Halifaxtiger

Fair point Berwick isn't a good track for racing but they really did pull out all the stops for the sky meeting last season and they deserved another crack at it. Those who judge the PL as a whole on the basis of that meeting should remember that Berwick wouldn't be in the top ten circuits for racing in that league.

I don't dislike him at all - quite the opposite, in fact - but I think you would find it hard to find many that would say that he is a better promoter than Frost.

I think PL speedway is more sustainable. I'd say its absolutely true to suggest that existing EL clubs would lose fans if they dropped down but not to the extent that they would be worse off than they are now. It is a credible option to have one league split geographically (if we can find the riders, that is). Dropping to 8 clubs, though, might help the EL to survive particularly if they go to one meeting a fortnight (albeit on different nights).

Spoke too soon................ 5-1 & 4-2 to Monarchs since you said something

Yes, that's true. I wonder how many would say that Horton is better than Frost, though ?

Poor refereeing. You simply must be consistent.

Simply based upon what they have been like when I have been there. According to Mick Horton, they are 200 down a week or £3,000 or so. Over a season, that's maybe £80k. Julie Mahoney said the EL Panthers were losing 'upwards of £100k'. Clearly, Horton's losses are still too much and my figures are very rough, but cutting £20k or more off those losses illustrates my point that PL speedway is more viable than EL and could be the difference in some places between survival and closure.

I'm not so sure. Mike's figures are pretty much what I have been told and I don't think if Zagar left 200 would stop coming. I would accept that top riders do pull in additional fans but whether they pull in the additional numbers to justify their earnings is another matter. You're right about PL clubs being in financial difficulty but I doubt that any are making the 6 figure losses that Eastbourne apparently are, and while Peterborough are still losing money the gates to me are about the same, everyone says the racing is much better and I don't doubt that the losses are way below what Rick Frost was shelling out season after season. You're also right about TV coverage. At a wild guess, I'd say we have probably lost some on balance but nowhere near as many as would make up the revenue from Sky.

Interesting stuff I think its fair to say that presentation isn't just about the man with the mic - be he in the box or on the centre green - its more than that. I'm certainly not one to comment on the latter and its clear that presenters are very much a matter of individual taste, but I can give an opinion on those who currently do the job and what I would expect. I think the first and most important thing is to know the sport. Those who are the best are all long term fans who would attend as paying customers anyway, and they can recognise riders even with their helmets on and know how to pronounce 'Protasiewicz' or 'Kolodziej'. The aforementioned Shaun Leigh of Sheffield once continued to state that Tom Young was Gary Irving despite the fact that Irving was about a foot taller and that's just embarrassing and smacks of someone who takes his pay, does his job and has absolutely nothing else to do with speedway. In contrast, I have seen Buxton's Graham Tagg all over the place (from Berwick to Wolverhampton) so he's clearly a dyed in the wool fan. The second thing is don't give the impression that the crowd is there for your benefit rather than the other way around and that you are the main attraction. I doubt if any are like that, but they come across that way. Coventry's Peter York and ex King's Lynn presenter Mike Bennett are the worst examples of such behaviour. Thirdly, remember that most fans are adults and treat them that way. That's why I don't like Newcastle/Redcar's Roy Clarke. There's only so much 'LIGHTning Ludvig LINDgren' one can stomach before he comes across as a compere of the magic roundabout. Fourthly - remember we are in the 20th century. I don't mind Dick Barrie (in contrast to every other Berwick fan I have met) and while 'Wheels Cha Cha' is not a bad piece of intro music for a speedway team the remainder of his music and patter seems to be from the 1980's. Fifthly, don't try to be funny if you're not. Most announcers are just professional - people like King's Lynn/Peterborough's Edwin Overland, Workington's John Walsh or Eastbourne's Kevin Coombes are among the best - but occasionally some drift into territory for which they aren't qualified. Sixthly, be a good interviewer. Like Peterborough/Rye House's Craig Saul, for instance (not like Charlie Webster). My dream team would be Plymouth's Graham Hambly (even though he must be well into his 70's) and Ipswich/Mildenhall's Kevin Long, the latter beating Scunthorpe's Rob Godfrey by a short head.

I agree. The team might not be brilliant but they are better than that, even allowing for how good Somerset are at home. I'd say at least some of the fingers should be pointed at the riders.

I think he's a good signing and will do better than that. That's partly based upon his excellent performance against Belle Vue in Birmingham's final match; there aren't many who pass Cook at Kirky Lane but he did it.

I thought it was a pretty decent gate. I can't remember the last time I saw so many people on the back straight. I am at least partly responsible for the lack of food. The reputation of Mr Anderson's burgers has spread far and wide (I should say apart from Berwick I never touch speedway catering) so I had two. Berwick were impressive, Sheffield (Stead aside) anything but.

Just to show it is a matter of personal taste, I think he's absolutely awful. I couldn't believe it when I heard he was doing Redcar too. Typical Godfrey and one of the reasons why he's so popular. His reaction to a race once when I was there (where a Scunny rider was placed second instead of first) was 'You're having a giraffe'. A quick mention for my old mate Kevin Moore, too. He doesn't do it much now but he was (and still is) one of the most professional in the game.

Second best in the game. Yes, it grated with me a bit the another night. The only good thing was that the announcer kept forgetting to say 'incredible'

Never met him myself but someone who has told me the same thing. He has genuinely put me off going to Coventry Speedway. Best in the game for me.

Paul Starke got fined for it at Plymouth recently.

No, it didn't. The skill, courage and determination of Niels Kristian Iversen did. EDIT : and I don't like the joker either.

Pedersen ? I am not suggesting that he should go through the card, but he should be scoring more than that. I don't expect anything from King and Stead in this company, I do from Woffinden. The point is its about consolation and deriving some pleasure from our one top rider, and the position the team finishes in and his performance are two entirely different things. Yes, I am delighted that he won a race (and may he win a few more). As Pearson said: 'that's more like it'.

You find it ridiculous that I expect Woffinden to win races ? As Pearson has just said : 'that's more like it'.

Doesn't bother Greg Hancock, does it ? I take it from that comment that you are quite happy with his performance, believe it is acceptable and if he rode round at the back doing wheelies that would be OK because we will finish fourth anyway ? He is our one world class rider and the one giving us some consolation from this meeting. He isn't. You don't get it, do you ? None of us expect anything from King and Stead in this company. Woffinden should be winning races, not scrapping for seconds.

So he should be. Stead and King are PL riders who are outclassed in this company and Harris isn't that much better. Woffinden is the World Champion and the World Championship leader. Is it unreasonable that we should expect him to win a race ?

The rider I am most disappointed in is Woffinden. If any of us are honest, we all knew that King & Stead were unlikely to be competitive (to be fair, nor would any other selection that might have been made). But is two seconds and two thirds what we should expect from the World Champion ?

Best I have seen him ride this season. Cracking meeting and a fair result.