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I'm glad George Congreve has been given an opportunity but I think he will need a lot of support to achieve a 4 point average. I've watched him develop in Christchurch over the last few years and I think he is short of Championship standard. Sure he is 3 time NZ u21 champion but that is a bit of a smokescreen as to his ability given the standard of the opposition. I wish him all the best and I hope he proves me wrong. Hopefully BWD will be able to help him out.

I have no issues with the team to date. Depending on the young New Zealander 's average if the final rider were Kyle Newman or Richie Worrall I think we would win most home meetings and that's what principally counts. When (a while ago now) most years we had a team that was competitive, young overseas riders were given extended runs in the team and noone complained much. I have a great deal of sympathy with Archie Freeman, his parents and sponsors (and @Tsunami who I know has put a lot of time and effort in) but ultimately - as was made very clear to all supporters last season - this is a business. I have never run a speedway club and have not seen the break-even figures for Newcastle but from experience in running other businesses the first consideration when times are tough has to be to keep the ship afloat and that can mean taking hard decisions.

Should be one league 5/6 man teams. I think Denmark is 5 man teams. All riders get more rides so earn more money so don't need 2 teams. Something radical needs changing because current system doesn't work. Not enough riders so guests are constantly needed which makes the sport a joke

My mistake, Aarnio is twice as good as Auty, he can ride 2 tracks !

“I don’t need to respond, it’s my business but I will anyway. I run this how I see fit, if you don’t like it then tough, it’s my way or the highway!!” ”Any chance of some donations please..........”

Going by his piece in the Star this week and how settled he feels at Glasgow Cookie is a shoe in to return to the stripes. Would be madness on our part to let him leave after dropping 1.5 Points or thereabouts this season.

Holly is a really nice bloke. I had a long chat with him at Lydd earlier in the season!

So basically “all is well here, more of the same please!” Except it’s a shocker to get rid of the rising star scheme in the championship. Although I don’t know why I’m surprised, I just don’t get it one little bit. I’ve said it many times but it should also be 6 man teams. Time and time again there is always a rider shortage so limit the number of riders needing to be found in the first place!

It would be funny if it wasn't so ridiculous. So many times we have heard about a 5 year plan, long term plan, etc and every time it is binned quickly. I know that some might not have liked the introduction of the RS system, but to bring it in as a 5 year plan and ditch it after 1 year just makes the sport look completely stupid...especially when it was something that actually seemed to be useful for the development of riders in the UK. I'll admit that I didn't really understand the star system from this year, but a move to something like a star for each year in the league could have been a good way to go....but, nah, just bin the whole thing. Encouraging and giving an advantage to teams that actually developed riders seemed like a good idea to me....Could it see the best young Brit riders being paid more than their average was normally worth? Yes. Is that a bad thing for developing the young riders? In my opinion, NO! There aren't enough good young Brit riders to go around and it's unfair if a team has a special talent? Tough...Get out and encourage kids to try speedway if you want to win the league rather than waiting for them to appear and fall in your lap or signing young foreign riders.

There's plenty of young British riders out there with potential to be really good riders in the future, including Archie. The trouble is that the Championship is full of riders who should only ride at a higher level but now maximise their income by also riding at Championship level. I know these guys aren't SGP standard by any means but some of them are next level down, Masters etc. These guys are established and by having these two income streams and potentially some continental racing as well they have a massive advantage, in terms of being able to invest in better equipment, than these young kids trying to progress. No reflection on Archies ability but it's too difficult to compete in a league where the majority are on much bigger budgets. It's bad enough for someone like Max Clegg or Matty Wethers trying to compete with only one team place as opposed to everyone else's two. There needs to be a level which will allow these lads to gain track time (not just three rides) and progress against more experienced riders as well as other young riders. Unless there's an influx of teams into the National League (hopefully all six Premiership teams will have one) then I'm not sure where any talented kids get a ride? With potentially only nine teams in the Championship they could easily have retained the rising star scheme if they'd wanted. Atkins, Edwards, Lawlor, Parkinson-Blackburn, Ablitt, Freeman, Gilkes, Hagon, McGurk(s), Mulford, Spencer and Spooner would all benefit from riding against more experienced riders. But how would they fare against riders like Chris Harris with his 400 years experience and earning x times more than them. Had the Rising Star system been retained, to make the teams level you really need to also restrict teams to only one rider over 8.00 and no one would vote for that even if it makes financial sense for some of the struggling teams. On that basis they have to retain all the double upper/downers there is really no point of retaining the rising star scheme. I just hope there is some alternative option for these young kids to get track time and progress so they can progress to the next level. I'm sure Archie's time will come again but based on the youtube footage of Geordie Congreve (who is 4 years his senior) he would look to be the better bet in 2022. Presumably he comes in on a British licence as the Diamonds aren't able to access work permit riders. If that means just under 8.00 for the last rider Richie Worrall would make the Diamonds competitive especially with Wright at reserve.

