TotallyHonestJohn

Honestly Loan fees paid up front!!! never been known, clubs are usually still screaming for them to be paid in September and October let alone at the start of the season... But you can always live in hope... lol Also sent you a PM with some relevant information Regards THJ

Honestly When has Speedway ever been fair? Regards THJ

Not the case Dave last years debt is manageable and will be sorted; and as pointed out below and mentioned earlier in the post, its only if the club totally fail and end up being annulled do they loose their assets Totally Correct Not quite correct either as the riders are still assets of other clubs and as such resort back to that status just means they are back into he mix as riders without clubs; their status wont change also if any Workington assets are used they will still get the loan fees whilst the licence is on "Ice" and if they confirm that there are no buyers and they intend to wind up the business and do not run next year they will be able to sell the assets As you have outlined with Kyle Howarth and a couple of junior riders but non of them amount to a hill of beans cash wise with a possible return of between £15/20k max for the riders they own. (that's just my assessment could be more but may be less) Totally valid point and the asset based system is slowly changing with the BSPA seeming to be building up a centralised asset base meaning they will end up holding all the riders. Looking at recent changes in BSPA company status things are slowly changing behind the scenes and this will cause further ripples and consternation throughout the sport It is getting that way and there is a conspiracy building under the surface here (I believe) which will anger even more fans, definitely a case of "watch this space" Totally Correct Totally correct Although crudely put you are correct it has all boiled down to money at the end of the day and the club could have started the season however if the same constraints and factors remained for this coming season as the last one then the club would have potentially folded around the end of July beginning of August and folding mid season would have done no one any favours really. The big gamble would have been to start the season and pray some of the (one time only and returning) fans who watched the cup matches came back and bolstered the crowd levels. However that was to big a gamble to take due to the fact that if the team weren't winning from the start of the season the fair weather fans would have drifted away as they had done in the past leaving the club up a creek without a paddle Average crowds currently of 450 to 550 with a lot of discerning fans who wouldn't come to watch National League racing unfortunately so the crowd dips to what? half that figure 250 to 300? Eastbourne and Lakeside for sure will tell you that they had larger crowds than that and struggled to make it pay in the National League, also being mainly a Southern based league with the most Northerly team in Manchester meaning greater travel costs and then there is the Stadium costs as the Rugby Club would still want their cash regardless so there would not be any reduction there. I looked at this option last year and it is even less viable than the Championship. It may sound crazy but the better option could have been to go up a league rather than down then this may have generated a crowd of 800 to 1200 which would have supported a reasonable team but again that is one hell of a gamble to take Totally correct and sums much of this sad situation up I'm afraid Regards THJ

Their assets won't go into the BSPA pot... With putting the licence on ice they retain their assets and bond. If a club close down correctly rather than collapsing they can get cash back... Worky had arranged the sale of one of their riders at the back end of last season however this was blocked by the BSPA as they felt it left Workington light on assets... as a club is required to have a certain value of assets on their books... If the club don't run next year Laura can still sell the assets she has on the books... Regards THJ

Nice to see its pleased someone anyway like eh... less said the better The fixtures have been sorted at a BSPA meeting last Tuesday and I doubt they will be changing them anytime soon Totally correct Regards THJ

For anyone interested in attending I have been advised that the funeral will be held on Tuesday 22nd January 2019 - 12 noon at Tynemouth Crematorium RIP George Regards THJ

Yes Workington were fined £3k for not completing the Lakeside fixture and lodged an appeal against the decision which cost £100 quid was rejected so they will be making a final appeal against this decision (another £100 quid) in the coming weeks on the grounds that Dan Bewley was injured in the first abandoned meeting then the BSPA pulled the second meeting as it was on a Friday (FFS) (that may be the other way round) then the 3rd meeting a double header was rained off following a downpour one hour before tapes up when everyone was ready to go and the 4th meeting couldn't continue due to a frozen track on the last day of the regular season and it was stated that Workington hadn't done enough to get the meeting completed You are incorrect, you can "Ice" a licence after the AGM (but before the season starts) without being penalised however it comes at a cost. The licence could have been put on "Ice" prior to the AGM for free however doing it now will cot another £5k. The scenario you describe is correct if you fold in the regular season having commenced your fixture list. Laura will be able to get her bond back and sell her assets by doing this now; which offers some protection; it also give the chance to get all of the financial commitments in order to meet the various criteria set by the BSPA Gutted does not come near Regards THJ

Honestly All a bit quiet on here.... So how about a prediction... Glasgow will be the first team to announce a change of personell in 2019 and I hazard a guess that it will be before the season starts.... Regards THJ

