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Matt needs to put away the archive book of averages and the calculator and look after the riders he’s got. With a bit of faith, loyalty and encouragement they should come good. Why wouldn’t you want to keep Kurtz, Grajczonek & Woryna and tell them you’ll build your team around them for the next three years? Batchelor, Tungate, Newman, Kennett, Howarth, Shanes, Starke, Klindt, Andersen and even Chris Holder should all have been treated better. With all due respect to them it never makes sense to keep bringing in stop gap, foreign based riders like Szzzzzpaniak, Lindback, Gomolski, Sundstrom, Jepsen Jensen & Jonasson, who aren’t committed to the UK and never stick around at any club for very long.

But how are the staff supposed to make it pay? Do you know the cost of a uniform and the bus fare to the cinema for the staff, if you want the best staff at the cinema you need to charge £20 per film and only show it on a Monday and Wednesday as of a weekend the staff work in sainsbury’s, also the camera can be very very dangerous so the staff risk their life everytime they show you a film

One of the frustrations of being a Poole Supporter (by the way for many years) based near Chelmsford - Essex is that I don't get a chance to see them so much. A 3.5 hour drive is a bit of a ball breaker. Thankfully I didnt attempt it this week as would have seen my backside ;-) However that does not dampen my love for the Pirates or my enthusiasm for the sport. Having been pressing home my comments/thoughts re using these young N/L riders and having a combo of 2 of these under 20 in each side - add existing established young riders and top off with the experienced guys. (Not all these ultra expensive top/top riders based abroad). Well tonight I am more than happy to spend my £17 entrance fee for a meeting at Lakeside only 23 miles from where I live, where I will see the kind of Speedway I am trying to advocate partly. Firstly I get too see our returning asset N.Klindt - Hopefully will have a gating day at Lakeside as we know not an easy track - Also get to see another asset in Newman who dont expect too much from these days to be honest. Add into the mix experience such as Lawson/Proctor/Bach/Campton - add established young talent such as Morris/Ellis/Jensen and also exciting youngsters such as Bewley/Wajtknecht and topped up by youngsters who have been in N/L such as Mountain (Lakeside guest) - Bickley - Bowtell. Now that is certainly a well spent £17 entrance fee - Ok add £3 for the program but I dont give a damn as this is the mix of talent i want to see. A mixture of Experienced/Established good young riders/Young talent coming through. Maybe throw in a snack from the burger/hot dog/chippie van and a pint and its speedway utopia Who needs GP riders and it cost the promotors a fraction of the cost. Its nights like hopefully tonight that you think there's hope for the sport yet. Also no rain planned and I checked both BBC and Met office. Fingers crossed.

The only rumours u should listen too is fleetwood mac!

Speedway doesn't fix things that are broken, but fixes something that isn't broken - the World Cup. In my opinion, APART FROM THE JOKER RULE, the format for the WC was finally perfected after years of fiddling around with it. Four nations, one rider from each in every race and wearing the same helmet colour throughout. Dead simple. Easy to understand for casual or new viewers tuning in and that's how it should be. Forget about team riding, new viewers won't understand or care less about it. This new competition is taking us backwards to a confusing, audience alienating format.

Lucky we've got a few anoraks left that follow the sport in this country that care about the shambolic way it's presented and the disgusting state of the stadiums we're watching it in eh? Applying the rules is a basic necessity of any serious sport surely? Hope some of these riders that don't make a fortune riding on the continent have other qualifications to fall back on because speedway will be semi pro at best in the UK in a few years.

As a speedway fan really feel for the Bears at the minute nothing is going there wsy at the minute , hoping Ben and JPB are back on a bike soon we as supporters don’t realise the sacrifices the riders put in for our entertainment , get well soon you two

The agreement with the FIM is that we have priority on Monday and Thursday and Denmark has priority on Wednesday. The fact that the BSPA decide to run on Wednesday, Swindon excepted, doesn't change that agreement. Denmark still has priority on a Wednesday and we have it on Thursday.

After the criticism yesterday it's good to see that Rob Painter from GB Speedway Team took the time and trouble to travel up to Cumbria today to see Craig Cook. That's the proper and professional way to deal with things.

Although teams can name a U21 rider, who can be used at anytime it is not mandatory to have one. With this in place many heats in both race off`s will end up with only 3 riders. USA, Ukraine, Finland and Italy have only 2 named riders. With no back up they will undoubtedly all at some stage be reduced to 1 rider heat representation. Not value for money and an ill conceived format and ridiculous rules. No need to drop the World Cup for this farcical event.

come in numbers 1 and 5 . your time is up @ D.P.

Funny, that's what Hancock said when he needs an excuse because he couldn't be Ars#d a couple of years ago.

