Mick Bratley

You are making a lot of assumptions in what you have said. In recent years the hierarchy of The Showground has changed from the times when I used to deal with them a decade ago, so I can't speak about the current management team, but my assumption will be that the practicalities of running Speedway at the venue will not have changed very much, if at all. Speedway pays significant rent to the venue. I don't know what the amount is these days, but when I was promoter it was, I felt, jaw dropping. It is considerable over a season. The Speedway club are also not allowed to bring their own concessions (catering) on to the venue, so the Speedway clubs income is restricted to admissions and the sale of programmes only. Speedway comes a long way back in the queue of the events held at the Showground and that's only rightly so, it is a business after all - actually it's not, it's a charity. Effectively you pay rent for the key to open and close the place, you get little or no help from them in putting the event on or clearing up after. The Showground is not a charity (actually it is, but you probably get my drift). The Speedway staff volunteers do an absolutely amazing (and thankless) job in getting the place ready for Speedway and clearing it up afterwards, it takes a monumental amount of effort and I mean monumental and these people are the real heroes of the Speedway club. The Showground does not 'plug' the back end or keep Speedway 'afloat'. They provide a key. A very expensive one at that. The one thing Speedway does do for the Showground is provide an event for LOCAL people. Practically every other event at the Showground is supported in the majority by people who live outside of Peterborough. Not everyone locally owns a Shire Horse, Truck or Modified Car or wants to pitch a tent a couple of miles from their home and there are only so many times you can drag yourself along to Truckfest. The 'dirty shale arena' gets plenty of use from other events, often these events damage the track and fence, which additionally costs the Speedway club to put right. If other events use the floodlights - which the Speedway club paid for and installed - and a light fuses, the Speedway club has to pay for this to be replaced as well.

LOL I’m definitely not Flappy.

At least he is having a go and surely that should be applauded rather than constantly pilloried.

There has been some great Speedway this season at The Showground and some crap Speedway. Pretty much like every season I’ve ever attended. i think Buster has tried to bring some financial sanity to the sport and this will be painful in the short term, it would be for the benefit of the sport if every club did this. i disagree that he intentionally ripped the initial 1-7 apart, I think his and the sports hands were tied. That’s my opinion.

I’m not ‘in the know’ haven’t been for years.

I think you’ll find Crumpie was more of an Osmond's fan fella.

I never said that. Like I said though this is 2019 not 1819.

I’d say the witch hunt is getting more tedious than serious.

Of course they’re not going to give you the reason why, but even the thickest of Speedway fans could see why it was done. Do you honestly believe that any business wouldn’t have done exactly the same? It’s 2019 mate not 1819.

LOL

And you can’t sell your ‘investment’ if there is no longer a product to sell.

And on and on. Is there really any need? Moaning for moanings sake. Get yourself some happy pills ffs.

I think you’ll find that if Harris hadn’t gone to Ipswich there quite possibly wouldn’t have been a top league this season and in any case Tungate for Harris is looking a pretty good swap right now. As for Cook, Buster never actually had a signature on a contract did he, that’s hardly his fault, and Cook wouldn’t adhere to the rules that Buster set for all his clubs but in the end had to back down. I really think the crap that Buster gets is unjustified, I honestly believe that if he hadn’t done what he did you would have nothing to moan about right now. Honestly some people on here really need a Speedway financial reality check. Big time.

I don't think anyone is asking you to kiss his arse, but not even Buster (as the messiah) can prevent riders crashing, getting injured and having loss of form. Essentially that is why it is not a wonderful season, not because of Buster's ownership. One club has to finish bottom (and I'm not convinced that will be Peterborough BTW) and the team that does finish bottom is usually the one that suffers the worst of luck with injuries and loss of form. IMO he most certainly does not hold the customers in contempt, he rarely speaks and you know what, I don't blame him because he's damned if he does and damned if he doesn't.

Buster is not the messiah, he is the bloke chucking a ton of money down a dirty great big black hole for your entertainment. I would imagine that isn't much fun whilst being constantly criticised, having people constantly taking the piss, having people constantly giving negative opinions (never positive, I might add) and also enduring the worst possible luck with riders getting injured.

This. A great servant to Panthers. Probably the best No 2 Panthers have ever had in the top league. Get well soon, Shane.

Came through fine. No problems.

Mileage is about the same though.

He says 2 weeks.

Hans is currently on his way to hospital following a crash in Denmark. I’ll keep you posted. Shoulder injury, he’s at the hospital now. Fractured shoulder blade confirmed.

That's called customer management fella.

Steady on, mate . . . .

You are absolutely right. If only someone had thought of doing this before . . . . http://www.birmingham-speedway.com/page.php?182 I did this with good success when I was at Birmingham in my last season with them and I know some of these people still go. But to make a real success of it then it has to be done season on season. It takes a lot of time, effort, organisation and attention to detail. For example everyone who came on this scheme had their photograph taken on arrival and that photo was on the official web site before the end of the meeting, so when they got home and checked the official web site out, they saw themselves and understood that their visit was valued. It definitely works, but you need a dedicated team of people to implement and run it.

I don't think that's true. There is an unwillingness, I suspect, to sign a rider for inflated points money with no guarantee that said rider will improve the team. All very well saying go and sign xxxx but I know for a fact that many of the riders names people on here are putting forward, simply don't wish to ride in the UK.

Titles are not won in April. Colin Pratt is a shrewd guy, no point rushing to sign someone who you probably don't really want at this point.