speedy19902006

Nick Brown MP still kicking around - wasn’t he in a parliament group for Speedway? … see nothing or hear anything of him… was he only kicking around in the George English days? Where’s he banging the drum beat?…

First of all for myself, I was one who gave Rob more slack than most, the way I seen it was that he put his hand in his pocket (twice over if things are to be totally believed) when others were not prepared to and essentially gave Newcastle the stay of execution that would have been 3 years ago or whatever it was - and to be honest for that fair play to him he was prepared to give it ago when it seemed that others would not, so to keep an argument somewhat balanced and constructive I think he needs credit for doing that. And in business / life it is always far easier to spend someone else's money than it is your own... ***HOWEVER*** (before I get my head detached before people read to the end of this post ) 1) I cannot stomach what essentially feels like totally lies now in an attempt to essentially liquidate the assets whilst under the guise of "doing it now to give Newcastle the best chance later" this is utter rubbish - as what is well documented now and proven with the sale of track equipment and such like, seems to me like he said one thing to keep the heat off him whilst doing something totally at odds with his statement in the other all underhand and devoid of transparency and integrity. 2) What boils by proverbial urine to be honest and probably leaves a bitter taste in the mouth of fans (which I suspect Rob probably does not understand) is the air fence debacle. And this cannot be sorely put onto Robs toes and the previous ownership need to bare some responsibility, however (and please correct me if I am wrong but this is / was my understanding) the air fence was afforded through a just giving page and whip round at the time the regulations came in (or this is how my memory serves me anyway) meaning all clubs had to have one to operate. That and I believe a few large singular donations from individual fans allowed the air fence or a vast majority of it to be bought. Therefore to sell it off to try and recoup monies lost just seems unethical and wrong to be honest and this is a point I will further explain further down in looking to any future we may have. But for the ownership that Rob bought from to use the gesture of the fans and such like to inevitably increase the sale price as its another asset with value to purchase that is integral to running a meeting is kind of wrong in my opinion - however seems like Rob also sees it as fair game. 3) Given the very publicised sponsorships the club received from various generous business, families and individuals - I am sure this would have been done on the understanding that essentially sponsors and people putting their money in, heat sponsors, race day programme advertisements etc etc that they were doing so expecting to get March to Septembers worth of advertisement (race day banners, pictures, website advertisement etc etc) in return for their hard earned money... Surely given the debacle they should be looking for some sort of pro-rata refund on what they did not get against what they initially put in? 4) What are the ramifications on the other co-owners / an or promoters who put money in? Do they get anything back? Surely this cannot be just Robs decision to make, they must have some course of action they could take? 5) All the actions talked about in this thread seem to me to be the actions of a person who has no intention of speedway running again at Newcastle, selling the assets to run a meeting removes any / all value, the only thing it seems he could sell would be the name? Not to hard to get around in the future I'm sure..."Newcastle Pheonix's" (for one year only as its a crap name but would be great before reverting to something more akin to the Diamonds or Diamunds ") The Future Going back to further explain point 2 and why I think it is extremely important is I think we all feel totally short changed by the various cash injections and donation fans have put into the club over the years for promoters and owners to essentially use it somewhat. However I do think we can learn an important lesson from it. Given that the club (if anything is left of it) will or will be near as dammit asset less I think now more than ever the idea of a supporters trust is vital to any possibility of speedway running again in any capacity at Newcastle. Anyone who went to the last meeting at Gosforth and listened to the excellent explanation to the complexities of running a fund and giving the club money by @TotallyHonestJohn will understand it is far to complex, and legally a nightmare to attempt / do. However I do think this shower of rubbish scenario we find ourselves in shows giving the club money and continual whip-rounds does nobody nor the supporter any favour in the long term. However I do believe that this gives us an opportunity to re-think the idea of a supporters fund where by the supporters fund can purchase such things like tractors and track equipment and effectively loan / lease these items to a club/ owner/ promoter for a basic / minimal fee. If this were the case for the air-fence for example it would give the club stability through changes of promoters and owners etc where the assets needed to run a speedway meeting essentially transcend any ownership change. Maybe @TotallyHonestJohn this would remove some of the complexities you so brilliantly talked about and explained in running a supporters club giving / purchasing stuff on the clubs behalf. I do beleive if there is any chance of someone wishing to put speedway on again in Newcastle this would make it hugely more do-able as it is going to be a from scratch start therefore it would surely make it more achievable to a new venture if such items were covered by a supporters club given that any ground up startup costs will be immense! Whilst we have no speedway this could be the time to try and set something up - £10 per month when we are not going to be spending £20-£30 per week as we have no speedway to go to. Such an amount would sharp build up and allow the purchasing of vital assets when / if a new venture were to happen. If nothing happens in the next 5 years all monies to be returned plus any interest generated. Whilst it is ambitious I do think the above issue of supporters money and gifts / cash injections / and fund raises we've had over the years are clearly not handled with the respect and integrity they should have. WE have essentially purchased assets for the club for them to be used to get a outgoing promotion an increased sale price or in this case asset liquidation when in reality there investment in the asset was minimal / non existent yet the promoters / owners are then the beneficiary of the value of the asset. Therefore I think we can think smarter in the future and in the same time provide the club with assets that stay with the club thus increasing long term stability and remove this utter debacle we now find ourselves in. Whilst I fully understand Rob will have lost a shed load of cash in this venture stripping the assets to try and recoup some of his cash / investment just seems totally short sighted and on the above points quite immoral given the statement put out by the owner, and the fact that the main asset was purchased by the fans (albeit under a different promotion and many years ago) it still feels like a sucker punch and such a nail in the coffin to any chance of speedway starting again as to buy a new one is such a large sum of money. I apologise if this is wordy it is my second attempt at typing this - I am sure the first one was better written however I managed to delete my first attempt prior to submitting and this is a hastily wrote and heavily streamlined version. Lastly whilst I am full of ideas and I would love to try and get such an offering of the ground sadly my career would not allow me to hold such a financial position and I simply do not have the time to do it either. But hopefully someone reads this and think it makes sense and could be a go-er and runs with it. Cheers

