Terrace Grumbler

That match was a case of the Emperor's new clothes - the Australian team was so under-strength it was a walkover ("Test" match, ha) and an insult to the paying public - I for one go to speedway to watch racing, not just to see one team win.

Sadly, Robbo is too injury prone: also, iirc he left because Redcar would pay him more, and I can't see Newcastle getting involved in a bidding war any time soon. If you're referring to Ben Barker, he very rarely shows up at Brough when in the opposition*, so why should he want to travel up on a weekly basis? Your team would be fine (and perhaps more manageable financially) if Wilko replaced Robbo and Summers Ludde was included for Barker. I don't know how the compulsory wobbler system will work but it would be nice to get Lewis Rose in the team. El Grumblero * Off topic, he did rock up for the so-called test match against Australia the other year. I challenge Ranting Roy to explain how he maintained such a fever pitch of excitement at what must be one of the worst matches in the annals (use your spell checker) of Byker speedway history.

Three thoughts: 1. In my view Ludde is as close as there is to a "heart and soul" of Newcastle Speedway at the moment (on the track, obviously). Sometimes it looks as though he is trying so hard, it hurts. He may not be Craig Cook but he's fine by me; let him skipper the team from #4. 2. Time catches up with all of us (me included!) and the Andre of today isn't the swashbuckling rider who was my elder son's hero when he was our #3 (I'm looking at a photo of them now, which is still on my office wall). Look at Compo's scores round Brough recently - my heart would love to see him back, but I'm not sure it would be the best move. 3. Bjarne or Kenneth would be brilliant signings but I imagine both will have contracts in Poland and would be unaffordable anyway. Great memories of Bjarne and Robbo's "job share" - many years ago, now.

Ludde, please.

If Workington want Rosen, may we have Rene?

A critique is a critical evaluation. As for the rest of this post, you continue to misread and misunderstand entirely what I have written (and, I see, don't answer the question I put forward). I could go on, yeah, but....I don't come on these boards to learn. if I find out interesting and new things, that's great, but for me at least, basically it's an exchange of views and a laugh now and then. It's not about pseudo-intellectual grandstanding, anyway. Enough said, I think.

I'm not mocking the proposal, I'm offering a critique of it - there is a difference! Do you agree that protected races spoil the purity of the contest? I am concerned that they would for me. I can imagine Ian Thomas laughing - he'll put his harp down so he can read the new rules and work out how to circumvent them...

In theory, yes, but I just doubt that it will bring on many more PL quality riders. To state the blindingly obvious (sorry!) it seems to me that a young (in this case, British) rider needs first a liking for the sport, second determination to get on and third talent. I can't see there is much stopping British riders who fulfil all three requirements from getting to the top, or at least to a place in a PL team's 1-5 (which is a long way from the top, but I'm sure you see what I mean) - at different levels, e.g. Tai W, Jason Garrity. What this new system may produce is riders who love the sport and are determined/resilient, but don't have the natural ability to kick on. I could name some, but I don't think it is necessary - we can all think of examples, I'm sure. This looks like a cost cutting measure to me. If we have to cut our cloth, then fine - but aren't there better ways to do it than this?

If true, this no. 7 idea is a real blow, on a par with (if not worse than) the abolition of the tac sub. Subject to the points limit, PL speedway has been a "pure" product, and better (in my view) than the EL because of that. I don't want to see "protected" races, false averages and the devious ways some people are bound to find to get around these rules. I'm not bothered about developing British riders - the world cup is a meaningless bauble and in my experience most speedway supporters are happy for the riders in the team they support to come from just about anywhere. The worry is that the patient is bleeding to death and this is just another sticking plaster which won't stop what sadly looks more and more inevitable. I have no original solutions but, rather than protected wobblers, how about saving money with, for example, the six rider team format that someone mentioned a while ago? Johnnie Hoskins must be turning in his grave.

It could be if one is of a cynical disposition

I hope you're right...but look at the words of the statement: "there is now every intention to take our club forward into the second half-century of their existence”.

I hadn't given much credence to the "team of second strings" line of argument until last night, when our no. 1 and no. 5 could not lay a glove on the opposition and as a result we were completely outgunned. I do wonder whether some of our team may have thought it was a hopeless cause and were beaten before a wheel was turned. I thought Ludde did a great Rene Aas impression, looking down at his motor. Great stuff from Tero though, a real fighting win in heat 19 which spared us a few blushes, stood as we were with the Somerset massive. Anyhow...no more speedway this year* so let's have some fun picking next year's team * I can't find anything on the Redcar website about amateur meetings., #2 daughter is at that stage where she can recite team averages and in search of speedway would want me to take her to Outer Mongolia if the Ulan Bator Golden Helmet was being contested. As Teesside is rather closer, taking her there may be more practical!

