Little Thumper

I think with the place being owned by Corbett Bookmakers which is a largely profitable commercial concern then getting free labour to do the place up might be out of the question. Before you know it other businesses would be expecting our community payback friends to come and titivate their establishments as well. If Stoke Speedway owned their own stadium and had a good relationship with their supporters, then many willing hands would have come forward to wield paint brushes, tidy up litter and instil a bit of pride into the tired old girl. If only speedway operators had done all within their power to secure ownership of their venues when they had the opportunity, then faded starlets such as Stoke would be in a rather healthier position.

My friends, you are absolutely correct. It would not take a great deal of money to return to Stoke to being a good speedway venue rather than the dismal place that it has become. Some smiling faces on the gate and involving the small but loyal remaining bunch of fans would be a good start. Everybody at Stoke always looks so bloody miserable. Speedway is meant to be fun not some kind of Misery Fest. I find it totally and utterly inconceivable that the gates at Loomer Road will be thrown open for the first meeting in 2017 and all that awaits the paying customer is the same old, past it's sell-by date offering that has been served up for the past few years. Even the longest necked ostrich in the whole of the living world could fail to see that the ship is sinking. But then again, perhaps they are just going to keep it trundling along for another year or so until Corbett Bookmakers decide what they intend to do with the land. Come on Stoke, speedway needs you and speedway supporters need you. Get your act together!

I think they would have to watch British speedway on telly actually.

Well, as thankfully we won't be in the EU for too much longer then perhaps we don't have to worry too much.

I'm just looking at some pictures from today's Rugby Union fixtures and it makes things very clear for me. Looking at the pictures, it is evident that the fans are passionate in supporting their teams. The Exeter Chiefs fans are there wearing their Native American headgear and chanting their Tomahawk Chop rallying cry. And the fans of their opponents, the Leicester Tigers, are there in their droves all proudly sporting their team's colours and making lots of noise. So for me, British speedway started to go into terminal decline when it made the decision that it was such a marvellous a sport that it no longer needed much of a connection to it's fans and that they were merely there to tip up their money each week. The promoters and their trade body knew best. Rugby union has always been built on the strong foundations of a loyal and enthusiastic band of supporters and as it has re-invented itself, it has taken these fans with them and now is reaping the rich rewards. British speedway should have been much better than it now is but as with the British motorcycle industry, abysmal management has made it a shadow of it's former self. Crying shame.

I don't think he does the starts. It is usually some bloke in a stripy shirt. Having said that, they could always get the chap they had at Buxton one time. You never knew how long the races were going to be. Some were 3 laps, others were 5 laps. It really added a bit of excitement to an otherwise mundane meeting. At one stage, Jason "Not at the Helm" Pipe came flouncing out from the pits to give him a verbal lashing. If they could combine some of these unknown distance races with the Joseph Lucas lighting system, it could be more exciting than a night out with Keith Vaz. Anyway, the beatings will continue until morale improves. :t:

Hell, this sounds like something from an old black and white Tarzan movie! The Bod in the Box is rumoured to be the secret power behind the scenes at Buxton, hiding behind his various identities. Some say that he is Mr Big................but that seems unlikely because i have never seen him with a cat.

This is a very difficult question to answer. Even in the seventies, it was clear that things were not quite as good as they once were and by 1986 the Shay at Halifax had gone and the following year, Bamforth sold the Cathedral of Speedway, Hyde Road. During the late eighties many people, including myself, walked away from the sport as they could not bear to watch the long, drawn-out death of their great love, speedway. Speedway's decline has been gradual and fairly predictable. The sad thing for me is that it didn't take the Brain of Britain to work out where speedway would be in thirty years if they didn't take positive and dynamic action. For whatever reason, the bods who have been in charge of British speedway for the past thirty years have done little to develop the sport of speedway and seem to have been quite happy to each plough their own little furrows and pocket the cash when the going was good. Speedway isn't quite dead but it needs someone brave enough to apply the defibrillator.

As always, Halifaxtiger speaks wise words. Stoke can have the greatest NL team ever assembled but unless they address their fundamental problems of presentation and attitude then myself and many others will choose to give the place a wide berth. I am sure that they must have some idea of the levels of customer dissatisfaction and I am hopeful that they will be re-launching Stoke Speedway as a brand and adopting a far more welcoming attitude. If they don't then I do not believe that they have a viable future. We shall see.

Well, like so many things where the British Speedway Propaganda Association is involved, these things work on A Need To Know basis. And just because you took the trouble to vote doesn't mean that you are entitled to know the result........particularly if you dumbos can't even vote for the right option.

Have you ever been to Stoke, Mark?

What a waste of money! If the riders are going fast enough then nobody will notice if they are wearing a race suit or a birthday suit.

Ah, you've heard the rumours too that the new Potters' sponsors could well be Age UK and Specsavers. I've also heard that Joseph Lucas, the Prince of Darkness, will again be fettling the vintage generator.

Planning application decisions are not made by one councillor. Any planning application would have to be considered by the planning committee and the application would be judged against prescribed criteria. It is quite possible that having sought a professional opinion, a party in this matter holds the belief that the probability is that a suitable planning application would be approved by committee.

Friend Pipe is no longer at the helm. The signals were clear to see. It is rumoured that the Bod in the Box will be taking over.

I like Tony a lot and always find him pleasant enough to talk to. The one thing that I have noticed is that he gets more tired as the meeting goes on. If he has to go out in heat 15, he is usually too knackered to do it justice!

Smashing.

Well Luke Priest doesn't look very happy about it! Not a great surprise Tony Atkin going back. Best of luck boys!

Fortunately, as F. Flange previously stated the council will surely be keen to invest more money into the venture, so throwing in a few more seats shouldn't be any problem whatsoever. Isn't that right, Fred?

No, it's past his bed time at the Home for the Bewildered.

Wow! That is totally cringe-worthy. Has he been booked for the opening meeting at the National Whistling Stadium?

Care to elaborate?

B.V 72, I'm still trying not to be negative and resist the Dark Side. Do you have any more positive thoughts to share with us at this time and do you think all is going well? Thanks

Well, that's pretty good news and apparently, Jason Pipe is delighted and, "looking forward to working with him again in 2017" Tom was getting back in the Buxton groove when he came to guest on a couple of occasions last year and I think he should be able to improve a tad on his 4.9 average. I wonder what the next big news will be from the Hitmen? I think we are entering a time of interesting developments. Perhaps the Bod in the Box will have invested the £20 note that I gave him after the last meeting wisely and purchased this masterpiece? Or perhaps, something even more exciting might happen? :rolleyes:

Sadly, there are far more bad speedway sites than good ones After a while, people give up looking at the sites as they know nobody has bothered to update them or they are just being used to trot out the latest sound byte from the British Speedway Propaganda Association. Surely every club must have something to say about something or other? I can't think of an easier way of keeping a link with your supporters/customers than spending a few minutes uploading something to the club website. And before somebody shouts what about Farcebook and Twatter - not all of us choose to use these companies. Sadly, some of our promoters are either too busy, lack the imagination or can't be arsed to emulate their more imaginative colleagues.