waytogo28

It has to be like that if more and more fans are not to be lost from the sport.

It was a breath of fresh air and I think Buster is now in tune with what many KLS fans think ( not only the posters on here ). Better a team of riders who do want to race for the team & the fans. Results are not as important as making a stand. Nice indeed to see Buster be more like the "old" Buster.

Tha team if S Lambert is fit are a team of racers who have usually had a go and are known for it. It has upped my spirits and I will go in a keen anticipatory mood. I tip my hat to Buster for taking action and win or lose that team should give us some decent E for Effort if nothing else. Not all our problems as a club are behind us but it is two steps ( at least ) in the right direction.

It seems that most people accept that crowds are falling at nearly all clubs, in all leagues. They are likely falling locally because of the disorganised way that KLS has been run for the last two or three years. The promotion could easily and without much cost, repair a lot of the issues, which some fans find more than disappointing. One promoter has stood down ( or back? ) only last week and the other remains unwell. The owner has said he will not risk running future meetings if the track conditions and weather are not as the riders want them. There is not much for the fans to "get behind". A number of fans do not want the banned rider to return and are unhappy about the attitude of others in the team and that has caused a lot of disillusionment. I suspect that the owner now believes that the core numbers of the crowd are not likely to fall much more and that he can go on with things as they are. That might be true and hence the lack of "repair work" to this situation. That may be the situation at a number of UK speedway tracks.

pointsmeanplayoffs wrote " I hope many fans will come along, and treat this as a bit of a clean slate. Something to move forward from" Me too, I hope that there will be a significant turnout and that some of them will return later. I prefer to watch it on TV and I will. The quality of broadcasts nowadays is so good that I for one prefer it. With repeats and being in the thick of the action with passing as well as expert commentary (as far as I am concerned ) much better than being there. The mythical "atmosphere" is just that nowadays a myth - mostly effing and blinding and pushing the airhorn button to be honest. Although I have concerns on how KLS is being run and hope for better things I don't think we can so easily "put behind things" - unless some things change.

Michael Lee was more much more deeply embedded to KLS ( as Holder is to Poole ). Lee was more naturally gifted on bike and achieved better results than Holder has so far. Yes, Lee's personality was more of a problem ( than what we know of Holder ) but as a "local" we did forgive him more. Of course we always hope to learn from lessons of the past and not repeat them.

Is there a statement from Holder? Many are waiting to read it, so if we can be told where to find it, please do post it. A serious request.

That's what I will do. I bet that all the riders will be giving it their best, regardless of the track provided, as they do regard it as being in the shop window for sponsorship.

Lord Skid wrote " Ok, quick answer to put PL Speedway on an even keel, Heat Leaders £60 a point, Second strings £50, Reserves £40, no signing on fees, 20p a mile travel, tyre and fuel supplied. Engine costs £12-15 per race for servicing. Will it work? NO, because the Promoters will not stick to it, one will always want to pay a bit more to win, they've made their bed, they must lie in it." The truth is that that IS ( or something not unlike it ) going to be the future of speedway not later than three seasons ahead. The support in the UK, crowd wise is just not there for much else. We have to cut our coat according to our cloth if there is to be a new season in 2021. If there is to be no BT income ( as there may not be ) it will be about turnstile income and whatever sponsor a track can attract. The survival of the sport is dependent on a scheme along the lines of the above. £100 a point max. for anyone. The big names will not be needed for that kind of viable speedway. The new slimmed down sport will make it's own stars.

There is scheduled fixture before Somerset but.... who knows if we will get to see it. The £10 is not a wonderful gift by KLS. It may not even have been the BSPA's initiative. It could have been a condition of BT's coverage. Can anyone enlighten us on this?

Absolutely! If they can't trust their own riders, those riders should ride somewhere else. Even those we most like perhaps.

It certainly changed the way a lot of fans think about how the club is being run. That 'why bother" feeling is catching when you see no-one at the club seeming to care or take things seriously. There is too much wrong at KLS to "put it all behind us".

Aces 51 wrote " This same man is Chairman of the BSPA. It doesn't inspire confidence. Would anybody appoint someone not making a success of their own local business to run a national company? He promised by now to have delivered openness and transparency, a new rule book and a league sponsor but has failed to do so. There can be no excuse for not achieving the first two promises and this is a man who now admits to being petrified of rider power. The sport hasn't got the luxury of time to wait and see if he can eventually deliver what is required. Where is the plan to rebuild the sport? Is it yet another secret to be kept away from those who play a vital role in keeping the sport alive, the fans. Does it even exist? Speedway is on life support and fans are not seeing anything to encourage a belief that those in charge even know what many of the problems are, let alone have workable solutions. Perhaps it is time for Chapman to step aside and concentrate on rebuilding his own club. The BSPA need someone with the vision and ability to take the sport forward. If there is nobody within their ranks with those abilities they must acknowledge it and look elsewhere for the right person. That is what any sensible business would do. The basic concept of four riders racing on a well prepared track is as capable now of attracting fans as it has ever been. It is all of the other aspects that need action, the rules, the facilities, the PR, the publicity, the continuity of riders in teams, making fans feel valued etc." ​I agree and said elsewhere (but it seem more pertinent in this thread ) - If the BSPA are serious about wanting to ( needing to ) re-build the sport then they should be asking Buster to step aside. Fans at KL would love to see something of the "old" earlier, energised Buster rebuilding the Stars as a credible club - at any level within speedway. Because it looks as if ( from the outside and no-one knows what it looks like from the inside ) that no-one there has the vision and leadership needed at club level. It would be easy to get the feeling that the sport will not continue at KL next season.

