waytogo28

Just how long can the club wait for Holder to turn it around? That 'loyalty" to riders has gone on too long in the past with poor seasons ( not just the odd bad match or patch ). Josh Bailey will bounce back and may feature at reserve again - even this season. If the promoters and the owner don't want to see crowds falling lower and lower they need to act now or at least put a time limit on Holder's "turn it around" time.

Fortunately we do not get much publicity outside of the sport because the outside world could only agree - too much of speedway and the way it is run is a joke. Many other sports have had something of a come back ( or re-launch that proves effective ) can't see it happening any season soon in speedway!. Get a grip BSPA!

Boxhall seems to have an off track problem or accident at the start of every season, which then holds him back for the whole season. Is that merely bad luck or carelessness?

There is a good side and a less good side to all of us! Tai cannot assist, guide and aid the development of those who are NOT open to understanding how much you have to put in, if you want to get to the top ( or even near the top ) of speedway. Tai can be a force for good with those youngsters and the very up & coming riders like Lambert ( IF of course they "click" as people because belief is so much in terms of learning from a good teacher ). The yobby side to Tai is real and he needs to get some emery paper on that himself ( in terms of how massive sponsors like their sportsmen to come across as ). Tai has been well treated by British speedway and has given quite a bit back until the most recent personality clash ( and that is what I think it is - and not just with one individual ). I think that he will return - sometime - to ride for GB. Only he knows when that is. Roll on World title No.3 for Tai.

If it was down to Phil Morris re the watering and track prep. on the day, he played a shocker and we got virtually nowt in terms of racing. Or was it all about inadequate interpreters and the "what to do & how and when" was lost in translation?

I think people turn into "keyboard warriors' in the main because the refusal of the BSPA or their apparent disinterest in fans ideas and opinions in general. I still pay at the turnstile and still have ideas as do my speedway pals but they are rarely listened to or acknowledged. Bringing them up at any fan's forum meeting they are seen as gripes and treated dismissively. But all fans and especially those who do still turn out ( after nearly 60 years in my case ) are entitled to an opinion which promoters should be pleased to have ( it's free customer feedback - much sought after in other business spheres! ) I am nearly ready to give up going to live matches, mostly because of the dire quality of racing.

Knowing when it is time to retire from racing must be difficult but the current riding average never lies. What is odd is that he had what appeared to be a return to form in Australia.

Richard Hall - whose best skill seems to be in persuading yet another promoter that he "can turn it all around and be the rider he once was" - sadly that is now beyond him for whatever reasons.

If this is correct and I assume it is - that "BAGS meesting keep many dog tracks open. They really don't make anything from the people in the stadium, who usually get in free. The filmed racing is sold around the world for very good money, particularly the Far East, and can be a track's biggest source of income. BAGS income a Brough Park is I believe the biggest and is in excess of £500.000." Why Oh Why do the BSPA not try their best to emulate a profit making role for filmed speedway racing to be sold around the world on a profitable basis ( yes I am aware that it is for gambling and that can be open to corruption ) but if it can make greyhound racing popular and profitable around the world it could do the same regardless of how many fans are on the terraces? I have pushed the idea for two or three years of screening live Pay Per View UK speedway matches. It would have been a better investment bet than the Gerhard engine strategy.

Me too GRW123! I was chuffed that someone like Buster gained some major influence on the way speedway is going via his chairmanship of the BSPA but I also feel that unless there are some major gains via the Gerhard engine initiative in the next couple of years - nothing much very progressive will have happened. But fan satisfaction / retention and involvement should have been his / their top priority and it seems as if it is not. Last throw of the dice for the sport?

One more step completed Robert! Onwards and upwards towards inevitable greatness. Every step up the ladder takes time and within five years or very likely three, the GP and full recognition of him as a world class rider awaits. Go Lambo!

