TheReturn

Debated in many places already I am sure, but just who should take responsibility for the lack of promotion about speedway in this country? With Tai being the first British hopeful actually in with a chance of winning Cardiff for many years, why are we not seeing more of this being promoted? I just checked a couple of local Cardiff?Wales online newspapers, and nothing. Whilst IMG are in charge of the GPs, surely this is a great opportunity for the BSPA to piggyback off the GP promotion to highlight league speedway across the country? I know getting newspapers to actually pick up speedway is bit of a hard job, but surely more can be done to highlight the pinnacle of the speedway year in our country?

Depends who were employed... I always seem to get the impression jobs in speedway are given to 'mates', rather than spend a little company's that could make a real difference, experts in marketing.

But his pub games get better ratings than speedway, that is the point.

Did you prefer it before when Leicester did not have any speedway at all?

Once again belittling the opinions, concerns and thoughts of the fans. Some things never change. If you don't like it, you belittle.

Fans feedback is irrelevant, it's 'jobs for the boys' in the speedway world, fans are the last people considered, hence why most of us vent on here.

I guess the problem with just a fine is that if it was done to help the team, the team will often pick up the cost I suspect. A lot of people are blaming the rider, I am less inclined to blame the rider, but the rules which allows the team to get away with it.

Biggest problem is the referees need the power to award in such blatant 'stay downs', even if it is the first lap.

Can you imagine if Tai takes the crown, and how much Pearson will be screaming like the demented fool louder than most other days? That's if he actually realises of course, he missed the moment Hancock had enough points to be Champion a couple of seasons back if memory serves. And some claim he is a brilliant commentator.. I beg to differ. Good idea to have Mr and Mrs Nichols on hand for Cardiff, will be interesting to see how they do.

Thank you, missed that when skimming the TV Guide. I will look forward to the final race, if nothing else

I missed the GP (mainly because i forgot), does anyone know if it will be repeated or in the Eurosport on demand? I cant see anythign listed. If Tai does go on to win more, I suspect Sky will be kicking themselves at letting the GPs go from a British point of view.

What a stupid suggestion. A) Poole needs the points. Two wrongs don't make a right. C) The sport does not need dragging further down all because of this mess. Think Poole fans should also focus less on Belle Vue's track and more on their own from what I have heard and seen over the last couple of seasons.

It's funny how everyone is slagging Harris for the Wildcard and that Tai is miles ahead of him, yet at the start of the season most of us, myself included, felt Tai was not good enough for the GPs, and boy, how wrong was I and everyone else about Tai. I suspect most of you are also wrong for saying Harris does not deserve the wildcard place, he still has the best Cardiff record out of all the other riders. Down to Harris to prove he deserved the wildcard now, and reach the semi's.

Since when did the BSPA do anything to consider the fans?

I thought it was an ok meeting, considering the two levels of riders. Again shows severe lack of depth of British talent, we wouls struggle to out a 7 man team against the Poles or Danes. I think this biggest issue tonight was some very strict and strange referring decisions.

Same old story from people on here saying we should just be bloody grateful. But there is nothing wrong with wanting perfection from the product and most of the feedback is fair and is focussed on one area, the presenter Nigel Pearson who often ruins a good product. So instead of people like you moaning we should be grateful for what we have, I would rather push us from a 75% quality product to nearer 100% where we have a commentator that is passionate and passionate and knowledgeable without screaming like a moron. The next thing people then say is 'if you can do better do it', or 'who would be better than Pearson' and the man for the job is a speedway fan, Darren Fletcher, but alas I assume we have missed the boat there. Talent always rises to the top, and the man for the job I noticed now seems to have a fab job presenting BT Visions Football next season. What I find annoying with Pearson is he knows the feedback and does nothing to moderate his screaming, and the same with the Woffy Woffy screams, he knows most people find it embarrassing, yet he still does it. He might be half decent if he listened to the feedback. But as we see with Darren Fletcher, there are better commentators out there, we don't have to settle for second best, lets not just settle for being grateful for speedway coverage, lets push it to make the product better. I always come back to this. If us Speedway fans have to mute or turn over because of Pearson, then you can be damn sure non-speedway fans do it faster and more often.

Was it simply a miscalculation over track repairing, then no further action is needed, other than slap on wrists. But, if it was a calculated thing to postpone due to rider shortage then more action should have been taken.

I think Long Eaton had a 10pm curfew off top of my head. I think it was once applied, but only once in all my years going. But it is sensible, if you are trying to keep local residents on side, then you don't want to be pissing them off with noise late every week.

That seems an obvious choice, and based off some of SN performances this season, would he be missed from that team?

He threw his toys out the pram then.

Overall the coverage is the same, as it is the world feed. The studio or voiceover parts between adverts is perhaps not as good as Sky, but with luck that will improve in time, but like most of us I am off having a pee or making a cuppa etc, so not that important. I still don't buy into this 'be grateful for speedway on TV' rubbish when it comes to Pearson. If the commentator is so rubbishe and annoying, you end up turning over, then actually it is as good as no speedway. It's not too much to ask for a commentator that just commentates, and lets the speedway do the talking is it? I am watching exciting racing, I don't need a moron screaming like an imbecile through the microphone to get the excitement of what I am watching. Hopefully Eurosport will seek viewer feedback at some point.

Just got back from football just in time for the two semi's, my god Pearson was screaming like a moron louder than ever in that second semi, and partly in the final. I can't believe that he is the best Sky and Eurosport can come up with. Glad I did not have to put up with that prat for the full 20 races.

But without the BSPA running speedway here in the UK, would there be a speedway league? If not, the BSI would not have a UK audience. Many former and some present GP riders learned there skills via BSPA leagues, so to dimiss the BSPA from the GP series is very short sighted. That said, I am not saying the BSPA could run the GP series, but out of courtesy they should have some input to the British GP... IMO.

So is it BSI who choose the wildcards Philip, not the host speedway body? That being the case I am slightly shocked and concerned, without the various global speedway leagues developing riders, BSI would not have a GP series.

Whilst I agree in principle, in practice I am not sure we have young fresh blood capable of winning the odd GP race right now. Whilst I do think the British Final should be the qualification for the wildcard, if we all had to pick a rider capable of doing enough of reaching the semi's, I am not sure there is anyone on good enough form that could be argued better than Harris right now. I would like to have an explanation though of why this decision was taken and why the wildcard qualification was removed from the British Final and whose decision it was.