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I heard from a reliable source that Craig Cook was given his own private Boeing 747

Atkins and Rowe Bailey and Kinsley Great to see Brits been given a chance this is what reserves should be all about

Quote from Josh Bates video interview on Speedway GB website: "I feel more cleverer on a bike...."

Don't have a problem with Glasgow paying riders exactly what they want, just don't come out in the Speedway Star moaning you are losing money and things can't continue as they are.

Honesly Gaz I have had my rant and I think you have gathered how annoyed I am at what has went on, however “it is what it is” and “we are where we are” to use a couple of old cliches. I agree how Glasgow conduct their business is up to them however I would have had much more respect if they had done it within the rules and guidelines and if they had not just put out a statement to fans that basically said they were hard up and the club was under threat having had several previous years of losing six figure sums. Then as Laura Morgan has stated they go out and offer £10k signing on fees. There is something not right here but I am done moaning for now. I also fully agree with you the “Chinese Whisper” brigade only compound the matter and do they honestly think ”Dave down the pub” other wise known as the reliable source knows the ins and outs of riders contracts as their comments only fan the flames of the rumour mill and infuriate others. I have stated this is my first year at having to deal with the financial side of things and the setting up of contracts and the way the process is going I honestly think it will be my last. Finally and only as a daft suggestion one way out of the situation would be to say to Glasgow after the AGM go and get your side signed and announced you have two weeks, everyone waits till that happens then the scrum for riders can start in earnest after they have announced, and what advantage would there be in this you might ask, well; you would not have riders using Glasgow as a lever to blackmail other clubs by trying to jack up their rate when the Glasgow team has its seven riders announced that’s it. No rider would be able to say Glasgow offered me XXX as it would have no bearing with the Glasgow team filled. Then everyone else knows where they stand, I know the Glasgow team is sorted however there are still riders trying it on by saying they have been offered a deal by the club when I know it is rubbish. Only human nature I suppose or possibly a sign of the times in this new “Trumpism Age” with a non-traditional political philosophy and approach; fake news, positive briefings and negative reinforcement, when all you want is some fair play and a level playing field. The only other option is for the BSPA to do something and make these types of “illegal approaches” for want of a better phrase, so unattractive to both club and rider that everyone involved adopts a different approach. However I cant see that ever happening. However Buddy if the factual inaccuracies and fabrication have died down that is it from me, back to the light-hearted ribbing, and playful banter and maybe everyone now adopts the Jenga approach by qualifying their snide comments with a TiC in brackets… (Tongue in Cheek) but as far as I am concerned Merry Christmas and a very Happy Hogmanay and a Prosperous New Year and good luck to you personally and your team Oh and I read somewhere earlier above; and on an absolute final note; there is no such thing as a "reliable source" I have found; so be very careful with that old chestnut Regards THJ

welcome back Greg Bickley . its nice to se there are still riders that give something back to a club that has not pushed him and let him develop at his own pace . its been great watching him develop from a . raw talent into a good rider near the end of the season . obviously there is MORE TO FOLLOW lol .

And Jarek Hampel was spotted in Jack's Cafe this morning, having breakfast with Emil Sayfutdinov and Chris Louis.

First big signing for Redcar 2019 has to be Terry The Track is back. Week in and week out he produces one of the best racing tracks in the country. Welcome back Terry your a massive cog in the mechanics of Redcar Bears

Christ that was quick , if we didn’t read your posts there would be nowt to read on here it’s the GazC show ...I find it absolutely amazing there wasn’t a peep out you lot once you were blew out the Semi, and now you’re all bombarding the forum with how badly done to you are and how everyone has a chip on their shoulder about Glasgow No matter how you dress it up your promotion stepped over the mark , approached the rider threw the cash and got Rasmus. Throw in Cook, Vissing and Starke , theres your top 4 leaving you with a huge tail . So there you go you can sleep much better tonight , now this the Workington 2019 thread for us to discuss our own signings , you’s really are becoming tiresome .....

NO, it's the way THJ usually speaks.

Edinburgh interested in him were they ?.

dont think he likes armadale

Stunning news from Official ,Panthers site which will no doubt negate negative vibes regarding the present situation, It is Carl Johnsons birthday . Certainly put all my concerns into perspective.

But it won't because riders who had a Championship average previously, regardless of if they've rode in the Premiership, mantain their Championship averages. Riders like Harris, Nicholls, Cook, King, Schlein, Worrall, Morris, Lawson to name just a few are all available on their Championship average. The likelihood is they will increase that average this year but the points limit will be reset to 42.50 next season anyway to keep the standard we now have. If the points limit goes down again or is kept at 38.00 that is reducing the standard even further again. I will repeat it again but all the lower points limit has done has bought up more National League riders who will now replace second strings so people like Newman, Wilkinson, Morley etc will be the ones who don't get a team... not the double up riders! It beggars belief the BSPA couldn't see that happening! More to the point, if the top division is going to be riding on a Monday and Thursday when no other Championship fixtures are taking place, why do we need to phase out double uppers? Surely it was only because a clash of dates and riders missing why it needed scrapping in the first place?