Didn’t Roy even say tonight on the mic they are searching everywhere they can to get a suitable number 1?…

Oh and for hypotheticals on what was my analysis of tonight,,, nothing more hypothetical about changing teams and riders and guessing what their mythical scores may be in future…

We’re 3 home meetings in, and tonight being the first wheels spun in anger, we were on pace, and mixing it for the most part. People are shouting for change - the lads who ride and belong to Newcastle tonight done us proud and were great to watch. Apart from a few mechanical issues the Newcastle riders were spot on. Yes we need points from number 1 - we haven’t had that so far including tonight (on what should have been a strong guest), stick fire power on that team and it’s a totally different story. No wholesale change needed at all maybe a slight tweak and we’ll be tough to beat at home.

I second that, was a thoroughly enjoyable meeting with some good racing. An outside line and riders prepared to go there. Lee Complin was getting back to race pace tonight and was on for a further 5 points had bike issues not came into the equation. He came through the pack and was inside and outside to get through was brilliant to watch then his bike gave up the ghost on 2 occasions. For all the negative folk out there to be honest I don’t think our lads did much wrong tonight, we didn’t get the points needed from no 1 and obviously George is still trying to find his feet. Was a match of circumstances tonight had Complins bikes not gave up he would have scored 8! And if you got 12 from a number 1 (which should at least be expected from home) it would have been a different story and that’s including a number 7 who’s trying to find his way in a new league! Only small negative on my end was the reserve swaps, swapping to give Congreve the easier race still didn’t return any points therefore worked against us, had Complin been left in I think would have returned some points (bike issues aside). Some people need to give their heads a wobble, support the team, support you still have a club and only that way will we get back to what we’ve previously had! Our team and our lads didn’t do much wrong tonight and raced their guts out and even in defeat some of the best racing I’ve seen in 2 years at Brough Park tonight.

