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It's odd in the extreme. He lives in a Poole bubble and can't accept that something out there is better in every facet. It's really sad.

Tbh Phil Morris remained professional throughout that interview he kept what he thought to one side, had he gone the other way it would of been unprofessional.

NO WAY! That’s ridiculous - first rule of being a Speedway Rider: 1). There is plenty of time between October and March to get married.

also the faily neutral nature of the Show ground means this will always be case even if you had the top rider in the league Riders love the track there[and rightly so] and will always turn up have have more of a go than on some of the tighter tricky tracks

Phil obviously loves his job, you can see the effort he puts in, and full marks for him doing that, BUT, like many others, you can’t go slagging off fellow workers when you on national tv, sorry international tv, as much as you or I may want him to. It’s just not done. Don’t know what your job is (was), Sidney, I reckon you wouldn’t last long if you went slagging off to all and sundry a fellow colleague in a high position - and yes I reckon a ref at a Gp is in a high position, there is only 10 this year. I don’t think even in this day and age anyone can say anything about everything.

It'll be exactly the same as it is for non EU riders and for riders before we (or they) joined the EU, no doubt there will be a form to be filled in some where, it's a non issue, project fear

well a post at last that actually sees it for what it is everyone shoots the messenger, speedway was in a downward spiral before the current committee took charge.

You got the wrong tone of the post I was actually backing what Lucifer Sam was making. It seems nowadays everything that's wrong with Speedway is Scunthorpe's Speedway fault. hence the wink. There's more to the BSPA then Godfrey he can't make the decisions by himself he has to get the backing of the other members too. He just seems to get the flack because he the Spokesperson on most situation because the Chairman Mr Chapman hasn't got the balls to do most of the jobs himself.

Just seen a tweet re Bacon where he passes on thanks for the nany good wishes Whilst he has a burst fracture of v12 he has full movement of arms and legs so probably as positive news as could be in the circumstances

I was just listening to a Doctor Who podcast in which a Michael Grade interview was being discussed. As part of the discussion he was asked about how vociferous Doctor Who fans could be. He was quoted as saying that they were the most involved apart from the speedway lobby. He said that in the 80s they regularly had to fudge the vote results for SPOTY because otherwise a speedway rider would win every year. So the head of BBC 1 in the 80s has confirmed speedway was deliberately sidelined.

And you can guess what i want for my birthday , a Tigers home win and the forces of darkness sent back along the M8 to tricktrackland pointless . Yes it's the biggee , Scotlands finest against Satan's seven , or six or how many they rock up with . I believe we have Connor Mountain as guest reserve , while they have Broc Nicol as their reserve replacement . As both their Swedes got Armadaled apparently during Friday night's latest home slaughter , but Victor Palavaara is expected to ride on Tuesday . So Cookie , Bomber and the lads will have to bring their 'A' game to the track , while we bring the beer tokens and the anti-smug spray . Going to be a nervy , but entertaining evening as the play off thingy goes right to the wire . C'mon the Stripes

Did you see Zagar Racing or Reading Racer ,he said the crowd was better than average! Or does this mean he may not have attended.

Could have used MPT in place of Jorgensen in heat 14 though.

I understand and can sympathize with why you feel as you do. I just think that speedway needs as much help as it can get to survive. The plays offs are a showcase opportunity to show how good it can be to a wider audience and shooting ourselves in the foot by deliberately producing boring racing would be madness. Let's hope that no team does go that far, that we have some fantastic racing and that in the end the the best team wins.

Cant imagine Buster or anyone else have any questions about Batchelors riding ability, Its his attitude that creates the problems...

Lambert should of got a Bridegroom replacement for his day lol so he could ride ;-)

seven 5-1s and four 4-2s. Don't get me wrong i like seeing both teams race, but this was something else when you consider people wrote off Workington at the start of the year because of last years team. This year has seen the team make even the front runners in the Championship sit up and notice and get beat at their own tracks by the Comets.

Give it a rest Gavan. I hate Poole as much as the next person but you take it to another level.

How can you have a guest for Kemp when he’s the only guy missing and not doubling-up?! Clegg for Ayres & Bailey R/R.

Wrong as usual Meeting scheduled Sept 20th

I sense a general feeling of apathy amongst many Diamonds supporters at present e.g. no-one bothered to start a thread on this fixture until a few hours after the match finished and another lacklustre end to a miserable season. What a pity when a few riders in the team have made a great effort to do their very best when others have made perceivably little or none. Tero, Matty, Wilko and Robbo were tremendous last night against a very strong Scunthorpe team and at least looked as if they were genuinely trying. Heat 15 was probably the best this season at Brough. Suspect this may be Ludo's last year as a Diamond. Hope Matej makes a speedy recovery.

