Albert

Guy Martin I think has ridden the EWR before...or at least he was scheduled to ride in Xmas flat track meeting in 2008. Memory fails me as to whether he actually rode though, sure someone will confirm. He's certainly gone up in the celebrity stakes since then. I agree, would be a fantastic coup to get him down, would certainly attract a good crowd.

There's loads of local village/county shows in early summer, Scunthorpe Speedway should be represented at these.....tell people who we are, what we are, where we are and when we ride. We've had stands at certain shows in the past, Julie with the aid of some of us supporters, and with the help and assistance of a few amateur riders have generally been well received.. But.. To do it proper and to make more of an impact, if we could get a team member or two, with bikes to answer all the techie things, have photos taken etc. Get some freebie give aways for kids, balloons or something... show them videos, show people what they've been missing. Give some free tickets out or give people chance to win tickets....if its hot, sell cold drinks, always a winner.

Not sure a supporters club does exist anymore...there was one resurrected in the early days of the Scorpions, I myself served on the committee. We certainly wasn't embraced by the promotion at the time. I remember sat in a committee meeting in the presence of the then joint promoter Norman Beany.....he couldn't of made it more obvious that we wasn't really wanted. He was livid at the thought of us making our own badges to raise funds, not that it was his decision to make. I resigned shortly afterwards. Others carried on, some left, other people joined...sadly it faded, probably beaten into submission. Not sure it exists any more. It is heartening however to hear you say one is now needed The supporters club always used to fund its own functions (end of season do's / trophys etc), as far as I know, the promotion didn't pay for any of that.... no one expected them to....except for the odd year they ran their own do. Every little bit helps, especially in the situation we find ourselves in. If a new supporters club (call it what you want) is set up, perhaps it could help in many little ways. The Sting Fund group runs the raffle but does it do anything else?, yes it did run some functions a few years back, very good ones at that. Maybe Sting could be expanded to incorporate a supporters club? A group which could assist and help the promotion in whatever tasks deemed appropriate, not necessarily just raising money. Most supporters aren't that naive, they realise some of the financial burdens promoters have....if they can raise a few bob and help in any little way, it can only be good. Just need people to support it. For me, David Howe is the perfect captain. He is in touch with the supporters...as is his wife and daughter, everyone has time for them and vice versa. Hopefully he can get the boys gelled and build a team spirit both on and off the track. I have no doubt that Rob, Gail..Montie, Paul , David Howe and others have a few ideas on where the club is heading...hopefully with some assistance from the supporters we can look forward to a good season and beyond. I'd just urge any Scunny supporter that is willing to help attends the meeting on Tuesday. Together we can do some good.

On track, there's no problem at Scunny. Rob usually puts together a competitive team, track is normally top notch and the racing as entertaining as anywhere. Take away the team/racing element, things could be much improved. Minor things.....Track facilities are improving slowly but some of the improvements made haven't had the desired effect. Take for instance the seating, there was a crying need for it...the elder supporters needed somewhere to sit, however the steps were made a tad steep and some of those supporters just couldn't manage to climb them. Result, they stop going. Lighting could be better, on and off track. I hear of supporters not being able to fill programmes in because its too dark. The poor PA system, every week you hear complaints from supporters that hasn't heard announcements. Little things I know....but! Time to take stock.. Look at what they do best now... whilst also looking back the past 9 years or even Quibel Park days to see what they did so well then....combine the good bits and ditch the bad. I remember back to the 70/80's, our supporters club thrived, the social side of supporting our local team was brilliant. we had our own football team playing in the local sunday league, we had regular functions, our boxing night do's at the Baths Hall were legendary, always sold out. Loads of money was made and distributed to riders in need. Supporters felt part of it. However, attempts to resurrect the supporters club were generally poo poo'd by the promotion, it was never felt wanted and never really stood a chance. Eventually I guess it gave in. Likewise, our forum which was once a nice pleasant site was ruined by a few individuals (or one particular poster from within the club, who posted under several names) basically killed it. Caused Apathy, Why?...June hit the nail on the head when she mentioned Kenny...he was the one person that recognised a need to engage with its supporters. He was so approachable, everyone this side of the fence got a 'hello' and he always made himself available for a chat in the bar after a meeting. He was a great ambassador for the club, one that will never be replaced. Now more than ever, promotions up and down the country should EMBRACE their supporters, make them feel part of the their club. Too many fans fallen by the wayside because of ill feeling or whatever. Its these we need to win back, we can't afford to lose anymore. Scunny supporters don't want to see the speedway fold, they are offering to help in anyway they can. Time for supporters and promotions to gel, work together...maybe together we can find ways of attracting more through the turnstiles.

