mikebv

Wonder if anyone has made a few quid in bets tonight?? Must have been long odds on this?😨

Can see this being a heat ten finish... 80% Chance of Rain at 8pm.. 90% Chance at 9pm... Be a shame if it's just ran through to get a result but there doesn't seem to be too many alternative nights to run it.. Let's hope the weather reports are wrong...☹

I remember the early nineties clashes between the two clubs, Ermolenko, Correy, The Karlssons etc against Ott, Screen, Lyons, The Morans etc.. Great racing on an excellent track.. However I have to be honest and say Wolves for the past five years or so has been hanging on to its previous reputation a bit as the racing hasn't been great when I have attended.. It always appears a bit too deep nowadays for the tightness of the bends, I seem to recall it being a bit slicker in the past (like the last place we rode at), which meant closer racing... Last night some races had almost half a lap lead from front to back with the NL lads in particular, Bewley apart, well off the pace as they found it so hard to turn the bikes.. I can see why Wolves do it as their riders hit the bends significantly quicker than the opposition, who quite naturally are a bit more circumspect about the inevitable locking up in some thick stuff and the reaction to their bikes.. All tracks need riding and it would be boring to have all tracks the same but Wolves definitely isn't what it was... Which is a shame because it was one of the best..

Ffs.... What Speedway needs desperately is a large crowd and atmosphere... As long as riders don't get hurt who gives a toss if someone cheers when one of the opposition go down..? No one cheered Thorssell as you could see it looked serious.. So what if it gets a 'bit heated' in the stands, as long as no violence is involved let there be a few choice differences of opinion be shared... To get away fans at a match makes a change.. Speedway is about adrenaline fuelled excitement... When, for once, we get some at a meeting people moan about it!!

Didn't see Freddie Lindgren have too many issues with the track,... Thats because the very top riders can ride any type of track... Sadly far too many of today's lads cannot handle anything except concrete slick surfaces. The track wasnt great with lots of unexpected grip, however, lets be honest,the Aces riders made it look a lot worse than it was by pretty average riding... To be still anywhere in the tie given how poor we were tonight must be a good omen.. And really we should be 17 down as Dan got away with it when Greaves fell off.. Hope Thorssell is ok.... Roll on Wednesday, all to play for (just) and no TV coverage should result in a very good crowd..

Excellent post... Speedway closing its eyes, putting its fingers in its ears, and screaming "la, la, I can't hear you!" has delivered the position the Sport is in today.. Promoters should forget bringing in new fans for the time being and just try and entice back those who used to go... As someone who runs a business, a website like this would have been 'manna from heaven' for me. Unsolicited, FREE, feedback as to your performance. My Company pays hundreds of thousands for such comments... For the ten years I have been coming on here, day after day, week after week, the current shambles has been predicted by literally thousands of comments by long time followers of the Sport getting more and more disillusioned by what they were seeing.. Did promoters listen? Of course not.. Instead their answer was to increase prices by inflation busting amounts year on year to cover for those who had decided enough was enough, just to pay riders far in excess of what the Sport brings in to try and win Competitions rendered meaningless due to the way they structure and operate them... Result? Even less people now attend. .. Richard Branson must look on enviously at that business plan...!

It's also match planning that keeps top riders out of British Speedway... Last night both KO Cup Semis were scheduled knowing both Lindgren and Doyle would be missing.. Possibly THE two best riders in the world.. So much for them being the drawcard some Promoters seem to think they are to 'save the sport' when some of their colleagues deliberately plan meetings without them?! Cannot be that big an influence on crowd levels then can they?

