westhamboy66

Do sponsors really matter as long as they put the cash in. Are people really daft enough to be influenced by the name in front of their favourite sports league. Did people really drink Carling because of Football or put all their money into Barclays? Anyway those who pay silly money to sky are idiots with no common sense. All the money saving sites point out the fact that you can get 50% off of your annual subscription. Sky are not the bad guys here. Some of the rubbish shown under the guise of Speedway was itself enough to make sky lose interest i rarely watched a meeting being broadcast to the finish as the racing was generally pathetic. Speedway had a chance to get into the big time again but those administering the sport and sadly some of the riders too were guilty of feathering their nests without a care in the world for the sport's fans

Shame for me as i'd rather go to Mildenhall than Rye House on a Sunday afternoon. I always thought a dusty bank holiday afternoon meeting at Hoddesdon was a fair price to pay if an increased crowd was expected due to the Bank Holiday. I see no point in reverting to sunday afternoons as opposed to sticking wit Saturday nights, where is the gain. Some really strange decisions from the Rye House Promotion of late, just another example of putting the Kent connection before Rye i'm afraid.

What sort of comment is that. If you have nothing constructive to say then better to stay quiet surely?I try and balance my views around my support of Rye House and my general love of Speedway. For me the real winner would be a larger NL which included a Rye House side. That's not to be and it's a shame. So i will do what i did last year and take in as many NL matches as i can from Mildenhall and Kent. The only problem with that for me is the number of sour comments coming from the Good people of Kent. If you insist on crass comments you will drive away the many Rye supporters i see every Monday and the Sport at Central Park will no longer be viable. Perhaps that't what you want? wI agree with your logic Malcolm and would love see a full season fixtures at Rye but i think Len will point to the miserable failure that was a team under The Hackney banner in the year it was tried. Perhaps a Wimbledon side may work, perhaps a few challenge matches to test the water may be an idea. Problem for me was that during the Hackney trial there was simply not enough of an interest from Ex Hackney fans and the Rye faithful were not lured to Hoddesdon on the Hackney dates in sufficient numbers. Perhaps that might be different with a Wimbledon side but i have my doubts . I believe the only way forward for a NL side at Hoddesdon would be a Rye House side that not only would have to challenge for honours but one that would also be a legitimate feeder club for the PL team much in the way that Bowen Boxall and Kennett came through the ranks.

Going back to what i think was probably the start of the three team tournaments in the seventies the meetings between Rye Peterborough and Mildenhall were one of the highlights of the season, six man teams over 18 Heats with three reserves races was alway great value and being at the season start were generally one of if not the best attended meetings of the season. A return of those meetings would be welcomed by me. That said its great to look forward to seeing the Rockets back at the EOE showground and memories of Mick Poole v Rasmussen are some of the best i have in speedway

As a Rye House supporter since the mid seventies i take a slightly different view of the 2013 situation regarding the link between Kent and Rye House. The new club gave me somewhere to watch regular Monday night Speedway something i have missed since the demise of Reading. I have to say how much i enjoyed what i saw at Kent. Ok so initially it was all new and a bit disjointed but as the track bedded in and the home riders improved i saw some decent stuff at Central Park. For the first year someone like Len Silver had to be employed to provide the experience of running Speedway. What i would have liked to see is it being a twelve month involvement to get Kent off the ground. I think the involvement of the Rye backroom staff on a greater level will turn a lot of people away as it can seem a bit like a very large clique. Someone as experienced as Mr Cearns would surely be able to take the reins for 2014 or is it simply that having seen what is involved he doesn't want the aggravation. As far as Rye House goes the Promotion of the club clearly suffered with Len's involvement at Kent. With no NL team at Rye for me a supporter our fixture list was bare and disjointed. I think Len took his eye off of things and as such Rye suffered a detrimental effect. I for one was pleased to see Len back at Rye, those who chose to re introduce the Rockets were clearly out of their depth. Yes they served their purpose but Len's expertise was needed. He did give the supporters two League Titles and yes his efforts should be appreciated and hopefully there will be more of the same in the future but as a Rye fan i don't see that happening unless he is totally focused at Hoddesdon. That said i am sure his input and expertise at Kent must have a fair bit to do with the initial success of a new club For Kent i hope they make their own way soon and become a successful club, Kent need them to be and so does Speedway in general. It's a great stadium which would grace the Elite let alone the PL. I hope they develop all sides of the club and go onto better things.

Signed for Coventry Storm ???

