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I am truly devastated at the loss of Steve. He was my friend and travelling companion on several memorable domestic and overseas trips. He had no side to him but was a straightforward gentle gentleman. He worked tirelessly to get Peter Collins to come back to Belle Vue - and don’t believe PC’s propaganda, he was told he would always be welcomed at the NSS as would any ex-Belle Vue rider. What wasn’t on offer though was his demand, not request, that nearly 200 of his cronies, some who’d had no involvement with speedway let alone Belle Vue, also got in free. Steve tried many times to talk sense into PC, including going round to his house, but PC would not change his mind, possibly because he’d backed himself into a corner. Steve was never one for taking offence and went to the Glossop signing of PC’s book. Having paid his £20, PC scrawled in his copy “Steve, I will never forgive you for what you have done to me and my family. I will never go to BV if you are there.” Steve shared a photo of the inscription but then said to me that he’d enjoyed reading the book. That is the sort of man that Steve was and I hope that, although Steve will never be at BV again, neither will PC as he’ll be barred. I am not alone in knowing that I will never forgive PC for what he wrote. Many men become world speedway champion, there’s one every year, but there will only ever be one Steve Casey. I knew Steve’s cancer would take him sooner rather than later but am still stunned that we have lost him. The world is a much sadder place today.

Would you now? Well when you come and buy the club you can charge what you want... however at the minute you don't own it... how do you know that the £13 quid isn't the OAP price and the club were thinking of charging every adult 15/16 quid and the 13 was the concession... but because they would like to give the spot not only a chance of breaking even but still encourage enough folk to come through the gate... they decided to charge 13 quid across the board... Get a season ticket for £90 they are a steal... it looks like 9 matches on your season ticket so that's £10:00 a meeting... Honestly what more do ya want... Regards THJ

Bodes well for a bumper 2024 thread. Flappy will be able to dismantle Panthers 2023 finishing team at August Bank Holiday and speculate for the next 6 months on the club's future, if it has one, as well as passing on all of the rumours that he's gleaned from the oche

I’m astonished, what PC did was disgraceful and he has gone from hero to zero.

Thurrock councillors have unanimously backed a motion calling for Thurrock council to use the local plan to support the retention of Speedway in Thurrock and identify a new home for Grays Athletic FC.

It is fake, type Stansted Airport in Google and it's the second image that comes up. People will believe any bullrubbish posted on here.

It’s been made clear MT / his companies are running the team

I wouldn't sign anyone (not even Zmarzlik) on that guarantee. Maybe offer them £400 a point & tell him if he scores a maximum each week - he'll get his £6,000!

Seems the joke was lost on you wasnt it…

I never personally met Steve Casey but saw him in the pits at BV and now and then watching last season at Owlerton. I’m aware of PC daft issues about BV but I said on the other thread that what PC did on signing his book was disgraceful and many will feel PC has gone from hero to zero. You did right thing Mr Pairman making this public. What PC did is unforgivable and people should no what a bitter little man he is.

“In England, he signs a new contract, very cold, but excited” Certainly sounds like a goer to me.

If he is your mate why do you want his team to finish at the bottom of the league,clearly that will never happen but I struggle to understand your dislike for Poole speedway.I've read your posts and some are funny and realistic and some are well just controversial and this is a forum for real speedway fans.Poole are successful because they build teams to win,i wish all other clubs were able to build the same strength teams and the league would be more closer.Older fans will remember when riders were told what teams they could join to keep things equal.

Well that's something that was discussed at length i.e. age concessions, on this forum, many moons ago. And, if my memory still serves me well, I think a top poster wasn't keen on such discounts? I'm old enough to qualify for some age benefits. (wish I was younger).. And must add that thankfully I'm also lucky enough to reach these milestones.......yes certainly lucky enough. I don't really want to have another written exchange on this - and whatever it costs me to watch Comets I'll cough up the readies.........hopefully many others do too....UTC.

Really, really upsetting news, I owed him a great debt of gratitude when the 2008 financial crisis hit and I was made redundant he was able to help when all my funding partners gave me the cold shoulder. Despite my loss of appetite for the sport Steve was one of the guys I called from time to time to keep in touch, just awful news. One of his best decisions he made was to put an English speaking presenter into the Belle Vue 80th Anniversary celebrations, somebody who was used to the open top bus life!

Sadly, it was announced tonight that Steve Casey has passed away after a battle with cancer. A wonderful man, a wonderful speedway FAN. After his riding career ended after spells at Ellesmere Port and Newport he returned to his spiritual home at Belle Vue where he performed a superb job as a presentation manager. I was proud to know him when he worked with Allied Dunbar (along with Chris Morton) in the 90s, and used to love our chats at the NSS every meeting in recent years. He always had time for people, and there's no greater compliment that I can give him. It's a lovely coincidence that he passed away as his team are finally the champions again. RIP Steve. A speedway legend who will be missed by many. Thoughts are with his family and friends.

