Fortythirtyeight

Think Scorpions will win but Bears to get the extra point their after. Expecting a couple of ‘retirement’ speeches from one or two home riders afterwards.

We can all see the problems but no one, myself included, has the answers. Let me give you just a couple of examples that will have to be faced. Say I run a team in a rented stadium, the landlord wants to increase the rent. My crowd is decreasing by 10%-15% or thereabouts every season but the fans want a reduction in admittance charges. How do I balance the books? My imaginary no.1 is on points money in my championship league and typically picks up between £900-£1200 on a good night. He also rides in the Premiership and is paid a ‘guarantee’ of around £2,000 ( or more in certain clubs) a meeting. The fans want the sport to go ‘ one league ‘, you think the rider wants that and cut his earnings by half ? Then theres the matter of which team he wants to ride for as he is always going to pick the clubs who pay best leaving half the ‘one league’ with the riders who aren't in demand elsewhere. I could go on but wont, the problems are massive. There are only a handful of clubs who can balance the books , the rest rely on generous sponsors or rich owners, one league would kill the smaller clubs without major changes on how the sport is run. You think those that are choking the sport at the moment have the brains to make dramatic changes ? I fear not.

According to you…. but to quote you from the Glasgow match…. “I don't take much interest these days to be honest.”…..so how would you know ?

Never claimed to have all the answers but….Only if the G.S.A. plus the home % bonus fits for the rider being replaced.

Not sure why you appear to have an issue with me ? Perhaps it’s because Ive read the rule book before I post ? Or that I have read the club information before I post ? Either way, you come across as a somewhat ‘touchy’ individual who doesn't seem to keep up with events before typing on here.

Nothing personal but a team in the DEVELOPMENT league running R/R for a retired rider isn’t right.

and its the lowest form of wit.

I hope you dont mean restrict the crowd so you can get out quicker ?!?!?

As ‘ Team GB ‘ is a private business it assumably needs to turn a profit, staging a test match in the UK with UK based riders isnt likely to make them a big sum and attracting the big stars to ride costs big wages.

Exactly !

What’s the panic? Bears haven't beaten Poole for how long ? and the Bears are at their weakest at the moment nor ridden at home for at least a month, so no riders and no staff by the looks if it !

It’s in the rules.

NO.

A bit like Boughen…Joe Haines, Bickley and many others.

Got one, that’s how I worked out he’d missed one match. You’re wanting him replaced so you should be happy they’ll get a guest, but be realistic, he’s representing Team GB and there's no riders to sign. Plenty of riders missing meetings these days as Poland is number 1 and riders chase the money elsewhere before UK speedway implodes.

It’s speedway, the rules and guests make no sense and it gets dafter by the year.

Mulford has missed ONE match for Redcar, get a grip !

Bears are looking weaker with Riss and Mulford missing, a lot depends on the guests they can get but thinking Bears won't repeat their earlier success.

and Redcar Cubs, when it suits. The NJL is getting as bad as the senior leagues for guests.

Interesting that Glasgow’s no.8 tonight is in Redcars ( Middlesbrough ) NDL side.

Well at least you got the first seven words right.

So you list TWO tracks who do ‘practices and training ‘ and one of those , Leicester, which you will probably need a bike and kit for ? Thats alright then ! Im talking about your local track , where ever that is, from Glasgow down to Plymouth giving the opportunity for someone to turn up and say “ Can I have a try please ?” Its this blinkered attitude thats brought the sport to where it is now.

That crowd wont pay Sheffields wage bill tonight……but it might Oxfords !

Let’s face it, there just isn’t enough interest from females in riding speedway and we currently struggle to get new males interested. The Belle Vue event had 25+ females attend, all invited and given free access to bikes and kit for the day and it was given massive publicity . How many of those took part in this years event ? ….two? three? Whilst Hellowell took part she rides for fun ( nothing wrong with that ) and doesn’t really compete at regular meetings or ride in any form of team racing. Gordon seems to have packed in as nothing has been heard of her this season other than the odd practice early season. That’s about it, I’m aware there’s one or two turn up at practices here and there but none of them seem to ride on a weekly basis so this FIM event is just a publicity event to tick a box. Just how do we get any new blood interested in the sport when tracks just aren’t providing the opportunities to have a go ?

Redcar are really struggling for riders as they no longer run practice days, Amateur meetings or the old hire bikes they used to do, don’t know why ? Katie Gordon seems to have given up and I’m told Dan McTeer ( who was a novice but improving ) has now given in too due to a bad crash affecting his work.