Nobody cares, 4 heat leaders and 3 second strings, utter shoite

I agree with you and would add that it was good to see Craig Cook scoring points. He got 5 and would have had a very respectable 8 but for the snapped chain. It's a bit too late in the season but domestically and now in the GP's Craig is getting back to his best and showing that he can compete at the highest level.

I wouldnt say Holder was back on it, just had his bikes set up from the gate and was able to slot into scoring positions. Did well when Lindgren was hard on him but was the only rider pretty much to be overtaken when Tai passed him. A good meeting for him yes , but the track was a gaters paradise hence the riders scores were pretty much bunched together. No surprise to me that the top scorers in the qualifiers had either gates 1 or 3 twice. Doyle to be fair was lucky to end up on 13 as he benefitted from both Janowski and Cook breaking down. Hancock would have been top scorer on 12 which shows that riders were all beating each other depending where they started from.

I see what you are doing. Then again, Stevie Wonder can see what you are doing. Dismissing others with extreme language like 'ridiculous!' and then scrabbling round for alternative arguments and seeing which one will stick. There were no bites for the Havelock-Rempala being better and now you're trying this one. Still no nibbles though. I was lucky enough to be at Torun for that GP - that was the best race of a cracking night. I was also lucky enough many years ago to see Les Collins go third to first on the last turn to win the opening race of the all-Scottish KO Cup Final...anyone else there for that one? But, I'll repeat, I have never seen a rider go from 4th to 1st on the last turn - I've yet to hear of anyone else who has either. And all preceded by passing and re-passing from the other three riders. Stunning stuff. If witnesses to the legendary Collins-Michanek KO Cup run-off in 1973 are saying this was even better than that, then that lends some hefty weight to the argument that it was the best race ever. Or if you want to pitch another Poole-related race into the mix, how's about this Chris Harris classic? ;-)

It’s not a cert he would have come last,Norbold. You had two Poles in serious medal positions, and Hancock fighting for top eight position. Anything could have happened on the first bend, and if tai had not gated he was on a good gate position, 3, for him to do his known cut back on bend 1-2 to snick the lead or second, who knows. i would like to know honest thoughts from riders re the refs antic in heat 16. It’s interesting some poster last night said many Polish fans say the refs decision was wrong. sad thing is,even if the ref is reprimanded nothing can be done about the race result. And if Zmarzlik goes on to win the championship because of that poor decision I would feel sorry for him because it will be said it’s all because of a Polish ref.

Let’s face it star man doesn’t have a clue and his agenda against belle vue and in particular the nss is extremely odd

Maybe you discussed the last race with mates, same with the race to come, sung along with the music, had a little banter with away fans, sipped your drink, read a bit if the programme, listening to the interview over the tannoy etc, so you didn't even notice the gap between races! Are you now standing completely on your own, without a prog, can't hear the tannoy and looking for something to moan about? haha

His 70's glory years were before my time I remember being disappointed when he joined hackney in the 80's - mainly because his huge average meant we had to lose 2 decent riders and promote a junior - the result meant hackney 1986 was perhaps the most forgettable of the hackney Kestrel Teams A beautiful stylist who dropped down a league too early (IIRC he was the only rider to beat Neil Evitts in the British Championship Final that year) but his final years seemed to be surrounded with controversy (I doubt Arena Essex fans have fond memories of him) with non arrivals, questionable injuries and other rumoured happenings that may or not be true but cannot be repeated as they could be construed as libellous

Noone on thid thread expects everything for nothing. They are just wanting what they paid for?

With the expected transition to last until Dec 2020, it wont be until the 2021 season that this need be an issue. If we (UK speedway) are short of riders we can issue visas for the required amount. I would expect us to do some sort of reciprocal deal with Australia making it easier for them to come here, or perhaps allow Australians to arrive on a 3 like they used to. Like Sweden we dont have enough home grown riders to fill all our team slots and have to have a fair number of non UK riders to make it work. I doubt it will be a problem, just like Brexit, unless you want it to be.

Absolutely right, whatever happens Somerset have done well.

not to mention the dozens of team changes during the season. No loyalty either way so its no surprise fans don't 'feel' the team or have loyalty to the track. Just because a rider slightly under performs doesn't mean he wasn't someone's favourite

I don't know if it's the case, but not visiting this forum as much as I used to, I recall some names that used to be quite prolific on here that no longer post. I wonder if it's through disillusionment. Have they just got out of the routine of not only attending matches but actually commenting on the sport?

I'm be there and at Mildenhall and looking forward to hopefully some decent racing but I can't really take it serious

My apologies friend. Get on one when posting this year about worky to get a reaction. Last year it was p'boro. I have posted similar about the spokes men on the BSPA as last year it was mostly buster now it's Rob. That is why tunnel vision & rose tinted glasses are in my posts as posters sometimes forget some of the rules were set years ago & abused by themselves.

