RobMcCaffery

Delighted to hear it. Now good luck with the Edinburgh and Newcastle peace treaties

Still at war with Russia too, if I remember rightly Didn't help when in the days of the Scotland v England NL matches the Scots were in the red and blue helmets at Shielfield... A case of the town being in one country and the county in another.

Chris has given me more entertainment and enjoyment over the years than probably any other rider in Elite League racing, and certainly any other member of the current "Team GB", Woffinden included. What happens in the GP does nothing in the slightest to change that. Others can get uptight about his engineering or his non-achievement in other competitions. I just enjoy good racing and I know with Chris in a league match I've got more chance of some great races than with many other riders with far greater reputations.

What would you prefer, a four team 'Elite' League? The madness is on the track right now - a bankrupt league with insane rules. Yes it would be great to have an 18 team first division again with all the world's stars riding - but while Poland is paying the money and BSI and One Sport making Saturdays unusable the madness is in the blinkered, simplistic attitude that you preach. The stark reality is that the sport can't afford these 'names', even if they bring in a few more supporters to help pay for their costs - and, quite frankly I begin to wonder if it can afford supporters like you who clearly couldn't care less about speedway unless they're seeing the 'stars' and their team's winning. It does prove that there's a way to go before there can be proper reform of the leagues - stubborn ignorance won't let it happen. Best to let Elite League carry on killing itself until there's an even smaller handful of fans bleating about 'names'. That's the madness. The EL's problems may be eased but they are certainly not solved by the World Champion keeping himself in practice for the remaining GPs. I could book Beyonce into my village hall. I'd get loads more people - but certainly not enough to pay her.....

Rugby League used that system very successfully for decades. The side top of the league were the champions who were then joined by their closest challengers for a competition called "The Premiership". Then along came Sky and they had to switch to just a play-off system, as in Australia. Now, where's the connection?

You spell it f-i-e-n-d ;-) Normally I would agree with you and have argued the same in various threads. I have the wretch on block so only see his inanities when someone quotes him or I read the forum without logging in. Of course he's trolling but the depths that he has sunk to make it hard not to comment. You'll notice if I respond I talk generally, not to him and do not quote him. It grieves me that anyone should have such an appalling attitude to the sport that has given me so much enjoyment for so long and am frustrated that he has not been ejected from the forum. Others have had suspensions for far less than he's been coming up with. We've had to put up with a hell of a lot in the sport in Britain over the past few years and the last 'reward' we should get for not doing like thousands of others and walk away from the sport is to endure his taunts. To many trolls have been allowed free reign on this forum, and it's usually the ones who respond who have been getting the punishments.....

The past does matter when it gives wonderful memories. I have had 45 years of enjoying speedway and those happy memories (and some sad, even tragic) help you through the poorer times like now. I've seen speedway ebb and flow. I've seen England dominate, then the Danes and now the Poles. Everyone has their day. Some can cope with the success, others can't - clearly in Grunberg. Over those years I've written on the sport, broadcasted it, but most of all I've been a supporter. In all that time I've yet to meet in reality any follower so spiteful and ignorant as the troll. If he's a waiter I suspect he doesn't get many tips. If a customer behaved like him wherever he worked he'd be in the street. Yes, I was working on the expectation that Grudziadz would be able to get the bonus. So, Tai might not be so lacking in meetings in September after all.

It wasn't that long ago I'd watch seven matches a week, let alone a season. I still could some weeks if it wasn't too expensive now. The troll lives in his own foul little world where you hate your opponents, whether it be in the league or internationally. People like that feed only on success and don't last long once it inevitably runs out. Still, at least when watching the Polish League you know which team you don't want to win... Now, trying to get this section of the forum back to where it was before the troll started pissing in the sand pit, Grudziadz are perilously close to losing their play-off place. They're clearly going to lose and even if they get 40 and the bonus point a win for Wroclaw at Leszno would put Sparta through on race points. I do hope Pawel's son enjoyed the match. (Edit: Come to think of it, I used to do three matches in a day. Long Eaton-Scunthorpe-Birmingham one bank holiday being the most serious bit of addiction.)