My 2 pence piece; I would say Clegg looked quickest even after blowing the bottom out of the engine… Starke very close behind (probably to be expected given they know the place inside out). And Starkey rides Brough so well. BWD looked decent although not as smooth as Clegg or Starke seemed to be…to my eye seemed to be muscling the corners a bit but I’m sure he’ll get dialed in. Definitely on pace though. Weathers and Wright as you’d expect although Wrights brand new swanky kevelars made me keep having to check who it was, used to him in his old school red and black. As for the 6 & 7, Congreve looked spot on to be honest you can tell he knows what he is doing, looked better and better every time he came out. Obviously it’s different when there’s 3 other riders riding in anger next to you at the same time but think he may surprise a few people… may take a few meetings for him but going off yesterday I have absolutely no concerns… Complin,,, probably and absolute steal at reserve, absolute control over the bike still, certainly not the quickest (yet) at P&P but you could see him trying different lines and slowly building it back up. You can just tell bike control comes totally natural to him… wouldn’t be surprised if he’s in the main body of the team after the first round of averages get updated. Again I think any concerns people had about him coming back can be put to bed he’s going to be very handy still… Quietly optimistic we’ll be tough to beat at home this year which is a far cry from last season… Definitely a team everyone can get behind…

Thought I'd chip in my thoughts on this one. I follow the forum but never really post anything. Firstly I am Speedway through and through, come from a family with a long connection to speedway I have family members that have helped build tracks, been mechanics and sponsors (team and rider). I have travelled all over the country for speedway and have spent quite a bit of time in Vastervik Sweden following Speedway, I mention these things as I would consider myself an avid hardcore supporter of not just Newcastle but the sport in its entirerity. I was brought up on Berwick speedway but naturally gravitated to Newcastle as I got older and they are my local club. For myself I hold the belief that if Newcastle can survive at all it has to move away from Brough Park at some point. This is a view I have held for years and spoken to friends on the terraces about. I go to Newcastle to support my local club, but the product on offer is not up there with the likes of Berwick, Glasgow etc. Anytime I have brought friends to Newcastle Speedway to introduce them I feel I have found myself making excuses before they get there about it not being the best racing etc. I want to make it clear that I don't put this down to the riders, the club or anything like that. For me I find that at Brough Park there is an element of detachment from the racing. You are so far away from the track its hard to FEEL speedway. When you go to Berwick, Glasgow, Armadale, Redcar etc you are so close to the action it is simply breathe taking. You get a feel of the speed, the thump and tire squeal of the bikes roaring past you. You can physically see the skill of the rider shifting weight on the bike, doing different things to overtake etc etc. Unfortunately at Brough because of the sheer geography and set up of the stadium this makes these things that make speedway very hard to appreciate. Its only people that understand speedway can see and appreciate these things from afar. New goers or people trying it out for the first time simply will not see what its all about. However put the same people literally next to the track and I feel the story would be very different. I have had some amazing nights at Brough Park and some memories that I will never forgot and have seen some amazing racing there but its not consistent enough to pull new people into the sport. I honestly hold the belief that Speedway in its purest from is the best sport in the world and the product can sell its self - however it needs the right environment and ingredients to let it thrive and unfortunately for me Brough Park does not offer that up close, get hit with shale, roar of the bikes flying past you experience... Add to that the rent and overheads of running meetings and all the connecting issues with Brough Park, I do not think its holds the answer long term. Not an easy task to find a new venue or field in order to relocate but I'd rather be in a farmers field right up close to the action (with less overheads) than in a swanky stadium. Secondly just as an idea my friends at Edinburgh are involved in the Trust fund set up for the Monarchs, maybe something that could be considered if a future for Newcastle is at all possible. Where people that can and want to set up a monthly direct debit of an amount they are happy to donate into the fund. The fund has a board and the club actually approach the Trust Fund to ask for a specific amount and what it is to be used for. I feel this is something that could be invaluable to Newcastle if a future can happen. It allows an element of control of both parties both the club and its supporters on where money gets spent and provides a safety net for the club as and when they may need to invest or have unexpected costs arise. It also allow supporters for feel more vested into the club. Thirdly I am not minted I wouldn't even consider myself well off however I have worked hard to put some savings away. If anyone on here is involved in anyway with a consortium I could donate a small sum in the thousands if a package could be put together (please feel free to get in touch). Similarly the lad I come with said the same he would happily chuck a few grand in and is in a position to do so... if it allowed the club to survive. This will not be ground breaking money it will not scratch the surface of what it is going to take but non the less it will help boost the fund... Lastly hats off and my personal thank you to Rob and the team that tried. The club would have been in this position years ago had he not come in, then to run in what is still a covid year is an unbelievable achievement of determination. Something that we need to hold on hope to and explain to potentially interested parties is that attendances this year cannot truly be used as future indication. We will not know the true figures of regular attendees until the immediate effects of Covid have worn off. I can see in my work/business figures that covid has still got a grip on things (entertainment industry).