It's not about anti Buster feeling, it's the fact that how KLS is being run now ( and over the lest few years ) is causing more and more fans to walk away. Not because they are fed up with speedway or want to see it close in KL but because how it is being offered to them now is not acceptable. Same as any business. If you like it and what it does, you support it. If the BSPA are serious about wanting to ( needing to ) re-build the sport then they should be asking Buster to step aside. Fans at KL would love to see something of the "old" earlier, energised Buster rebuilding the Stars as a credible club - at any level within speedway. Because it looks as if ( from the outside and no-one knows what it looks like from the inside ) that no-one there has the vision and leadership needed to make it work at club level. It would be easy to get the feeling that the sport will not continue at KL next season. As for those who say "support your club regardless" it is hard to ignore when it is being run poorly. Would we be expected to accept some of the shady promoters in speedway from the past and say " that's OK it's our club whatever goes on is fine."? Of course not.

And that was comment on this post "Perhaps it is time for Chapman to step aside and concentrate on rebuilding his own club. The BSPA need someone with the vision and ability to take the sport forward. If there is nobody within their ranks with those abilities they must acknowledge it and look elsewhere for the right person. That is what any sensible business would do. The basic concept of four riders racing on a well prepared track is as capable now of attracting fans as it has ever been. It is all of the other aspects that need action, the rules, the facilities, the PR, the publicity, the continuity of riders in teams, making fans feel valued etc." If the BSPA are serious about wanting to ( needing to ) re-build the sport then they should be asking Buster to step aside. Fans at KL would love to see something of the "old" earlier, energised Buster rebuilding the Stars as a credible club - at any level within speedway. Because it looks as if ( from the outside and no-one knows what it looks like from the inside ) that no-one there has the vision and leadership needed at club level. It would be easy to get the feeling that the sport will not continue at KL next season. As for those who say "support your club regardless" it is hard to ignore when it is being run poorly. Would we be expected to accept some of the shady promoters in speedway from the past and say " that's OK it's our club whatever goes on is fine."? Of course not.

The mystery of is Rob Lyon a Promoter in name only ( since Buster stepped down to Chair the BSPA ) has been clarified. Yes he was a Promoter on paper this season and now can no longer play an active part, other than at the end of the telephone. That cannot be acceptable to the BSPA can it? I thought there had to be two named / listed Promoters - so do they have to be active? All still murky I thought after reading it. Re future call off's, from that statement, fans can draw their own conclusions and believe that it is off, if the weather is in any way dubious. Likely to be about 50% of the time in England. If there is any more speedway at KL after this season it hardly matters if it is Premiership or Championship because of doubling up. so either would be welcome in theory.

If he is suffering from depression then he should seek the appropriate treatment ( if he isn't ). I also know what I am talking about having suffered for 25 years with it ( off and on ). If he has severe depression any medication prescribed would likely rule out motorsports. It certainly affects your judgement and decision making ( on or off a bike ).

Just not enough money in riding for Lynn for the likes of Holder, Batchelor and Robert Lambert. Much richer pickings elsewhere which is fair enough. But why not be up front about it? And now we know there is some serious behind the scenes stuff going on - if only we knew about that too!

Last weeks rain off was a joke - a No Decent Team Off which was preceded by an On Off On Off V Poole, preceded by a Wind Off - be careful what you "wish" for Buster! This will at least be a genuine one and If it's on the others were even more disgraceful decisions.

No problem with that. It would be better than what we currently have. What's "doomed" is speedway as it is on offer now. I am up for the more sensible, simpler speedway that is almost certain to be here in 3 - years. Should be just as ( if not more ) entertaining and more reliable, perhaps even weekly from April to September.

There was much more chance of last week's match being on ( when called off for other reasons ) than this one tonight, if the BBC forecast is even 50% right. Spoken to several fans who were anyway intending to give it a miss as a protest - despite the attractive opposition. Lambert R. now seems to be getting selective about when he rides ( or is it who for?). Is there an anti Buster feeling within the team? And where is Rob Lyon? Lots of questions and few answers - as is usual.

tigerowl wrote" 1. Someone with a brain and without a vested interest in a club to run the sport" Without that ( although it will never happen ) the sport will become less and less viable and less and less credible and less and less attractive to the paying customers. A part time semi pro rider and sport is all we will be left with if any speedway at all. It's "doomed" as that great Scottish actor often said.

Yes the reserves were the key to the loss at Leicester. As well as Batchelor's tantrum. Simon Lambert is far from fit and was not ready to return to competitive racing. At his best he can do reasonably well at reserve in the top league but he is far from that at the moment.

I for one believe that. It may have been very grippy but that should enable committed riders to not only ride well but race well too. So what was it all about? The V Poole element of the match where Holder's loyalties ( if he has any ) were torn OR was it an anti Buster confrontation by the KL heat leaders? That is more likely why everyone at the club wants to sweep it under the carpet and put it behind them. Hmmm.

Do send Bewley and Lambert as they are likely to be the mainstay of Team GB for many a year and won't disgrace themselves for lack of effort. If Lambert is suffering from a crisis of confidence after the SWC then send Ellis and give him some rides.