Tsunami

Definitely not. Points limits attempt to equal all teams strengths , no rider control and some of the current problems will be magnified.

The general discussion was not about Newcastle, but the completion of comps by set dates for each round. As it happens we haven't done too bad, but we did volunteer to not run on the 7th May. We could have used Monday nights to get rid of some of the outstanding meetings.

It's Berwick and they say that using the covers has saved a vast number of home meetings and rescued and stopped a loss in revenue. Of course Berwick has no dog track sheeters or an inflatable airfence to erect so they don't have to have the same workforce, so they are in a better situation to get others to do the covers occasionally. It was also mentioned that one advantage to have is a banked track as the water runs down to the drains, which is true in Berwick case. I also think your last highlighted passage is a highly relevant fact, and could be why a lot of money and effort is not expended on rescuing a sodden track. Why once again blow your brains out spending vast investments, when the racing could be crap and played out in front of a greatly reduced crowd.

More effort should have been made to fill empty race nights early on.

So difficult to even estimate their average as I usually go for our 2 league meetings and a cup or friendly, and our travelling support used to almost double their crowds like last year. This year even with our visiting fans there, was a lot more of home fans and they usually quote the 25% increase which I think is about right. We usually give them their biggest gates. Size or numbers are in the eyes of the beholder. One man's dick can be 10inches, as opposed to the actual 5 inches that others see.

It it rains at the wrong time say just before or during the meeting, covers will count for nothing.As well as a stop away crowd you have a sodden unraceable track or have riders with vision problems unable to see(last years Playoffs at BV and Kyle Newman). Covers are a big undertaking in not just capital but the additional workers to lay them at short notice, and the same extra workers to remove them in time for the track curator with sufficent time and decent conditions to try and put water into the track evenly and still raceable. Most tracks could not get those extra sheeters, as you normally have difficulties to recruit and replace the ones you have for dog track sheeting, airforce, pits gate, red flaggers. It is hard and getting harder. For them to work you need more workers, access to the track, and predictable rain patterns. No way covers on rollers can work given the dirt around and, if a dog stadium, probably not get permission to have the rollers which would then be in the gap between the wire fence and the inside dog rail.

To be fair John, the fixture situation is a very fluid one with our outstanding opponents also trying to arrange their fixtures when they have their full team. There are permutations, but then other teams lose riders or arrange other fixtures so everything is changed again. At the present moment Glasgow would have been concentrating and prioritising their ties with Sheffield and beyond, but that is now likely to change big time with their heavy defeat at Sheffield last Thursday. Whilst they could have stood off certain dates for the next round, they now face losing out in the PlayOffs at tomorrows home meeting in the second leg, so they can now make themselves available when they thought they couldn't. With the postponement of the PLRC yesterday, they have agreed to rerun it at Glasgow, but this time of their usual race night which is a Saturday. That's one less race night for them, but it means we have still got 4 Sundays to utilise for our fixtures outstanding. If we beat Glasgow we would need meetings for the semifinals and even might for the Final against either Ipswich or Sheffield. It is ridiculous that all teams have so many meetings to cram in in such a short period, and you think that some haven't made much effort during the season to fit in some of the postponed meetings. It's crazy situation.

No way.

Reported as being up 25%, but from a very poor attendance level the previous year. Different atmosphere now, track has improved, more spirit at the track and their fans are now coming back to Brough for their away visit. Different attitudes and the return of many big sponsors have helped to get it back to where it used to be, but now without the idiots. Worth a visit, and I stand with Bears fans by invitation.

One good thing is that the rearranged PLRC at Glasgow is planned for a Saturday rather than a Sunday again. Would have caused greater problems to Newcastle, having one less Sunday to utilise to get the the outstanding fixtures run before the deadline. Still not been announced of a 7.30 start next Sunday against Worky ?

And one of the main deficiencies is the shortage of British riders. In the last years massive efforts have been made to get kids riding with a hope we can get them up to standard. That would greatly reduce the number of poor foreigners riding here and help eliminate guests and R/R except for injuries. When the Fast track reserves in the "Premier League" it brought out criticism which basically was not real, but some fans still think it was wrong. Yes it should have been introduced in the then Premier League, but it was the then Elite League who also wanted to reduce their costs whilst the PL teams didn't want to. Get the right number of riders to staff all the teams and a lot of the complications will go away. It will take time though and will the present fans accept change and a possible slight reduction in the standard. Ironically some NL fans think the racing can be better in the NL that the usual stuff in the PL and Championship.