Well after watching The Brummies since 1978 I sat last season out and tbh i'm glad I did......won't be coming back unless we go up....half the time you never know who will be riding....was interesting for a while watching youngsters improve etc but eventually it wears thin when you've been used to higher standards and I just got fed up with it

Maybe if you hadn't kept stirring the pot we could have got back to 2019 a lot earlier!

Would you care to post a link to the regulation that confirms that?

I’m maybe mis interpreting things here and apologies in advance if I am but I can’t help thinking we are always asking for transparency for the fans but when someone goes down that line they are told to take it to a private medium? we can’t have it both ways.

I think the point Laura was trying to make is she had just sat round the AGM table where all clubs were agreed the importance of cost cutting, now it appears clubs are throwing money at the riders. No problem for me as there has always been the have and the have nots, and Workington proved to be the best out there last season so they have proved to others it can be done on limited budgets.

Sad to report Allan Kidd died last night.....he had not been well for a while. Allan Kidd was born in London on June 25th 1929, He rode professionally in the UK for the Poole Pirates during his speedway career and was a one team man! He is one of the few riders to have ridden in all three divisions of the National League, and also the Provincial League . He also helped Poole to win the Third, Second, and Provincial League titles. and to this day they are the only club side to achieved this, and Allan, Ken Middleditch, and Tony Lewis are the only three riders to have won championship medals in all four leagues. A superb feat! He first rode at the High Beech and Rye House training schools in 1949. Allan rode in the second halves at Poole, before signing for the club and making his debut on 31 May 1950. He helped Poole finish runners-up in the Third Division 1951 Third Division Champions and the Festival of Britain Shield winners. 1952 Second Division Champions 1953 Second Division runners up. 1954 Second Division runners up 1955 Second Division Champions 1955 Allan was the first winner of the Johnny Thomson Memorial Trophy He retired from British speedway at the end of 1956, and moved to Canada at the beginning of 1957. In 1959 Allan was ranked Number One in Canadian speedway! Returned to England in 1960 to ride for Poole in the Provincial League. He was appointed club captain and helped the club to finish league runners - up. Allan starred in a television commercial that was shown nationwide in 1960 - 1961 for Players Weights cigarettes. It was in many of the national and local newspapers, and it also included a lady named Valerie, who was a fashion model for one of the big stores in Bournemouth. Allan and Valerie were married in 1955 and at the beginning of 1957 they emigrated to Canada He was also part of the team crowned 1961 Provincial League Champions. He was due to lead the Pirates again in 1962, but seriously injured his back while working for a local steel erecting company during the winter month and never rode again. Allan was a member of the Poole team that made a seven match tour of Sweden in 1953. and again in 1995 he was a member of the Poole team that made an eight match tour of Denmark and Sweden. During this time in the UK at Poole, he completed a respectable point compilation of 1416.5, 25th in all-time points standings!

Ey up Gaz, you’re letting the big spenders thread slip down the ranks, you’ve only got another 74 pages to go before you hit your target!

What a load of crap comes out of your mouth..............

Great to see young Bickers back. It was a very tough Championship for him last season with the quality of reserves but he held it together and made telling contributions toward the end of the season. Looking forward to watching his continued progress as his confidence and belief that he is more than good enough for this level increases. Up the Comets !

Bit harsh, I’ve just watched the interview and it’s clear the guy asking the questions jumps from Sheffield to Leicester when asking him questions, no wonder he didn’t know which club he was referring too lol also many a rider can be more cleverer on a bike, just miss enterpretated his reply.