I have a slight concern that; there is a new housing development up the road from the stadium and its been pretty well known that William Hill have been loosing money on the dogs for some time now, could it be sold for housing?... Would tie up with what George said on sunday that nothing is signed or confirmed yet... Other than that I hope that it is going to a Monday night would be far easier for me to get there,,, I also think if its the latter it may also contain the announcement of the re-union of the twins.

Hi all in response to this question I did a big survey for my dissertation in 2013, I said then anyone was welcome to get intouch and I will send them a copy, whilst it is a few years outdated now it is still very relevant. I wrote a piece back then on the silencers. Which in recent weeks with changes announced seems to have supported my research done a few years back. I still read it now and pick out some mistakes made so it's not a polished piece of work but it got me a great mark. If anyone would be interested in reading it drop me a message with your email and I would be more than happy to share it with you. I did send it to our local mp who is in the group of mp's supporting speedway in the House of Commons but I heard diddly squat back from him... Not surprising really. Anyway I hope I can share my work with you and put it to some sort of use. Cheers

I'll keep my fingers crossed... Anyway by my maths we could have Robbo, Kerr, Ludvig, R Worrall, Neilsen and Rose (obvisouly) and it would leave 5.45 for another rider... Would be a good team

Ludvig posted on his twitter on 16th November that he was en-route to Newcastle... Hopefully to give his signature!

Would be An early Christmas present for me if Kenni Larsen returned

Was I right in hearing whilst at the Berwick match against newcastle there was an announcement on the tannoy that newcastle are going to be in the pairs now with Robson and Worrall, i hope I haven't just manufactured that up in my head...