If only it was all that easy. There has not been the same pressure to change nights mandatory in the past as there wasn't the same clashes, and/or need for so many guests and R/R's. In the past older clubs have run on favoured nights based on better crowds and/or stadium availability. Why would they volunteer to change to a worse night and lose more money. Fixed nights might be overall beneficial in the long run, but there will be casualties, you can bet on that. Been there and done it, and I do all Newcastle's promotions , schools and shows. Advertised in free local papers, had a radio adverts programme for a while, handouts with free or reduced offers and none of them can be certain to have brought more than a half dozen extra fans. Existing people bringing friends and families usually are accepted as bringing fans that just might come back regularly. I was involved in the promotion or the Newcastle Vipers in the early 00's. Different scenario all together. Only once went to a match which was called off(for soft ice reasons) and usually you can guarantee it being on regardless of the weather outside. It's usually warmer being enclosed by other fans, and Ice Hockey Stadia usually have fixed shops/stalls inside for merchandise, food outlets, bars, etc. Meetings can be held on say three different nights just the same as speedway like Sat Sun and Wed, due to others match nights, so fixed nights are not in ice Hockey as far as I experienced. Sometimes you can can two away meeting over the weekend so some weeks no matches unless they put on a one on say Wednesday, which does not give you good crowds In many other ways Speedway and Ice Hockey have had similar histories, answers, TV coverage, crisis league revisions, etc. In many dual cities, a lot of speedway fans go to the Ice Hockey and vice versa. Most Promotors have tried just about everything, and a few blown their brains out trying to grow their business. Unfortunately you have to accept sometimes that the times are a changing, and there will never be the same appetite for speedway given all the distractions there are in modern society. Regardless there will always be some with the obvious answers, but no money, but expect others to 'walk the walk' when it has cost them dearly in the past and not seen any tangible improvement in their support.

Allegedly been scrapped.

...after winning the NJL last week.

He should be free from Polish meetings now. I was told last week there is likely to be a double header sometime.

So after that we can talk about the cup meetings. What's the possibility of a double header like the old days ? I think the likely date for our home leg is the 9th October. Could be Glasgow's leg on the 7th, but not sure whether either side wants a couple more meetings this year, especially us.

Yes sorry. I meant that would all change after they got stuffed so likely to get knocked out in the return leg.

I believe the intention is to start our meeting at 7.30pm. I believe Glasgow do not want to be tied down to cup fixtures whilst they are still riding playoffs. Could well all change when they get stuffed at Sheffield on Thursday. Unfortunately it takes two to tango.

I remember a few years ago a Swedish GP being saved by the authorities shipping in some red hot coke( maybe furnace bottoms) from a nearby coke works. It was dropped all over the track and in no time produced a pretty good surface in a reasonable time scale. I don't think this was an isolated time that it was used. Correct that Glyn did pioneer with a heating system, similar to a tar laying apparatus, that was going to be used by all the tracks when it was needed. With reference to concrete dust at Coventry. It might have dried up the wet shale on the night, but can you image the damage it would have caused when they returned the following week to try and blade it for their next meeting. I have heard of promotions useing that sort of solution with holes in the track, but the drive is affected quite badly as a spinning wheel goes over from loose shale, to concert surface to loose shale again. A recipe for disaster.

Was it not part of the buyout by Laura to buy out Denham and then announced as the Comets main sponsor. He was in the riders enclosure a couple of weeks ago when Newcastle were the opposition in both meetings.

On the other hand of course, is the realisation that if you don't get into the situation you will not get good riders, end up with a poor team which will be accused by fans of a 'team on the cheap', and end up having no crowd and losing speedway at the end of the season after finishing at the bottom of the league. You pays your money and take a chance.

Is that apart from setting up their team, providing the capital and settling debts ?

Were the Newcastle meetings a one off as well.

Not in my experience. Being in the Playoffs, the team is obviously winning so no reason to miss meetings. That's logical.

At the time of the change from aggregate to points, the teams that had massive home advantages were Exeter, Sheffield, Eastbourne and also Kings Lynn. In the early 00's Sheffield was odds on for the aggregate along with Exeter, but teams like Newcastle and Hull had good teams always in the title fight but lost out until we won in 2001 and Hull always in the fight for a number of years with a great team but little home advantage. Ironically Exeter was closed, but Sheffield and Kings Lynn fans got sick of 60-30 wins every week, because of their heavy dirt clay tracks, and both clubs opted to change their preparation and made slicker tracks which made the meetings a bit fairer.