TotallyHonestJohn

Where or what is £1000 per meeting...

I'm sure your comments have been noted Keith and I noticed that the turnstiles opened about 20 minutes earlier for the Edinburgh meeting strangley enough so it shouldn't be a problem... and yep the Kent one is a collector's item...350 programmes I believe and all sold out... 500 for the previous meeting and nearly 250 left on the shelf... makes ya wonder... Regards THJ

Well this is it folks time for the "Fat Lady" to sing.... Possibly the last ever meeting for the Newcastle Diamonds 1929 - 2021... 92 years of History; four world champions; a fantastic tradition with some fantastic teams; great riders; brilliant memories and a life time of friends (and adversaries) from up and down (and across) the country. The promotion are offering a last walk around the track at the end of the meeting so bring a small bag to take a piece of history with you... potentially your last chance to grab a bit of shale from good old Brough Park... although after last weeks dust fest I have enough down the shower drain to fill in a small pot hole and to be fair I would not have it any other way... well done to Rob Grant and the promotion for steering us through to the end of a very testing season... So this is it Chris "Bomber" Harris is surely a draw for the locals and Eric Riss who has expressed on more than one occasion of his liking for Brough Park and our very own adopted Geordie Ashley Morris must give the Brummies' a bit of hope in getting a result... and here is the contentious bit... its just straight up the M6 turn right on the A69 and follow the signs for Newcastle then Byker (other routes are available and will no doubt be advised upon accordingly) Should be a good meeting and according to XC Weather https://www.xcweather.co.uk/forecast/NE6_2XJ it will be fair and rain free but wrap up because it will feel cold as it pulled in a bit against Edinburgh and was feeling a bit nippy before the end. Oh and buy your ticket on line or get there early as the stadium capacity for the crowd is 2500... lol... I have been told that everyone who has ever been there and been a fan from over the last 50 years will be there on Sunday night so you have been warned... Oh and "edit pending" once the teams are known I will stick them in here however I think Newcastle will be running with R/R for Matty Weathers Edit... NEWCASTLE: Ben Barker, Connor Mountain, James Wright, Max Clegg, Paul Starke, Archie Freeman, Adam Roynon. BIRMINGHAM: Chris Harris, Josh McDonald , James Shanes R/R, Ashley Morris, Erik Riss, James Sarjeant, Leon Flint. Regards THJ

Tell you what is strange Gav... The Newcastle Double Header was the best attended and most profitable meeting of the season for the promotion which you wouldn't have expected and that worked out at £10 a head per meeting but it still paid off... and made money? however I doubt if those two meetings were run as separate meetings the crowd levels would have been the same and they would have resulted in further losses for the club... £10:00/12:00 per person is achievable if (and its a big if) you were guaranteed the crowd... Regards THJ

To be honest I have no idea... it would be prudent to do it as soon as possible to get the new name out there however there would have to be a commitment made before the AGM I would have thought... Regards THJ

Had a chat to Rob last night and the rumours have started with talk of two interested parties... one a former promoter and the other a consortium... although still no approaches made as yet... however if anyone is interested they will need to declare that interest sooner rather than later and get their finger out otherwise they will be in the same position as Rob was being late to the table for rider selection and building a team... So never say never... but nothing to report yet... Regards THJ

How about an announcer on £150 quid a meeting... not Roy I hasten to add and it was a couple of years back now and Roy knows who it is but never mind... Whatever Roy said and however it was interpreted it pressed the wrong buttons with the Promotion and as you say it is Robs club (for now) and he reacted how he felt appropriate and I think both of them have moved on and whatever has happened it is now confined to the dust bin of history... Also I would never say it is over til the fat lady sings and there may be a saviour out there who is willing to give it a go if the rumours are correct... However they are only rumours at the minute and you never know if there is any truth in them and I know that no official approach been made but there may be something in the offing... No smoke without fire and all that... Regards THJ

Its not for the want of trying Norm believe me... (and not just on the euro) But like me old gran used to say "Son if you pooped in one hand and wished in the other I know what you would get first.... and it wont be your wish that's for sure" wise old woman my Gran... if not a little crude... Regards THJ

Honestly That was hard reading for sure... So Goodbye it is then; So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, adieu!!! Adieu, adieu, to yieu and yieu and yieu!!! Gutted... Regards THJ