One of Englands best ever riders, very exciting and box office material in the 1970's! I mean to get round to reading his book at some point cause it sounds good! But the man has got some serious issues and is surely pushing everyone away from him. I remember seeing him in the pits with his son Chris when the boy had a go at speedway and recall being taken aback by how grumpy he sounded when talking to him. I assumed this to be frustration at his sons limitations from a former World Champion who found speedway easy, but now I'm not so sure.

Currently making my way thru the book and very much enjoying it. Can't help feel there's an undertone of bitterness in there tho. Very disappointed with the book signing comment but normally two sides to every story. Uncalled for tho

Cant see holder if buster still involved.

I’d never agree to that either. A rider who is on a guaranteed fee who receives the same money if he score 0 or a 15 point maximum, isn’t going to bust a gut and go for gaps when there’s high earning Polish fixtures at the weekend. Has to be SOME incentive to do well there. Maybe a much smaller guarantee, and then the rest on pounds for points.

Like you say John season ticket great value and rest of admission prices very well pitched, spot on me thinks.

Sounds like a complete mess but is summed up by the fact they want to open a new club but use the history of another club which has no connection to it other than by nickname. Guess what? When Arena Essex was born in 1984 and named the Hammers, they didn’t inherit all the history and success of the West Ham Hammers, and neither should they of.

Fascinating that nobody seems to have complained about Sheffield and Ipswich exploiting the same Regulation. It certainly was of benefit to the Tigers.

I've heard Dudek is done. He dropped his demands by 30%, Panthers have pulled off a blinder.

So which is? Tomlin has full control or Buster can still say no? Can't be both

MT did say on his radio interview that hes hoping for more news on the long term future regarding the showground or the new stadium around season start time , so it could be that the club will be his from then, and until then he has control of most things , just hope they keep Rob Lyon in place as TM as his expertise is invaluable to the team

2020.

If Peterborough finish with the most pages and with all the valued assistance of the Witches fans on this thread it will be hard for them to take with missing out on yet another top spot in speedway

Would hazard a guess at the winter of discontent threads for Peterborough & Coventry would of been well up there in terms of page numbers , as the Panthers under Rick Frost only completed there team around 7-10 days before the start of the season, that may of tipped it in Peterborough's favour .

I suppose in fairness the other 5 teams apart from Peterborough/Ipswich had their 1-7 named and confirmed early doors so there's nowt really to report/comment on.

A great enthusiastic server of speedway was Steve Casey! Peter Collins has issues I'd suggest.

Footy channel on YouTube, looking at Shawfield Stadium. Glasgow Tigers/Scottish Monarchs get a brief mention. Not a lot of footage but a few pics/short videos:

Agree entirely. I thought she was very good on BSN and seemed to know her stuff. Must be quite difficult doing a job like that but she was growing into it nicely. Leave her alone.

the country or the musical as I know your love of dancing from seeing you in Cardiff last year.

Thats most likely because it wasn't really there in the first place?

Think this criticism of Hayley Bromley is way off the mark, I think she does an excellent job as presenter. Also women in speedway should be encouraged not mocked

Capacity was expanded to 3,500 in August, so should be a good crowd.

So Newcastle Diamonds live on, well for one night only! Redcar have organised the tyne tees trophy with a Newcastle "select" Diamonds side on the 24th March I think. A good gesture by Redcar and hopefully a few Diamonds fans may make the trip down the a19. No idea who is riding for Newcastle though...

Something for p0rnhub rather than Speedway imo

Flippant Moi... heaven forbid... to be honest Gazzac loads of options and rates were discussed and what we ended up with basically won on a democratic vote... although my favoured rate would have been 15 quid for your first meeting and every time you bring your last ticket back you get £5 off so effectively a 10 quid meeting for regulars... however it was felt that this would be unfairly treating away fans who couldn't do each week... now my response to that was rather flippant... but never mind I think the pricing is about right and those season tickets are a bargain to be fair because there may be another additional meeting on that... but with the 7 league and 1 cup meetings and possibly an open meeting to start the season with its about right 10/11:25 per meeting and if Neil buys a season ticket and we only get the 8 meetings I will buy him a pint just to keep his face straight... Regards THJ Oh and having seen old Grumpy Chops response above (who I have been told is a millionaire by the way) if he gets a season ticket I will get him a warm drink of his choice Oxo Horlicks Ovaltine Tea or Coffee or if its a warm day a Bitter Shandy... got to look after your pensioners... Think Singy13 was one of the original Ovaltineys click on it and I think that's him on the right as you look at the picture...