It's like a group of friends meeting in a bar to discuss their common love - with one drunken moron throwing beer and constantly trying to start a fight :-( In a real bar he'd last five minutes. Sadly in the forum there's nobody prepared to throw out the rubbish....

The sad truth, I suspect, is that more young Britons have heard of the Indianopolis Motor Speedway than Belle Vue or Poole Speedways.

Details can be read here: http://pa1.swindon.gov.uk/publicaccess/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=O7RY9CPTHSC00 Note that this application only dates from May 2016. There are 47 documents attached to it, some of which have been referred to by Orlov earlier. Yes it's quite transparent. I think even if they did put up a burger bar in a day it's not the same as building a sports stadium but yes it could be a quick job. Would it be in this case though given past 'performance'? They're struggling enough just to get the paperwork right.

Someone, somewhere along the line has been feeding false information, you would hope accidentally. Perhaps they were hoping nobody would know how to check the facts? I dare say the speedway promotion has acted in good faith, based on information received. If the applications (one has been withdrawn and replaced) had been submitted without significant faults we might have seen planning permission awarded a long time ago and the new stadium built as per the publicity. It appears they haven't. I understand that the replacement application is for a 'modular', quick to construct stadium. I expect it'll be another portakabin job like Reading. That served its purpose but the original Smallmead plans were far more impressive. Let's hope we can one day have certainty about the continuation of Swindon Speedway - whether in the existing or replacement stadium. It does still seem a distant hope. I do hope to be proved wrong, but it is vital to keep a very close eye on this case to make sure we don't have another Reading....or Milton Keynes....

What you have to understand is that rearranging coverage of the SGP for little over 12 hours later isn't as straightforward as it seems. Yes, BT could easily 'bump' a few programmes round the schedule but it's not so easy to get the likes of Virgin Media and Sky to amend their all-important electronic programme guides (epgs) in time. Most modern recording systems such as Tivo, Sly+ and other PVRs rely entirely on these epgs to know when to record and stop recording. If programmes change transmission times without the epg being updated you get the mess you describe. Thankfully I knew of the changes in time so I was able to record it, but only by creating a ra\re manual recording on my Tivo. There's only so much VM and Sky will or can do, especially over a weekend. The person at BT wouldn't be the only one who thinks speedway is car racing. One of the greatest failures of speedway's publicity 'machine' over too many years is failing to break down the barrier of ignorance that thinks it's some kind of American car racing.

I suspect they already have, just not in their own name. You know how it goes in speedway. I do suspect that the Polish clubs are stirring this situation for their own narrow needs. One Sport will be delighted. It's sad to have top say it but the sooner British Speedway stops getting kicked around by the needs of the PZM, BSI and One Sport the better. A period of isolation while we rebuild seems necessary, as reflected in what appears to be planned for 2017. Tai Woffinden says he's tired of being 'Mugged off" by the BSPA. As a straightforward supporter these days I'm personally sick of being equally "Mugged off" by all of the current speedway authorities, BSPA, PZM, BSI and One Sport. I just want to watch sane speedway with proper teams at an affordable price weekly and all of these bodies are killing that. Money talks. Except in Poland it swears.

The deal to cover One Sport's SEC and Pairs tournaments is with Eurosport Poland so it's entirely separate from the Swedish deal. It's realistically One Sport's only option to get their events shown internationally since they're so heavily weighted in favour of the Polish audience, including many interviews in Polish so I suspect that it's likely to be ongoing. I can't see Sky or BT touching it in the UK in that form and by selling to Eurosport Poland they only have to make one sale. No doubt one of the Polish stations would be interested but I take it despite the German cock-up this year I suspect One Sport would want a wider audience than just Poland. Yes, the last round was superb for the speedway fan but these events are hard to sell outside the 'hard core' of speedway support. This is reflected by One Sport running most of these events at lesser Polish tracks and in countries desperate for international speedway events. I suspect Noodles staying with Eurosport might be the sensible option but you just can't be sure in this sport. Still, at least with Eurosport it's no a big financial gamble.