Yep and I went to school with Roy and we were in the same class for the last three year at school so add another 10 on how long you have known him and that's where I am... and on the RC thing that was following the format and term used by the previous poster in their text referring to Roy in their question of "For example 'RC' who brought so much to the show and still does at Redcar" because to be fair again I had to think who he was referring to at first I didn't hear what was said at Redcar I only got it second hand and to be fair to Roy I spoke to him about it and he said he felt he hadn't said anything derogatory either and I have no reason not to disbelieve Roy however that's not what was reported back and whatever he said and whatever was reported back it upset the promotion... however I believe there was a discussion between Roy and the promotion and the matter was closed out.... and having spoken to Roy I know he was a bit upset about the outcome but at the end of the day its a new owner with new rules... personally I don't and never have had any issue with Roy... On wages I won't go into that to much however my figure came from Roy himself initially and I know what was quoted and what was discussed re. Newcastle and for that matter what went on up at Berwick and what his expectations were to do something at Worky if the new track gets off the ground fully which I also chatted to Roy about so whether he was going to charge Newcastle or not for his services it still ends up a saving on the balance sheet... Regards THJ

To be fair Rob hasn't done anything with the track... a referee put a report in at the start of the season about kick board condition and dust and the whole thing was blown out of all proportion... and certainly nothing as bad as has been seen at other tracks where Jack has been done... Regards THJ

You're not wrong...

Nope less than 500 and that was with a good turn out from the Edinburgh fans too... Regards THJ

Less than 500... Regards THJ

1) There has been much debate on this and not to go over old arguments Rob didn't "tear the club apart" many of the "old guard" chose to leave with the previous shower... and haven't been missed to be fare and I would be surprised if any of the fan base knew who they were other than maybe with the exception of RC... and of course not forgetting the two who remained faithful Starting Marshall Phil Day and new Clerk of the Course Brian McBean who both do a cracking job and the club has managed to run without the "suckhole squad" who used to role up and do very little except bring in half a dozen hangers on who didn't pay to get in so very little was lost with them not coming back and on RC.. it was Roy who decided to take it upon himself to denigrate Newcastle at a Redcar meeting which got back to Rob and I believe they have discussed the matter which is now closed and at the end of the day Roy can say what he wants but Rob has the right to protect his business... furthermore Roy was an on cost on the centre green which Rob decided to save upon... personally I like Roy's cheesy craic some don't he's a bit marmite but over 20 meetings in a pre-Covid normal season it is a 2k saving that could be better spent elsewhere I assume. 2) The food wagon does events and festivals which is Robs business... says what it does in the business name to be fair and the most recent was the Leeds Music Festival... so if you go to any of these events who knows may be... but then again I some how don't think so... you will see Grants events catering providing a service... At the end of the day one man owns the franchise at Newcastle and how he runs it and protects it is quite frankly down to him and no one else... Regards THJ

Brilliant gesture and Tony Jackson (last Worky manager to win the treble) is coming over and when I offered him a ticket for free he said thanks but I would rather buy one to help the club which was another fantastic gesture... Regards THJ

Well to be fair I think it will be a close one 47 - 43 or 46 - 44 but no idea which way... the Diamonds need to show the same spirit they did against Glasgow and we could pull off another surprise... However this could be the 3rd last ever meeting at Brough and the fans need to turn out in numbers to show the Promotion that the sport isn't a lost cause in Newcastle and I don't mean thousands although that would be very nice... but the bigger the turn out 650/750/850 say then this will make the Promotion think again... Regards THJ

Honestly The crowd doesnt need to be huge and anything over 650 will make Rob think again IMHO... and 750 or 850 would definitely put the cat amongst the pigeons that is for sure and would surely give him food for thought.... so spot on with your comment and if the fans want to keep the thing alive all they have to do is turn up... easy as that... Regards THJ

Most of them... Thomas Henry; Top; Middle and Bottom Taps; Golden Lion; Lifeboat and if it ever opens again the Captain Nelson... Oh and the Maryport Tandoori once he fully opens again because since Covid all he has done is a carry out service... Regards THJ