Interesting comments from Rob Godfrey....

Fair analysis.. Scunny's season will pretty much hinge on how the assessed riders perform...

Uninspiring in my opinion...but we go with what we're given. Seems a blooming big gamble on two inexperienced reserves, fingers crossed it works.

Its a shame crowds are dwindling..I know quite a few people that no longer go for various reasons. Reasons being 'fell out with certain people', 'simply can't afford it no more', 'its too cold', 'wrong raceday', 'I need to sit but can't physically negiotiate the steps to access seats'..... basically hear lots of excuses. There's no question that Scunthorpe has suffered over the years because of the general decline in the steel industry, the town still relies heavily on the steelworks,....(as well as having a first class speedway track, we are also very proud of our world class steelmaking facilities)... we just pray that the works can thrive and continue to provide employment for the masses for years to come. Its a fear and major worry, particularly at this current uncertain time...... no steelworks=ghost town! There's no disputing the quality of speedway on offer, supporters do generally get their monies worth at Scunny. It's getting these old supporters interested again whilst attracting new supporters that seems the problem. Scunny supporters really need to spread the word and do all they can to help the promotion this year ...

Yeah, averages don't lie..however, Birks and Jorgy are both well capable of hitting big scores around Scunny (and the occasional away track, ie, Sheffield), they've proved that. Unfortunately, injuries and inconsistency have prevented them hitting the scores as regularly as we would've liked. In Jorgys case, he also seems to get regularly punished for his starting technique (unduly in my opinion)...

I expected this to be honest. You can't begrudge Birksy wanting to ride for his home town team, he's so many connections to the current Sheffield promotion, the move makes sense. He's been a great captain for Scunny and will no doubt leave with the best wishes from the Scunny faithful. Wonder if its a loan or full transfer? Likewise, Thomas.. great rider on his day, one of my favourites.. Someones gonna get a fantastic rider and a nice lad to boot. Deep down I think a lot of us knew he'd be seeking pastures new next season. I wish him well wherever he ends up. Again, is this gonna be a loan or transfer? So two of Scunnys big hitters out the door, big boots to fill. Time to freshen things up and get some new kids onboard... Every confidence that Rob and his backers will have something up their sleeves. Interesting times ahead.

Its fine and sunny where I live... i'm in Scunny, about 4 miles away from EWR.

The crowd did seem down somewhat tonight, not surprising really given our injuries and our dead play off situation... I actually didn't think the crowd was that bad tonight, I expected worse to be honest. Out of contention in the play-offs, nothing at stake for the home fans, it was simply a case of 'stay at home and save your money' time'.. Shame cos those that did stay away missed a cracker.

Enjoyable meeting (from a Scunny perspective).. I guess Ipswich fans will be a tad disappointed with that performance and perhaps rightly so. The Scorps we were there for the taking and on the night Ipswich just wasn't good enough to take advantage. They were in contention most of the meeting but fell away towards the end ... only providing four race wins against a depleted home side....and... I guess you would expect more from Tungate, he looked good in heat 1 then simply faded. As for Scunny.. Our three regular riders did us proud, Howe, Jorgy and an unwell Auty took the fight to Ipswich...Ricky Wells did a great job as did fellow guests Wilko and Williamson, they all chipped in with some important race wins. In all, a good meeting with some cracking racing... a great win for Scunny, one which was no doubt well received in Somerset..

This is nothing to do with team building or general rule changes... One petty thing that annoys me, Riders delaying starts, so called gardening...it gets tedious at times. I feel for start marshalls, they try to get riders up to the tapes but they generally get ignored. I'd like an additional light or clock placed by the startline, operated by the ref, say a 5 or 10 second countdown to green light and tapes up. Also, should a race be stopped due to an unsatisfactory start, it should be straight back to the tapes, the pit gates stay closed, no bike adjustments allowed.