Ærligt talt Vil du virkelig gå ned denne rute med mig; du klovn, jeg har fyrre år i at håndtere aftaleret og det samme i Employment Law; og tredive år i europæisk aftaleret så du kan tage dit "Bar Room Solicitors Certificate" og gå tørre din backside med det; fordi det er alt det er værd. Alt du behøver at vide er dette 1. Kontraktbrud. En aftale blev indgået og brudt. Det følger heraf, at skader kunne tilskrives. Hvis kontrakten blev underskrevet eller ej. Kontrakten var "Aftalt" og "Afsluttet" 2. Inducereren (den eller de personer, der fremmer kontraktbrud). At indgyde en anden til at bryde en kontrakt er en tort i engelsk lov. Du skal blot sige det er ulovligt og en lovovertrædelse: Loven er helt klar over det, "Ingen tvetydighed", "Intet vildledende" og "Helt klart", under engelsk lov. Ønsker du at debattere disse punkter yderligere, da jeg er meget glad for at uddanne dig yderligere, men som en person har fornuftigt foreslået, kan vi tage denne samtale så vidt du ønsker gennem processen "Private Messaging" Desuden må du ikke nævne, hvad du mener, at BSPA'en gør som det er indlysende, du har ingen anelse; og har gjort din egen fortolkning; og du tager fuldstændig vrøvl; som sædvanligt… Absolut ulækkert adfærd, godt, der er en erklæring, jeg har hørt et par gange før; og jeg vil fortælle dig, hvad der ellers udgør en modbydelig opførsel; "Skatte unddragelse"; hvis du betaler skat i det land du er ansat i; med hensyn til Den Europæiske Union eller i Det Forenede Kongerige eller dit hjemland: Virksomheden kan ikke modtage betalingsbetingelser; uanset om der er specifikke betalingsdatoer i kontrakten. Hvis en virksomhed faktureres korrekt, skal de betale fakturaen eller entreprenøren anvender sagen gennem domstolene for at få deres forfaldne betalinger. Men hvis du ikke har en bankkonto i dette land, og du ikke vil have dig løn indbetalt til dit hjemland bankkonto hvor forlader medarbejderen eller underleverandøren det med hensyn til tilbagebetaling af penge skyldige? Hvordan betaler arbejdsgiveren fakturaen? Derfor er det punkt du laver, hvor du hedder "Faktisk". "Ryttere ville ikke ønske at køre for en klub, der synes at have track record for ryttere, der ikke bliver betalt ved fakturering." Det er mærkeligt, fordi på lørdag aften og helt op indtil søndag morgen din chap skulle ride for klubben, der ikke tilsyneladende betaler, og hvordan betaler de dem der 1. Producerer ikke en faktura, og 2. Har ikke en engelsk bankkonto, og 3. Ønsker det på denne måde Så for at bruge din sætning; "Måske skal du først forstå fakta"; af hvad du kan og ikke kan gøre, både juridisk og moralsk; før udstedelse af falske offentlige erklæringer på et åbent forum om hvad du synes er korrekt. I stedet for at hoppe på tastaturet bandit tog; klovner som dig; bør fokusere mere på hvad de siger og skriv det ned på et stykke papir først; før du begynder at skrive på et tastatur og forsøger at forsvare det uforsvarlige. To fejl gør ikke en ret i enhver kultur; og uanset hvad du siger her Jeg har fakta detaljerne; og korrespondancen; at støtte det jeg siger. Hvis dette går til et andet forum (lovligt det er), kan jeg forsvare mig selv og min klub fuldt ud for at forsøge at gøre det rigtige, selv under undergravning. Det kan du ikke gøre… Som for at hoppe til konklusioner; Jeg kan citere "Faktaerklæring"; med noget så simpelt som udstationering på sociale medier; og mange mennesker, der ikke kender mig personligt, ved stadig, hvem jeg er her på; så snarere end stat jeg gør dette på et maskeret, identificeret forum; Jeg er meget glad for at blive ren på, hvem jeg er; Jeg har jo ikke noget at skjule. Send mig dog en privat massage; med hvem du er og lad os dele, hvem vi begge er; som jeg er fascineret; og også hvis du ønsker at tage dette videre; Vi kan gøre det gennem denne "Private Message" -medie privat; som du forsøger at vaske dit snavsede tøj her, gør dig ikke; din nye klub; eller den person, du forsøger at repræsentere noget godt i det mindste; som du mislykkes miserably; du har haft to forsøg, der var ret patetiske at sige mildt; eller du kan bare skrive mig som du har mit nummer. Eller bliv ved at trykke på mine knapper og se mig eksplodere, det er dit opkald; alt jeg ville sige er meget forsigtig med resultatet, hvis du fortsætter med dette ... Hilsen THJ I do hope my sentiment has not been lost, should you require the literal English Version please "Private Message" me and I will quite happily forward you the English text if my translation is somehow ambiguous; furthermore I am quite happy to progress this through the Private Messaging option should you so wish. For your information I am also quite happy to draw a line under this; move on; and put the whole shooting match to bed. Your call... Regards THJ

Very happy with this signing. All those hard yards of 2018 were starting to bear fruit towards the end of the season. Plus, with presumably more two-point level riders around for this campaign, we can look to decent progress for Kyle. Kudos also to the club management, which never flickered in its backing last year.

Or a sledge. But there's time yet.

I agree it’s the 4 to 6 point averaged riders who will be discarded for a 2 point NL rider.

