustration boiled over into something nasty. Not sure if or when I'll be wanting to go back again either. No wonder everyone's falling out of love with the sport...Poole put on a pantomime last week then Redcar put on a farce this week. Next week, they'll stage a comedy, and one day there'll be a real drama. The problem is that they want us to paying to see speedway the sport not these theatrical performances.

It took 91 years to arrive. Blimee.

And I'm not saying it's good or it's bad...just that to change things in any way, needs thinking through. BSF is full of people with "headline ideas" that they might want to drop when they see the complexities of implementing them.

That's 19 teams...add IoW to that, and it's 20 teams. Here's some food for thought for you. There are currently little more than 130 riders spread out across our 3 leagues. Where are the other 10 coming from (or 3 of IoW are excluded again)? Where's the injury cover? Or are you looking at 6-man teams? What's the plan for rider allocation? Are you planning on scrapping doubling down? (Everyone else wants to see the back of it) Can you compel the top 63 in the averages to fill up the British League places, leaving the National League to allocate the rest? And what basis do you suggest for building teams up in each of the leagues if you have one league of big hitters and another league of low attainers? Have you asked the fans of teams such as Plymouth, Birmingham, and Edinburgh what they think of being in the National League with a team made up of what's left at the bottom of the barrel? Birmingham for one, rejected National League speedway, Plymouth has started at the bottom and has ambitiously shown desire to move up in life and Edinburgh has known life at the top of it's own tree for a long time. You'll be asking fans in far flung places to be making sacrifices in the quality of their own entertainment, that they are expected to pay for, for the benefit of those clubs struggling elsewhere. How long before compassion fatigue sets in?

A club whose own long term future is also far from certain, we learn....does the word "jinx" spring to mind?

How many tracks up and down the UK would be available for an all-day Saturday event?

Without trying to sound like I'm justifying the pathetic BSPL decision, I don't think you can apply "restriction of trade" here. If they have the summary powers to impose disciplinary action for breaches of their rules, then so be it. No different to a footballer being suspended by the FA for bringing the game into disrepute etc etc. It still doesn't make their decision, based on whatever grounds "in the best interests of British Speedway" though. More nails for the coffin, anyone?

IF you can find the mythical farm in Wales where all the stuff that makes up their stadium is being kept in storage...

Where were you when they taught irony at school?

There were a few very visible fans from Kent, and a few from elsewhere as there always are, but I wouldn't put in in the "few hundred" category. Fairer to say that some old time supporters answered the call including the Moles and the Drurys who were also seen there last night, so they were doing their bit for the Brummies again!

It won't be ONE last chance though, will it? IF the attendance is good enough THIS Wednesday, then the fans will have the same gun pointed at their heads the next Wednesday. EVERY Wednesday becomes the next "use it or lose it" Wednesday. The writing is on the wall, and sooner or later, when the fans will tire of being blackmailed into attending, that'll be it, sadly.

Let's go back to the good old days of the World Final highlights on World of Sport, the Saturday after it happened. We knew what we were getting in those days, and were happy to get what we got. In those days, if you wanted live speedway, you got off your arse, paid your money and went to see the meetings. Consequently attendances were much higher. The current generation of "fan" wants it all, wants it now and wants it for free. They are "entitled" and have their "rights", you know, No wonder the sport is falling apart.