Scorpions on fire ...Josh Auty and Birthday boy Douglas in stupendous form. Berwick lads gave it a go but Scunny just too good for them tonight.

The issue of independent governing bodies has run for years without anything ever being done about it. The Promotors of speedway clubs in this country are generally small time businessmen, a body of people of whom believe the only way of running the sport is agreeing a set of rules between themselves. They set up management committees to oversee these rules etc.... At this point it gets messy... How can you operate a management committee without any self interest?...most people will probably say they can't or they've tried but it's never long before the argument of self interest resurfaces. Maybe at this point the bspa should seek assistance in running the sport. Without the promotors we wouldn't have a sport at all, they just need help running it in a more professional manner. Would joining a body such as the sport and recreation alliance be of any beneficial use? Sportandrecreation.org.uk Could the bspa tap into their wealth of knowledge and experience of running organisations and get guidance on a way forward? there's got to be a happy medium out there surely..... a new group/committee that could oversee a set of rules, a body of people whom both promotors and supporters alike can trust.

Some cracking racing despite the one sided scoreline. Robbo and Ostergaard provided some great entertainment and were by far Peterboroughs standout performers. Phew., that was one nasty off for Ostergaard, so pleased he got up from that and was able to continue the meeting. As for the Scorpions, they seem to be hitting form at the right time. A track record for Nicolai Klindt, a superb paid maximum for David Howe... and with Douglas, Auty, Jorgensen and Birks all scoring big they were deserved winners.

A great meeting so credit due to both sets of riders. Some outstanding races today, notably Ryan Douglas's ht7 pass on Wells/Campton and David Howe's heroics in ht15 will live long in the memory. Lawson, Wells and Howarth impressed most for Workington whilst Scunny could point to superb efforts and return to form of both Ash Birks and David Howe. David Howe and heat 15....wow.

Had the meeting started, I very much doubt it would've finished. Proper heavy rain hit Scunny about half eight.

That's how I saw the Nielsen incident too. Nielsen dived in at an awkward angle, whether there was contact or not?... his own momentum took him straight across the track to the point he almost fenced himself!...not unduly dirty riding, he was having a right go, just went in at the wrong angle and with too much drive. I say she made correct decision there. Despite the 40 minute sun break (not knocking that, cos it was warranted), it was a thoroughly entertaining meeting.

Well... that was a blooming unexpectedly easy victory. Well done Scunny. Ipswich were poor opposition tonight though...

Can say the same about Rusty Harrison.. his never say die attitude was great to watch. Fantastic performance from The Scorpions though, they did everything that was asked of them. So many positives tonight..David Howe, superb full maximum... Nicolai Klindt was excellent, just showed what Scunnys missed since Mellgren got injured.. Ryan Douglas continues to impress... All the other Scorpions all chipped in too... Felt a tad sorry for Josh Auty, his riding certainly deserved more than his measly 4+1 return would suggest. Shame that Glasgow had to field a weakened team though. At full strength they would've made the score line slightly closer. Despite that..it was a decent meeting with some decent riding from both teams.

Oh yeah.... nice one scorps

oops, yeah I meant to type 'guest'... God knows why I put RR.

Matt Williamson isn't the problem at Scunny. He'll be just fine in my opinion, just needs a little time and I'm sure we'll soon reap the benefits. Its the use of RR that's killing us... it simply hasn't and doesn't work, all it does is pee supporters off (that we don't need!). We need the established riders to start pulling in their weight and putting in the performances that we expect of them.... and that simply ain't happening at the minute. Basically, we need them to be scoring points with more consistency. Matt will come good, he shouldn't be made the scapegoat of our lack of consistency from the established guys. Whatever... we have issues.. unless they're resolved I fear for our season. We need a new face to bolster the ranks,. Its ok saying Anders Mellgren will be back in a month or so (but will he? we don't know that)... to wait for him is a gamble and perhaps too long a wait in my opinion. We should look to bring someone in, if only as a temporary measure. What are our current rolling averages? What are our options?