The key point is that we sadly still seem to be some way from planning permission being granted. Hopefully the plans will satisfy the drainage problems and now they will move on to finally come up with workable and acceptable parking plans. Only a fool builds without planning permission so clearly there is some way still to go after all this time before they can even consider cutting the first sod. It could still happen but this is a painfully slow example of what is a meticulous and slow procedure in the first place. Put simply - if the plans are wrong - no stadium.

You believe that someone being concerned about the sport in his country is unacceptable but being aggressive, threatening and obnoxious and giving off threats of violence is? Any fool can see in your spiteful bile about the GPs that Poland is anti-BSI. Of course there is a battle between BSI and One Sport - and its fans in countries like Britain that suffer. That is unacceptable but your childish prattle is? Gangs of pathetic ultras threatening rival supporters and gloating over them "running away" is? You've hit rock bottom now. You have shown many times just how twisted your squalid values are. Congratulations on showing yourself for the disgusting piece of human ewaste that you are. We don't think or behave like you over here. Your constant childish goading and insults belong in football, not speedway. I thank god I don't live in your nasty, small-minded world. Alan, you're thanking the troll?

"Ultras" have no place in speedway, nor those who condone them. Poland has success, but at a hell of a price.

Thanks, it's tough because I care deeply for British Speedway and am incensed by the way it's been walked over and the fans short-changed for far too many years now. The Hancock case is just the latest. Our goodwill has been abused by all and sundry for far too long and nobody seems to give a damn - too busy arguing over trivialities and whether their team's bigger than the next guy's. Someone has got to start thinking about those who are left and haven't walked away - before they do. Someone posted on another thread that we must not pander to those wanting 20 heats for a tenner. Well someone had better start some pandering to those who are left rather than simply complain when they disappear! If we'd 'pandered' to the customers we once had then perhaps they might still be customers. The question asked was "Should Greg Hancock ride for the USA?" Since the only real reason for watching the decayed Team USA is to watch him ride the answer is simple Yes. To do otherwise is showing contempt for those buying tickets.

Hancock's always had a very strong following over here so naturally people were looking forward to two official appearances from him here this year, at Cardiff and Belle Vue. His contempt for those people by pulling-out was made even worse by the flimsy excuse. He's not the first American to totally misjudge his British following and the last one didn't hang around the sport to find out. Having had a fair number of dealings with Team USA in the eighties while I welcomed their talent and flair I could see how shallow the smiles were. Greg isn't the first to finally show his true colours. I'd like to remind Greg that it was the opportunity to race in Britain that elevated him from being another big fish in a very small Californian pool into a world figure in the sport. How quickly they forget. Whatever long-term grudge Greg may have with the BSPA for losing out on a team place here due to the points limit in the early 2000s he should not take it out on his fans here. I doubt whether any future appearances in the UK will be so anticipated. It does leave one final thought. Just how much more do British Speedway supporters have to take? We've seen the degeneration of the Elite League and the world's best riders turn their backs on it. We have to tolerate desperate decision-making resulting in farcical rules, poor tracks and far too many heat 10 dashes. It's always the fan here that loses. It's not that we have so few that's remarkable - It's a wonder we still have so many. We don't need the likes of Hancock also putting the boot in. The grin's looking rather plastic now.

They had a run-off. Zmarzlik beat Madsen to give Vetlanda the point.

As far as team matches go the eliminated teams get just seven home fixtures a year. Crazily, some people wish to see that system in Britain.....