Ruff no one in their right mind would keep this alive or move it unless they were flush and had money to throw at a folly... the returns are none existent... if it was a grand a hundred grand or a million quid... how do you make your money back... It would take someone with very deep pockets and a mountain of time on their hands to run and operate Speedway in Newcastle that is why someone like Rob was the ideal promoter at any venue let alone Brough.... so as much as anywhere can be developed at a cost the question has to be who would where could you and why would they.... Gypsies Green at Shields has been mentioned and I had a chat about it today and a local Multi Millionaire tried to buy it to put the local football team in and he was going to invest millions in the place and was knocked back... but let's say the council has a rush of blood and hands over a ready made stadium and all you need to do is drop in a track and say additional floodlighting and a few other bits and pieces for a "Professional" track and set up as our friend likes to say... then yes 100k is a realistic figure... 12 to 18 acres of flat scrub land from a flat start you could do a lot of damage with 100k... but how do you get a return or are you not bothered and prepared to write off that initial outlay in the first instance... needs one passionate fan to do that... I would love for someone to come in and take it on but in the current environment we find ourselves in and under the current set up there is just too much going against it to be viable.... even if you could guarentee to break even would be a start... if the place was getting double the numbers through the door they are now then it would be worth saving... but unless Rob can be talked back round there isn't a wall with people sitting on it queing up to buy the spot... unfortunately... Regards THJ

Wow I'm surprised your considered response came back so quick this time... only 17 hours!!!.... take some iced green tea or a pint of cranberry juice for the boiling sensation in the bladder.... Whats the obsession with quoting professional all the time what's the point you are trying to make... and what type of licences are you banging on about a racing and track licence or an alcohol licence because neither are any stumbling block... you are just a little troll having a pop all the time... move over Nick Negative here's @Wee Eck... you can't stand it when your whole outlook or your "opinion" is blown out of the water... it's okay having an opinion based on facts but if you are just going to make pony up you need to be re-thinking your approach... facts always trump opinions every time... especially made up ones... Here's another fact to dispel your opinion how local do you think Rob Grant is? His family home where he grew up is 9 mile away from Brough Park and he has lived and was schooled in a suburb of Newcastle all his life... and raced for his local club... So how much more local do you want? A caravan in Brough Park car park? And between him and Dave Tattum they know how to run a speedway business you condescending tool... The current venue runs on one year leases by ARC racing and it will take a very specialised promoter who will be able to make that pay especially on crowds of 3/400... oh so I don't know let's say an ex-Speedway rider who can maximise profits through maybe something like erm... let's think... running his own food venue at the spot and generating supplementary revenue streams... something the owners of Brough have always blocked in the past by the way... now who fits that bill... no prizes for guessing who best fits the bill that's for sure.... too easy... or... or... here's an idea if we could only encourage a rich pair of brothers who have unlimited funds and a fantastic business who could underwrite all the losses under the cover of supporting the local community with a Corporate Social Responsibility wrapper... any guesses or an opinion on who I could be referring to there then eck? Now don't think too hard cos you might pop a blood vessel and I wouldn't want that on my conscience as once again you are wrong...yep you're wrong again... yes... that's right... wrong... as of course I'm thinking of the Ruben Brothers.... Yep if they can afford to buy a football team and half the town centre for entertainment venues they will have cash to spare... so who did you think I meant eck... let's have your opinion please... The 2021 Diamonds were built from the 2019 Diamonds that Rob Grant inherited from a fantastic professional promotion who had a £20/£25k start each season in the bank because they neglected to pay their VAT commitment... but that will be okay to you because they were Professional like eh? Oh and the other thing you need to support your wrong opinion is a good memory... or at least to have an opinion that holds water... now all Newcastle fans know the situation with regard to the team because it has been run through many times to explain the selections/changes... however if Glasgow hadn't threatened to sue every one back in 19/20 wanting to retain their original team and not lower the team build points average (and supported by Eastbourne) and have teams re-declare the Newcastle team would have looked much different... but those Professional promotions who took a selfish approach to look after themselves and built to what they perceived as strong as a team as possible stopped any realignment of teams to share out what assets there were availanle to the detriment of another club will in your opinion be okay... and we all know where Eastie have ended up in that little exercise... also if the Rising Star process hadn't been implemented Newcastle would have had a much stronger bottom end even without the redeclaration exercise taking place... but a rider who they had been promised would be a 3 star rider ended up a 4 star and had to be dropped from the team but never mind our Professional promotion just rode with the blows and got on with it... and Newcastle were further weakened... However the Promotion never built the team "down to a price" as you so eloquently put... and here is my opinion we have a Professional promotion who have done their utmost to keep the sport alive at Brough Park and many factors have worked against them from many corners but Rob has still kept his sence of humour in the face of adversity and if he does walk he can hold his head high because hes done things right and propper and gave the thing 100% of his time and effort... So get ya thinking cap on eck and al wait another 17 hours or so for you to concoct your opinionated drivell and have a snide pop at something that is on the brink of being lost forever... but hey ho one less team for your lot the screw over eh... it's great giving an opinion when you know Jack about the facts... must be great living in a little dream world... Regards THJ

