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Big fan myself but understand not everyone's cup of tea. Still banging in really good scores in Poland and was a pleasure to watch for Eastbourne. Plenty of other hard riders out there (Lindgren springs to mind) but think it's amplified by Nicki's character. If you hear him interviewed and talk to many riders in his peer group he's actually a really decent bloke, just a tough little so and so on the track. As was said on a previous post, if we had a few more Nickis in speedway then it would certainly increase crowd numbers, love him or hate him, he's box office.

It's not too often that Terry Tibbs talks speedway these days but when I do, people say Terry you're still the man! So Kings Lynn fans talk to me! I've told Busty so many times that unless his brings back Main Man Rogers into the fold that the sport in the Fluxing Arena of Eastern England is on a slope more slippy, than the EU butter mountains. I had a lunch with little Johnny C in the Wimpy in Chingford High Street just last week, after 2 Milk Shakes and a Quarter Pounder with Cheese, little Johnny C agreed that there is only one man to bring back the glory days and that is Main Man Rogers! I have sent Busty a telex telling him he needs to quickly contact The Ace that is Mase and agree a deal for Main Man Rogers to return with immediate effect. The German chap was ever so nice, in fact my 4th wife Greta had a liaison with him once in Krystof Stojanowski's caravan in the car park of the Smallbrook Stadium on the Island of Wight, but that's a different matter for now! Answer me this, is there is a man with more credentials that Main Man Rogers - the answer is simply no! Look what he did for the career of Bomabardier Harris, turned him into a near GP Gold Meadlist. Don't forget what he did at Coventry Speedway, the way he mentored Big Blayne Scroggins into probably their greatest team manager of all time and of course his success at turning Mildenhall Fen Tigers from the FSO's of the sport to the BMW's! Talking of BMW's my valet boy Christopher Mills, is around to do a bit of spannering if any of you are looking for someone who is handy with a wrench, whilst my business Jimmy Lynch is busy with that wench Audrey he met at the Chinford British Legion just before lockdown in January 2020! But once again I digress. I could go on for hours, but we need to act fast Listen to Terry, bring back Main Man Rogers, Busty! Thank you, goodbye, much looove!!!

Sad to see the ban for Nicki. I am a self acclaimed Nicki's no1 fan having signed him in 1998 for the Diamonds, and selling him to Wolverhampton the following year. When you get close and understand him, he is the ultimate sportsman. and will take every opportunity to get the win. Yes, he goes overboard sometimes but, like in the cases with Zagar, it is a carryover from a previous clash when Nicki had got done. These spats go on, and continue for sometime years, and refs know that and as long as there is no injuries and it's just being competitive, the ref will allow it and the majority of fans will see what they have expected and paid for. There are others on this Forum, also close to him, and they will tell you what a great guy he is when he has gained your trust. He is intelligent, mannerly, respectful and has you as a contact and a friend for life. I am lucky in having worked with him, so I admit I can be biased when I see his crashes, and I have to step back and have a rethink sometimes. Refs do get it wrong of course, as in the case in 1998 at Stoke for the first time, when Nicki overtook Paul Pickering on the second bend and Paul somehow dropped his bike. The ref then excluded Nicki despite all the protests. At the end of the meeting, the ref approached our Team manager George English and apologised for his error saying he thought it was Ronni Pedersen. Just shows that some refs can also carry the grudge, not just fellow riders.

From most viewpoints around the stadium you hardly notice the catch fence is there, it does not impede the view. Plus you have the comfort of knowing it should stop any errant machinery from descending onto the terraces. If you haven't been there to see it you cannot say it will degrade the viewing experience.

Bloke is box office and every promoter in this country would have him in their lineup no question if they could afford him. 100% of the fans would have him also if he was on their team. He’s only a pariah if you don’t have him.....

My favourite "vist to the refs box" was a young Martin Goodwin at Hackney .....who managed to smash a pane of glass in the refs box with his crash hat . He was lucky he made it back to the pits surrounded as he was by booing Hackney Fans. Gave us all a good laughat the time.

Hes owned by Wolverhampton but will never be welcomed back by club or supporters after his exploits.

If talking back to the ref in football was applied there would only be the Goal keepers left playing.

No mate, not there till they lift these stupid restrictions, Sorry Brian, but going to have to completely disagree with you regards Porkie the presenter. He always helps to create an atmosphere and is very OTT. Don’t think there are many presenters around that have the same personality and charisma as Porkie. He always involves the travelling supporters and gets a bit of banter going. Sadly lacking in today’s presentation. Can’t think of anyone better for the job.

