uk_martin

Part of the fun of sport is that occasionally question marks get turned into exclamation marks. Let's see what next year holds in store.

What the hell are you expecting? Rome to be built in a day? The Masons are English. Neither of their first names is "Sheikh" and they don't dabble with Russian Oil Company stocks and shares. The Brummies are in a better league, on a limited budget, in just the promoters' second season in business, with commitments to aquire assets as is required by the league, having had the original assets stripped away from the club without compensation. All that means a huge outlay of cash. Not that those people who moan about admission prices care about that. Money grows on trees in their little bubbles. Finishing the season will be a success. Entertaining racing will be a success. More people on the terraces in September than in March will be a success. All you fans from other teams, don't worry, the Brummies won't be troubling the league leaders this year. But considering where the Brummies were 3 or 4 years ago, it's already a success to be where they are now. Let's be grateful that a foundation is being built and that in future years, the rewards will come.

The above is from the Redcar thread. And in other news, Ben Barker, on his Facebook page says that he's looking forward to being able to announce on Monday, who he'll be riding for in the Championship. Now join up some dots...

Yeah, exactly. Where's Jim Bowen with his "look what you could have won"??? We've had a fair bit of talent come ride for the Brummies at NL level, not one scrap of which we enter the Championship with. Thanks BSPA.

Pretty much sums it up. "Welcome to the real world" where there is more to running a team than just playing Fantasy Speedway with any name that springs to mind. We can thank the organisation who are the sole guardians of the "best interests of British speedway" for making the rules that we have to play by, one of which is that Birmingham, having been stripped of all its Tony Mole riding assets, by said organisation, a couple of years ago, has to now balance out asset building with on-track competitiveness, whilst those teams with an asset base can plough their resources into a focussed effort of maintaining a competitive team. It'll be several years of team building before Birmingham will be able to mount a title challenge, and I hope that the fans come to realise that. Sights need to be adjusted accordingly. Anyone who thinks "we are Birmingham, therefore we entitled" needs to take a reality check. We are in a different environment, and we're playing catch-up with the established teams in this league.

Welcome to Tobias Thomsen. Cue the "what, not Danyon?" Outrage...

See previous comments / debate about letting the news out on a drip feed.

Well I wonder what that disaffected femme fatale will think of Kyle Newman signing for the Brummies? Start taking those anti-vitriol pills folks.

The main question that needs answering is why someone from Coventry, obviously so sour about the loss of "his or her" team has nothing else to do but to belittle everything that the Birmingham management are trying to slowly and steadily build up?

Maybe Argos would be happier if Mick Horton was running the Birmingham show?

Possibly so, but with the long term in view, do you buy or do you rent forever? Which is the cheaper option in the long term? Those who have to put their money with their mouths are, have decided to buy. Personally, a long term view being taken here is reassuring for the general future of speedway in Birmingham. Maybe you're not as interested in that as a Brummies fan would be, I dunno. But how about we make judgements on Castagnas performances 4 months after the start of the season, rather than 4 months before?

Welcome to the difference between the National League and the Championship. Unlike the National League, the Championship isn't run as a Social Service. Unless the Brummies can sign someone up as an asset, that rider will cost loan fees, which is money that the Brummies have to be very careful about. As I said before, teams (like Ipswich as an example) who could sign assets for fun whilst the Brummies were in the "assets-verboten" NL, can subsidise their business with the income from loan fees. A luxury that the Brummies don't have. YET! It'll take many, many years for the Brummies to build up a viable asset base, and until then, if the choice has to be between a foreigner who might get 4 or 5 points and not cost a loan fee, and a Brit who might get 4 or 5 points, get damaged in the process and cost several thousands in loan fees, have a guess which the business decision will favour?

Why? Just because he's Italian? Er, because ALL Italians are the same, right? Or maybe it's just like signing Julius Ceasar all over again? He was Italian too. At least, unlike a lot of other foreign imports into the Championship, after Brexit, when foreigners have to prove their worth to get work permits, Castagna can show that he IS a regular in the Italian international pair/team.

I wonder if Ipswich will be as generous with Michael Hartel? Do the 4 meetings he rode for them even qualify for becoming an asset? Wouldn't mind betting he's got a lot of improvement in him, and the Witches won't be able to take him into the Premiership with them this year, so maybe there's a rider that the Brummies could invest in?

To be Italian Champion, wouldn't he have had to beat Nico Covatti?

Is Paco anyone else's "asset"? If he's a free agent then it could be the first step towards Birmingham building their own asset base, and it will save on paying Danyon's loan fee assuming it really was a one or the other choice.

Does this drip feed of information happen anywhere else? Polish fans knew who was in their teams weeks ago. Why wouldn't Sheffield, Somerset and Scunthorpe want 7 newspaper articles if they thought it was good for them? Like many things in Speedway, this is outdated thinking, perpetuated by those who can't or won't move with the times.

I would assume that the BSPA would offer up time for the Brummies to accumulate some riding assets. Especially as the BSPA stripped the Brummies of all their previous rider assets when they were in the National League, so leaving the team to start from nothing. For as long as it takes to get an asset base together, the Brummies will be under considerable financial pressure. For now, every rider will incur loan fees without any "own asset" riding elsewhere earning loan fees in return. The established teams will be able to balance out the swings with the roundabouts, whereas the Brummies won't have that luxury, so whilst other teams can budget on paying for their riders, the Brummies first have to see what's left in the wages kitty after feeding the other teams in the league who they have to pay the loan fees to. Something to be remembered when the inevitable squeels are heard from some fans when they learn of the increased admission prices for next year.

How about Austin Morris? Or even Morris Traveller for the away meetings?

What's the current situation about Championship teams needing to own a certain number of their own riding assets?

Riders in Poland and Sweden know what they will be doing next season. Riders at teams like Sheffield and many others already know. Why should any other riders be treated like second class citizens? I bet he knows by now anyway, it's just us fans who are being kept in the dark.

The bright side ... in this sport...??? The bright side must be in that hole in the sand that so many fans have their heads buried in.

Must be a hard choice to make... Either: taking the chance that crowds will improve in the Championship to make it worthwhile, but being scared off by the example of Glasgow, who are losing hundreds of thousands every year, Or: Staying in the NL, with the prospect of: a) the older fans with no alternative social life, who have been the mainstay of support in past years, getting older and dying off thereby seeing crowd numbers falling through natural causes b) the fans with alternatives in front of them and not being impressed with the NL chosing to do other things thereby seeing the crowd numbers falling for other reasons too. Tune in next month to see what happens.

There's word going round locally now that the lack of communication is a sign that Birmingham won't be running at all next year.

You're agitated. Tracey has passed her tipping point and is well upset on Facebook over the deafening silence. Things must be getting serious.