Little Thumper

Yes, I know we are all getting excited but I think the next sheep-rustler will be unveiled tomorrow (Wednesday). Calm yourself Islander15..........only one more sleep!

Air fences have without doubt contributed greatly to rider safety over the years and hopefully, they will continue to be improved over time. In 1978, I watched Alan Wilkinson hit the wooden fence (with the steel posts and heavy steel cable behind it) between bends 1 and 2 at Hyde Road. I have always been of the opinion that Alan's injuries would not have been so life-changing if the medical facilities had been rather better than 2 St Johns bods and one of those stretchers on whacking great wheels. Air fences are only half the story, the other vital contributor being well-trained paramedics and technicians whose priority is the well-being of the injured rider rather than just getting the meeting going again as quickly as possible. So I salute the medical people who are so essential to rider safety and I apologize for wandering off topic a bit. Ta.

According to the bumf, young Mr Andrews has a full-time mechanic. How on earth can a reserve rider in the National League have/need a full-time mechanic? Do youngsters these days not do their own spannering with a bit of help from dad/mate? If it was down to me NL riders would have to display a decent level of mechanical competence before being allowed on the track. If the National Speedway Academy ever sees the light of day, then I'm sure spannering would be in the syllabus. The signing of Bradley Andrews for Kent Kings MOST DEFINITELY INDEED confirmed.

We look forward to hearing about the latest recruit on Wednesday. I do hope that it isn't anyone who was hoping for a change in management style at the club as the news that Friend Pipe is doing a Frank Sinatra might come as something of a disappointment! We await Wednesday's news with bated breath.

Not quite sure what other sport would be in a position to take over the Belle Vue Arena and Manchester City Council's business is not running stadia so I am not sure what the future of the arena might be. I don't believe that any business model based predominantly on running domestic speedway meetings at a high cost venue is going to cut the mustard.

Well that's bloody great. Perhaps he'll change his mind again next week or possibly the week after. His retirement was even shorter than Ryan Blacklock's!

Sorry to point the thread back towards it's original subject but have any clubs now been brave enough to risk putting up prices for this season? Possibly if a club is changing leagues the there will be a case to increase (or decrease) entry prices but surely no other club would be foolish enough to increase prices by more than 1%? And if there has been an increase, was the club decent enough to attempt to justify it? I'm keeping an eye on the clubs that I have been known to patronize but rather suspect that clubs might try and sneak any price increase through at the last minute in the hope that nobody will notice.

Tyburn Gallows, Igor Baronov and Kid Bodie are rumoured to be having a try out. Don't want any of those young whippersnappers coming in and spoiling things, Bah humbug.

Thanks for that. Where did you get this information from? I thought that Manchester City Council would agree to lease the stadium to a viable tenant and the BSPA would consider applications from prospective promoters once the previous owners of the club relinquished their claim to the ownership? I hadn't realized that the City Council were making all the decisions off their own bat. There seems to be lots of information out there but I never seem to know where to find it! Anyway, I'm pleased that so many people appear keen to have a go at running the Belle Vue Arena and/or Belle Vue Aces and clearly, they must have a far better business plan than the previous arena tenants/speedway promoters whose ship seemed to be half sunk before it had even left the harbour. So, colin wood, if you hear any more snippets of information, I for one would be very interested. Many thanks. Who do you think should pay for this construction work - Manchester City Council, the new lease holders of Belle Vue Arena or the new promoters of Belle Vue Speedway?

Good grief, Stoke are getting a half decent team together here! And with our friend from down under only being 26, it reduces the average rider age a tad. I'm not quite sure where they are finding the money from but perhaps they have managed to secure some sponsorship?

I appreciate what you are saying but Belle Vue Speedway Manchester Ltd hasn't gone into administration and is still a company listed at Companies House. It is a company that still has active directors who haven't been declared bankrupt although allegedly, they are in arrears with their rent. By revoking the promoters' licence held by Messrs Gordon and Morton hasn't the BSPA deprived them of the opportunity to earn a livelihood? Perhaps when the accounts are filed in the very near future, we might be able to see if Belle Vue Speedway Ltd has any assets and whether anybody fancies buying said assets.