Just put an announcement out on the PA during the interval about the roadworks? Not hard is it?! Anyway, I got back from working in London just to get in before heat 1 and was pleasantly surprised to see how busy it was. The back car park was almost full. Why such a big crowd? Must have been the draw of the World Champion being in town and the prospect of our very own Robert Lambert beating him. It couldn't have been the crazy half term offer!?? "The King’s Lynn Tru Plant Stars £36 Family ticket gives you all a fun packed evening this Wednesday 30th May. A Family ticket gives you entry for 2 x adults and as many children U16 as you like for just £36. Parking is free." It's £18 to get in for adults and kids go in free anyhow? Looking forward to the next crazy value promotion - 1 coffee for £1.50 or a special offer of 3 for £.4.50?!? It made me laugh anyhow : )

I don't think the number of riders choosing Poland would be anything like the numbers some are suggesting. For many of the current riders, who race mainly for Polish league 1 and 2 teams, a guaranteed 30 plus meetings in the UK in one big league would be more attractive than being part of a Polish league 1 squad with no guarantee of being a regular pick. They may not like having their opportunity to race abroad curtailed but I think many would accept it. The UK has got to find a way to operate that initially makes the sport here sustainable and then able to grow. Staying as we are is not an option.

Oh dear!! Thats horrendous

That profile pic of yours is very wrong!

I'm not sure if Robert Lambert will be eligible to take a reserve ride, even if required. He's 48 years old according to the GP website! http://www.speedwaygp.com/rider/robert-lambert

Omg, there is plenty of choice, could be singing that chant for hours on end.

Could speedway cope with 'Jack Holder what a ₩@#£€& , what a ₩@#£€&'

Probably something to do when the football left the stadium ?

i see concretors covering an area of around 1200m2 with plastic on a regular basis in australia to stop any potential rain ruining their surface.... the next day they come in after a huge downpour and their concrete has a perfect finish on it. I am sure someone could come up with a proper system to cover tracks. Maybe covering the actual track in it first then use Najjers idea of clipping another layer from the fence down to the centre green? all it would take someone with a “well sort it attitude” rather than someone who gives up at the first hurdle.

Not forgetting Justin Elkins who was a great for Swindon and went off the boil when he went to Poole

Ridiculous! We have started the season in BL2/NL/PL/Championship in April since 1969 (1968 was a late start due to the lack of teams in the initial year). I don't remember the second tier having gaps like this. Perhaps the problem lies in having the shortest league schedule since 1968? 10 home league matches is a disgraceful offer to the public, even allowing for the limited additional Championship Shield meetings that in the south add a paltry two extra fixtures making a grand total of 12! So, just what ARE we supposed to do? Start the season in June then move on to the play-offs in September? Trying to defend this year's schedule is ridiculous. The second tier has foolishly followed the top tier into a fragmented season and will pay the same price if it's not careful. Perhaps the promoters can only afford top stage a dozen meetings? If so the least they could do is be honest and inform their remaining fans.

I think after your win last night your post was proved correct looking at it how many away wins have there been away not many.Also Swindon are a very strong side at home a terrific top five with great backing from Zach.I do think Somerset are in the mix for fourth spot with Lynn,Poole, all to play for.

By the time Workington go to Lakeside tomorrow they'll have had 8 away and only 3 matches at home. Bearing in mind the home ties are supposed to generate the revenue to pay the riders (home and away) the promotion are to be lauded for being able to fund these eight away fixtures in the hope that revenue from home matches will in the end balance the books. Heaven forbid the weather's bad on Saturday then we could be looking at 10/3 away-home nigh on unsustainable. Fingers crossed for Saturdays weather and a good crowd to go with it.

I think Rebel supporters had "Rose Tinted Glasses" at Kings Lynn last night Note to all Rebels supporters "Get Some Rose Tinted Glasses"

To add to this, if there’s a tie for qualification for the semi-final, the tie is determined initially by ‘who beat who’, if that heat was a 3-3 then the team taking second and third will be considered the better placed team.

I dont want Barker back, sorry he has been injured but he has been nowhere near good enough and hopefully we will find a replacement in the coming weeks.

He's definitely not as ruthless as he used to be! Maybe there aren't many committed riders to choose from?

Well, it can't get much worse

A normal night at championship club speedway then Steve.

it just some muppets stirring it for us . if we had not had those two great away performances , nowt wud av bin sed . load of bilocks.. it will only be the last season IF we dont support the sport in wirkington as best we can . its in our hand , as it always was .

You really are a thickwit, the only weeds are the one in your bong. Better to say nothing and have people think your thick than say something and prove it.

It doesn't look that cool. If it did, youngsters would be flocking to Tracks to watch Speedway - and they aren't doing that. So - as I say - these bloody suits cannot be that 'cool'.

Wow talked about patched up ! The Bears really having a tough time of it of late

The contentious track cover debate. Trouble at Poole like other multi use stadium is the centre green needs content access nearly every day so can't see these being any use. Also if fixed to top of fence these will obstruct the views of the dog racing which definitely won't be allowed.