Dickie? Clown? Your response reflect nothing short of a breach in the forum rules, it’s rude abusive and offensive. I expected nothing less of course. Please indulge the forum with said chapter and verse; you seem to believe you are the only one here with a brain, unfortunately for you, I have a lot more cells to the single that you have. Focus more on your club and paying received invoices on time and in full, rather than playing the big I am clogging up a forum and refusing to accept your pitiful opinions are not those of everyone else. Vicious individuals like that of yourself are destroying what’s left of speedway. See you trackside #lovetouchinganerve

Honestly This is why people should get their facts right, and how Chinese whispers just escalate things out of hand.. they got him his own Robinson R44 Helicopter to ship him up from Cleator Moor International Airport to the Helipad on the Govan with a Limo Ride to Ashfield over the last 8 miles or twenty minutes or so of the journey, that was the deal breaker... Regards THJ

Probably add Brennen and Wood to the tally shortly.

Keep your witchy brooms off him!

The prevention of Premiership heat leaders also being heat leaders in the Championship. Once those riders hit real averages they will be forced to ride in the top tier only meaning the Championship will be filled with Prem 2nd strings, Full time champ riders and NL double uppers. Might not sound exciting on paper but the gulf in standard is greatly reduced and the quality of racing will be improved.

I am a staunch Poole supporter and have been for just under 50 years, but agree with Gavan. We were lucky but that's life, we won.

I have no idea why they build the moto x track in the middle? Using the car park would have been challenging enough for even the most seasoned rider.

Welcome back Simon

Who wouldn’t want Doyle as their number one next season?

What is the facilities difference between running Championship & National League? Tracks should be licenced as safe or deemed unsafe, there can't be any middle ground. The attitude of don't worry about NL riders they only poodle round has been holding the sport back for years.

There is a regulation that states tgat an average MAY be reassessed if a rider has not ridden in the league for more than 3 seasons There is one that states that those riders NEW to the league will be assessed in line with their ability and experience However nowhere is there one that states those riders in the GP (now or previous period) who have an existing average within the stated timscales will also be reassessed

Whilst the AGM allowed BSPA Ltd to cover their backsides when speedway fails in the UK, I haven’t seen one shred of information regarding improving the ENTERTAINMENT value of the sport. We still have endless delays due to start procedures- gardening , anticipating starts, tractor racing. Sloppy presentation is driving fans away from the sport. Meanwhile Buster is buying up speedway clubs. He must be mad.

Deffo want to keep the 7 man teams and current 15 heat format. Would like to see NL Clubs who sign a rider before a championship side,get priority on that rider. I believe the limit was too low this year, so with potentially less teams a big increase in the building limit is required. But at least 42, otherwise there will be riders no where nr ready to step up but averages too high to ride NL completely frozen out the sport ala Jacob's and Knight. More thought but yet urgency in setting fixtures and potential rain off dates. More transparency, the top leagues freeze out the amateurish National D League clubs. So let's lead the way here, have regular information about the goings on within the league put out to the public, have decisions explained to the public so it removes doubts,rumours,and bad feeling. Let's show the big leagues how to use social media as a tool and lead the way into a new exciting era for speedway..... Let Barry Bishop chair the meeting, and let decisions be made for the good of the sport not the perceived interests of individual clubs.

This place is going into meltdown when we name our team.

Agree Glasgow seems to be in firing line here because they do pay more and with staggered signing on fees over season. If say Monarchs or Redcar got taken over by owners with a business turnover of an estimated 118 million they would be ones folk having a pop at. Thought 38 point limit would have brought some sense to sport but looks like a GP 2018 rider will still ride second tier which for Craig makes financial sense but could create an imbalance in their team. I am a great Cookie fan and will spit feathers if he signs for Tigers but at the end of the day he gave great service to Monarchs and money talks. Just stop giving us this tosh about how professional Glasgow are. Sometimes you get a warmer welcome in the small corner shops than you do at the 24 hour Tesco’s. At least we have a limit that every team has to adhere to whether you are a Prince or a Pauper .

No fuss we just got on with winning the final.Remember.

On the Leicester video just put up with the interview from team manager stewart Dickson they are hoping to run a NL team and mentioned the Thompson twins would be riding for them but will be confirmed soon

Lets hope so - isnt that what we all want for every club? Of course regardless of anything else a club attracting more fans will be able to offer better terms than one only pulling in 3 or 400

Strange how in one breath the Glasgow promoters are " whinging and moaning " in the Speedway Star about losing money and then on the other hand are offering Premiership riders inflated wage deals.

Yeah, Schlein, Harris and Covatti will all be cheap and WELL within budget...…….lol

Laura appears to have a chip on her shoulder, as do a few Workington fans on here. If you’re putting a team together on a budget that’s lower than previous years and lower than other clubs then you won’t get the same level or number of riders to choose from. Get on with it and stop whinging and moaning about other clubs!

Think the new points limit is too low, you used to be able to follow your favourite team rider for a few seasons and watch the young riders progress in your team. Assuming the points limit stays the same, at the end of the season you will lose half your team to get back down to 38.