Halifaxtiger

I think that's just about right From what I have seen, Cardiff is nothing special in terms of the quality of the racing. I'd say its about atmosphere and occasion. Perhaps typically, I buck that trend. I have never been to the GP but do about 60-70 league meetings (in all divisions) every year.

Its true to suggest that some tracks seem to be run on that basis and its the sort of complacency that has left the sport on its knees. I would have thought that the lesson that speedway could have learned from the last decade or so is that fans will not put up with anything and will just stop going. I know one Kings Lynn fan that I thought was an absolute diehard and was shocked to find that now they are anything but. Delays are a disaster but, in some cases, are unavoidable. Intervals are not.

That's what they said about Plymouth yesterday Mind you XC Weather (who are far more reliable) are saying the same thing.

Fair point about alternative websites (and its certainly something that should be considered)but the general view is that Met Office are the experts. They're not. Any postponement costs a promotion but a rain off with everyone at the track costs thousands (which speedway in general and Plymouth in particular simply don't have). There's also the views of paying fans to consider - insisting a meeting will be on when forecasts say otherwise and then calling off at the last minute does nothing but annoy everyone. In this case, there were two fans at least coming a long distance - Rob & I - and I had no problem with the early call off, just the quality of the information upon which the decision was based. Giving the parlous state of the sports finances calling off on the strength of weather forecasts is a must.

And you weren't even there !! I got told by one of the riders that they offered to do it during the sun break.

As the aforementioned texter (and I'll take the opportunity to apologise for sodding up the scores - entirely my fault), the first half of the meeting was as good as I have seen at Leicester. It became a bit one lineish after that but it still wasn't that bad. I'll be coming again.

Come on, AF. The Met Office forecast in the morning was heavy rain starting at 6pm. I don't blame the promotion one bit - even though I was on a southern tour and chose to abandon it because the match was called off - because based upon that forecast had the meeting stayed on they would have faced huge costs for nothing. Its those incompetent cretins at the Met Office who are entirely to blame. If they had got it right - as virtually everyone else did - this meeting would have been on. Just to put that into perspective, they also got King's Lynn wrong on Thursday and will probably have got Eastbourne wrong today.

Reports I got was that it didn't start to rain heavily until almost 10pm and that this meeting could easily have gone ahead. I certainly don't blame the Plymouth promotion. Met Office said heavy rain starting at 6pm, and that prediction stayed that way until 6pm. They got it completely wrong, and what's hard to take is that XC weather, Metcheck & Netweather all got it spot on. What do they know that Met Office don't ? Its infuriating to have a meeting called off as a result of the weather. Its even more so when its called off as a result of a totally inaccurate prediction made by equally incompetent forecasters.

I think you have a point. I must admit I have never been a big fan of Kings Lynn - aside from the SWC meetings (which to be fair have been excellent) the best matches I have seen there have been NL ones - but it is does appear to have deteriorated in recent seasons. There was certainly no outside line at all on Thursday. Speaking to someone who rode in this meeting last night, he gave the impression that Buster just doesn't give it the same attention he once did.

Slightly bizarre when Scunny didn't ride last night.

Clipped the back straight fence and had a pretty nasty fall. I was surprised we didn't have that ambulance out and certainly didn't expect him to ride again. All credit to Kerr for 5points in his last two rides. Some cracking racing in this meeting. OTA 's reputation as one of the best tracks in the country is totally deserved.

I forgot to comment how good it was to see my old sparring partner from West Row on the mic . As professional as ever, good to see the retirement plans appear to have been shelved.

At least it seems their immediate - and possibly longer term - future is secure. I am saddened in a way because I have a lot of time for Ashley Taylor. However, you can't have a team that is at the bottom of the league year on year without crowd levels being adversely affected and I have no doubt this is what has led to the slump in attendances - the days of the huge gates on the opening of the track seem light years away. Maybe I am being unrealistically optimistic, but I'd maintain there is a lot of potential in Plymouth Speedway. My first visit of the season to SBA - always one of my favourite tracks - and I suspect that this could be a very entertaining meeting.

Read a few of the pages on here that list the issues that put people off going to speedway. One of the ones almost always mentioned is unnecessary delay. People go to speedway meetings to watch speedway. So it is a huge issue - in fact, its more than that. Why not start the meeting at 8pm and do away with the interval ?

The totally unnecessary interval - after delays approaching an hour - most certainly is down to the promotion. The sun delay was - to a degree - understandable. The interval most certainly was not.

Good question. I wonder if the sun will be different because its a SWC meeting and on the television. Precisely my words when it was announced. No, its not. The collection could have been held either before the meeting started as there was a delay then or after heat 4 when racing stopped. It didn't have to be the riders who came round, either. The thing is week after week we have fans saying that one of speedways biggest turn offs are unnecessary delays and week after week we see their wishes being ignored. Its simply not good enough. Rant over, this was a decent meeting made all the more entertaining by the close score. Masters did the Stars proud, Lambert was hugely impressive but King's Lynn's match winner for me was Morris - good to see him getting the points. Holder was imperious, Janowski just behind and Watt...........least said.