Just asked and embarrassingly you are correct but West Allotment and Shiremoor were two separate pit villages when I was a kid. They now seem to have melded into one... A conglomeration of brick built shoe boxes where even putting them on concrete rafts didn't work... 19 properties were pulled down and "as new" as the properties are the place looks like a 8h1t-hole to me... Also I should take more notice of the kids when they are talking to me... lol Regards THJ

Agreeing with Jenga two days running!!! Wow I blame the flu!!! The Green Belt they are using here is not only supposed to be contaminated due to it formally being a pit, it is riddled with mine shafts and there is an issue with Pluvial Flooding but that didn't stop them. The land was being used as open farmland within a conservation area and part of the Green Belt although the council said it was a Green Open Space not within the Green Belt so it could be turned over for development. Yet when I bought my house as a new build back in the 80's it was bought on the premise that the adjoining land was Green Belt and had a covenant on it stating it would never be built on The other chestnut was it will never be built on as it was the only North East site (apparently) where Golden Plovers fed up in the Autumn prior to migrating South and there were Crested Newt and two types of Bat also on the site and an HV pylon route right through the middle of it. All of which we were told would stop development however North Tyneside Council need to build 10,000 houses a year for the next 5 year as part of their 5 year plan (allegedly) and 1,200 units going up on this "Open Space" was a soft target for them. My daughter who lives on a new estate in Shiremoor on an old pit site has had the first dozen or so houses pulled down in her street that weren't 12/18 months old due to subsidence. The best laugh is the British Coal Board (remember them as I didn't realise they were sill going) have come along and injected a liquid grout into the holes and mine-workings as remediation and levelled the site off and now the developers are back bidding on the land as it is open season apparently due to there being houses on the site previous and it now has a different classification to build on following demolition. My question is; who; now knowing the history of the site would by a house on that land. So if the council (or developers) want the land you don't get a look in as I have been right through this process and gave up in the finish as a small estate of working class people can not take on the big boys and hope to win with the financial clout they have and the rewards and gains they can make from developing land. (1200 houses at an average of £180,000 gives a return of £216,000,000) (so who needs a euro lottery win) Newcastle is quite a small and compact city and all the surrounding estates seem to gravitate towards the centre so every bit of green space is being built on at present as it is an easy target. Glasgow on the other hand is a big sprawling metropolitan city with plenty of growing room at present and a site like Ashfield would/should be well down the list to redevelop I would assume; but never say never Snapper as you never know what some Town Planner has in store for you; but I do agree with the sentiments of your post Regards THJ

Haha.. no am running out of data as am having issues with me phone and this man flu has got as knackered.. Regards THJ And right back at ya with the compliments of the season... all the best...

Yep so it's got a covenant on it for a specific use... but saying that the shower over here where I stay Monday to Thursday have just downgraded a Green Field site next to me to shoe horn 1200 houses on it the Bar-stewards... Down here it's only a fixed covenant whilst it suits the powers that be... and I never thought I was a Nimby but apparently I am... Doh... Regards THJ

Honestly I understand where you are coming from Mac101 however that is only under the constraints of the lease and will be subject to local planning, if Workington could hang on for the next 3 years the Football and Rugby clubs will have gone from DP if local press reports are to be believed which will open up other options for the Comets as the council have said they would support them in either moving or retaining DP with certain criteria applied. Jenga is correct with regard to our local council (not often you hear that) and in your situation even if Allied wanted to build on Ashfield say houses or a garage or even a car park they would only be allowed to build whatever the council decreed unless planning is vastly different in Scotland of course as "change of use of land" in England anyway comes with a great deal of red tape and Workington would only ever get a lease on DP they would never own it outright. I think it was Sing13 possibly who pointed out in an earlier post that the situation at DP is the council own the land which they lease to the Rugby Club but the Rugby Club own the stadium which is the first complication of many. If the council end up building the new stadium as proposed and the Rugby move resulting in the Speedway becoming the tenants of DP then if or when the stadium was shut down the council have stated they would help in relocating the Speedway but its all "pie in the sky" at the moment. Regards THJ

Honestly Gaz I think Worky Worky might have a point here Breath... that's it... in... out... in... out... and in again... Now count to 10 slowly Not only did you get a fishing rod off Santa you must have got some new teeth as well as you are still biting at anything and everything Question... Whats the biggest fishing rod in the world? Answer... A flag pole!!! Question... Whats the biggest fish? Answer... Gazc cos he bites at owt... Honestly as a publican (current or former?) you aren't very good at telegraphing these wind ups mind are you, I mean... Jenga even started the post off with the following I think even Inspector Clouseau would have spotted that this was possibly a big clue to a post of epic none-sense and mischief as usual? Regards THJ By the way hope you had a good time over the Christmas and happy Hogmanay