For me, just get any random 14 riders at each meeting... (Invite say 20 just in case some have to be elsewhere due to unforseen circumstances).. Two Captains get nominated by the Ref (usually the best two riders).... All the other riders line up against a wall... Both Captains turn round while the Ref gives out numbers to those against the wall. (This should be done randomly though, the Ref shouldn't just go Number One from the left, Number Two to the next rider etc as this would quickly be worked out by the Captains) The Captains then take it in turn to shout out numbers, six each team .. When their number gets called the riders stand behind their Captain... When all participants are chosen the Ref can review the level of equality. He, or she, walks in between the two lines of riders and exchanges riders from team to team as he, or she, sees fit, grabbing each rider they want to move by the arm and physically moving them over to the other side. He, or she, then returns to the front of the two line ups, takes a few paces back to review the teams closely one last time, and if satisfied relatively equal, he, or she, then announces the meeting can start... When the moaning has stopped from the Captains about losing some of their best mates to the opposition, the racing will begin.... What does everyone think? Idea inspired by Our Lady's Primary School, Stockport. Circa 1978... 😁

And also not surprising given the FIVE guests for what was supposedly a Semi Final of one of the Sports domestic trophies.. Starting from such a low base was always going to be a struggle to get a crowd...

And then dismantling all their fine work by devising and delivering astoundingly 'unfit for purpose' operating models and business plans...

What amazes me is why Somerset from a business perspective would choose to run this meeting?. One of the few GP riders in the country is guaranteed missing (which surely makes a mockery of some promoters belief that GP riders bring crowds in?) and his team will turn up with only two of their own riders.. Why would anyone go and watch this? Somerset fans will think "we have no chance after the first leg and it's only a Wolves Select" and Wolves fans will think "we are miles in front and it's not really my team so sod the M5 on a Friday".. At an absolute push I can only think that when home teams arrange these ever increasing number of fixtures where the away team is a Mickey Mouse Select team, it is because they think they increase their chances of victory... However, it's a victory in Competitions rendered farcical (therefore of no value) by their very own actions... Couldn't make it up could you..?

If it rains and the SEC is called off again could we have RR for Bjerre instead of a junior guest like Newcastle did for Lambert?

Remember my Gran having to get our usual tickets for 'E' block at Hyde Rd in March just to make sure we got our usual place.. It was always October in those days.. Imagine having to get your tickets eight months in advance just to gaurantee your usual seat now for a Domestic Riders Championship? How times change..

If Bjerre isn't there then British Speedway simply give up... I am sure he will be as surely he must.? Because if he isn't then BSPA you truly are irrelevant to the rest of the Speedway World and they hold you in nothing but complete contempt and ridicule... Notice the meeting wasn't arranged on a Polish play off date...

You can only have the p1ss taken out of you so many times... To be fair, Speedways fans have attended any old 'Barry White' for donkeys years and been incredibly loyal considering the ever increasing contrived nonsense served up... I think this year is a significant turning point in how fans now perceive the Sport... Many, god bless them, have given those who run the Sport the benefit of the doubt and defended them on many occasions... I think even those people have now 'had enough'.... A huge task in winning so many back. ..

2500 - 2600 I reckon would be a 'very good crowd', anymore than that would exceed all expectations I would say... If they get between 2250 and 2500 I would think they would be pleased. Circa £40k in takings...

Still a full compliment of riders and it's the day of the meeting... No one has pulled out.. Already a huge improvement on the past few years...😉 Let's hope everyone can make it to tapes tonight... Should be a good meeting given the level of performers on a track like the NSS.. Only thing that may hit the crowd numbers is the Aces and Wolves riding on Monday. An expensive weekend for their fans if they attend both. And with Wolves being the nearest Prem team and having Lindgren there they would be expected to bring the most fans, Aces apart, I would suggest.. Let's hope a decent crowd attends for the showpiece individual event of the domestic Season..

