Halifaxtiger

Crying shame if he isn't, regardless of what happened last season.

If you were paying for it, absolutely. But Belle Vue weren't. As such, they probably had very little say regarding the building works and it should not be forgotten that David Gordon made it clear many times that staying at Kirky Lane was not an option, so they were over a barrel anyway. I suspect the size and shape was determined by Belle Vue - and they did an excellent job - and then they left the construction to ISG and the inspection of the works to the council. You must see that it was as much in the council's interests to have the stadium fit for purpose as it was Belle Vue's - as it stands, it seems they have lost a considerable amount of revenue as a result of their failure to ensure that the job was done properly. I really don't see how Belle Vue can be held culpable for the shoddy standard of workmanship here when they were neither those who had ordered the building of the stadium and were paying for it or the building contractor. It seems the courts agree : I fail to see how Gordon & Chris Morton were apparently successful in their counter litigation against the council unless that was the case. My suspicion is they were responsible for designing the track shape and size but that was it. After that, they had no input or influence whatsoever.

What is clear is that Bewley, Bickley, Smith, Shuttleworth, Payne and the Woodhall brothers have not signed for any NL club. In the case of 5 of those, that would be extremely surprising unless they had very reasonable belief that they had somewhere lined up.

I'm not sure that totally stacks up. I might question why Cradley have been such a success, for example. What that requires is the wholesale desertion of Lakeside fans to a track that they have often being most critical of and pointing fingers at the team line up (not totaly unreasonably I'd say) smacks to me as a cheap excuse to desert the club simply because they have dropped to NL level.

I absolutely agree regarding the specialist nature of the laying of the track and the necessity of involving someone qualified in that area but the contract was with the council, not Belle Vue and therefore that is entirely the former's responsibility. No reason at all why they could not have employed someone like Colin Meredith to oversee - or at least audit - that area of the work. My suspicion is that Morton & Gordon had absolutely no powers of inspection or rights to ensure that work was to par at all. After all, is it totally unreasonable for them to expect with the involvement of the local authority and their preferred contractors that the stadium would be anything less than expected ? The simple fact is that based on what has been posted the council allowed an appalling bodge job by a set of cowboys who it seems wanted to avoid financial penalties for the stadium not being ready on time and who almost certainly knew that their work wasn't up to standard. The council's responsibility is shown by the fact that they came to a very quick settlement over tens of thousands of pounds owed in back rent and the suppression of the auditors report. Make no mistake, if they were not at fault at all the court case would have been pursued and the report loudly trumpeted in the local press. As I have said, the blame for running that opening meeting lies entirely with Gordon & Morton in my view as they knew how things were before hand, yet chose to run anyway. However, to blame them for the dreadful construction work is entirely unreasonable and, indeed, you cannot help not having some sympathy for them given that they paid extremely dearly for the failure of the council and ISG to ensure that the stadium was as it should have been.

Depending on the last rider, it could be 5 out of 7. I could make fair argument that Isle of Wight, Stoke, Buxton, Mildenhall & Plymouth are no different. Having said that, Mason would be hard for me to accept. I have no issue with a senior rider, but he has to be one of a decent heat leader standard who is going to make the team more attractive on track. Mason simply doesn't hit that. Won't stop me going, though. Lakeside is one of my favourite tracks and I see no reason why that will change.

Its a question of balance. It is, after all, the National Development League so it should that exist for that purpose. However, all stand alone clubs are businesses and need to have a line up competitive to attract paying customers because the plain fact is few will pay to watch a training league. Its why the likes of Wilson, Boxall, Halsey and Bowen aren't just desirable, they are a necessity. To my mind, the NL pretty much achieves that balance and deserves a great deal of credit for doing so.

The contract was with the council, not Belle Vue Speedway. If anyone should have made sure that the contractor was doing his job properly, its them and I can just imagine what would have happened if David Gordon or Chris Morton had wanted to make inspections to ensure that the work was of sufficient standard (or worse had said that it wasn't good enough). The very fact that the report has been suppressed confirms the fact that the council do not want the truth of the matter to be known, as does their action in coming to a very quick settlement with David Gordon about the outstanding rent. I'd still maintain that going ahead with the meeting was down to Belle Vue - problems were clear the night before - but to blame them (and I think you might be) for the shoddy workmanship (used nappies as hard core for heavens sake) is most unfair.

I believe Swindon's is like that. They have a kind of trench into which the fence is lowered so it is nigh on impossible to go under it.

Boxall's unreliability has been his tendency to let teams down totally rather than miss individual fixtures and the quality of his machinery which has, at times, been awful. Looking at the past few seasons, he put a full year in for Kent & Rye House in 2013 & 2014 and did so again for the Rockets in 2015 until he got injured. He has the highest PL average of any rider competing in the NL next season and will apparently be staying in Cornwall during 2017. He's also an acknowledged track expert. There is the risk that he will move to the PL but with some good equipment I see no reason why he won't be the top rider in the NL. Hughes was badly injured (twice) last year and he also has a reputation for poor machinery. Even taking into account averages, given the choice its Boxall for me. Plymouth have definitely made one top signing : new centre green announcer Tim Allan is one of the best in the game and if Graham Hambley is well enough to take his usual place in the box they will have some of the best presentation in the country.

When he left, I doubt if there were many who didn't have a degree of sympathy with what he said. Now, it just looks like a toys out the pram rant.

Warriors had a very big 2016 but that was more off track than on it (although the racing was still pretty good). With a better team line up, an improved track, updated logo:and new website I think things are set fair for them to hit even higher standards in 2017. I hope that pulls in some big attendances. No other club in Britain deserves it more and every other club could learn a few lessons from them.

