BurntFaceMan

Do you have an email address you could message to me Philip? I wanted to contact you about something unrelated, but it won't let me send any new messages to your inbox.

So is this confirmed yet?

I hope GSI has learned their lesson and kept some rights (streaming for example) on hand, as they will find this very useful.

Bad news for Speedway.

To be fair, you've both got a history of being dicks. The thing is, you both start off with a logical argument, but neither of you can accept a differing opinion and then it descends in to very passive aggressive abuse. Just let it go.

Speedway bikes are fast and cool.

What sort of response is that? Isn't that the exact same thing people say Matt Ford doesn't do enough of? Caring about other teams I mean. As for Coventry, no idea. Would like to hope that they do see the season out (and more), but the odds appear to be stacked against them, unfortunately.

My biggest doubt is Poole. History suggests they will of course be up there, but my big fear lies with Jack, Brady and James.

I'm not so sure. I think all of those riders have had very strong play off performances in the past. If they come together at the right time, and the reserves do their bit, they'll be right up there in my opinion.

I personally think that at this current level Scott Nicholls, Chris Harris, Davey Watt and Eddie Kennett will be an absolute powerhouse! Surprised so few rate Rye House any better than a mid table side.

Rye House Poole Kings Lynn Somerset Wolverhampton Coventry Bees Swindon Leicester

Poole are the experts when it comes to a composed victory.

Gavan.

Too hard for me to call the leagues weak links at the moment. A lot of the guys who I would have called a "weak link" in seasons past, are now guys competing with a lot of weaker people. Almost impossible to call this season.

Doyle is relatively untested in that he may simply of had a very good season. Chris is the most out and out talented rider in the league without a doubt.

It's constructive criticism, not slagging off. We are very very close to the point where many promoters will be financially forced to call it a day. Stadiums will come down and flats will go up in their places. The other promoters who are doing better will be forced to follow suit. It's not like any of us want this, it's just that some of us won't sleep walk into oblivion while the rest of the nutters tell us everything is ok. I really enjoyed some of the racing last year, but it isn't quite enough to get me through the turnstiles like it used to. For years I would attend week in, week out, home and away, but that's just not enough for me and many supporters like me. There is more to speedway than just the racing. It is the stadium, the atmosphere, the programme, the food, the drink, the merchandise, the stars and the racing combined. And now, in the 21st century, it's the experience away from the stadium on social media. With that criteria not being fulfilled, people are turning to other forms of entertainment. Maybe it will never change, and maybe I'll never buy a ticket again. Maybe that's for the best, and maybe the sport will be better off without me. That's the first post of yours I've agreed with! But I do not agree that it is a thing of the past. Speedway is still a sport that can get thousands through the turnstiles every week. Next season will be the first year that promoters will be forced to decide between making changes and closing shop. Arguably, it will be the last season that they will have the opportunity. If that's not the case then I'll eat my hat. Hopefully the promoters will make the right choices.

No, not necessarily. I did not mean that all the die hards are that way, they just tend to go hand in hand. It's not about the politics, It's about the quality. Like I said, the minority are content with simply having speedway of some form, but a lot of people want an all round better quality. From the riders, to the racing, to the stadium and even at home through the websites, news and social media. I simply cannot enjoy the sport at that cost. To be honest, even if they reduced admission to a fiver, I'd still prefer to pay £20 and get the best in the world. A lot of the people who have left haven't because they do not care about the sport anymore. A lot of them are like me and they care about it very much. The fact is they miss what the sport was, and what it is in other countries. Unfortunately those people are not going to come back with the current quality at the current price. And like it or not, you need the quantity of the majority to grow the sport. To get back to the original point, without Sky there will be a lot less money in the sport. Not just because of what Sky contribute financially, but for the sponsors that are attracted through the added exposure. Sky is essential for speedway. The only thing that could benefit speedway more is a free to air coverage like ITV.

You just demonstrated everything I said perfectly. Like I said, a minority will be satisfied, but the majority will not. Unfortunately you need a majority to pay the bills. You'd have to be a fool to suggest that the very best riders do not generally provide better racing. The very best speedway requires a certain level of machinery, craftsmanship and ability that only comes from the very best in the world. That's not to say that watching lower league riders doesn't provide entertainment, but it certainly doesn't provide 20 odd quid a head entertainment, and that's why the crowds are dwindling. The rest comes from the atmosphere (need big crowds for a good atmosphere, mate), the quality of the track, the facilities at the stadium, the experience when I'm not at the track, etc. You do know the crowds are rapidly dropping off, right? That's not a figment of my imagination. It's not a conspiracy made up by us "fake supporters". Open your bloody eyes. Your last part really does take the biscuit. What's all that utter nonsense about me not being a real supporter? Because I won't throw money away on a product that has got worse every year, but continues to get more expensive? Being a real supporter is much more than just blindly defending the sport at all costs. A real supporter cares about the future of the sport, unlike you. In fact, it's people like you who are responsible for the current state of the sport. Make the most of it buddy, because there won't be much left at this rate.

