mikebv

Good to see Kyle Howarth continue his progression... No BS or hype has been built around him, no 'look at me I should ride for Team GB' bollox comes out of his mouth... He just seems to turn up and do his job more often than not, and do it well.. I hope he keeps the 'level headed' progression going as we could have a very steady international rider in a few years.. As for last night? Reduced admission and an actively promoted meeting delivers a big crowd which serves up the desired image for the sport to the watching wider sporting public... Who'd have thought that would work?

Seems to be still some people struggling with the concept of the rules regarding the 'right to work in the UK'... So I will try and make it simple.. If any of my 20 plus employees who require a 'visa' to 'live and work in the UK' are found by any of the relevant govt. agencies to be found working for me outside their agreed criteria, I can face a fine of £20k per employee and a possible jail sentence and they get sent 'home' as they no longer have the 'right to live and work in the UK'... It is MY responsibility to seek out the details from the govt. agencies re the criteria under which they can work for me and MY responsibility to ensure they do not move one iota away from that agreed criteria... No one else is responsible, just ME... Ignorance, as always, is no defence....

What was it? "Find some sand, then dig a big hole, one big enough to fit the whole of your head in it, put your head into the hole and then never, ever, pull your head out of it again".... "Should you ever by mistake raise your head out of the hole, just utter these words".. " Arrrrrhhhhh, but this is speedway mate"... "This is the 'catch all/get out of jail card' which can be used to explain any situation away" Always seems to work doesn't it???

I actually don't blame Poole... The rules are there to be abused... Firstly, it is the responsibility of those in charge to ensure that the rules are 'water tight' and secondly they then need to take effective action (up to and including disciplinary action) if the rules are blatantly abused.. Speedway has no independent body/person in charge so neither will/can ever happen.. And on this nonsense will go... And on the attendance's will continue to dwindle.... And on will continue British Speedway's 'Mickey Mouse' reputation..

The minority I would imagine... And that is what renders the winning of the title a complete 'non event'... Who can take seriously a competition that is so open to manipulation (incredibly in the main due to its own rules!) and sees a weekly series of basically 'select teams' riding against each other use to define the competitions 'champions'... I would suggest that in the past 10 years, more people have stopped going to watch speedway in this country than currently attend... Cannot think why that is...!!!!?

It's a sorry state of affairs isnt it when a rider like Proctor is prevented from riding over here when he is desperate to do so, and a rider who can simply come and ride over here, as and when it pleases, decides not to bother.. And once again those that run the sport will bury their heads in the sand so there will be no action taken against the rider and the 'nonsense' will continue....... "There's nothing to see here, can everyone please move along to the next debacle".....

yet another 'mickey mouse' decision making a mockery of any integrity the sport still has in this country... every year this nonsense is allowed to happen .. the only positive to come out of it is that my £24 for me and the lad, will now stay in my pocket and be added to the 'cardiff fund'......

it is amazing (if it is the case) that both team and rider didnt clearly understand the position.... as someone who deals with border agencies, they are very pro active in providing advice and (when asked),make it crystal clear as to the current status re anyone who is on a 'right to work permit'... as individual circumstances often change you do need to review each case constantly (I sign off each individual once a month) just to ensure that I dont get fined for employing someone who isnt allowed here anymore and they clearly understand their current status and what any future impacts holds for them.. sadly "I didnt know, I wasnt informed correctly" doesnt cut any mustard with Border Agencies as the onus is clearly on the 'employer/sponsor and employee' to ensure all is correct... lets hope that all others now are clear as to where they currently sit in the process... it certainly looks like a learning curve for the promoters, and they look like they need to get up to speed a lot quicker than they are... maybe when you run a sport with the ongoing "ahhh, but this is speedway" as your usual mantra when you constantly make up rules as you go along, it then actually takes some getting used to when no room is allowed for such nonsense?? I have my own employment law expert for my company, does the BSPA not have the same as a collective?

Go on Rory!!!! " A true Brit with true grit"!!!!!

Those who wish for the 'halcyon days' of the 60's and 70's have today had their wish granted.... We are nicking Australasians again to ride for us!!!!!

I think EVERY meeting has Rory down to ride (just in case)... Whoever wins the title the BSPA must ensure that Rory gets a winners medal... (And maybe a runners up one too)!!!!!!

I think that this is due to happen in the undoubted 'June' supplementary regulation... To prevent any further 'confusion' obviously. !!!!

Think 'Guests' are top of the league this year so far? It happens every year with Lakeside.... It usually means that they are in the play off places 'early doors' so presumably helps 'sell the next meeting' as the season is looking like a success... It seems to be year on year that they eventually 'tail off' when the rest of the leagues catches up with them on meetings...

The way my team are riding this year that might not be a bad idea... "Bring your daughter to the Slaughter" by Iron Maiden would have been appropriate v Coventry on Monday...

His interview with Natalie was 'pure Partridge', it was just missing a "A-HAAAAAAAA!" at the end.. Still, at least he gave it go, sadly for him though it was the only bit of his night we heard due to the (as usual) crap radio Mic.... I think he did say that he spent many years on the other side of the fence, which did surprise me given he didnt seem to know much about the riders... Still, once again, we were royally entertained by our old favourite, and a 'must have' fayre at all good speedway tracks, the 'K-Tel Hits of the 70's'.. "Everybody now, A one, A two, A one, two, three, four, Friday nights and the lights are low. Looking out for the place to go"

They come over here, taking our team places, etc etc etc

Who is that fella??? Had to laugh as his Microphone was as crap as always... As for the racing? Bees were miles better, even when behind they were closing the gap, should p1ss the league this year with that team .. A couple of very good races from Bomber, and Garrity looks good for a fair few points this year (and good for team spirit too looking at how he was supporting his team mates tonight).. Scotty was. as always it seems, head and shoulders above the rest of his team and finally I must congratulate Matej, worth the admission fee alone.. (if it had been soddin' free to get in!!)