Looking at the posts, I'd say its more a case of only Coventry fans agreeing.

I thought it was the right call. Go piling into the corner like that and any contact at all and you're out. Not the first time I have seen Garrity do something like that, either. Cracking meeting, Bees deserved a point.

I agree. To be fair, though, it seems that the response is in accordance with BSPA policy: criticism is not to be met by fair explanation but abuse. And everyone wonders why crowd levels are low ! Surely rather than being insulting it would have been better to explain precisely what the problems and issues are ? Is it ? Scunny have lost 5 out of 6 home matches, 4 of them heavily and 1 to a poor Redcar side. Its probably more accurate to say the result was simply consistent with other performances. There is a third way between being insulting and being 'apologetic and demure'. Its called fair explanation. It might not help you retain fans but at least it won't drive them away.

I certainly believe you're as much entitled to your opinion as anyone and I suspect most others do, too. Nor do I believe that there is a single person on this forum who believes that speedway is perfect and in equally perfect financial health. I don't, and from some of the reports I have heard I genuinely fear for the existence of the Premier League. However, this forum is packed with those who never have a good word to say about the sport and they are almost always those who don't actually even go. Being critical or negative is one thing. Being nothing but that is something else.

I don't totally agree with the first point because most speedway promoters are very successful businessmen outside the sport. That doesn't necessarily qualify them to be good at running speedway (although the likes of Van Straaten, Silver and Dugard have been involved for decades) but it does suggest they have some considerable knowledge about how a business is run. Your second point is, however, dead right. Some of the amateurs are pretty good and, indeed, have considerable experience in the same role outside speedway. However, many are not and what is undoubtedly true in my opinion is that doing things on the cheap usually works out to be a false economy. There are some who think that track preparation can be entrusted to a bloke that can drive a tractor and travelling round the country you can tell who has an experienced and capable track man and who doesn't. The only thing with this is going back 30 years or so I can never remember any meeting being held up because of the sun. Is it the sun that has changed or riders attitudes ? Got some bad news. Sweden has tactical changes (albeit not double points) and play offs. This is dead right and a point I have made before. People complain on about tactical rides, guests and points limits. They have all been in force in speedway (in one form or another) for half a century. Personally, I don't regard any of them as stupid.

I have seen him ride three times this season (at Sheffield, Ipswich & Workington) and he's scored double figures every time. At Workington, he beat all the home leaders and at Sheffield lost out only to Stead. Recently, at home he has beaten all the Sheffield heat leaders, Grajczonek, Kurtz and King. That's not bad. I think there is a question of expectation but let's not forget he was signed on a 7.89 average. In the last few weeks, he's well above that. My point was really about objective comment - slagging off a rider when they do badly is one thing but to be balanced there has to be a few words when they improve, surely ?

Was he doing that well ? According to speedway averages, he was hitting 5.54 for Workington last season. Now, 4.76. His green sheet has reduced from the start of the season. He's had two good meetings - home to Somerset and home to Redcar. In the other nine he's averaging less than a point a ride including bonuses. Its not that impressive. Fisher is well known for his selfish attitude on track. Then again, I have seen Stead, Kennett, King & Masters (amongst others) this season and I haven't seen any of them look for partners either. Speaking of Fisher, I am wondering whether all the comments about Plymouth are entirely objective. When he was struggling it was mentioned every time but now he has started to bang a few points in - 47 in the last 4 meetings after apparently having his machinery looked over - there's not a word said. Funny, that.

I'm not so sure that if Tattum left Stoke would close. Word I got from Stoke fans is that some have attempted to take over but have been rebuffed by a ridiculous price. As Vog says, the electrical problems aren't a one off (for which every speedway promotion can or at least should be forgiven). In the past few seasons on my rare (3 or 4 times a year) visits I have seen the same electrical failures, dreadful track surfaces, tea bars running out of food and drink and ambulances failing to arrive. I don't think there's a club in the country that has such a poor record - to quote a friend of mine who refuses to go there 'always some problem, always some lame excuse'. As to working for the greater good, I agree. But there has to be a belief that those assisting the promotion will be listened to (in my experience, any criticism - whether justified or not - is responded to with abuse) and that they will not be taken for granted. The way I see it for things to improve it is for the promotion to change their attitude, not the fans. The old black mail trick : use it or lose it. I suppose it doesn't matter how crap the product is, what the managements attitude to the fans is or what value for money you get. This argument of go or it'll shut down cuts absolutely no ice with me (or, I suspect, most fans). No-one wants Stoke to close but should that be the case pinning the blame on stay away fans is nothing less than nonsense when so many of them are justifiably unhappy with the current set up. It is for a promotion to make their product attractive enough for people to buy. If a team closes and they haven't done that then any responsibility for closure lies fairly and squarely with them.

Speedway on the Island pretty much swings on sponsorship from the ferry companies and free crossings for those competing. While ferries on Tuesday afternoons even in the summer are never full, at the weekend (certainly Friday or Saturday)it is completely different. Brilliant news, anyway. Personally speaking, Thursdays are much better for me.