Halifaxtiger

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.

I heard a lot, and I mean a lot. From a different source no figures were mentioned but best paid in the PL was. Pure hearsay, though. Scunny's £1 job does me - in fact, bearing in mind that its also got one of the best announcers and one of the best racing tracks its little wonder I have been there more than anywhere else.

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.

Completely agree and its something I have complained about elsewhere - indeed, I got done three days in a row by Edinburgh, Glasgow & Belle Vue (to be fair to Edinburgh, they at least made a bit of an effort). Perhaps the galling thing is I am sure I have read that promoters have been complaining about people using race sheets downloaded from the internet. They should look to their own practices first, because charging full price for a programme that is months old or is for another team with an insert added is a rip off, especially when I am aware that there is a considerable mark up on programmes. Make it half price or inform people that there is an insert first, otherwise it is nothing but a con. I only buy programmes because my mates granddaughter collects them and it maybe in the future I will stop doing so altogether as a result of this practice.

I thought Cookie would step up big time this season after his impressive 2013 to be a very decent, 8.00pt second heat leader. He'd then dump the PL and get himself contracts abroad in 2015. Sadly, he hasn't done that and in fact he's gone backwards, at least as far as the Aces are concerned. The problem is that will make him far more likely to stay in the PL as the amount of money I have heard he is on at Edinburgh is quite astonishing and he won't give that up for a few promises in Sweden or Poland.

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'

I think over the first part of the season as a whole you are right. Recently, however, maybe not. I saw him for Plymouth home and away against Somerset the other week and its undoubtedly the best I have seen him ride, particularly taking into account the fact that the Rebels are pretty strong opposition- at home, especially. He did well at OTA and banged in a maximum at SBA where he never looked like being beaten. Then he gets a hatful for Poole last night. He could be a trump card for Poole later in the season.

Best I have seen Zagar ride this season - particularly on his tactical outing, when he went round Bjerre effortlessly and showed just how good he can be. Nicholls did OK and Palm Toft put in his usual 100% but the Aces were deprived (perhaps for the first time) of a decent score from Nielsen, Payne simply isn't good enough at this level (although who they might replace him with is another matter) and Cook and Worrall were disappointing again. King's Lynn were solid all the way down but a word for Lewis Rose - best I have seen him ride, too. Fingers might be being pointed at Poole for the EL this season, my money is (or would be) still on the Stars. Whatever the case, if they meet in the final it will be something worth seeing.

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.

I left at 9.00 am and got home 12 hours later !! To be fair, that included a couple of hours or so in the pub before hand. I'd maintain, though, that 4 hours isn't unreasonable for 28 heats using a normal league match as a yardstick. I had something better than alcohol to while away the gaps : good company.

Paul Starke got fined for it at Plymouth recently.

Aside from the delays due to the electrics, I don't think it was drawn out. I don't think that a 15 heat speedway match should take 2 hours but if frequently does. Double the number of races and throw in a major track repair and I'd say four hours is far from unreasonable. As to the dust, it was a hot, windy day and the meeting was held in the afternoon. As you rightly say, what do people expect ?

I must admit I seem to have been at a different meeting to some. It was a hot, windy day and if you run meetings during the afternoon on such days you get dust and I have rarely been to a track where that doesn't happen in such conditions. In truth, I thought the track staff did OK although the habit of raking the loose shale 3 feet away from the air fence should be stopped as it left a ridge out wide - one that Lasse Bjerre hit and complained about afterwards. Four hours might seem a long time for a meeting but there were 28 heats. A normal meeting of 15 heats can often take two hours and given the additional track work involved (between the semi finals and final they spent about 30 minutes restoring the track to its starting condition) I'd say that isn't that far out. Indeed, the only really avoidable delay was due to the electrical faults. I thought some of the racing was top class and that Somerset were deserved winners. With some pleasant company thrown in, I thought it was a very entertaining meeting indeed.

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.