I'd agree that it's insulting to Jason Doyle... but I'd definitely leave it there. He's spot on, the best names in the world do not ride in our country anymore. KK is not nearly one of the best in the world anymore. Really?! Come on. Certainly not mind games.

Shame they are diluting it even further this year then, isn't it? As I said, there are the minority (fans with 25,000+ posts on a speedway forum) who can and do find pleasure in speedway regardless of the quality of the product or the price. They also happen to be the same fans who are very loud, arrogant and completely blind to (or simply don't want to acknowledge) the issues. However, the majority of fans are the ones who value the quality of the product and are no longer coming through the turnstiles. Attendances will be at their very lowest this season. Unfortunately the majority of promoters share the same arrogance as the minority of fans. It's time the minority opened their eyes and stopped blaming everything from Matt Ford to the fans themselves for the lack of attendance, and just acknowledged that the sport needs a lot of work. It won't solve the issue straight away, but it will be a lot more helpful than making sarcastic comments when you hear things you don't like.

Because you're born a speedway fan and you die a speedway fan. A hungry man will still eat a sh1te meal! I have speedway in my heart and I always will. But I'm not delusional. I've seen good speedway, I know good speedway and I miss good speedway. I love the sport, I love my team, but I am not blind to the fact that it is of shocking quality. There are an awful lot of supporters on here that are very blind and are in turn very confrontational to those who are not. Some of the comments on here are unbelievable, like "If it's of shocking quality then why are you still watching it?". It's almost as if you'd rather those who don't like the sport to just shut up and leave. Unfortunately, I fear you'll get your wish! A huge chunk of them have already gone.

There won't be any winners.

The point wasn't missed at all. In fact you, and all the people who liked your post, completely missed my point. Speedway needs Sky far more than Sky needs speedway. In fact, Sky doesn't need speedway at all. Speedway is all but insignificant to Sky. If Sky had to pull the plug on Speedway it would be little more than a programming inconvenience. If it wasn't for people staying in and watching Sky, the sport would lose it's television coverage. If it loses it's television coverage, it loses even more commercially appeal for sponsors. Why do you think speedway bends over backwards to accommodate Sky? If Sky were to pull their coverage of speedway, it would be the final nail in the coffin for any sort of top flight speedway. You'd be left with nothing but a bunch of die hard nutters watching inexperienced Brits scrap it out for £25 a head. I know some of you would be quite happy with that, but you can kiss your magical speedway atmosphere goodbye when there's only a handful of you at the track. Just so you know, you're a customer. It's not a charity. You're not obligated to pay through the nose for low quality product. It isn't your duty to fund the sport. It is the job of the promoters to put out a product that attracts the supporters. In fact it is the die hards that are constantly making excuses for the shocking quality of the sport that are driving it into the ground.

I assume you mean who would win in a fight? I'd go with Cookie.

I wonder how many fans turned their back on the sport because it is over priced, the quality is constantly degrading, the BSPA lacks any transparency into how big decisions are made, the tracks are among the worst in the world, the stadiums are poorly equipped, the promoters are dinosaurs, the quality of teams pale in comparison to other European leagues, media coverage is lacking, the websites are just awful, decent social media is non existent and the promoters don't understand the first thing about marketing. Or maybe it's just Matt Ford. There's a real issue within this sport, both from the supporters and the promoters, when it comes to understanding the issues the sport suffers from. Some of the things that people on here attribute to the sports demise are ridiculous. Sometimes you need to just accept that the product on display is quickly turning into garbage and most people just don't want to pay for it. It's time that supporters and promoters alike understood the reason why people are not attending. It's not because Matt Ford ruined the sport, it's not because times have changed and people don't like speedway anymore, it's not because Sky cover one match a fortnight... It's because the product is garbage. There is absolutely no coherent strategy for growth. The sport is living in an era that doesn't exist anymore, and nobody is working to change that. The fact of the matter is, the majority of promoters have adopted a cost cutting strategy, rather than an investment strategy. Unfortunately this strategy will inevitably result in the sport failing completely. As soon as you start cost cutting, you reduce the quality. When you reduce the quality, you inevitably lose a percentage of your patrons. When you lose a percentage of your patrons, you lose a percentage of your income and you need to start cost cutting again. Unfortunately it's a vicious cycle.