Huge congratulations to Robert Lambert and Hurray for the emergence so quickly of Dan Bewley at this level, With Ellis Perks and Adam Ellis that is a quartet of young British riders who could and may go on to the world class level ( with the right support & finances ) and into the GP - flying the flag for Britain.

It is! It was bad enough the first time round in the flesh! Perhaps a good tutorial for young riders on how to Get & Go?

I suspect that when the new averages come our then KL will make a rider ( or two swap ) because Chris Holders's average will have slumped/ Is it a scam? If a rider is on a very good per match fee ( not of course compared to Poland ) then no income is lost. I do hope that it is not really so cynical but we will see.

The BSPA's sense of what is newsworthy is quite poor anyway and they are rarely up to date. To inward looking especially since the Polish new rules of rider contracts outside of Poland. They too often react like children in the school playground to things they don't like or can't control.Still waiting to see what the Big Marketing Push for 2017 consists of.

So assuming that the total average for one match of all the premiership clubs is less than 20,000 and certainly ditto for the championship there may be less than 50,000 UK fans in total and that's being generous I suspect. Add in another 10,000 TV fans who never go to a match If that is the case you cannot run the sport in the way it is now ( with the outgoings it has now ) And you cannot afford many more leakages of fans. Hopefully my guesstimates are wrong but I feel that if they are, then not by much.

Fans WILL think it's an averages scam if Holder suddenly starts banging in high double figures after the averages do change. I suspect that it may be part of a wider a scam but who wants to lose as KL did on Weds? And with very poor VFM entertainment.

Almost nothing useful can be judged at this point in the season. take good look at four consecutive matches from the start of June. That will still be only a visual judge but a more realistic one. To believe in a "great revival" is, I think, wishful thinking. The product i.e. speedway RACING with exciting passing ( at least being possible ) needs to be much more improved to hold onto existing fans as well as any new ones tempted in.

What really happened was that the Aces riders gated fasted in almost every heat and never mind the track, modern bikes mean that if riders make no mistakes they will retain their positions to the flag. That is what is wrong with speedway today and why fans are turning their backs on boring, processional racing. The "racing" part of speedway racing is diminishing everywhere except, it seems at the NSS.

Indeed Holder can fill Iversen's scoring boots If he "wants" and there's the rub - does he want to? Is his motivation high enough re UK racing? Did he get too good a guaranteed per match package?

The idea is to "let the excitement build" or so I have been told but that means that team manager's lose sight of the score and wether Heat 15 will make any real difference ( unless it is a "decider" ). Best to give up and set off for home, as a well beaten side ( be it home or away ) are hardly going to bother to make a race of it are they?

Rather like when the adjusted new averages come out, we will by then be able to judge if the BSPA Marketing Big Push has had any positive effect on crowd levels. The first four matches or so still have that " Hurray a new speedway season, I'm looking forward to that" effect on attendances. With the poor racing I have seen so far - tapes to flag with rarely any change of position - crowd levels may well nosedive despite the positive spin some try to put on it.

Disappointed, firstly with Chris Holder's attitude over Poland and it's £20,000 per match V small pickings to be had in the UK AND now with his on track performances for the Stars in team meetings. Must do better all round.

As others have said it was an exceptionally poor match from the point of view of any real racing action. One pass in open racing and one surge coming our of the 2nd bend. Two or three catching up attempts that totalled one or two minutes of interest for those looking for speedway racing.Value for money 1 / 10? They did at least crack on with the first eight heats and started on time but the positive rhythm fell away and a 20 min. interval on a very cold night was over lengthy. Still room for improvement in terms of presentation. The centre green mic. man a bit out of touch with the average age of those in the crowd.

And there lies the heart of the problem. Even decent early season crowds ( which are natural ) will fade away if the racing fare put in front of them is dire. Don't prepare a track for the home side - prepare a track that anyone of the visitors can have a go on. Just two or three really good races per meeting won't hold people's attention or loyalty after a few meetings and definitely not newcomers who venture in expecting more than 3 exciting minutes for £18.