I have a feeling we will be seeing a new rider from Spain, Senor Pedersen! He's put on Instagram that he is en route to the Spanish embassy in Copenhagen to get an NIE number - wouldn't be the first and certainly not the last rider do get a license from another nation! I have always liked Nicki and am not ashamed to admit it he is box office, there was a lot that went on behind the scenes during his time at Oxford that weren't pubic knowledge and this includes that he wasn't sacked but it was announced as such so that he didn't get a ban for withholding his services! I'm not defending his actions in other situations but at the end of the day Nicki in a team brings in supporters, in this day and age, that is what the sport needs! Off track I have always found him a nice guy even when not in a speedway setting he has always acknowledged us - I know of others that wouldn't give you the time of day!

Urgh what a flop up so.....Tuesday July 20th. the rearrangement of Kent TouchTec Kings vs. Eastbourne Eagles (Championship KOC First Round, second leg) Tuesday September 21s, . Kent TouchTec Kings vs. Birmingham Brummies (Championship) [moving from July 20th.] This means that the fixture previously scheduled for Sept. 21st., Kent Iwade Garage Royals vs. Berwick Bullets will be moved to a later date in October – Provisional 19th Oct. Surely given the fixture congestion and requirement to actually get other rounds of the KOC completed (a competition that could have been dropped from the start) the tie could have just been handed to Eastbourne and costs saved?. As it stands there is now a dead rubber match to come in the middle of summer, a league match pushed back to unpredictable September and another Royals fixture shunted into the cold nights of October. It has to be said that the decision making at Kent is questionable at times....

Eastbourne have their critics regarding the difficult track etc however they're one of the most forward-thinking promotions out there. When Connor Dugard started running things when they dropped to the NDL they really embraced social media and generally engaged with younger fans to build the fanbase, with a bigger sense of community, and this has been carried on by the current promotion, always looking to innovate. Couple that with Kevin Coombes' excellent mic-work and mainly modern music, the whole operation has a good feel about it. No disrespect to the late great Bob Dugard and Jon Cook, but they were slightly more traditional in their approach. Anyone who visits Arlington regularly would see the perception of speedway as the preserve of the ancient fan armed with a flask and enamel badges changed, as there's always plenty of youngsters at the track. As regards the Glasgow match, another good turn out given the concerns about the weather, and the pocket of Glasgow fans on the 2nd bend backed their team well. The downpour just before heat 1 made the track tricky and the Tigers were much better out the gate. After heat 9, I couldn't see the Eagles turning round an 8 point deficit to be fair but they did and all credit to them. Some sour grapes by some on the thread I think, but the Tigers just faded a bit in the last few heats as the pressure was turned up. The score would have probably been closer had Bailey got off the track when the Eagles were on a 5-1 (of course that turned into a 3-3, the law of sod), however these things happen. Yes, the Lawson move on Ostergaard in Heat 15 was hard, but certainly not dirty and Tom did well to hold off Craig Cook. Another good, feisty atmosphere (was commented on by Sam Masters when Edinburgh visited) and overall good meeting with an exciting end. If Kennett can get sorted then think the Eagles will be there or thereabouts come play off time, would make Leicester favourites given the Anderson signing, with Glasgow, Poole, Edinburgh and Scunthorpe a threat too.

We are heading in different directions translated as Schroek: this team is tripe and needs changes. Buster: im not wasting any money on other riders so must be the managers fault.

for me, there are to many cameras, this is a sport where 1 camera can see all the action, that whats unique about our sport. all thats needed is 3 cameras at most, they spend to much time changing cameras means were missing action on the track,

sad to see all that's going on at KL, Peter is a top bloke, does wonders for training and bringing on youngsters, maybe the respect wasn't there from some riders because of that, nice guys normally get dumped on though .. always used to watch Rob Lyon at work, good team manager and knew how to deal with the riders without wanting to be the star of the show so to speak, and always after riders that would be right for the club, even when looking at guests

I beg to differ , if you are at track level the fence obscures the view. As I have said many times the undoubted cosmetic upgrade of the Stadium has done little or nothing for spectators

Just watched the meeting on the box. Heeps was so slow I thought he was a Deliveroo driver.

It's those little touches that matter to supporters. I remember going down one very wet day in 2019 when Somerset were there, never thought it would be on but it was and they were confident it would be. Just purchased Tickets for Leicester on the 18th at Arlington to go with a few Leicester supporting friends. I've seen that if you don't want to stop for Double Header v Cubs you can leave at set time and get a "reduction voucher" to reduce the price for next match you go to. £24 for double header or if you leave between 2 matches you get a £6 reduction voucher - difference between that match and just a Championship match. Another little touch, not unique; but it is very simple and the effort being made is as important than the offer sometimes.

Is the reference to Nicki or KSF

The same Chelmsford born, Arena Essex rider Chris Mills?

Thanks for that Dave, I’m a huge fan of Nikki, he is the Michael Schumacher of speedway.

