TotallyHonestJohn

No...

Honestly Ian Being a former chauffeur to Mr English in the past I am sure you were told information that differed wildly from the press release and that the official comments and that those press releases were no where near the truth and lets say what was actually put out was more diplomatic and a little bit sanitised than the true events of what went on and I may get a wrist slapping for this but hey ho... So here it is as far as I know... from the start of the season and over the last two months or so (and from Matty getting injured) the club have tried for Kenneth and Lasse Bjerre; Ludvig Lingren and Claus again (twice) also Rene Bach and we have even asked about trying to get Kenni Larsen's licence back but all to no avail... also when the Visa issues started with Claus feelers were put out to Martin Smolinski and Adam Skornicki; certain avenues were explored and even UK access sponsorship and Elite Sports Person's visas were looked into for all these riders. There were also three other riders two Danes and one Swede who were approached but ruled out coming to Newcastle from the start and these contacts were not taken any further. We had to all intents and purposes Troy Batch signed on as we believed we were the only side in the league who could fit him in then Kent got the jump on us so that went out of the window and we have also tried Rohan Tungate; Brady Kurtz and Luke Bekker and finally Dan Bewley and Dan was the only one we got near to be fair but his Polish team are in the play offs and he couldn't afford a Mickey Mouse injury at Brough jeopardising those play off finals especially with what his Polish team has invested in him so that stopped him... Ellis Perks; Bradley Wilson Dean; Josh Auty and Josh Bates are amongst others who the promotion have talked to... Wages and travel costs have never ever in any of the guys mentioned above been an issue... Work permits; Visas; Sunday racing and Poland were all the primary issue for the foreign riders and as far as the riders already here their issues have been as stated above or different again on personal grounds... That's SEVENTEEN riders they have tried to bring in that I know about and there have been others on top of those named above... However the club now being run by consummate professionals would never reveal such things would they; however me being a "Merchant Banker" who doesn't give a "Rats Behind" and is too big to hit... well... there you go... I can also confirm that the riders wages are all up to date and riders are paid according to contract and they get everything they are entitled to... any issues are resolved immediately and the promotion are having to re-build the clubs reputation with regards to this matter following on from the mess that the previous shower left and those same people who although used to cry foul when other clubs were slow paying riders proved to be just as bad and if not worse than the worst of them carrying out the same practice with riders still owed monies at the start of the next season... So your belief Ian that wages and costs are the issue are wrong... Totally Wrong... Regards THJ Oops I forgot one make that EIGHTEEN as another one they got quite a way down the "contract talks" track with was Hans Andersen however another one who cited that Sunday and Poland was a problem... not the offer...

Tell ya what I will bring Rob over on Sunday and he can explain what the true situation was... cost never came into it with Claus it's people trying to be diplomatic that muddy the water... I would rather have it all out there... then the truth can't be denied... on the riders that have been approached the biggest stumbling block has been Poland and racing on a Sunday not costs... Regards THJ

They weren't for the club as the deal had been done... and Claus wouldn't comitt to Newcastle and said his Danish team would come first unless he got a second British club... he wanted to come in and out of the country as per the old days... pre Brexit... which at that time would have meant that his availability could not be guarenteed... there was also other outside interference that dictated the action taken... if you were aware of the European riders this promotion have approached you would be astounded... They have tried for six Scandinavians and five British based riders (in the last 6 weeks) all to no avail and cost has never come into the mix... neither wages or travel expenses... there's one thing for sure this guy pays his riders as per contract unlike the previous shower who run the spot... who still owed money to 4 of the 7 at the end of their last season and left this promotion to pay the bill... It's just another sorry saga in Diamonds history that this new promotion have had to contend with but with the support that come to the for this weekend hopefully Rob will feel revitalised from the good will and support he received and he carries on fighting the good fight... The show of support on Sunday was absolutely fantastic just a pity the team couldn't rise to the challenge and my only wish would have been to race against Plymouth first then Poole and although I still think Poole would have been good for the points it would have been a bit closer (and two heats shorter) but never mind it was a fantastic turn out... Just need half of those in attendance this week to come back next week and build from there and it will be a different story next year that's for sure... although three quarters would be better... Regards THJ