Thing is Polish teams are packed with quality riders, they can’t all score well in the same meeting. You only have to be slightly off your game on tracks that big and fast against Polish riders on missile bikes and you can look ‘crap’. I think Polish league performances have very little to do with British meetings.

Last time the Stars were in town we had RR for Ty and 2 guests.. We had for Ty's rides.... Ben Morley 0, Kev Doolan 2 from 2 and Lambo TS scored 2. Kings Lynn Stars = 38 1. Niels Kristian Iversen - 3, 2, 2, R, 1 = 82. Lewis Kerr - R, R, R, 0 = 03. R/R for Ty Proctor - (BM - R, RL - 2, KD - 0, KD - 2 = 5+1)4. Thomas Jorgensen - 1, 3, 1, 3 = 85. Robert Lambert - 2, 3, 2, 3, 1, 3 = 146. Ben Morley (G) - 2, R, M/(KD - 0), 0, 1' = 3+17. Kevin Doolan (G) - 0, 1', 0, 1, 0, 2, 1 = 5+1Read more: http://speedwayupdates.proboards.com/thread/17946/kings-lynn-premiership-21-2018#ixzz5QhJeGl4I Tonight we have NKI, TJ, Erik, MPT taking Ty's rides. Much stronger and should cover ok. Lynn look stronger this time around. A win will be most welcome, but keeping it within 6-8 would probably be realistic. Main thing, stay safe.

The beeb just didn't get speedway, often having a posh gentleman on commentary on the very rare occasions it was on which was more alined to all the other sports they covered. Just didn't seem right for speedway. The thing is, these sort of cheats by SPOTY to keep speedway out of the limelight possibly caused all sorts of damage in attracting new fans. Then it prevents the question, just what is the programme all about, when it has to dodge votes for certain sports. I recall sitting through the snoozefest, the last time about 1980 during England's Grand Slam, just hoping to catch a five-second glimpse of a speedway rider in many a show usually a horse would be paraded on as a sporting personality. Now I think it should be replaced by a programme looking at where all the personalities in sport have gone. It'll end up one day soon going the same way as Top Of The Pops.

I’m sure heat 8 is protected.

Maybe if you met Phil Morris in your local pub he may express his thoughts to you, but in his official capacity I wouldn’t expect him to say much in front of 10’s of thousands. Tai didn’t even criticise the ref, “it is what it is” he said. I missed the top three being interviewed but did they criticise the ref.? for sure, WE are almost unanimous the ref got that wrong, just as WE think the ref at Cardiff got things wrong, but I reckon we not going to hear much from the higher ups in speedway/FIM, if anything. In time we might notice if Saturdays ref, and indeed Cardiff’s ref, officiate at a GP again. Only then will we know what the official verdict is.. hopefully some sort of official response will be made re starts in general, clarify and adhere to 1 the amount of time between races 2 the amount of time once all four at at the tapes before green lights, this is to cut down on gardening 3 that when the start marshal indicates a rider moves forward the rider does actually move forward 4 transponders 5 random computerised timing for tapes release 6 in case of false start, riders back to tapes without mechanics out on track

Happy with the result and pleased Berwick got a point as they deserved one. Both guests from Redcar did well for us....so thanks.

Different league over there. It's like comparing Rita ora to Rita sullivan

Like most sane people I found the atrocious refereeing decision to exclude Woffinden made a mockery of the meeting. How one person can be allowed to spoil a race in the way this Polish referee did, in 2018, with all the available means of video replay and the extra transparency that would normally achieve, is beyond me. I know poor referee decision making is outside the remit of Phil Morris and Graham Brodie on race nights, but the fact such respected men are being forced to witness such appallingly bad refereeing without being in a position to influence such behaviour is a sad indictment of where the sport is currently at, therefore some form of enhanced accountability for these referees needs to exist and exist fast! The whole issue of whether Tai Woffinden was ready to race boils down to semantics and personal interpretation. Put simply, the rulebook needs amending to remove the possibility for a referee to piddle their own interpretation all over the rulebook without cause for reproach or a second set of eyes. Graham Brodie shares the same box as the referee on race nights and would be an ideal candidate to stand as a form of Match Umpire, a man to whom the race night referee can confer or more importantly the man who could perhaps prompt a rethink? Just a thought. I don't like to poke fault with a system without offering a pinch of a suggestion as to how things could be improved and to be honest it's only the odd rogue ref who needs this form of babysitting thankfully. Obviously a flaw in the vetting process is responsible for the fact he was allowed to influence the evenings entertainment in the way he did. And don't get me started on that Start Marshall. Unbelievable pedanticism. Sadly, the starts are killing this years GP. Simple as that. This ridiculous new rule of no moving at the start has stifled natural gating talent and more importantly the momentum of the evening. A once much loved element has been zapped from the sport but more sickeningly has now turned most GP's into a bore. The time wasted everytime a race is pulled back because a rider dained to fart at the tapes makes each GP a marathon affair for everyone watching. They will drive potential new supporters of the game away in droves by persisting with this diabolical new rule. Ironically, matches were smoother affairs in the days of tape touching which was understandably eradicated due to the delays it caused. But now they have taken a retrograde step in allowing no movement whatsoever! I mean, who on earth approved this utter nonesense?! Bring back tape touching and the meetings will be more entertaining and smoother than is currently the case. Yes, that's how absurd it has become! Lastly, back to last nights referee Mr.Artur Kusmierz. A Polish referee excluding the British leader of the World Championship in a race where two rivals to the Championship also race and they happen to be Polish too? Hmmm. He would arguably be on a sticky wicket should Maciej and Tai have tussled in a racing incident where one rider fell but to exclude Tai in the circumstances he did is downright criminal in my book and a sad reminder of how farcical speedway can be when in the hands of an immature referee. When moments like this occur I find myself head in hands, saddened to admit that speedway still stands just one small step up from acts like wrestling in terms of acceptability as a serious sport. Sort it out now, FIM! You are throwing the baby out with the bathwater in a tragic biblical manner.