But surely Belle Vue Speedway Manchester Limited has some assets such as rider contracts or ownership of the brand? The BSPA state that they have revoked the promoters licence held by Gordon and Morton, so obviously at this moment in time they cannot operate in a British speedway league but they cannot take their business off them without agreement.

But surely, you can't just nick someone else's company? If Messrs Gordon and Morton wish to retain ownership of the actual speedway club to perhaps use as a bargaining chip at a later stage, then surely that is their prerogative?

I see that Belle Vue Speedway Manchester Limited's accounts for the period up to 31 March 2016 are due for submission by Saturday 31 December. https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/08001281 David Gordon and Christopher Morton are still listed as the active Directors of the company, so I am sure they are beavering away with their calculators filling out their forms. It will be interesting to see the financial position of Belle Vue as it embarked on the 2016 season and to also see if there is any indication of what level of indebtedness the club was carrying forward. As David Gordon and Chris Morton are still clearly the owners of Belle Vue Speedway Manchester Limited, I am not entirely sure how someone else could take over the promotion of the club without coming to some arrangement with the current owners. Perhaps someone more knowledgeable in these matters could explain how some new promoter would secure ownership of the club, irrespective of the goings on with regard to BV Arena Limited, Belle Vue Academy Limited and BVA Holdings Limited. If Gordon and Morton retain ownership of the speedway club that is Belle Vue Aces but some other party manages to take over the lease of Belle Vue Arena, then surely a new speedway team would have to be created.

Well, if they play any music at all then it would be a vast improvement. The last meeting that I went to, these was no music whatsoever so perhaps they hadn't paid the PRS fee or what have you. So perhaps Malcolm and the boys could gather on the centre mud before the hostilities begin and belt out a few bars of Who do you think you are kidding, Mr Hitler. Perhaps Mr Tattum could get his organ out and tickle his ivories? What's not to like?

Aha, as I suspected.................gustix is really Malcolm Vasey! Or if he isn't Malcolm, then he must surely be his brother, Royston.

How about Lee Dicken? He could be a good addition to the Stoke Dad's Army platoon. And I'm sure they will unearth some young lad from the Outer Hebrides or some such place who will be the token young rider. They had Lewis Millar last year who survived a couple of meetings before being given the boot. I'm beginning to believe that Stoke think that just because the average age of the spectators is going up, they need to keep upping the riders' age in an attempt to keep up. Don't tell them your name, Pike.

Yeah, course they will.

Well, he hadn't been evicted when I was round there a couple of weeks ago, so hopefully he won't be needing a tent in Piccadilly Gardens just yet.

Well, that is interesting. I see that Mr Carswell is still listed as an active director of BVA Holdings Ltd and BV Arena Ltd but then so is Chris Morton, So perhaps, the duo are going to re-brand themselves and have another stab. I'll pop round to Mort's house and see if the Rentruck car is still parked on his drive. Watch out for a pick the new Belle Vue logo competition any time soon.

That's right. And I think it's time that they gave the Belle Vue supporters and supporters of speedway in general something a little more concrete. It's no good just coming up with a statement saying that Belle Vue will definitely run when they don't seem to have a promoter. So yes, hyderd, we need more facts and less bull from the British Speedway Propaganda Association.

So, someone was making decisions about Belle Vue's future when they were in no position to do so as they weren't actually the promoter. Again, forgive my negativity, but this is standing up about as well as a custard lighthouse. Surely, somebody must have something a little more concrete than all this wing and a prayer stuff?

Fred, thank you for your apparently well-informed insight. So who was representing Belle Vue at the recent NL promoters meeting, when it was announced that they would run a joint team with Coventry?

Hey, watch it! Mr Flange will pitch up in a minute and give you a verbal lashing for expressing negative thoughts. Anyways up, they must have a promoter because they were represented at the recent National Leaguership Conflab, so perhaps they are just being a little coy and the promoter will be revealed to the plebs once 2017 arrives.

I was there! Quite enjoyed it really but probably more for the banter and the coach trip than the rather predictable result. Norden didn't put me off speedway but lots of things since have made a pretty good job of so doing.