bigeddiechek

Completely agree, not the rider he was.

I can honestly say the polyfoam fence at Berwick has saved many nasty injuries since it was installed. They are a very important part of speedway safety and I don't know of any fans that grudged being asked if they could help.

There isn't really a rider that you would expect to drop their average, and - like you say - Bellego is capable of raising his, probably by quite a bit.

I like Neil's suggested team. Very well thought-out, no hidden agenda, and a good balance. It should please Screm et al., with the overseas meeting element. Some of the Czech riders sound interesting, but...

The intelligent conclusion would be that there have been no announcements. What total and utter tripe. Edit: actually, a very good shout, on reflection.

I'd love to have both back. Bellego just keeps getting better and better. Matty was the rider of the season for me last year. Solid rider and a great competitor,

Maybe because they have miserable lives - probably often being domineered - and are incapable of experiencing joy? Tully wouldn't be a bad signing, on paper at least.

A new pairing of the commitment and ability of Rymel/Makovsky would a real answer to lots of things. We can always live in hope!

They were both very disappointing.

What a load of havers ^^^^^

Oh dear.

Hmmmm, I seem to remember myself and a few others supporting Peter on here, when the usual lot lambasted him. Now he is some kind of hero. He was good at all the things mentioned. The current Promotion also have many strengths. They both won the 4s. Neither have won the league: yet... I wonder if certain folk will ever be able to accept the incumbent promotion (now, or in the future). Rather sad.

Hey guys, just to let you know that there is a single release featuring Ricky's mate Scott Courtney. All profits go to helping Ricky with his recovery. You can pre-order on iTunes here: https://itunes.apple...725?i=723687988 Or it is on all other online stores from 4th Nov.

Superb effort guys. That's a tremendous amount of money to raise for Ricky. A huge well done

I'm really sorry and concerned to hear of this situation our Tigger friends are going through. There is too much negativity in the sport on the terraces, but for it to come from the Promotion, and aimed at the fans, is terrible. Especially since it can only be targeted at the people who are turning up and are supporting the club. Speedway desperately needs a positive outlook, as Lulu points out. The PL, I think, has been a very strong league the past few seasons. That is something to build on for all Promotions. It must have been a Hell of hard season for the Tigers though with one of the weakest squads I can remember. Things can only get better guys! IMHO opinion, the Promotion should be thanking the support for continuing to turn up all season. Their next move should be to acknowledge that the team on track needs to be more competitive and that they will address this. From my experience at Berwick, new people will come along and get bitten by the bug, but it is very hard and rare for this to happen. My personal view has always been for promotions to keep the begging bowls away; but also for fans to realise that turning up every meeting we can is the best thing we can do to ensure a club survives. Too many people decide to walk away from the support. This is a double whammy: it hits the club finances, and it kills the atmosphere. Now, I am saying we need a more positive attitude in the sport, but just pop along to a Berwick thread and you will see that some people are strongly against this. There are a few bad apples in the sport who really do a lot of damage, and that must also be stamped out. Finally, these "Red Alerts" come across as almost bullying towards the people who are supporting the clubs. This is not the way to treat you guys, don't stand for it, but don't walk away from it either! I really, really, hope we still have your great support coming to visit us next season.

We should all get clicking on that link and get it up the most read list!

A shining example of professionalism, and what a true competitor is. A very worthy World Champion with many more to come.

An interesting few posts. The cost of the sport is clearly one of the major causes of the difficulties in the UK.

It's because you are going to be team manager next year, Taffy. Or so the word has been coming out of a local horologist's emporium. From several sources now

They need to be a bit less comfortable in their position. I've never been a fan of the laissez faire approach to managing sportsmen. Averages and too many riders who get their cash from the Polish and Swedish leagues mean they are less hungry. Just look at Ricky, Kozza, Complin, Matty, Bellego, and Starke. They were never turning up just for pocket money, it could be debated that the others were.

One thing I agree with is that there is nothing worse than an under-performing rider, and we've had too many of them in recent years. For me, that is the essential requirement for next season. Agree on this at least?

Thank you. To use Taffy's analogy, you can bet a cinema with no sweetmeats, popcorn, iced cream, or comfortable toilets would be unpopular. Still, a crap film is a crap film, no matter the cinema.

Now, I didn't say it was a thriving business. It is outperforming other sports in the area in terms of fan-base. I'm not saying everything is rosy, but greetin' faces do have an impact; not necessary online either. I still don't quite get this concept that a forum is a heavily visited place for people to have their opinions. Most people still do this in real life.

Yes, but you don't go on and on about it like some others do. We chat about a number of things: and agree on most! I don't, however, agree that the comparison to other sports is irrelevant. It is a barometer of how sport is supported in the area. It clearly is not too high up people's list. In terms of what crowds used to be, it's dangerous to use that as a comparison because it is largely a reflection of the current times. As are crowd levels today. We discussed this when talking about Once a Jolly Swagman. I'm not sure that a lot of the changes the enthusiasts want would make in difference in attracting new fans, although it might bring a few back. One thing that is for sure, people constantly picking fault will only have one effect. Fortunately, the majority of speedway folk I know don't even look on here.

It's the surface that the sport takes place on. You get some horrific pitches, usually due to weather, lots of OK pitches. It's not the centre point of discussion at the match, though. Maybe all that is left to the sport are "expert" fans, with very few who go to it because it is something different that they just enjoy. After all, there is nothing more wearing when you go along for a bit of fun and enjoyment, to get a load of greeting in your lug: it soon takes the fun away. However, one just needs to read almost every thread on here to get the picture... You're right, the problems are far less simplistic in the sport in general. You're also right about speedway thriving in Berwick. Compare it to much larger sports such as rugby and football, and the crowds are even more impressive. Most of the people I know do go an enjoy the night. Some even take the P out of the track saga comments, a few get a bit fed up. You're also right, there are less than a handful who actually find it so disappointing that they come on here to voice their discontent. The good old Internet forum is a very interesting psychological profiling tool!