Hello; well the reporting of my death has been greatly over exaggerated; firstly compliments of the season, bit late I know but I hope everyone got what they wanted for Christmas and a very happy and prosperous New Year to all. I have been rather busy since mid December making for a very frantic festive period both in my personal life and behind the scenes in other ventures. (and now I have the dreaded "man flu" but I am soldiering on manfully and not moaning whatsoever "Honest") (and no its not just a cold right!!! its worse than that!!! honestly!!! I am dying though!!!) On a more serious note; everyone will now be aware that the club is up for sale and I can not go on here and fully outline what has gone on however I for one am really disappointed with the current situation. (in fact I am gutted) However what needs to be pointed out is that Laura is the sole owner of the club and ultimately it is her decision as to what happens with it and what route she takes with regards to how the business is run. For information in November a business plan was worked out to make the club more financially secure and mitigate (or at least spread) the losses and there was a great deal of good will and support for the proposal and it was felt from certain quarters (me included) that this could save the club and offer a plan of support for the next three years seeing us through the proposed redevelopment phase of DP and the opportunities that this potentially offered to the club going forward. Furthermore the team (as most could see) was built to a budget to support this plan. The proposal was comprehensively and finally completed and filled out by the end of November and we had identified where our shortfalls were and what we required to fill them; I had pre-booked a room in the Waverley Hotel in Workington before Christmas for a meeting at the end of November or the start of December, to outline the full proposal and discuss what additional support was required and everything was coming together; however things ground to an abrupt halt following several positive meetings. Unfortunately two key people didn't want to go down this LLP route (or at least had reservations) as offers had been made from the local authority and a local business that appealed more than the "developed LLP business plan" so the initial proposal for an LLP to take ownership and run the club was parked. This other proposal and offer of support has not come to anything unfortunately and this added to other extraneous issues have (I believe) tipped the balance and resulted in the club going up for sale. I along with one of the other promoters put a great deal of effort into pulling together the survival plan for the club and we genuinely believed the LLP proposal could have worked, and again we were genuinely excited by the prospect of taking the club forward under this new format, there was a great deal of good will and opportunity to build on the success experienced in 2018 however it is probably dead in the water now and I am now "Totally Unsure" how things will progress from here going forward. So if there are any potential buyers out there who require any support both in management time and/or financial input or information I am willing to help however the signs (to me) currently do not look good. Also if anyone wants the facts PM me or call into the Golden Lion or Lifeboat in Maryport Saturday 12th Jan as I will be propping up the bar in one or the other from tea time until late as there will be no value in trying to second guess what has gone on as it is quite complicated; and there are also some things that I just can not share on an open forum. As stated it is Laura who owns 100% of the business and is still in the driving seat, she says it remains her intention to "carry on and prepare for the new season" however from the press release she has stated that; "The amount of hours of work that they have all put in behind the scenes, in what are obviously very challenging times, has been incredible and as a result of that many other aspects of our lives have suffered as a direct consequence". She also highlighted that; "all our success last season came at a significant cost, which has been well documented in the past", says everything and to me does not bode well. On the cash side of things the press release pointed out that they "hoped it would lead to a more sustainable future for the club and that is still our aim going into the new season. At present that additional backing is still significantly less than we had hoped to achieve by this time but we will continue to pursue every possible avenue to obtain as much support in terms of sponsorship and help as we can for the 2019 season". It is this support that is vital but again the comments do not read well However the one positive from all this is that she is still "talking up" about running next year further through the press release so "Nil Desperandum" like eh as Horace once said? Regards THJ

Where things are at potentially and more importantly if reports are true!!! 1 Thomas Jorgensen 7.66 7.66 2 Lasse Bjerre 7.08 7.08 3 Victor Palovaara 6.25 6.25 4 Matthew Wethers 5.78 5.78 5 Nike Lunna 5.63 5.63 6 Max Clegg 3.25 3.17 7 A N Other 2.49 2.43 Total: 38.14 38.00 Remaining: 0.00 This will leave 2.49 for the last place if a Brit with the 2.5% reduction applied or 2.43 if the reduction cannot be used Looking at it I think Danny Phillips could be a sensible choice. He was starting to get the hang of Brough when he was last in the team before he got injured and with him being picked up to ride for the Belle Vue Colts next season; the contrasts between the two tracks should give him the opportunity to kick on in 2019 and develop his speedway/racing education. He is confident enough and has the belief in himself and his own ability and whilst I don't think he will be a 7 point plus rider next year (would love to be proved wrong) he does still have a lot of potential. In 2017 before he got injured his average was up to 4.75; now granted he had only had 4 meetings (2H:2A) before he got injured; but if he ends next year on 4.75 (more than doubling his current average) it would be considered as a successful season (wouldn't it?) Regards THJ