Thats not true... and on Vissing it had nothing to do with not being able to fly Claus in and out of the country so where you got that information from? Or are you just making it up? Claus couldn't commit to Newcastle because he didn't have a second team over here to ride for... furthermore it was cheaper getting him here from Europe than it is for getting some of our other riders in this country to Newcastle... No one in Europe is ruled out on cost... Regards THJ

No a could do more... honest... Regards THJ

Haha no I will be on here less because I can't get a signal where I am on the harbour... av got to walk into the middle of the street out the back to take a phone call... an av seen that Farm Shop Programme and met the family who run the place as it happens as an old pal of mine used to supply all of their milk a few year back when they first kicked off but not now and they have forgot their roots a little since it's took off... Regards THJ

Here now... and every weekend... and any other time I'm not working... it's where I will retire to... Regards THJ

Well it's 2% so what you were told was wrong... but hey ho.... Regards THJ

Obviously you are not up to date with the situation Arnie... please keep up before you jump in... many thanks... Regards THJ

This is the issue Mike and its why it hurts so much.... What sport in the world penalises a successful team like speedway; Worky was built in 2018 to win their home matches and get 35 points away from home... they never in their wildest dreams expected to go to Glasgow and Newcastle and score 50 points plus... the home crowd has to pay for the away meeting and 380 on a Saturday night watching Scunthorpe then going to Scunny and getting 50 points down their meant a hit of somewhere around 6 grand... the expectation levels are far to high and the model isn't working IMHO Never a truer word said. Err never a truer word said since the last one Oh and how true is this statement; couple of years back three of us watching a GP in the Golden Lion in Maryport; just before the semi final run off someone turned the TV over to look at some racing results and there was nearly a riot in the Bar... get that back on we were watching that and there was around 45 in the Bar and I said to them "if you like it that much why don't you get to Derwent Park to watch your local team" to much like hard work; to cold; to expensive; to far away; to many excuses and they all said they loved the sport but would rather sit and watch it on TV and no one was brave enough to ask for it to be put on the TV in the bar... Nuts totally Nuts... Regards THJ Must go sorry...

Fingers well rested and on the lap top in the office now but I need to get some work done... and as much as I enjoy your sparkling wit and repartee one always tries not to be disrespectful or hostile however there are times when one does get annoyed when the message doesn't seem to be getting through however one is working on that with help from several vintners... Now if people were getting £300m in loans I may be tempted to take up your suggestion and become an ex-pat on a beach in the Bahamas and fight deportation all the way... However you are proposing something then suggesting that speedway should not do it; so contradicting your self; so can I suggest to you saying as it is Friday start thinking more about Corona Larger and less about Corona Loans and you will find your blood pressure will soon be returning back to normal... Finally mentioning verbal jousting and "Sparkling Witt and Repartee" a friend of mine went to a school to learn the art of sparkling wit and repartee and I will leave you with what he said to a circus clown who gave him grief for many a year... !!! Hmmm although on second thoughts being a good boy I will save that for another day however @BykerBiker may share the punch line with you... Keep a had... Regards THJ