I think there is a fair bit to be positive about. All stand alone teams from last season will come to the tapes this year, something that no speedway fan takes for granted. There are actually more teams now than there were at the end of 1987, despite the continual assertions that speedway is on its last legs and about to face its demise. We have a chance of a British World Champion and our team have a shout in the WTC. We still have a fantastic new stadium at which our premier events can be held. The NL has a very fine crop of British youngsters, and indeed that league looks not only healthy on track but off it, too.

I just don't understand how your deadliest rivals can be a team that you never race against. You could easily be accused of living in the past here, because that rivalry hasn't existed for 20 years and for much of the time since hasn't existed at all. We simply can't do that and must look to the future and, indeed, the present. Should Cradley ever get their own track - or just ride in the same league - then I would accept your view entirely but not as it stands now. Monmore Green is a track that I visit rarely but I have seen some very good racing there. I did attend a Cradley v Belle Vue meeting in 2016 and though it was pretty good - enough for me to consider that Cradley was the best NL track in 2016 for racing, anyway. With the exception of 2016, I haven't seen the standard of racing fall at Plymouth, which is the smallest track in the UK. Nor have I noticed it at Newcastle, which has long straights and very tight turns, or Edinburgh which is similar to Wolverhampton. Its why I can't accept that silencers have made a marked (or any) difference. As to your final point, I completely agree about promotion and relegation - its a gimmick and an utterly unconvincing one. To suggest that Edinburgh would join an almost totally southern based league is nonsense and we all know it. I also agree about the guests and have made the point that while I agree with doubling up it has got ridiculously out of hand, to the extent that meetings with 'true' teams are the exception. As to watering down, I have some sympathy with the BSPA. The one thing that simply can't happen is that nothing changes, because the sport cannot afford its current expenditure. We could try recruiting the big names, but that would be a massive financial gamble. As such, it seems to me that there has to be an acceptance that the riders on track will not be the world class names any more.

I didn't know him well but we always spoke when we saw each other at meetings and he did stints at updating my texts for the updates site. A very decent bloke, one of the best announcers in the game and as true a speedway fan as you will ever see.

The problem is not that doubling up exists but that it is too widespread. Allowing a rider to ride in two leagues will almost certainly benefit him, both teams and indeed British Speedway but it can't be that you have three or even four riders riding for the same club doing it. That is when the ridiculous situation we have now occurs, and a meeting without a facility of some kind is exceptional. As to Max Clegg, you'd have to be over 30 to regard Cradley & Wolverhampton as deadly rivals because I doubt that they have ridden against each other in an official fixture for 20 years. Moreover, a rider doubling up between two such clubs is hardly unheard of simply because of their geographical location. I can certainly recall Andy Galvin of Hackney being named as Wimbledon's no 8 in 1984 and Bruce Cribb doubling up between Birmingham & Wolverhampton in 1981. If memory serves me correctly, that issue has been addressed in that no rider competing in the play offs can guest for another team also in the play offs. It is difficult to accept as valid a criticism of current speedway when that is from the past and no longer applies. Completely agree There's no question that crap racing will drive people away but I don't think that silencers are a major reason for that. I saw fantastic racing at the likes of Lakeside, Belle Vue, Workington, Scunthorpe, Peterborough & Isle of Wight last season, tracks that are all over the country and are at every level. If they can do it, so can everyone else. My guess is you are a Sheffield fan. If so, you have every reason to be unhappy - a terrific track ruined by disastrous preparation.

Absolutely right At Peterborough, virtually everything was spot on. Brilliant racing, top quality presentation, superb weather. Thing is I believe with a bit more care and effort we would have a lot more days like that. The other big one for me was the EL play off final at Belle Vue. A huge crowd, amazing atmosphere and racing to match.

And yet we have had that for 50 years. Gary Peterson, for example, rode for both Wolverhampton & Nelson in 1970. At the end of the 1987 season, there were 28 stand alone clubs in British Speedway. At the start of 2017, there will be 29. In my (albeit limited) experience, most of them still are. I certainly haven't noticed a significant decline in attendances since 2011 nor have I noted a similar deterioration in the quality of racing. Scunthorpe, for example, consistently put on speedway meetings that range from good to excellent and I therefore see why the others can't do the same thing. I think that's true. Its not that the foreigners come over here, but that EL & PL promotions are far more inclined to persevere with them.

That's the worst bit, because you are dead right. The stadium is run down but the track is still one of the best shaped in British Speedway and with some decent preparation could produce some fantastic racing. Throw in some customer care and you have the two main ingredients for a highly successful speedway track.

New logo is much better, too.

King's Lynn last year was absolutely freezing.

Need, definitely. However, you only need to read the other Stoke thread to see whether they deserve it. When they are doing everything they can to ensure that paying customers are having a good night I'll agree. For that to happen, there will need to be a sea change in almost every aspect of the way they go about things.

I think you are right here but would add that I have no issue with each team having a senior man. Having sponsored young riders, I know only too well the benefit of having someone like Jon Armstrong around - by all accounts, he is simply brilliant with those prepared to listen and I have never heard a bad word about him. Tony Atkin, I believe, is the same. The thing is, though, that they must be of heat leader standard. Its no use having someone below that - whatever their effect - because it can then be reasonably argued that they are taking a youngsters place. At the moment, Atkin & Armstrong are not.

Very best wishes. A top bloke and as passionate a speedway fan as there is anywhere.

From what I have heard and read there should be no issue at all. The one to worry about is Coventry. If that comes off I'd be over every week to watch them.