freddyfivetoes

Over 200 posts since the meeting, and while there has been negative discussion over Paul Starke and Ludvig Lindgren, there has not been one post which has criticised the track, the racing, the stadium facilities, the presentation or the broadcast -- virtually 100% approval rating. Which is amazing for a thread involving Berwick! In truth, it was a good night's viewing on Sky, maybe their best overall production of the year so far. For which the Berwick promotion has to be praised hugely. They created the product, and provided a very large and very enthusiastic live audience. Sky caught hold of the crowd's good vibrations, and gave us viewers a programme which would be seen around the world, showing what can still be good about speedway in the UK. I just hope the next few EL meetings are as well-presented and as well-attended.

Thankfully, I see Ludvig's situation has now earned a thread of its own on "Speedway News & Discussions", so SCB, Tsunami et al can take their squabbling out of this one and leave us in peace......... Like everyone has said, a really good job has been done at Berwick in recent years -- this is just another example.

I didn't say I thought they should be fined. I said they would have been fined. It is mandatory. (Rule 18.1.2.5)

Bellego was banned, but not fined, by the FFM. Paul Starke was fined, but not banned, by the SCB Newcastle and Ludvig Lindgren will both have been fined, probably quite stiffly, by the BSPA. Come on -- you see £50k-a-week footballers "simulating" injury every match you watch in the full glare of their cameras. Yes, the guy stayed down after laying down to avoid what he thought was going to be an incident in front of him. He was right to lay down and wrong to stay down -- and the referee excluded and fined him. Get over it.

As he has the highest average in the entire PL, at least the choice of guest can be a wide one. Indeed, it could range into the EL too, with a couple of juicy names available under his EL figure!.

Why should promoters be thought not to promote every week? What was on TV last night (excluding the fans in fancy dress, I admit) was what I've seen at Berwick any time I've been there, with lively, crisp presentation and a smartly-dressed track staff. Congratulations, Messrs Anderson, Hepburn, McCleary, Barrie, etc -- you continue to set a high bar to clear for some other places I know. In all three leagues.

In conversation with "my good friend in the know" this morning, I was told the club will have their auxilliary bar and BBQ set up on the back straight tonight, complete with a copious quantity of pies. Plus tea, coffee and all things nice.

Apart from the usual couple of promotion-haters, I believe the Bandits' faithful have really got behind this one. The promotion mobilised the troops and asked that posters, etc, be picked up, printed off and displayed. Dated? Maybe -- but when aligned with the adroit usage of electronic media, it covers all the bases.

Be fair, the Berwick promoter expected to track a full-strength side, and has immediately notified us of the FFM banning Bellego, for whom they will have the usual r/r facility. Their website also informed us of the anticipated teams, presumably those sent to the printers. It isn't really Berwick's position to issue fitness reports on the opposing team's riders. Shambles? Not really -- a disappointment if you don't see the riders you might have hoped to see, but there will still be a fairly even contest, hopefully racing as good as reported by everyone who was at the last Shielfield Park meeting, all in front of a big crowd on a nice warm evening My glass is half full -- how's yours?

The toothbrush must have been invented in a certain part of Cumbria. Anywhere else, they'd have called it a teethbrush.

This ruling also floats a warning balloon to any other promoter who might think of having a "sun-off" when he feels a weak team coming on........ Long over due.

A problem for Len is that, as he has already asked for this meeting date to be changed (politely declined by Sheffield) some weeks ago, and all the public speculation on here since Nelson's problems and doubts over guests surfaced, any rain-off (however valid) will be very closely scrutinised and have to be a cast-iron case. Not an 8am job. A genuine rain-off, called by a referee. Otherwise the BSPA will almost certainly take action.

She has a very nice face

Will be watching the updates closely to see how Kennett and Starke change the balance of Berwick's scoring. The visiting team manager (he of the deleted posts) will doubtless be hoping his men blow Eddie away.

A good job all round by Berwick. No reaction to their too-many local critics when they lost a couple of matches, but clearly wheels were spinning behind the scenes. No rushed-out statements about 'changes will be made' but now we have an announcement when everything has been signed, sealed and delivered. The people who mock Berwick's media relations might want to ponder on how well this has been handled, without leaks or rumours to dilute the news when broken. Further, although Eddie Kennett is coming in on a plus-ten average (very few PL No 1 riders are even within a point of that) no over-the-top statements about him in the website news. But I'll say this -- he is an even-bigger capture for a PL club that Simon Stead was!

Does it matter? Looks like Berwick have just installed themselves as favourites!

That's very good. One of the best-loved speedways of the past was Exeter where just the spectacle of seeing then ride the banking was enough to bring in the crowds. At Berwick, the riders going around the 3rd/4th bends is an incredible sight, and if they are up close and personal, even without passing it is a thrill to watch, like the old County Ground. Dick? What happened to the new guy?

Wouldn't dream of it -- but can we shoot jenga anyway?

Getting back to subject, as Edinburgh's revamping of an old Glasgow idea has taken about three pages here, and isn't really contributing to Berwick's chance to showcase their product on Sky and around the world. Given the match is on a Tuesday (and has become a rearranged fixture) will the Swedes on either side be available?

I understand Workington have been light-heartedly referred to as the "Comics" for well over forty years, and it's a bit late for a protest now! A nice tongue-in-cheek wind-up, and the more the more po-faced among their supporters protest, the more others will use it!

BSPA statement this morning clarifies it is not of their doing. We have to be careful about blaming "them" when we don't know who "them" are.

Certainly not! And I'm not emilali, either!

But no-one lives forever (although Dick's making a fair fist of it) and his replacement has big, big boots to fill. The failing commented on above (not to fill in during a delay on what I understand had become a chilly evening) is inexcusable. Too many presenters up and down the land are happy to stand in one place and commentate on the obvious when things are going well, but go AWOL when they could really contribute during intervals and (especially) delays, keeping interest alive with interviews and a constant information flow.

Well, if I had the choice, I wouldn't mind my local track dropping into the NL, if it meant it still remained one of Britain's major circuits at FIM level, blessed with BSPA events and metings such as the BenFund Bonanza. Think about Queens Park, playing each week in the same division as Berwick Rangers, but staging all Scotland's internationals and cup finals and Hampden Park.

So the speedway audience will be Hearts and Rangers' fans? Cannot imagine new promotion can afford to lose a fairly large (be honest) percentage of their potential local derby attendancy