S4S look at it this way for Brough £1400 + VAT (don't forget the VAT) (cough cough) to rent the Stadium; Medical Cover £600; Referee £150/£200; Trackman £250; Rider and Club Insurance a tyre and other sundry items and BSPL fees payable and that's just the start of it. But using those basic figures you have spent your £2500 before you have turned a wheel and paid any points money out; furthermore you are being ambitious with 300 fans as there was around 150 who stopped back to watch the NDL meetings after the main event at Newcastle; but if we give you the benefit of the doubt and say that they do get 300 in to watch at a tenner a head you are flying by the seat of your pants again at £3000 before you even start. So the promoter says if you want Speedway you are going to have to ether come and watch in larger numbers because where have all the Speedway fans gone or I am going to have to increase the entry fee. (Sound familiar?) so then as @mikebv stated earlier you up you entry to 15 quid but 50 people decide that they aren't going to pay that so its a rat race to blowing your brains out. Also I sponsored a couple of NDL lads this year and both are stating that due to machinery and travel costs they are going to quit next year unless they get something like 20 quid point because they can not afford it and then none of this adds up... Hopefully that explains the figures and why running an NDL team at Newcastle is fraught with risk... I accept your premise and don't fundamentally disagree with it however no matter what you do the numbers need to stack up... Regards THJ

Although we normally sing off the same hymn sheet Mike there is a lot of what you have put above I don't agree with. First off there is nothing "Top Tier" about British Speedway these days and we need to drop the terms Elite and Premier as this is marketing under false pretences there is nothing Elite about the product. Poland and Brexit have seen to that and if the Poles decide to make all their riders ride in just one league that will be a few more less for selection... The NDL was a joke as it was treat like a top league by promoters with riders on £800 guarantees and deciding not to ride in other leagues but choose the easy option of sitting in the NDL... Promoters are their own worst enemies as they try and operate like football clubs but for every Man City who can afford a Jack Grealish at 100 million quid and on a couple of hundred grand a week salary there are thousands of other clubs that can only dream of such ambition. Football at the top levels oare supported by billions of pounds of high paying revenue sources Speedway doesn't have two pennies to rub together. Promoters are the issue here there is no one else to blame as it those guys who cant get their act together and they don't like hearing that either. There is a race for all the top riders to be seen to smash all other teams and win everything and its only money that does that; which is back to the football scenario however football has the world to choose from and the Premiership here is where every one wants to play however in Speedway the roles are reversed as its Poland who have all the cash and it is Poland where all the riders aspire to be. That in now and wont change any time soon. There aren't Nine or Ten 'Elite' teams in the country to run a flagship top league as the riders we have available are only second strings in Poland at best and it is going to be harder to be a Professional in this country because the wages aren't sustainable to provide full time professionals with work. Gone are the days when guys like the Owen Brothers took all before them in the second tier and when the went up a league struggled at 6 and 7 initially in a team resplendent in international riders. The Sport moved on unfortunately the UK did not follow suit. I was told off a BSPL committee member that if the riders didn't ride in two leagues in this country they would qit because they could not make it pay!!! well let them quit and get a job because Speedway is no longer a full time Professional Sport in the UK Poland and Brexit have seen to that and the way the sport in governed with the tail invariable wagging the dog... I agree that something needs done and there does need to be more teams in League 1 than there are in League 2 and this ridiculous curry star rating system and other manufactured ways of trying to manipulate the riders for team building needs to stop... there needs to be a fundamental sea change in the sport both in attitude and in delivery of the product... Surely following this year we will see something radical happening. Finally you don't have 14 full time professional riders to pay from a crowd of 600, you have 7 home riders to pay for and then hope you make enough from your 600 punters to cover your own 7 riders for the corresponding away meeting. If there was ever a time for 6 man teams and electric bikes its now and on your last point someone in Speedway has said "enough is enough" and that is "The Fans" at many clubs. I wanted to expand this further but being at graft and busy I am struggling for time and there is another point I want to pick up on Regards THJ

So what you are really saying is your just stirring it... Never mind... Sore finger getting tired failing eyesight and starting to flag its been a long day... and there is a whole one not touched yet tomorrow... You keep a hold of your self and we will catch up tomorrow Regards THJ

Agree and when they are down to the last 6 clubs who get crowds and the same 42 riders are seen week in and week out let's see how professional the sport is then... once everyone else has had the coup de gras applied to them... Regards THJ