Think it tells a lot about how the Club is being run.

Managed to track down the old Hamburg Dirt track from 1929. Also the venue for one of the biggest boxing attendances in Europe. 80,000-100,000 estimated for Max Schmelling. Up in the top right

Sorry wrong link - that video came on right after the BV one HenryW has sorted it out though

Toon hall clock

In fairness fantastic to watch round scunny when in full flight probably stayed to long and stagnated.

Quote from a Belle vue programme this season " The current structure is not sustainable, and in my opinion has never been sustainable.We have a great sport and in my view the solution is simple.We have to create a structure with independent management and a League format where the first division and the second division has clear delineation" AS . CEO.

Morton's track record ride https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AC-8CtF11uE

He’s the evil twin for a reason.

Ritchie Worrall?

Spot on.. However... Those words "big 6" are as classic a misnomer as ever written.. Stockport County can get as near as damn it in one match what six matches collectively in a week in the Premier League can deliver.. And they are in level five of the Football League structure.. It's a tiny, tiny, sport, yet it seems some still have delusions that what they are running has some major relevance, meaning and impact... Unfortunatley due to the way they run it, it has none of the above..

According to the 11/10/1987 B.L.R.C. programme the Belle Vue track record was 66.4 shared by Chris Morton (set 29/7/83) and Erik Gundersen (14/10/84). It wasn't beaten in the B.L.R.C. or any of the subsequent matches at Hyde Road which I've found details for so unless it was lowered in the 17/10/87 double header with Oxford & Hackney (the only meetings I haven't been able to check) that's how it stood at closure.

As has already been mentioned, the crowd figures from Sweden this year should probably not be taken as a good guide to what they CAN attract. Despite what some people in other parts of this forum might imply, Sweden was NOT a restriction free nirvana during covid. There were fairly harsh limits on sporting events for most of this season...A check on the change in Swedish football attendances between 2019 and 2021 would confirm that things were NOT normal there. That's NOT to say that Swedish speedway isn't seeing a reduction in attendance in recent years...Even before covid attendances were going down, but not to the level of 3 figure crowds, so lets wait and see what happens next year. Someone else has said that Long track does NOT get bigger crowds in Germany now. France might be accurate, I don't know...But I am confused by the statement that "the others don't even have proper leagues"...In the context of the comment that seemed to suggest that aside from UK, Sweden and Poland there are no proper leagues in Europe. How are you defining a "proper league" there? What about Denmark? Czechia? Russia? I also am not convinced by the suggestion that speedway is "huge" in Poland, or that their success is down to a lower level of football..although I guess a case could be made for that. Speedway is big, but not huge, in Poland, and only in certain markets, mainly outside of the major Cities. The big speedway places in Poland tend to be cities/towns that don't have reasonably big or successful football teams...The only exception that I can think of is Wroclaw. As I said, you could argue that they only get crowds because the football teams are poor...OR it could be that the football teams are poor because the public prefers their successful speedway teams and that holds back the development of a more competitive football scene Just taking the devil's advocate position on this claim... IS Polish speedway doing anything right now that British speedway didn't do back in the 60's, 70's, early 80's when it was on top of the pile? Personally, I think that the failings can be traced back to what British speedway did back then, and we are reaping what we sowed...Obviously that doesn't mean that we should continue in the same way but, as Brits, it's hard to complain about other leagues doing what the British league did when it was on top.

Delighted to see the U21 rider requirement gone from the tournament. No disrespect to the guys that raced in that position over the last few years, but it devalued the competition. I still dislike the "pairs" format compared to a 4 team world championship (2 team test match format would be even better), but can kind of understand the reasoning for moving to this format while there is a lack of depth in most nations. It'll be interesting to see how well attended these meetings are. It feels like the new rights holders are going back over the ground that BSI trod when they first took over (when speedway was healthier in more nations), then bailed out of as they realised that running all meetings in one country led to reduced attendance. Having said that, I'd still prefer a different format to the suggested 2 semi finals and a final. The difference between the Nations is too big to make that really interesting racing wise. I think I'd prefer a format where there was a qualification ladder through the meetings, but I guess that doesn't work as well as it means more meetings without the BIG names. Just using the Nations that competed this year and their finishing order, I am thinking of something like this: Day 1: USA, Russia, Finland, Italy, Slovenia, Ukraine, Czechia Day 2: France, Latvia, Sweden, Germany + top 3 from Day 1 Day 3: GB, Poland, Denmark, Australia + top 3 from Day 2 It feels like that would give more competitive meetings on each day, but would mean that the BIG nations don't appear until Day 3, so probably doesn't work well for TV contracts despite being better for competitive racing.

Because British speedway is now an effective dictatorship run by a two bob scrap metal merchant supported by a few stoogie minions who aspire to fill his boots one day. Fair play to Godfrey. 16 years ago he set up a track in the middle of a field with no basic facilities. Now he holds all the power

The one and only Hans.