Poole overall may have four matches in hand but they have ridden ten times at home to Wolves' eight so the true position is that Wolves have two home matches in hand on Poole, which you would expect them to convert to six points, while Poole have six away matches in hand which they would need to get eight points to match them from the six away matches they have in hand to draw level in the long run. Aces51 has quoted a modern equivalent of the old 'form guide' which was always a very good guide to the underlying positions. If Belle Vue, Wolves and Poole won all of their remaining home matches and failed to collect any away points Belle Vue would finish five ahead of Wolves who would in turn finish eight ahead of Poole. So Poole have overall a net of four matches in hand on Wolves but most of their work has to be done away from home. Wolves have just one away match left while Poole have seven, half their season's schedule so there is everything to race for but it is not as simple ass being portrayed.

In the long term one combined league at current PL level but only with riders able to commit to a very high percentage of fixtures, if not all (barring injuries of course) is the sensible way forward but first attitudes need to change on both sides of the fence. It would be an abject disaster to let this current set of EL tracks inflict their ills on the PL - constant absences, riders not putting in 100% commitment and a preparedness to miss week after week of fixtures in prime racing weather and insane team rules. Equally it seems far too many of their supporters take the attitude that racing at a lower level means less entertainment and some even seem to take it as an affront to their pride. The "I don't DO second division" mentality seems to still be far too common. So, it has to be option one - let people find out for themselves the realities of single night racing and whether it was that, not money, that was putting off riders racing here. If it works then fine but if not perhaps there will be a greater willingness to see sense afterwards. To the realities of single night racing. One rain off and you have nearly a month without a home meeting, which takes you right back to the current fixture shortage. A more direct problem is, assuming by some miracle there are 8 teams in the 2017 EL you have to decide whether it's one match home and away or two. If one, then you have seven home league matches in the year, over a 14 week regular season, say May to August, then half of the tracks get one extra play-off meeting and a quarter two, making a grand total of nine for the finalists. Half of the league will have closed by the August Bank Holiday while Easter and the whole of April will have been lost, unless the 14 week season is stretched out with gaps which would be likely I suppose in view of events like the SWC. So there we are, a season like Sweden's, crammed into the high summer months and where supporters can only see one match a week. Sweden's climate needs such a condensed, brief season with an eight month close season. Do we? If you take the other option and race two home and two away you are back to the current schedule of 14 home league matches plus possible play-offs adding one or two extra fixtures. This season would require a minimum of 30 weeks, assuming you add an extra day's racing to the play-off weeks. If not you're looking at a 32 week season. There will have to be gaps for events such as the SWC and possibly GPs. Rain-offs would either have to be accommodated by having spare weeks or racing on an 'off' night. We'd be looking at a 30-36 week season running from early March to late October. On one hand that would be great, only having a four month close season again but I do wonder if it would work? Would the star riders come flooding back? Wolverhampton, by sharing with Cradley, are effectively testing the fortnightly racing option so it will be interesting to hear how they view the experiment after they've completed it. One fixed race night will in reality most likely mean seven meeting seasons plus play-offs. Is it really worth crippling our fixtures in the vain hope that top riders will flock back and not just use us as a testing league were they can pick up pin money, pulling out when they feel like it, and coming up with lame excuses for doing so such as 'giving a kid a chance'? As I say, perhaps the EL needs to find out the hard way - then we can sit down in 2018 and come up with a sustainable system that recognises that you can't sustain costs higher than when your crowds were numbered in the thousands than in the hundreds. Right now I don't think the EL is ready to make an amalgamation work. Certainly too many of their supporters are showing loud and clear here that they won't even try to make it work.

WM have covered all three teams regularly through the summer months but Mike Taylor stated during last week's Birmingham match that they were taking time off before resuming later in August. He explained that they covered as many as they were able to.and they have covered a high proportion including the odd Wolves away match. The place to check is: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/speedway/17839601 So, not tonight and we wait to see when the next match is scheduled. I suspect the team are taking holidays now the schools are out - it's only a small, if highly effective team.