The then owner of Brough Park went bust in about July 97 which was our first year. We were allowed to complete the season under the guidance of KPMG the receivers. it was offered for sale on the market and 3 potential buyers were identified. All three guaranteed to continue with speedway if they bought Brough Park, and we advised the BSPA we were OK for 1998. We are put in the Cups and included in the Premier League, and in mid January the sale was completed with Alan Roberts Bookmakers and we confirmed were were running. Obviously we owned Jesper from 1997 but we needed two more heat leaders. Brent Werner, a Yank, was available and lived in England, and then we heard that Nicki was looking for a teamplace but everyone else was fixed up. He knew of Jesper and he was easily persuaded to join a fellow Dane in his first year racing in this country. He picked up all of his brother Ronni's contacts, so therefore had lodgings with a guy in Peterborough. He stayed overnight with Jesper when he had away and home meetings up North. On April 1st we got an invoice for £5 k from the BSPA for failure to declare we were running within their agreed timetable. Barstewards To pick up on a point Wolfie456 was alluding to I think. With him staying down south he missed out on all the local functions and meeting the fans away from the track. He has admitted to me that was a mistake, and he wished he had connected with our fans by being with us at such events. However he has on every available occasion since, made up for that and at Cardiff he never forgets his Geordie fans and loves to chat and spend time with them. We stayed in the BSPA hotel once, the Marriott I think, and he was overwhelmed to see all my family remembering all their names except our Lee's boyfriend (now fiance) who was an addition to the family then. He knows he missed out with the fans, and even missed out with the Wolves fans despite the journey home was shorter. He was a bit more withdrawn then, and preferred to head on home alone straightaway after the meeting with a long journey to get home..

I was supporting WayToGo, whats wrong with that. He has a health problem he is managing and it good to give support, we all need support at times.Not everyone listens to what you and your maties spout. WTGo has health problems that he is trying to manage, he mentioned it on this thread, so I try to give him some support, I dont see you or the others giving anyone any support your only those who think as you do,

Ellis has a rolling ave from Birmingham in 2019, so shouldn't need 4H & 4A to get an ave. His Prem converted ave should be replaced by his Champ rolling ave on 1st August!

WtoG….. the like is for you reference to health problems and your reason not to go. Many think come July 17 the terraces will be packed. They may well be but it’s certain there are many like yourself with health problems who won’t go because of the current situation which will be made worse for many come July 17. In the late 50’s, 60’s, 70’s and up got early 80’s I was an avid BV fan, every Saturday night during the season. Drifted away, didn’t see much of the Sky tv racing, but came back in 2013 by going to Cardiff, and in 2014 and 2015. Only been to 2 live meetings other then Cardiff, the World Team Championship 2016 at BV and late 2019 to watch the Colts thrash Mildenhall if I remember correctly. I pay BT to watch speedway gp’s and MotoGP’s on tv/tablet plus whatever other motor sports that take my fancy and that’s it. I would be very cautious at going to any stadium meeting at the moment, seems like too many supporters just dying to get together in groups chatting etc because “that’s what speedway supporters do”, yes maybe when it’s safe to do so but just because the government is relaxing rules doesn’t mean to say COVID has agreed.

I thought the racing was ok on Monday. But people are moaning. I don't know how many of them have watched it live though, if any on this thread, would be my guess. You get used to it, i don't even think about it until it's mentioned.

I was there that day. It was so funny to see the reaction of Eric Boocock and Chris Morton who were talking on the centre green when they saw what Wilkie was going to do! You could almost see the blood drain from their faces before they ran after him across the grass (didn't catch him though )

The only reason anyone would see the catch fence as a problem is because the racing is just so bad. If there was good racing the fencing wouldn't be talked about

i was going to mention this too Buster climbing up to clean the ref window too is another

Worldwide- the Poles have officially stated he is banned until January.- thanks for the kind words.

Of the three incidents, the only one I would have excluded him for was Ht18. In Ht4, Kildemand used the old dying swan act. Known for it. Ht20, Birkmose showed his lack of experience going into a turn. He left a gap which Nicki exploited. I dont blame him for wanting an explanation from the referee. Maybe he went over the top, I dont know, I wasnt there. Just my opinion, of course.

https://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/coventry-news/campaign-group-signals-bid-bring-20974199

A classic example of where the team down there have a first thought of "How can I make it happen?" Rather than "We can't do that".. Some tracks have had double headers with a "Well that's just the way it is" attitude when getting feedback from a fair few who were not willing to pay the extra to watch an NDL match.. "We have to run the NDL meeting last so what can we do?".. Well Eastbourne show what can be done when you listen to your customers and remove barriers..