Aye av missed Jenga as well... Wonder where he's at? Definitely a quieter place without him... Which Jekyll and Hyde was it? The Spencer Tracy one? Remember it frightened the B'Jesus out of me when I was a kid... it's good for a laugh now though... You also get some good quotes from him as well... "Quiet minds cannot be perplexed or frightened but go on in fortune or misfortune at their own private pace, like a clock during a thunderstorm". Pure class and of course written by a fellow Scot Robert Louis Stevenson who would have been a Monarch fan I presume with him coming from Edinburgh You could do with taking some of his advice.... Regards THJ

It's Christmas man cheer up... just watching a thing on telly now called The Glasweegian I think it's a documentary about Weegies... Oops hang on am being told it's called The Grinch... My bad... However if the cap fits... Regards THJ

Honestly With it being Christmas I was tempted to stick down all those chestnuts just to get with the spirit of the season. However I would have got slated for an overtly long post. However well spotted IS... and as Nat King Cole once sang... LYRICS Chestnuts roasting on an open fire Cami Brown nipping at your nose Yule-tide carols being sung by a choir And folks dressed up like Eskimos (because it's Glasgow) Everybody knows a turkey like James Sarjeant and some poor 2 point reserves. Help to make the season bright Tiny Jocks with their eyes all aglow Some jealous with all the money the Tigers spend Some Comets will find it hard to sleep tonight They know that the Facena's are on their way Loaded with lots of toys and goodies on their Gravy Train And every Glasgow Fan is gonna spy To see if Rasmus really knows how to fly And so I'm offering this simple phrase To Speedway fans from one to ninety-two Although it's been said many times, many ways No matter how much Glasgow spend they still won't take a pot home to view. And so I'm offering this simple phrase To kids from one to ninety-two Although it's been said many times, many ways Merry Christmas to you Just in case you want to join in... The lyrics above fit just as well... All the best... Regards THJ

Me too

Honestly First met Luke a few years back now when my daughter was teaching at his school in Berwick and I used to chat to him at Newcastle when he came down on his free Sundays to watch. He is a great kid who is "keen as mustard" and wants to do well and he will be well looked after up at Armadale and I hope he takes this opportunity with both hands and makes a good go of it. After all he deserves the chance and he will not be overawed by the step up and his attitude is spot on. If he puts 1 point on his average next year he will have upped it by 50% so you need to look at what you expect him to achieve because if he does end up on a 3 by the end of next year I will guarantee that no other rider in the Edinburgh team will have upped there average by that amount as its all about perspective If he can get dialled into the Edinburgh track he will be okay, as has been pointed out there is a good home track advantage up there and he will get well looked after with all the help needed for him to improve. Good luck to him for next year and stay safe, and all he has to do; to look for inspiration; is look at how Kyle Bickley did last year; he had a hard time at the start of last season, persevered, and by the end of the year didn't want the season to finish, so let Brummie matey boy "knock" as hard as he wants, if you get stuck in and work hard you end up proving the detractors wrong. I for one will be rooting for him Go for it Bonnie Lad Regards THJ

But definitely one of your better habits surely? Regards THJ

Honestly As it is coming up to Christmas I thought I would share this little chestnut off the Scunthorpe 2019 thread (Page 21) from Gazc where in response to a question posted by "allthegearbutnaeidea" where he asked "Why does every team want Rasmus Jensen?" Glasgow Gaz responded back with... Quote "Probably appeals as his average is attractive in a watered down league , I would be disappointed if my team signed him. No dis-respect to him but I have never been impressed any time I saw him albeit he was banging some big scores in towards the end of last season". Just hope the rest of Christmas isn't such a big disappointment Gazc and signing Rasmus Jensen doesn't spoil your entertainment to much next season, although there is always Hogmanay where you can drown your sorrows, like eh!!! #teamspirit #PMSL Regards THJ

OMG Sorry... My bad... av had enough to drink A can't see straight Pick this up tomorrow a think Taxi.... Regards THJ

Oh!!! Is this plan B Hic oops a mean hahaha Regards THJ