There is absolutely no good reason why the full final listing isn't in the public domain Yet another own goal from the sport letting the hard core fans down. Speculation re team line ups is what the winter is about and everyone should know what the figures are

There is somewhat of a myth re the pricing structure in Poland.. To us, it is "cheap". However, to the average Pole it is pretty much similar to us when measured (pro rata) against earnings.. What they do have, which we dont however, is a "proper sport", rather than a "sports entertainment".. Which therefore, gives fans that tribal feeling of following a team, gives the mainstream media something to cover that means a lot to many of the population, so brings in excellent audiences, and therefore also gives sponsors the opportunity to get their names out to a huge audience nationally... And they also, of course run at "family friendly" weekends.... You can take it as read that the day Zmarzlik dons a Wroclaw body colour to replace an injured Woffy, or Majic pulls on Gorzow colours to replace a missing Zmarzlik, that Polish Speedway will cease to be what it is today, and fans, media and sponsors would desert it in droves... Sweden's crowds were severely impacted by Covid rules so it will be interesting to see how next year goes.. It is clear from watching on TV how very similar their demographic of fan is to the fan found over here which doesnt bode well for their future, just like it sadly doesnt over here.... They do though still have credibility in the way they run their top League so have managed to keep a major sponsor interested which may be vital over the next few years..

So I am now going to follow Oxford as my new club after the closing of Somerset. Couldn’t bring myself to follow any of the other Championship clubs so a new club is right up my street. Double bonus it’s a lot closer. Still a good hours run for me, but hey, speedway again, can’t wait.

Be we often have to wait to see what dross the other teams don't want first. Maybe this time we are doing it slightly different by signing the left overs first

Can't believe any real Newcastle fans are unhappy with the team. A few weeks ago, the Diamonds were finished. If your last rider is a big hitter, it looks a decent team. Whoever the last rider is, it looks a better team than last year, & most importantly, you still have a speedway team to support.

They aren't weakening the product (for a change). No team will even be forced to release anyone. There are 3 teams above the limit and 3 teams below it. The three above are Peterborough (Pedersen retiring), Wolves (Schlein retiring) and Belle Vue (Bewley not riding in UK). For a change, nobody even has to let anyone go if they don't want to, which is always the worst part of having a successful team.

Welcome BWD and George. Lot of negativity regarding BWD but people have to remember he achieved the average he’s got in a stronger league pre Covid. Let’s get behind them and remember not too many weeks ago we were faced with the prospect of no speedway. Looking forward to hearing the last piece of the jigsaw.

Adrian Smith will be another in quite a long line who have seen the sport from outside and thought "Wow! What potential".... So therefore, got involved, .. And, like others before him, would have gone into it thinking that all he had to do was highlight to the those already incumbent all the obvious inherent flaws that all can see hold the sport back in the UK... And then simply convince them that there are a great many alternative ways of moving this great sport forwards... However... Like so many others before him he has failed to take into account how insular and short term focused so many within the sport are, with many appearing to be "quite happy" with their lot as they hold 'some power'... Failing to grasp of course that they 'hold power' in a sport that hardly anyone has heard of, never mind cares about.. "Ideas People" are not wanted....

They're all pretty much sorted. Just being drip fed to fans who they think are stupid

Best not to go there.

probably on another one of his cruises

That’s what happened.

A speedway track needs an income to pay the bills. Attracting a younger clientele at an affordable price may stop the closures?

I was really happy when we signed him but to me he never really hit the scores away like I thought he would

Looks that way

Need to learn to ride laydowns first .

Don’t think Richie Worrall will be at Newcastle.

We all have reasons for disliking certain riders,,,, I have disliked many over the years.

An announcement about potential announcements of the future announcements

Harris was strongly rumoured to be joining Oxford in the premiership but now they have joined the championship as they were allegedly rejected from joining the premiership he will need a premiership place now

Rafa Konopka

Maybe they are doing something similar to some football teams who have gone into the Premier League knowing they will struggle to cope and stay up.. That is. Spend 'some' of the increase in money they will get and bank the rest... That way when they go back down they can still attract better riders in the 2nd tier to gain promotion again.... And that time spend more than they did the first time they went up giving them a better chance to stay in that top tier whilst also having the club on a firm footing financially.. Getting 'carried away' by the huge TV and Sponsorship sums on offer when reaching the top tier has had a negative impact to many football teams who found they spent well above their means and didn't use the money to build for the future.. Maybe Ostrow have a longer term plan than just having the one year at the top so are playing a longer game...?

Spent a night in Warsaw on our way home from Torun recently. It’s a BIG city with skyscrapers everywhere. For some reason did not like it, at all. I’d do Wroclaw if I had the chance.

Steve told me it’s 17 mtr wide corners 12 mtr wide straights just over 420 odd mtrs long a bit like Redcar and belle vue combined and he is hoping to be ready for a few winter armature meeting

Hope goes well.