With all due respect it was made clear in the newspaper article that the Raiders future was reliant on sponsorship being in place for the return to be viable. If the application wasn't made then it surely would mean that sponsors were unlikely to become available. Was there really a need for a further press release? Anyone watching NL in recent years at Rye would be aware of the very poor attendance at these meetings, and lets face it running a club even at NL standard isn't cheap especially when the crowds have been poor for the senior side. From a personal point of view i would have loved to see the Raiders back as the PL no longer provides a full calendar. i'm sure if adequate sponsorship was found then a belated application would be gratefully received by the NL

Daft comment and an insult to one of the best and most exciting riders ever seen on a speedway track. Put more bums on seats than any other British rider.Most who know anything about speedway would agree and understand every point he makes. But then again you in your eyes he is just an old man who doesn't deserve to have an opinion. If i stood next to you at a track i'd give the Promoter seventeen quid not to let you in. Money well spent

It was frustrating watching Mellgren last year. He just didn't kick on and simply couldn't be relied on at home and no way wa he going to develop as a number one at Rye. I think he will do at Scunthorpe and we may well see him back one day. Edward on the other hand will be a massive plus at home and i don't see him being beaten at home too often. I see him averaging at around 9.50 or more which would be far better than a lot of our recent fake No 1's. With the inclusion od Boxall and Bowen we will be stronger at home which is a basis for a better season. The thing we really need is more consistency from Nelson and Bunyan especially Bunyan who i doubt would still be around if Len hadn't bought his contract.

Also in Orlando but not with Mr Shovlar. Walk down the road and mention Ainslee, Murray etc and most people will have an idea who they are, sadly the same can't be said of Tai. If naming a British World Champion was a question on the game show pointless then Knowing Tai Woffinden would probably be a pointless answer I have no time for the BBC however the Sports Personality of the year is a show whose main intention is to capture viewers and to do that the people selected need to be representative of the audience, sadly Speedway is far from that. Equally Tai isn't well known among the general motorcycling fraternity as can be seen by The sports absence in motorcycle news. Its not a time for slating other sports, someone like Ian Bell was well worth his place due to high quality performances over a full year. Yes a PR company would help but how much would Tai gain. On the other hand the BSPA and British Speedway in general would gain massively from a much higher profile and who knows the financial rewards could be there for the taking. Speculate to accumulate as they say

We waited thirteen years for a British World Champion, do those running our sport know that we now have one Seems all the BSPA are interested in is hanging on to Tai's shirtails and reaping whatever benefits they can from his hard work Tai is a very marketable young man especially for the younger generation and you would have thought that the BSPA would want to help him and at the same time get in on the action Surely the untouchable Nigel Pearson has questions to answer. Just being on the TV and Radio commentating on various Sports appears to be enough. If he were doing any sort of job he would have ensured that this information is freely available to the Speedway faternity. The show has a massive audience and potential customers but it appears unlikely that they will be convinced of Speedway's credability

Dissapointed. On the face of it that team won't be losing at home, then again not too many points earned away. For me it becomes more of a worry when looking at the individuals Edward kennett unlikely to be beaten very often at home but will struggle as a No 1 away from home Tyson Nelson an enigma will be good to have at the big tracks but just not consistent enough last year Steve Boxall great at Kent, i saw a lot of him but does need a big investment in equipment to get him to where he needs to be in the PL Jason Bunyan a real underachiever since he came to Rye a big disappointment when looking at his averages Jason Garrity capable of a nine point average if he stays fit Simon Lambert a strange one, loads of effort a couple of good meetings, who knows how he might have progressed had he not been injured against Ipswich Luke Bowen should be one of the best reserves in the league but will he last the season, he rarely does With the exception of Boxall and Kennett we have a team full of accidents waiting to happen and i see us on the edge of the playoffs no better no worse, at least we will keep the punters happy at Rye If Ben improves again on the away tracks and continues to toughen up then 2015 will be his year but this year at home he would have been ok but would be carried away from home He normally has it sussed out ? Yeah right What Eddie will bring will be his ability to win races at Rye something Olly was not able to do regularly which may be enough to stop the rot at Rye. No point in having a number one who can't make the most of home advantage. Equally the way he rides means that Eddie will be far more likely to last the season unlike the sadly injury prone Olly. Whilst Mellgren and Aspgren looked good initially but the progress wasn't great and given the expense of flying them in every week when there are British riders available i think it was sensible The same can be said of Kasper

Linus had an awful season last year, a Peterborough asset so he has a very uncertain future if he wants to continue in the Uk. A prime No 1 in the PL if he wants to go down that route and has a very good relationship with Len. Mellgren i thought was nailed on but to be honest he can blow a bit hot and cold at home and I don't want to see the Rockets losing at home next year and someone like Kennet would go a long way to addressing that. Times maybe changing given that i think we would all expect the team to have been announced by now.

Disappointed yes but he joins a long line including crump hancock pedersen jonsson who took the money from British speedway then when it came upon hard times they turned their backs when British Speedway needed support. Highly paid mercenaries who are not fit to clean the boots of Harris Nicholls Karlsson and their like.

Yes we have had Fiala Garrad Saunders Mullarkey etc but for me watching the Rockets since 76 there has been two stand out club servants...Neath and Bowen. Was said last season that Chris would get a benefit meeting and now Luke to get a meeting too. I hope the meetings happen and that both are well supported as they both thoroughly deserve a reward for sticking with Rye through thick and thin.

My favourite venue to visit a few times a year, excellent facilities, brilliant track that for some reason couldn't attract the big crowds for league matches. I hope someone comes in to save its league status.