Is it viable? I actually think it is... However not in its current guise, due to the lack of credibility in the way an inherently 'individual' Sport is shoe horned into an unfit for purpose 'team concept' (in the UK).. The NSS delivers great Speedway and plays out in front of around an average of I would say 1200 or so, twenty times a year, with a good several hundred 'fans' missing each week due to the League meetings only being qualifiers for an end of season cup comp, and with an often random selection of riders on view that may or may not be affiliated to your team... Charging £25 for me and my teenage lad is asking a lot to watch something so contrived I would suggest.. Yet charging £25 for us both say ten times a year to watch individual meetings of a 'decent standard' could be quite profitable if promoted well... Probably no 'superstars' due to Poland, but running at weekends could just maybe bring in 2500-3000 or so at the NSS for example. Thus giving a much improved perception of the Sport generally to the outsider/casual visitor.. Stock Car Promoters seem to do alright using this concept so maybe Speedway (in the UK) should follow it... It doesn't need to be the same Promoters at the same track either, maybe you could get some willing to Promote 'one off' meetings at a track which they hire, where they give it real marketing and promotion and possibly even invite several 'superstars' occasionally try and entice extra fans in? Utopia of course would be an operating model which Poland have, ie quality over quantity within a Team Framework, but that is simply not going to happen, therefore British Speedway needs to adapt and find a format that brings people in, many of whom know much about the Sport but have become dissilusioned with it.. Cardiff, each year, shows that the Sport can attract very good crowds.. The SWC at the NSS the other year showed the Sport can attract very good crowds... The Play Offs no doubt will show that the Sport can attract very good crowds... Maybe more entrepreneurs could attract very good crowds on a 'less is more' basis..? Could a decent troupe of any 16 from 60 or 70 graded riders going around the Country riding Friday, Saturday and Sunday, all picking up an average of say a grand a night, from a total minimum Prize Pot of say circa £20-25k, deliver decent crowds? Possibly running several meetings as part of a National Title? Something akin to BSB? 2500 adults at £15 would deliver a good return.... Team racing is definitely a busted flush (over here) as too much damage has been inflicted for it to ever gain back credibility for me, and whatever next seasons operating model will bring will again, no doubt, be not radical enough with yet more cobbled together, halfway house, unfit for purpose, variations on a theme... However, the actual Sport itself still possesses absolutely tremendous positive attributes from a spectating perspective.. It just needs to find a way to utilise them....

Poland is the number one reason the top riders arent in the uk. That, along witb the failure to realise we are in the 21st century, are the maim contributirs to the decline of british domestic speedway imo

And the reward for the most stupid post of the night goes to?????

Oh dear really sums up the armadale mentality. 2 riders injured, no entertainment, riders, home fans and others condemn the track but it doesn't matter we won

I will offer a different option. Why is there pressure on Somerset? There’s no pressure on them. They are in their second season in the top flight. Remember last season when most people said they had assembled a championship side? The Rebels narrowly missed out on the playoffs. This year, apparently they assembled a top heavy team due to Jason Doyle’s presence in the side. As with every team at the start of the season, the play offs were the aim. However, this team of racers built by Garry May, now have an excellent chance to get to the final. There is no pressure on Somerset at all. Everybody at the OTA is already celebrating a superb season, a season which in all honesty has proved way above expectations in reality. Lose to Poole, then fine. The coffers have been boosted, appetites wetted for next year. Beat the Pirates, then the whole speedway world will be willing them on in the final. Lose the final, then they will be congratulated for a team that in 2002, were racing on a virtually ploughed field, to a team that contested the final of the very top tier.