Unfortunately a few years ago may have been £10, but can't see that back again now really. Although we had quite an expensive team for NL , Eastbourne charged £13 back in 2018 and before, so can't think it's far out today. I think more teams will stop the OAP concession and that's coming from one who would qualify.

Oh the irony! A Poole fan extolling the virtues of the spirit of rules

Spot on. Very impressed with Glasgow Speedway over the years. All these people who moan/complain about them but I tell you what, if they were no longer there they would be sorely missed. Keep on with your forward thinking and although I am not strictly speaking a Glasgow supporter, I hope they win the league this year. Good luck!

It amazes me how much stick Gerry and Peter get. In my experience, pretty straightforward, people-focused, invested in the community, great at business. They seem very private but that’s all.

Probably not- you need to keep a eye on this thread as it will be posted here before ever it gets on the Speedway GP website.

The claim was against the previous owners/promoters not Rob Grant as he liquidated the second business correctly and the VAT liability was against NewSpeed the first one he bought (which he also folded) and as much as I have slated Grant on here the one thing he cant be slated for is not declaring anything to the tax man (sic) originally!!! it was probably his honesty in these matters in the early days that added to his downfall when he first took over the club... However... £5K realised... Aye righto? the tax man may want to revisit that one... HMRC have a very large HUMINT department and it doesn't take much to pique their interest that is for sure... Naughty Rob... (But what's the point) Sticking with the tax matters and as "minister without portfolio" is finding out much to his chagrin... When Jim Harra (top civil servant in HMRC) was asked about how the term “careless” should be interpreted by the public, Harra told MPs: “Carelessness is a concept in tax law. It can be relevant to how many back years that we can assess, can be relevant to whether someone is liable to a penalty and if so, what penalty they will be liable to for an error in their tax affairs.” While Harra made clear he was "not at liberty to speak directly about an individual’s tax affairs because of confidentiality rules", Blah Blah... I think you will find that a deal has been done that suits all parties and put the VAT issue to bed... however us "Plebs" will never get to find out... and of course "too late was the cry" as the club was going through its death throws long before all the issues broke about the financial mess the place was in... Very sad and missing it greatly... Regards THJ

Firstly to say that we at Retro Speedway are naturally sincerely saddened by the news of Steve's death. In my experience he was a very amiable, decent bloke. He was clearly devoted to Belle Vue, had a keen sense of Aces' history, and was a natural enthusiast for speedway as a whole. With respect, Gordon, and I fully appreciate you are feeling very sad and upset right now, the acknowledgement you hoped for WAS addressed by Retro Speedway - PRIVATELY - with Steve direct. An online forum is not the best way to handle such personal matters. I believe Steve thought so too. Possibly unknown to you, Susie and I both communicated personally with Steve, separately, over the book signing matter. Understanding the possible upset caused, we offered to try and resolve things to his satisfaction. He appreciated our sympathetic words. As you rightly point out on the other thread, Steve did read the book and said he enjoyed it. In fact, on Nov 23 he sent me an unsolicited text saying: "Hiya Tony...just finished the PC book and really enjoyed it...was a great read with some fabulous memories and insights (accompanied by four 'thumbs up' emojis)." I obviously thanked him for his kind comments. Earlier this month, he phoned me to say how grateful he was to unexpectedly receive our new DVD, Defunct British Speedway Tracks 2, which we sent him as a goodwill gesture, to hopefully lift his spirits after another spell in hospital, and because he actually features on it in the BV Kirky Kane segment. I hope this serves as the public 'acknowledgement' you expected and that those reading these posts gather a true picture of Retro Speedway's part. RIP, Steve.

Not a great looking side imo

Sorry Tony, I can't buy that. Unless we have the exact number and names between Wee Eck's 180 and your "tiny handful" it's pure conjecture. I also can't go with the notion of riders "putting their neck on the line". I have admiration for anyone who gets their head above the parapet and goes for it in life, particularly if that is something dangerous like speedway or stepping into the boxing ring. But let's not pretend they are risking their lives for some greater noble cause and sacrifice. These are not volunteers marching off to war. They are sports people in it primarily for selfish reasons, personal glory and remuneration. Without those, they wouldn't be doing it. In PC's case, often very well remunerated, squeezing out as much as he could get from BV in his latter seasons. And fair play to him too...it's a short and dangerous career. What makes me uncomfortable about this book is that it is a one sided take from someone who has had a brain injury. This has had an effect and as such, his interpretations are questionable at least. And, to be really, really honest, it's only been published because there is a few quid in it. We can't take it as some sort of historical document without the views of all other parties involved be they past and current BV management. You can't have your cake and eat it. I was a big fan of PC and I've enjoyed lots of your output over the years. But let's say this as it is.

I'm pretty stressed at the moment reading these threads! Aren't you?