PMSL I have a limited company that has been offered a 250k loan and I wouldn't dream of trying what you are suggesting... and just because you are a Limited Company that doesn't give you a "get out of Jail (or gaol) free card" if you knowingly perform an illegal act you pay the price... I'm starting to believe what @lewy had to say... Clueless... Regards THJ

Like a said it's happened many times before and not that far back... and it will happen again... you've possibly over thought the situation... but hey ho you've definitely stimulated some debate and managed to upset at least two sets of fans lol... Regards THJ

Then "go to gaol go directly to gaol do not pass go and do not collect 200 pound" because the next thing we will be hearing is people getting locked up for doing exactly what you are suggesting... It's a good idea in a soap opera like "Shameless" but honestly Iain not in the real world... Although the way Speedway is going it is turning into a bit of a soap opera when you think about it... Regards THJ

But that works both ways M.07 Newcastle have run in away fixtures at Glasgow and Edinburgh with the home meetings still to do.... so RG has paid travel tyres insurance and wages for these two meetings and doesnt get any return on that outlay until they come to Brough... so those clubs have benefited and would save on their away obligations... Think the transfer deadline day is the 28th this year (maybe not) however what loyalty do riders normally give to clubs... it's mercenary in the sport these days... and are you not being a bit mercenary yourself here M.07 as Redcar are on the lookout for a rider? Bit jiggery pokery and get Riss back in again? However if it goes past the cut off date Redcar will be stuck with R/R? Just sayin like... casting envious eyes at Brum and rather than see them stumble on until past the cut off date and then fold apply the coup de gras now and pick over the bones... Never mind hopefully both clubs can hang on at least til September and if they do go pop... well Schmitt Happens... they wont be the first and they wont be the last its hapoened before and its not intentional... Regards THJ

These are loans that have to be paid back... why would anyone in Speedway take a one on... they would never make the money to pay it back... Borrow money to put on Speedway where there is a risk that Covid has killed off half your audience so even less chance of paying it back... Promoters are blowing their brains our now do you want them in a noose as well just in case they miss... It works for a small builder or the like because they continue to earn once the restrictions are lifted so can pay back the loan... where do these promoters get the cash from... Regards THJ

Oh no... bring ya brollies the West coast wet bunch are coming over... knocking bet it rains now... Try and leave the wet stuff owa Worky Neil... last thing we need is the wet stuff... Be nice to see the Blue Army and what waifs and strays you can pick up on the way expecting to see @SteelShoe and his pal Arkwright from Asparia as well... hopefully a couple of good meetings for your entertainment... Regards THJ

Well if you are coming make a 10 quid donation to the club if you think its too cheap I'm sure it will be greatfully received Regards THJ

But how were they to know that they don't have a crystal ball... he had the money until the VAT carry on broke... and it was a case of let's try and offer something different but it backfired so dammed if he did and dammed if he didn't and the galling thing is he had put together quite a good NDL team... which brings up the next point... The costs of putting on a meeting at Brough are quite cost prohibitive.... how many of that hard core support would have remained faithful to the club and a stand alone NDL team... when you seen the numbers that stopped back for the NDL meetings it would not have been enough to cover the rent let alone pay everything else like riders wages... so either way the business haemorrhages money... I accept the premise of what you are saying but it always comes back to the risk and at the end of the day it isn't your or my money at risk it's Rob Grant... Also fans would expect to pay a lesser admission fee as they perceive they are seeing a lesser product... so ergo you would need more through the turnstiles... To pay for the running costs before you pay a rider you would need a minimum of 250 through the doors at say 10 quid entry and that's before you pay any riders wages... it's back to the streaming arguement again the outlay isn't or can't guarantee the required return... so ultimately is the risk worth it... Regards THJ

Not really Pinny to be fair; this promotion have been through a great deal and deserve a little help and if it does save the club what's a few quid if you can afford it and as a big Newport Fan I am sure if you had the opportunity to help save your club you would have put your hand in your pocket for sure... Anyway what's up with you? back in lock down in Oz and raining again you grumpy old scroat? Regards THJ