To everyone that filled my questionnaire in all 399 currently of you here are the results as promised! Now lets all have a good chinwag about them! 1) Please state your gender; Chart Wizard Male 340 (85.2%) Female 58 (14.5%) Prefer not to say 1 (0.3%) 2) Please specify your age group; Chart Wizard less than 13 0 (0.0%) 14 to 17 5 (1.3%) 18 to 24 33 (8.3%) 25 to 30 31 (7.8%) 31 to 40 53 (13.3%) 41 to 50 100 (25.1%) 51 to 60 107 (26.9%) 60 to 70 61 (15.3%) 71+ 8 (2.0%) 3) How long have you attended Speedway? Chart Wizard less than 1 year 1 (0.3%) 1 to 5 years 19 (4.8%) 6 to 10 years 33 (8.3%) 11 to 15 years 28 (7.0%) 16 to 25 years 50 (12.6%) 25+ years 267 (67.1%) 4) How often do you attend Speedway? Chart Wizard Every week 208 (52.1%) A couple of times a month 60 (15.0%) Depends on the opposing team 15 (3.8%) Intermittently 89 (22.3%) Not any more 27 (6.8%) 5) Who do you attend Speedway with? (you can select multiple answers) Chart Wizard Take family Members 220 (36.0%) Take friends 83 (13.6%) Meet family at the Speedway 54 (8.8%) Meet friends at the Speedway 172 (28.2%) Alone 82 (13.4%) 6) Have you ever introduced anyone to Speedway? Chart Wizard Yes they still attend 150 (37.6%) Yes however they no longer attend 152 (38.1%) Yes however they did not like it 34 (8.5%) No 47 (11.8%) Other (Please Specify): 16 (4.0%) Text AnswersView ALL text responses in a separate page 7) Why do you personally like Speedway? (you can select multiple answers) Chart Wizard The racing 369 (32.2%) The socialising 181 (15.8%) The atmosphere 244 (21.3%) The heritage of the Sport 104 (9.1%) Supporting a local team 199 (17.4%) Other 48 (4.2%) Text AnswersView ALL text responses in a separate page 8) Do you support one team or a supporter of Speedway in general and support multiple teams? Chart Wizard Support just one team 270 (68.2%) Support multiple teams 126 (31.8%) 9) How far on average is your round trip to watch Speedway? Chart Wizard 0 to 4 miles 39 (9.8%) 5 to 9 miles 56 (14.1%) 10 to 14 miles 34 (8.6%) 15 to 19 miles 30 (7.6%) 20 to 25 miles 36 (9.1%) 25+ miles 201 (50.8%) 10) Have you ever attended any Grand Prix meetings wether it be in Cardiff or International meetings? (you can select multiple answers) Chart Wizard Have attended Cardiff SGP 303 (70.0%) Other 129 (29.8%) Text AnswersView ALL text responses in a separate page 11) Do you subscribe to Sky Sports to enable you to watch Speedway live on TV? Chart Wizard Yes 269 (67.9%) No 127 (32.1%) 12) With the average admission prices at £16.75 (elite league), £14.81 (premier league), £10.93 (national league), do you see the Speedway you witness as being good value for money in comparison to your teams division and entrance fee? Chart Wizard Yes 234 (58.8%) No (please give more details) 18 (4.5%) If no (Please Specify your reason): 146 (36.7%) Text AnswersView ALL text responses in a separate page 13) Do you choose to purchase a season ticket or prefer to pay the weekly admission fee? Chart Wizard Buy a season ticket 51 (13.0%) Pay weekly admission fee 340 (87.0%) 14) How much on average do you spend combined at an individual Speedway fixture? (please specify) Text AnswersView ALL text responses in a separate page 15) In YOUR OPINION Speedway could; Chart Wizard Be a little more expensive and I would still pay 49 (12.4%) Be Cheaper 230 (58.1%) Its just right 117 (29.5%) 16) Do you think the image and marketing of Speedway needs to be improved? Chart Wizard No 24 (6.1%) Yes (Please Specify Any Ideas or Improvements That Should Be Made): 369 (93.9%) Text AnswersView ALL text responses in a separate page 17) Do you think a Speedway meeting lasts to long? Chart Wizard Yes- It needs to take less time 153 (38.9%) No- Its just about right 240 (61.1%) 18) Do you think the introduction of the new quieter silencer has affected or hindered the appeal of Speedway? Chart Wizard Indifferent 202 (50.9%) No 93 (23.4%) Yes (Please Specify who you think it has): 102 (25.7%) Text AnswersView ALL text responses in a separate page 19) Do you think there should be a performance cap on machinery relative to the division of competition thus making all riders compete against similar performance bikes in order to make speedway more competitive? Chart Wizard No it is fine the way it is 197 (49.9%) Yes (Please Specify what benefits you think a rule change like this would bring) 198 (50.1%) Text AnswersView ALL text responses in a separate page 20) Do you have any suggestions/comments you wish to make about Speedway racing in the UK on how it could be improved or altered to increase its appeal?