Well, I enjoy watching Ludde in full flight around the boards, as we saw a couple of times yesterday, and I very much hope we see him in our colours next season as well. (Oh, and he's good value on Twitter). As for his away form, try a reality check - the days of riders of the standard of Eriksson, Walsh and Olsen as heat leaders are long gone as (at PL level) are the guys who can ride any track in any condition. I'll be happy with Steve and Lud in the team next year but I won't be holding my breath at some away circuits. I wouldn't say that if you choose not to go, you're not entitled to express an opinion on the team, but it helps to see the riders week in week out. For instance, to pluck a name from the air, I saw enough of a certain Manx rider to form the view that while he may have known about team riding (I believe that this might have been mentioned on here before), he rarely finished a race in a better position than he held coming out of the second bend. For what it's worth, and without knowledge of what the rules on reserves will be, I would like - if affordable - to see us keep Steve, Lud, Tero, Simon and Lewis R and build around them. if Lewi K is fit (and it was great to hear him being so optimistic yesterday) I would try to fit him in as well. That said I have great faith in George's ability to build a team and I'm sure he'll do us proud.

A move to the National League would surely be unsustainable financially as the number of meetings would fall as would supporter numbers, and that may make paying the rent problematic to say the least. While I thoroughly enjoyed the Conference when we were in it, the thought of watching wobblers on dud equipment and away teams turning up with 4 riders would probably rule me out, certainly as a season ticket holder. Oh, and I thought I had seen the last of the all-action style of Tony Atkin.

Well that would suit me, but from memory the dog track at Boldon is different from how it was in the 70's - if I'm right there is no open terracing at all now, anf if so it would be watching speedway from a goldfish bowl I recall someone saying (years ago) that the rental would be very high, and there's also the question of planning permission. I wouldn't much fancy going back to Monday nights, either.

It was revealed tonight that an announcement about Newcastle speedway will be made at the meeting on 27 September and will not be leaked to the press beforehand. Ruffdiamond says he doesn't know what it is ; Dantodan probably reckons he'll become in the know in the next fortnight but isn't yet ;-) ; Tsunami probably knows but ain't saying...and I have no idea at all. Idle speculation on the terraces that it is curtains made my daughter cry. To cheer her up we speculated that it may be : 1. We're going EL next year with Nicki P at No. 1; 2. We're going NL and Banger is coming out of retirement to ride No. 1; 3. The club will become a public company and will have to raise £x to ensure its future 4. William Hill are to take over, the club will be called Newcastle Dogs and Golden Miller will come out of retirement to ride at No. 1. Haway boys and girls. Can you second guess George?

Disappointing. Terry Lindon?

Er...aren't we rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic, gentlemen? On the basis that Sunday will very probably be the last meeting of the season, I have some important questions: 1. What happened to the George English Snr Memorial Trophy? It was always a good way to bring the curtain down; 2. Why isn't there a riders v. mechanics tug of war on the centre green? 3. Will the Key Draw ever be back? Seriously...I know money is very short, but on the basis they all bring decent travelling support, next season how about a Northern 4TT with Berwick, Glasgow, Workington and ourselves?

I wonder if Peter W is feeling the six-year itch...and perhaps Wesley could fit in at No. 7?

I have missed a couple of meetings this season but yesterday's was about as good as I have seen. Hard, fair racing and passing, top stuff. it was hard to judge Andersen - is he Bjerre or Knudsen? On the evidence of yesterday I don't think he's Kenneth but he improved and was competitive in heat 15. Good luck to him, anyway. I think that appreciation is due again for Newcastle's (George's?) ability to give confidence to riders - I really didn't think we would see a great deal from Simon N but (to borrow one of Roy's favourites) he put in some cracking rides yesterday.

White Knight, while I normally agree with a lot of what you say, I don't think that there is a real comparison to be made between the Worralls and the Owens - Tom and Joe simply bossed the NL, home and away I have brilliant memories of both, and especially of Tom. Don't get me wrong, I love watching the Worralls as well, but they don't dominate the way the Owen boys did. Something that mystifies me is how the team drew such big crowds when so many of the meetings were to all intents and purposes walkovers - but we all came to BP, week in week out. PS sorry not to reply to your post direct but I am on my mobile and for some great it won't let me do that.

What concerns me is how people would get to know if we had a stronger team - Barry W's pages in the Pink were always excellent, and he also contributed to the Chronicle...the Pink is of course now only a memory, and the Chron gets more football-fixated by the day. People who stop coming to BP presumably also stop buying the Speedway Star (if they ever did) and with the dedicated Ceefax pages also long gone, what is left other than (intermittent) reports on home matches in the Journal and, I guess - though I don't read it any more - the Chronicle. (Do we still get on Look North? I'm never in the house when it's on).

On a track set up for gate-and-go riders Newcastle came a cropper when they didn't. The problems are epitomised by Henry (who is the mirror image of Garrity) and Kerr - I thought that he couldn't be bothered unless he gates, but it seems I was wrong; in heat 15 he gated but didn't try to hold his position. I don't mind if we lose : the trophies are meaningless in this league. But I don't like it when members of the team don't appear to be bothered. Until now I hadn't thought that it would be worth changing the team, but I have changed my mind : let's give Dimitri Berge a go, if he's available and willing to come (and he is affordable). One last word about the track: the amount of track work seems far more than we had in the past - I wouldn't mind if it created a good rack surface, but it doesn't. Is the season over?

A few chickens may be coming home to roost this evening, I fancy.