Once again disappointed in the conference Extended home league fixtures? For me dump the League Cup and the playoffs, have have two home and away meetings against each club supplemented with the KO Cup. winners of the League are...well Champions. What we will inevitably get is What always seems to me as a match against Ipswich every other week, not knocking Ipswich as they must be sick of us too Yes of course people will say about all the travelling but is that really an issue anymore, rarely do we see much of visiting fans except the likes of Berwick and Leicester and as far as the riders are concerned long gone are the days that they lived locally to their home track. With a great track like Peterborough seemingly gone i doubt i'll do many EL meetings but will probably once again be seeing most of my racing at Mildenhall and Kent. Last year provided infrequent meetings at Hoddesdon and next season will see much of the same. The only bit of close season news that will excite me is if Linus comes back as No1

Shadders can be found in the rye House group on Facebook Only Len knows what he wants to do next year but i think we will all know everything including the team next week. With a watered down Elite i really do see us there rather than a watered down PL. I think all the riders mentioned are real possibilities apart from an injury prone Stuart Robson. Only downside to all this would be the admission cost which surely would Rocket along with a possible need for a change of race night. Either way wherever we are i hope for once it's an injury free season.

Although i only manage three or four trips a year to the showground i have to say i love the place. The track is generally good,the racing above par and the facilities and viewing as good as anywhere. Why on earth more people don't attend there i will never know. The club to me seems as professional as any in the uk, and when i contacted them regarding taking photos they went out of their way to help and correspondence via email was superb if only others followed their example. I have no knowledge of their true financial position or the sponsors but i do have the utmost respect for Mr Frost not only in keeping them in the EL but keeping the track alive given that the crowds look sparse in the grandstand. Long may it continue

Ok lets knock len silver....a few facts Unlike morons who come into the sport throw money and then bankrupt tracks len has bought his stadium and is in a far better position financially to move up and make his club pay Len bought an airfence last season and despite having the safest fence in the country has bitten the bullet and not gone cap in hand to the supporters and should commended. Seems a bit rich to complain about the track when live on the telly for years now we have had to put up with loads of dross racing from places like arena belle vue coventry etc. If it wasnt financially viable len would not move up thats why he still in business fifty years after he started promoting at hackney It does make me laugh when people call him a dinosaur...i dont see him reporting tens of thousands of pounds in loses unlike some big elite clubs have. Personally as a rye house supporter i hope we stay put in the PL its a far better product and value for money made successful by clubs like Rye House

RMC you have said much about me and that is your choice. In almost a thousand posts i have had two disagreements with other members one a Sheffield supporter and another a well known member of the forum who has for many years announced at various tracks. On both occassions we exchanged frank views via a private message, apologies were made by each of us, we agreed to disagree and we live happily within the forum. When we had a spat you were very rude in a private message and then chose to block me before i had a chance to respond privately. You have said above that i am without intelligence, called me ignorant and a cheap person. I don't wish to make a response as that would be boring for everyone. However i have not seen or heard anything about you since 1986 and as such would have no knowledge of your health or inability to watch speedway and my comment about getting out to speedway was a general comment not aimed at you. I wish no one ill health nor would i make a cheap shot as you put it. My comments as far as watching speedway on line or screensport hold good when compared with the sky production. I did at no time mention your involvement. I hope that clarifies the situation something i would normally not do but such was the attack on John Hyam, gustix and myself that a response needed to be made.

A very good post. Almost every sport from Rugby League to Football, Cricket etc have suffered a degree of re organization that the paying public are not happy with. That said it is the armchair fans who are better thought of by Sky as that is where they earn their income. As a Speedway fan who is a traditionalist i haven't liked the direction the top flight league has taken and find that meetings shown on sky are generally poor and this is a contributing factor to a downturn in the crowds. OK so without sky the income will fall and so will the level of competition in the Elite League. That said this may well be a Godsend as it seems to me that its a classic situation that sees Speedway needing to take a couple of steps backwards to stabilise then move forward. This should see the end of the high priced average foreign riders and an upsurge of British talent coming through from the PL. As things improve then the top riders may well be enticed back. If it doesn't happen that way then i think we all fear there will only be a couple of tracks able to sustain their current situation.

Well done Somerset, fully deserved and a just reward from what looks to be a decent promoter.

Grow up RMC and get over you personal problems with me rather than attack a relevant post i made. If people have concerns about the control Sky have on sport that does include Speedway and hence makes it worthy to be discussed here. Equally the point raised concerning the subscription costs is extremely relevant to those who pay full subs and ditch the service as they don't realise that massive reductions are available if only you ask. As far as looking elsewhere, here's something novel...get out and watch a meeting live, some of the dross from the Elite and the inability of their clubs to a provide decent product is the main reason few are watching which is the real reason speedway will be dropped. As for paying to watch a feed on a computer this brings back memories of how sad it was watching the amateur production on screensort

Anyone living in Thurrock know all about the plans for the Lakeside shopping Centre and its major expansion that will include the current speedway track being gobbled up. The plans are in the local papers and Thurrock Council will support the move. A massive amount of money coming to the owners of Arena Essex. Done deal just a matter of when. Can't understand why it is thought to be a big secret. Look to see the club in a short term track share while they seek out a bit of land.