HGould

Apparently Steve Bruce is Guest of Honour. Free potato to all Villa and Baggies fans to throw at him.

May be Laurence could return to Plymouth, wasn't he there for a while? as newTM? Considering Garry May is making a bigger pigs ear out of a far stronger looking top 5 and letting Bowtell leave. Oh the irony.

Wish Laurence a speedy recovery. I know he was in agony with hips b4 an operation a couple of years ago and I think had a heart scare some years back. Keyboard warriors see occasional team manager issues. They don't see countless hours paperwork and organising as Promoter. Masons used to rely on him massively due to geography and Tolley has a business to run. Laurence does 7 days a week and a job not just racedays. Stuart won't come cheap that's for sure. Hopefully ha can kick Morris up his backside and Sedgeman and Thompson family trust him to get best out of their lads.

We were way to hasty in ditching Newman in 2019 that's for sure. I think Keleher would have done a job for us too last year and this.

He does but I do worry for the impact on his own business. He deserves really a stadium of his own to build and develop. No one deserves the owners we have to deal with. Fair play to Nigel Brummies fans know a trier when they see one and like the Masons he'll get thanks and respect for his efforts

We are very grateful to Nigel Tolley and before him the Masons for keeping Brummies alive against mounting odds and big losses. Your one man moaning vendetta though against Mark Phillips is OTT I've not seen Nigel driving a tractor or preparing the track. Nor Dave and Peter Mason Not seen them rebuilding completely new Stands, put in new lighting, drag a struggling NDL team up to the CL and recruit the likes of Crump, Anderson, Palm Toft and others to try to make it work Perry Barr is in the middle of everywhere, Plymouth is on a never ending road to almost no where. Mark Phillips deserves great credit, not your constant moaning.

The 2018 NDL season saw Brummies and Eastbourne forced up in reality by BSPL, Stoke and Buxton effectively forced out. Kent are still in but in a very different setting, only Mildenhall and BV Colts remain. Kent were effectively also forced up after 2019 season although Len I gather seriously considered PL but was blocked out. Plymouth were similarly forced up after Somerset folded , Newcastle moved in and quickly out, IOW forced out , Coventry vanished but Landlords Leicester moved in. It really does emphasise that the ideal scenrio would be an enhanced PL and a development secod tier that hoovers up anyone in CL not riding in PL and bona fide NDL riders with the caveat that those on the Rising Star Scheme have NDL Exemption to ride in NDL for 3-4 seasons. Two tiers who are self managed by their own Management Committees. The issues with many ideally suited to that level has been dictated by a Management Committee not interested in NDL in reality, other than to neuter the product. Whilst the PL remains a closed shop in terms of numbers the danger is where do Clubs like Poole / Glasgow / Oxfrod gravitate to, whilst the cartel protects the TV money and allows little if any trickle down. No doubt Messers Bates, Louis and Ford would be in PL, Godfrey would have to decide but i suspect he is very good at managing to a budget at some point below PL that could fit in an enhanced NDL and not impact negatively on his crowd levels or business model.

The site is still there and the track can be seen. Stocks Bangers closed, never recovered from the tragic death of the Teng Tools Boss crushed by a Tractor on the Centre Green. It's contaminated land about 15 acres. Strong rumours though that new Owners of Birmingham City a big US Hedge Fund with about 10 billion of managed funds want to build a 45000 seat stadium and turn it into a sports Village. Whether motor sport separate stadium would figure is debatable. The contamination may take 3 years just to clear though so no quick fix.

About 500 average

The team was always top heavy to accomodate the no 1 we lacked under the Masons and since Nigel Tolley arrived. Unfortunately we've got a No 1 who is for some reason riding like a Number 4, he's certainly not a Masters / Lawson type rider. Sedgeman has always been marmite, sadly it looks like his form and impact is tailing off in year 2 as it has done in the past. Pearson has improved but needs to be in a better team to continue that improvement and Bowtell is 100% but may be guilty of trying too hard on occasions to make up for deficiencies elsewhere. Very impressed with Jenkins and Atkins last night, 2 lads who've had stop start periods due to injury and being discarded by other Clubs somewhat inexplicably, both rode with real freedom and enjoyment and Oxford look to be getting things right. I can't fault the Masons nor Nigel for their hrd work and obviously both losing / lost shedloads to give us Speedway. I know the Oxford promotion have some money behind them, probably more than Masons and Tolley but they also seem to have a Stadium Landlord happy to help them rather than chastise and obstruct them. Frankly, I, and i know many others, have no expectation beyond the last meeting of this season, and that's nothing to do with the mamangement, the team or anything ON the track, purely down to (a) Stadium Owners (b) the fact that no one can expect successful but limited in terms of available cash businessmment to continue to pump in tens of thousands on the basis that their hearts have over-ruled their heads. If Oxford can attract average crowds of 1500 or more and 800 or more for NDL , why do we struggle to get 500 for CL, and last night only boosted by a sizable Oxford contingent. The answer to that may go back many years and lots of factors. One massive question though remains, that is WHY have we never been able to attract ex Coventry / Cradley fans to PB in the way that Oxford have attracted Swindon / Reading fans who make significantly longer trips inmidweek. It's not as if the much maligned (and unfairly on occasion in my opinion) Promoter / Manager hasn't done his utmost to attract Cradley / Coventry fans, but where are they??... If Wolves survive I may watch Speedway there, otherwise I'll make the not difficult trip down the M40 on occasions down to Oxford if PB does close on a few occasions and go to Leicester but sadly and it is sad, I cannot see any sustainable future for the Sport in the West Midlands unless CVS can pull a rabbit out of the hat!