I knew what Redcar cost as it has been quoted many times previous and it was your persistent assertations that a track couldn't be pulled together for 150k which were totally wide of the mark... and it was you who asked what was spent on Duns and I will guarantee you expected a larger outlay and there are nothing theoretical about my figures as one of my roles is to set up and run sites for various construction projects and has been for many years. Regards THJ

Not sure in the day and to be fair I can't think what they look like now or there make up and size... However if they have structural steel work in them the cost for this has gone through the roof over the last 2 to 3 years not only for the materials but the installation costs for labour (steel erectors!!! Scaffolders on steroids)... also concrete prices have started to turn silly as well... That's the thing you have to think basic and permanent structures cost and the difference between a 15K structure (which I would say you pal probably has right as are these not Breeze Block and wiggly tin) and a 360 digger forming a grass bank is about 13.5k cheaper which could be spent on something else... but no business person in their right mind would invest 150k into something losing money... As an educated guess Rob will be out of Brough by the end of the year and the landlords wont be too keen to re-let the site and as stated who will pump 150k into a new site on a venture that is losing money... think we just need to enjoy our last three meetings and hope people turn out... Honestly it's pie in the sky if anyone thinks that there is a long list of suitors queing up to buy this franchise... The parrot is deceased it's a dead parrot... Regards THJ

Dankeschön Or as we say here in the North East "Donkeysh!te Mate" Regards THJ

Honestly Not sure what your background is but I am guessing you don't have much site experience If a pits area is constructed the same as Redcar it would be less than £10k in breeze block with a wriggly tin roof and for £30k Werneck Cabins could sell you a small village worth of refurbished cabins including Office; Food; Ablutions and Welfare; and a 200KVA generator to run said small village £10k for that and the red diesel to run a meeting less than 50Lts @ .50p per litre so £25:00 for the juice and who says the Hire Of Portable Mobile Toilets is expensive? you can hire them for £22 quid a week or buy your own for £375 quid. As for running in mains it depends where you are bringing it in from as we have just had a 3 phase supply connected into a shop on the West Road in Newcastle and it was £3.5k however I know of a site in Workington where they have been quoted £60k to move a supply approximately 20 metres so if its less than the cost of a generator you would do it and forget the Genny, then water and foul services can run from £1.8K to £30K depending on the length of the run and if you are on a brown field site you are standing on a massive soak-away so drainage shouldn't be a consideration. Site and track lighting could be installed for under £10k and mounted on bent scaffolding poles set in Postcrete. Everything is doable on a budget. Duns has cost between £60 and £70k to date so as unlikely as you think £150k seems; rest assured; it could be done and how Professional do you want an oval dirt track to be as I never said it would be the next NSS it would be very basic however as stated it would be a starting point and it would be functional. Also I have no doubt like at Duns and Northside and when Derwent Park was finished off in the late 40's early 50's there would be an awful lot of support from various sources and volunteers would supplement on the less technical tasks. Plus food wagons can be towed to site and even Guinness have a chilled trailer that serves beer!!! Finally you are right it is all moot to be fair but again we are talking about putting this in somewhere near civilisation not Langton Lees, in Duns on the outskirts of nowhere (as good as that little venue is and could be another Redcar) Where there is a will there is a way... if we had said in 1939 it was too hard and couldn't be done we would all be speaking German now!!!! Regards THJ