We can get enough blank weeks with rain offs.Weve had some dry Thursday's with no fixtures as was expected.If the meetings don't get rained off till late in season we are still going to get a mass scramble to get them in.Thats speedway.I would rather have double the fixtures and risk some rain offs but that's just my opinion.The more meetings the better rather than the lack of fixtures we have now.June and July we have 2 home league matches in each.

I started supporting Speedway back in 1964. 54 years ago. I am 100% with moxy63 on this one. If I thought that race suits had brought anything positive to the Sport I would agree with najjer. To my mind it hasn't, what it has done is remove a sense of colour from the Sport. There is no 'Little Boy Blue', 'The White Ghost', The' Red Devil' these days - they all look the bloody same. Change to suits has done nothing but remove a sense of identification with Riders. It has sanitised the Sport in a way that has removed any sense of individuality. You ask why there are no characters in Speedway like there was in the past - I am not saying that Race Suits caused lack of characters, but they are a contributory factor. The Riders are no longer allowed to show any individuality. Individuality was how the Characters emerged. By the way - Speedway WAS better in our day and that is without rose tinted spectacles.

I'm not too sure the cl has been sacrificed for the pl. I was under the impression we could only do 1 home and away, due to a few cl teams losing so much money, they couldn't afford to run more often. I might be wrong of course.

Living in the Fenland area of Cambridgeshire my local papers surprisingly don't mention Kings Lynn roadworks! It would have been good to know and have turned right as I left the stadium. I then thought I would go around the roundabout and head back .... Nope!! Only one possible exit into Lynn. Not really knowing the town I followed the one and only diversion sign I saw which eventually took me to the big interchange with the A10, Ah I thought 'get on the A47 westbound there ..... Nope, more cones!! So back into Lynn, no diversion signs and not a clue how to get through the town .... Took a chance and followed the highest number of other cars ... Amazingly went past McDonalds and to my joy was allowed on the A47!! A bit of warning or even a few signs would have helped!! Back to speedway ... Really enjoyed the meeting and Lambert's never say die attitude!!

I'm sorry folks.... But I'm past caring about riders missing for whatever reason. We are just a minor country when Speedway is concerned. Those who pay the piper call the tune.

Ideally both, but most suits don't match or show the correct number. Eastbourne changed their club colours to suit their sponsor, fair enough if helps keep their club in business, but the suits don't even have a logo or 'Eagles' on the front....

It's not about losing, it's not about the management being nice etc etc. Andersen has had 6 matches and only averaging 2.60. That's shouldn't be acceptable. His scoring has been to the standard of a rider from the NL, that can't be denied. IMO Josh Bailey should be given a crack. If we can afford to carry a 2.5 point rider 100% Josh Bailey should be in.

Perhaps if more fans attend that would help......surely you can spare £17 a week.

I can't wait to see Kane in a green shirt at the World Cup, Dele Ali in a yellow one and Lingard in a blue one... with an England bib over the top. We'd be a laughing stock. All I see here after reading this thread is people who watched speedway in the 70s and 80s "it was better in our day". Marketing is massive nowadays and it makes sense that it is better to market something that looks more professional than a multicoloured jigsaw puzzle.

May get shot down but Freddie Lindgren did nothing wrong in the final. Just hard riding. He was leading Tai and shut the door. It will happen back to Fred at some stage of the season.

The idea is to get regular speedway, not gaps for weeks on end or three fixtures in three weeks and then nothing for a further three weeks. If you read the comments on this forum, it is repeated many, many times that the haphazard pattern of fixtures puts people off attending - and you have pointed to that. The trophy campaign is little more than a warm up, so start running that fortnightly - along with maybe an open meeting - the middle/end of March. Then bang the league fixtures/KO Cup in from the beginning of June to the end of August (a period of 13 weeks that allows for the odd rain off). Playoffs at the beginning of September. I am sure its not as simple as that, but its got to be better than weeks missing and playoffs in October.

The "ODD" Friday, it's half a season's worth!! What I can't understand is why, with only twelve teams in the league the powers that be still cant come up with a fixture list that provides for regular racing? Out of sight out of mind really does bugger your crowd levels?

I think that's a question of swings and roundabouts. Some can make Fridays, some Saturdays. You can see the logic in moving to Friday with Cook riding in the GP's - there's every chance people will stay at home to watch a truly local boy race at the sports highest level. The problem to me is less about the day and more about the irregularity of fixtures but that affects almost very club, not just Workington. I'd say run every fortnight until June and then pack the fixtures in every week until the end of August. At least people might be able to get into a regular habit.

The current formula in the SGP with sixteen riders, twenty heats, two semis, and the final, and all points scored counting for the world cahmpionship is simply the best they ever had.