Didn't know that Saddam's spokesman from the last Gulf War has got involved with British Speedway..? Comical Ali wasnt it? "I tell you here and now, there are no coalition forces in Baghdad" was his line to the Worlds Press gathered about him. As 100 yards directly behind old 'Comical' rumbled 30 or so Coalition tanks heading directly towards him...😅 He could fit in nicely....😂

The saddest thing though Dean is its mostly self inflicted nonsense like this that renders the Sport such a basket case in Britain.. The basis of this whole Forum appears to be thread after thread of discussions around ludicrous self inflicted nonsense...... The current situation the Sport finds itself in has been predicted time after time after time on here over the years, as more and more nonsensical unfit for purpose decisions got made, yet none of the contributors of the BSF would claim to be Nostradamusesque I would imagine.. Everyone could just see it was heading down the pan because it was all so bleeding obvious it couldn't end up any other way... Yet amazingly, each AGM the Promoters, year on year, vote even more ludicrous self inflicted nonsense in to become their jointly owned operating model.... Best of luck to Workington (and other tracks who find themselves in the same situation) but let's be honest as the saying goes.. You couldnt make it up the way this Sport is ran could you..?

And the biggest talking point of many meetings on here is "who has best manipulated/ignored the rules?"..😁 Doesn't say too much about what's on offer on track does it?😕

The flip side is how much clubs lose leading up to the play offs... The Aces will get around 2300 I reckon for the Semi but have ran in front of 800 or so in the meetings leading up to cram in the required meetings.. Is that one gate of 2300 better than 4 of 5 meetings of reduced attendances due to fitting meetings in and not having much to race for as already qualified..? The 3000 plus final crowd is I would suggest the deal breaker rather than the semi... But obviously, only of any use if you get there... For me Paulco's idea from Ice Hockey re have a full season and then all in a quick cup Comp sounds the right mix... A 'Magic Weekend' for Speedway at the NSS.. Late August Bank Holiday Weekend.. Cut off date agreed to decide the draw based on League position, first play eighth, second versus seventh etc. etc. . Friday night double header starting at 7pm for the first two quaters finals. . Saturday night double header at 7pm for the other two quarters.. Sunday night double header starting at 5pm for the semis.. BHM 5pm start time for the Final... Sell a Weekend ticket for £80, £20 for kids, and an adult and kid gets to see seven meetings at not much over £15 a match.. Surely would sell 2500 adult tickets that way if properly marketed the 12 months prior..? If so, £200k without the kids income... Deals with hotels, sponsors and TV coverage sorted too to make the event "Big Time" School hols still then too.. Carry on with the league after the 'Magic Weekend' with no having to cram meetings in making the fixture list more consistent and Speedway running to October...

Must save quite a few quid on tyres this track as they don't seem to be in contact with the surface much do they?..😂 Great decision by the ref there too...😁😲😁

"You do have people that stay away when you're not winning and it is not helpful in the slightest".. This is a direct quote from the Workington Promoter lifted from this week's excellent Speedway Star... May I respectfully point out that the way the Sport is ran is definitely also not "helpful in the slightest" if Promoters want to get (and keep) crowds attending their tracks... Fans will actually put up with a losing team far longer if they can at least associate themselves with 'their' riders... However, following a losing team made up of 'guests', 'guests' and more 'guests' every week and/or seeing your team getting beat by teams turning up with track specialist 'guests' every week will test the resolve of even the most die hard follower... Any Promoter currently complaining about numbers coming through the turnstiles when they all have delivered collectively the shambles that currently exists won't, I would imagine, have much sympathy from the Sport's followers... No Chris Harris at Peterborough because he was taking part in a seperate Sport, and FIVE guests riding for 'One Man Cradley' are just today's examples of 'planned in complete nonsense' that Promoters still expect people to attend, and pay good money to them for the privilege of doing so.. When such ridiculous goings on are fully endorsed as part of the Sports Operating Model and allowed to happen, public appeals to the Speedway fan base to keep loyally watching must be a very hard sell...

He will face a 28 day ban and serve it in December....😂

The same Promoters who agree to the team strengths at the start of the season. Then their teams start getting beat heavily so crowds drop meaning they have to bring in different riders who knowing the crap the Promoters are in name their price as demand massively exceeds supply... Making the signing of a 'Top Rider' so vitally important to success via the use of averages means they will always have the upper hand in negotiations... When a rider can deliver between 12 and 15 nightly to your score when you need 46 to win they can pretty much name what they want... Almost 33% of a succesful teams score delivered by one man... Maybe making them less of a 'must have' will reduce salaries?