The Polish equivalent of Nigel Farage is already questioning "why are so many Brits allowed to work in Poland who simply cost this country money!"

The track won't be Ole's fault...... You can be rest assured... I couldn't get the vision out of my head of some 'minion' being sent to the nearest Polish B&Q for 'speedway tapes', running there and back at full pelt, sprinting back into the stadium with them in his hand, blowing like a whale, gasping for breath, and handing them over to 'whoever' was in charge only to be told "We can't use these as they are not the 'Official FIM Barry Briggs TM' starting tapes".... Speedway eh? Bloody Hell! (again)...

Very good racing again at Kirky Lane, (can we stay?) The last couple of seasons has seen some of the best speedway on offer in Britain at the home of the Aces.. Some great passes from Zagar and Nicholls in particular, and I was very impressed by Kyle Howarth, a young Brit who hasn't had any hype bollox written about him or gone on social media bulling himself up, he simply has gradually improved season on season, let's hope he can continue his improvements... All in all, a good night at the speedway, (which also included two Leicester riders trying to wipe each other out for a lap till one of them eventually succeeded)!! And we had the added bonus of 20 mins of what sounded like "K Tels Hits of the 70's" to whip the crowd into a frenzy as the 'pre meeting entertainment'.... Everybody now, "Oh, You to me are everything, the sweetest song that I could sing, oh baby..."

Phew... getting a bit worried Rory wouldn't be guesting for anyone this week....

Think you will find Speedway loans riders just like Football does.... The difference though is in football, unlike speedway, 'loanees' don't play against their 'owners'... And as you are using a football analogy.. As a Utd fan, I am pretty sure I haven't seen Wayne Rooney play for Liverpool against Arsenal because Raheem Stirling was injured (or playing for a team in Poland) By the way... The bus is arriving.... Goodnight...

Those words sums it up... This country chooses to run the sport this way it does, others, more successfully, choose not to... As for the sport always using Guests even when it had 'plenty of media coverage'? World of Sport didn't run 'domestic league' speedway but Individual Meetings and Test Matches only, hence 'Guests' didn't exist in the eyes of the 'layman' watching... The BBC, every now and again, would show the BLRC, again no Guests... Anyway, getting bored now, suffice to say, if the sport didn't exist and you or I invented it tomorrow, if either of us muted the idea that teams could 'share' competitors whenever they felt the need arise, we would be viewed as needing the 'big head bus' to take us home!!!

The main difference was... 'they didnt'.. I remember Martin Ashby or Larry Ross replacing PC 'once every Preston Guild' when he was racing 'overseas' on a Sunday... The use of a 'Guest' used to be 'the exception to the rule'... Nowadays 'the exception to the rule' is seeing two teams with seven riders who are actually contracted to the two teams contesting the meeting..... Agreed mate... It is either incompetence, ie the powers that be are incapable of organising the sport in a customer driven, professional, integrity focused way... Or, It is arrogance, ie the powers that be believe we the fans will turn up and pay our hard earned money to watch any nonsense they put in front of us... Or, it is ignorance, ie the powers that be simply cannot see the harm they do to the sport by sanctioning such a situation that occurred tonight... The sad thing is that, incredibly, it must be one of the above,..... Not good is it??

??? But don't Poland have the answer already?..... I.e. Don't have them... Do you really think that Gollob riding for seven different teams each year week in week out as Rory for example does, would deliver the credibility to the sport that the sponsors of speedway in Poland would want? Would it bollox.. Quite simply, if something can be done, then by definition it is achievable, so there, again by definition, can be no debate that the 'skill' is already there.... It then simply boils down to whether the 'will' is there too.. Invariably a No1 rider is replaced with a similar standard Guest in this country, but does it need to be? Tonight for example, BV who to be fair ran RR, could have had Nicholls (as the second heat leader) to take two of Zagar's rides and Stead as the teams third heat leader (allegedly?) could be allowed to take the other two. In fact, any BV riders should be allowed to take an extra two rides to cover him so the Manager can tactically place a rider 'on fire' whatever his level.. Another possibility could be, Michael Palm Toft and Richie Worrall rode for the Aces last year at second string level, so they could be 'stand by' for the Aces this year to replace the Aces second strings as and when required (or even better be included at the start of the season in a seven man 'one to five' squad which would also mean competition for places). Instead tonight Richie rode as a 'Guest'.... The above two scenarios would be far more acceptable to a watching wider sporting public than the 'to you, to me' chuckle brothers swapping of riders.. I actually thought that the fast track idea would see the Guests diminish as with two spaces in the teams being 'ring fenced' it would mean those riders (often foreign journeymen) who previously got these roles, would then be 'looking for work'. Thus they could form part of the seven man/five places squad system to be used as and when.. Still... Far better to carry one with the 'there is no alternative /head in the sand' option of Guests, Guests and more Guests, and let the sport continue onwards and downwards with it's proven level of 'success'.....