WIGHTLINK WARRIORS BRING IN ALEX SPOONER RATHER THAN LATER Wightlink Warriors team boss Steve Piper has only been in post just a few days, but has wasted absolutely no time in tying up arrangements to bring in Essex based Alex Spooner to the Warriors team following approval for him to ride on the Island. Steve said, “I know that Barry and Martin were hugely impressed with Alex at a recent My First Skid event on the Island and once they passed this on to me, I felt he would fit in well to the quartet I have in mind. Alex is a committed rider looking to expand on his current racing arrangements and has always caught the eye of the Warriors management, previously receiving regular invitations to open meetings at Smallbrook where possible. Let’s welcome Alex to the club - we are sure he is going to do us all proud.” Talking about coming to the nation’s largest track Alex said, “I’m grateful to get the opportunity to ride on the Island this year! Like every rider it’s about racing your bike, improving and entertaining the fans, which I hope to do! Now we have the green light, I want to leave the politics behind and use these meetings to gain more experience and track time in a very quiet season while entertaining the fans and sponsors in what look to be some very entertaining meetings.” The admission pricing structure for the seven meeting Summer Spectacular series was also confirmed today as follows: On The Day Admission (cash only at the turnstile): Adults (17 and over): £12.00 Seniors (OAP’s), Service Personnel & Students (with ID cards): £10.00 Children (16 and under): Free if accompanied by a paying adult Visitors with additional needs: One carer free per paying guest A match day programme will be £2.00

The problem with making that decision, and braking their own rules, it set a precedent (just to please the Glasgow management) that now comes back to haunt them. Even in the recent statement they told a pack of lies which the Redcar management knew was untrue. That it was awarded because the result was beyond doubt and Glasgow would have won. Not true!!!

Do you sell doovde semmers?

You’re clearly a fan Badge and have defended the boy a few times, and that’s absolutely ok. We’ll agree to disagree. I personally don’t think he’s been “excellent” other than those two televised meetings at all, that’s quite a stretch. He’s scored well enough in a handful of meetings sure, but without looking particularly impressive whilst doing so. Just doesn’t look anywhere near the rider of 2019 for me, SO FAR. Time for that to change obviously.

Can you put me in touch with the Internet Service Providings chap please Terry? I want my free ring-ding.

Have on film Alan Wilkinson's trip to the box at King's Lynn...wouldn't have wanted to get on the wrong side of "Wilkie".

I would think that many would agree with me that the viewing experience was better when I travelled from Norwich for every meeting in the mid to late seventies.

Sure they will be queuing up for that one. Was a poor appointment anyway and apportioning any blame to Mountain for the defeat was probably the final straw. Wells and Heeps cost the home win simple as that, not anymore coming either until those two pull their finger out.

I’ve not finished making it yet, still things to add. So I hope not.

Ah I thought I saw a dead horse waiting to be flogged - and there it is!

Your not suggesting that Bates may end up with a specially virulent form of covid that requires isolation until October are you?

Think the Pirates could of beat KL tonight too.....

The ref put the white light on straight away.

Exactly , and Belle Vue v Wolves is an ideal TV match…I’ll be there but if I wasn’t I would look forward to that one on TV

She doesn’t like anyone not agreeing with her does she! Needs to get her head out of the promotions bum lol

At least the corks on my hat arent as big as the penis growing off your forehead. I see you have overtaken Starman as the forums resident pillock, probably even worse.

I completely agree with you, quite how people can post negative comments regarding the fixture list I find quite surprising, when it's not even known what riders will be participating. Yes, it's very different from the conventional team matches, but at the end of the day, it's still four riders turning left for 4-laps, giving it their all in the name of entertainment, something that is lacking at certain tracks in recent years. If I lived on the island, they would get my 100% support every meeting, and if I was a holidaymaker the weeks they were running a meeting, they'd also get my 100% support. In this day and age when British holidays are almost a thing of the past, 2021 is an exception to that rule, and if you check out the IOW website for things to do of an evening, you'll find nothing, with the exception of a theatre doing a show one night a week, and speedway, the only other thing on offer is if you take your family trolley racing round the aisles of Tesco at Ryde until 10.00pm. The people that sit on the top table running our sport, have seemingly done everything in their power to close this forward thinking club down, and thanks to the determination of Messrs Bishop and Widman, have failed. As many supporters round the country know, once their club closes down, seldom does it ever reopen, finishing up as a housing estate, or another supermarket. So I hope it is a success for them, they've put a lot of time, effort and money, travelling from different parts of the mainland on almost a weekly basis to get the stadium into what looks a lovely venue to visit, and you have only got to check out the cost of the Wightlink Car Ferry, let alone the cost of fuel in reaching Portsmouth, in their determination to ensure that Smallbrook Stadium isn't added to the defunct tracks from 2022 onwards. Bravo to all of you concerned.