Not sure Lawson will welcome deeper track with rib/chest injuries and S Worrall not firing. Poole look strong though remaining 5 men. 53 to 35 ish

Politics has 30p Lee. Speedway has Penny Shovlar Clowns

Plymouth might have missed a trick. Should have let Trigger ride for Mildenhall and booked Bothen themselves. Although I know that's not permitted

Ben Trigger going to be a busy lad tonight then, time travelling between Oxford and Plymouth

Did someone spot a large freezer and a microwave oven being delivered on draw day to BSPL HQ

I hope Harry will rediscover his love for the sport. The Sam Norris crash, a few years back, must have affected both brothers and others close to that age group, although fantastic to see how Sam recovers as time goes by. The spell at Plymouth in CL is a perfect example of how the sport uses young lads not yet ready and then spits them out with shot confidence and dissilusion. Hopefully Harry can regroup stronger

The idiocy of a regionalised Spring BSN Cup and a regionalised KOCup draw has a lot to answer for. The lunacy of then scheduling the corresponding League matches so early in the cycle compounds the issue. Why not have corresponding League fixtures in late July or August. I'm told the Promoters used to sit down in Rugby and plan Fixtures on a day but since Covid it's now done by John Campbell. Poor bloke, can't be easy or a job anyone would want. Surely if they have a Spring Cup insist last 2 league fixtures are v teams you face in that Group and make KOCup an open fair draw.

Get well soon Dan. Brummies need you.

Don't think Starkey has ever got really back to the level he was at before breaking both wrists and other hand damage in the British Final pre Covid. Great lad and a shame. Morley is great round a couple of tracks, dire at most but as others have said supporters want to see home wins anything else is a bonus. Turner has been seen at PB a few times with Cribby word is he has bad ligament damage which can be harder to fix than a break Trigger is cemented in that team whatever happens and no real 2 point alternative. He needs to be more aggressive in first turns, he is in NDL but seems overwhelmed in CL, a sign of immaturity maybe.

It's a difficult pill for Glasgow I'm sure. Harris isn't firing as he did last year, Vissing is probably exceeding expectations of some. Basso and Brennan are good prospects but both are at that stage where their careers could go either way and neither are yet consistent heat leaders let alone able to take weight off Harris. The other aspect is that both Basso and Brennan make be more focussed on PL and certainly on opportunities abroad and probably saving best kit for that. The reserves are a combination of an excellent young kid who has a great future but would ideally be supported by an older hand who takes the pressure off, the reality is Complin has regressed from last season. Muscle bound / building simply does not work in speedway, the bulk affects weight / power ration, it's more a sport for jockeys than body builders. Look at Lewis Bridger as an example when he tried the muscle man fitness route.

Agreed Danny King is a real Team man and mentor as is Steve Worrall and Middlo stands no messing. If they can't make him see the light I can't imagine MPT or Lambert will. It's down to the indivual himself, although I'm sure someone will have a word and remind him you don't "p off Chairman Rob"

Maybe Nick Skorja is going to Plymouth. Possible a change may be made pending approval before they get in to regular League Matches in June.

It'll be interesting to see if Kemp has found some humility and lost the petulance and arrogance after his enforced absence. The ability is there, now he needs to apply himself and ride for the team.

Mondays and Fridays were historically the race night at the old PB. I have a recollection Wolves used to ride on a Friday in the 70s so we had Mondays?. Obviously Monday is out as its PL protected. I think Friday would be out as too many Friday tracks already. I'm not convinced Sundays would be that popular to be honest. People commuting to work in the Conurbation and who may go to Villa, Blues or WBA or shopping Saturdays probably not keen on going in to City again on a Sunday. Beginning and end of season direct competition with footy and in summer Cricket. Lots to do outside the City in more rural surrounds on a summer Sunday too. Finally, if an afternoon you have to deal with another whinging sizable minority "the dust merchants".

Lot more brown field in Wolverhampton than Dudley Borough probably. Council in Wolverhampton are also far more in to supporting all kinds of sport than Dudley or Birmingham.