Ben91

I live in a bouncy castle with a hole in it. There's no inflation. Wages are still below inflation. They may be increasing faster than inflation is increasing currently but they are still not in line with inflation. We have no choice but to put up with that in order to run our homes, put fuel in our cars, pay our other bills etc. but going to Speedway (or any form of sport or entertainment) is an optional and often a luxury. We don't have to stump up so that stadium tenants/landlords can pay their bills, we do to pay our own. Therefore it is up to them to bring more people through the gate to pay their bills, or increase prices of course but it is a fine line and one that cannot be pushed too far before you lose more fans than you gain. Crowds are visibly dropping from where they were ten years ago at most tracks and prices haven't doubled, particularly in the top two leagues. But the prices increasing each year is certainly a factor in people choosing to no longer attend. Speedway is in big money trouble, promotions are often pleading poverty and riders are telling us they need to race for more than one team to pay the bills. That's been the case for quite some time now, I'm not sure how that's passed you by? Increasing prices year on year is a short term fix and soon there won't be many fans left willing to pay more than a £1 a heat which is the case in most places now. It simply isn't value for money and people aren't stupid. Promotors needs to promote now.

So put the prices up and alienate more fans. Then to make a profit there will need to be another price hike to make the sport pay, but guess what? That price hike is driving more fans away too. There's only so many times you can put prices up. Speedway, literally a vicious circle in many ways.

I think that is what was being suggested, not by myself though. But I did say in the winter that we should only have retained one of Harris or Nicholls. Just as fans shouldn't be going overboard with Harris for one bad meeting at Leicester we mustn't also get ahead of ourselves because Nicholls scored a maximum on Monday. As with reduced money from TV and the fixed racenights they're just small parts of the greater problem that the sport has got itself into over the years here. That in itself is a completely different can of worms to suggesting team changes for us, but I think we're in a position where we need to make Speedway a semi-professional sport and knock doubling up on the head. We shouldn't be letting riders have two teams just to earn a living. If the sport can't sustain it, which it clearly can't with riders "needing" to double up/down then it needs to be nipped in the bud. The standard/strength of teams may suffer short term but long term British Speedway and British Speedway fans will benefit.

Never rated Nilsson, too inconsistent. Zagar used to do all he could to avoid racing at Rye when he was at Reading, doesn't get on with the track though granted it's a different proposition these days. Agree that there's scope to make changes though and feel that they could well be needed. Was the reason given for him not being in the side from day one but I'm sure if offered the right deal in the winter, along with having a team spot at Berwick, he could have focussed on racing here first and foremost this season.

We were the side who gave him his first British team spot in 2015. So he'll be plenty familiar with the track. Should have been a permanent fixture in the team since then too in my opinion.

You don't honestly believe this do you? There were plenty who didn't agree with certain aspects of how the club and how certain riders performed and would post saying as much when we were in the Premier League. The bit in bold is bonkers. The club earns money through fans attending meetings. Granted every penny of Rider X's wages isn't paid directly by one fan but, newsflash, no fans = no money = no wages for the riders. Or even more bluntly, no fans = no speedway. It isn't a pathetic excuse, it is the truth. It isn't the fault of fans that Speedway is in the state it is in either, so if promotions are having to subsidise their riders from their own, non-speedway cashflow, who should they be looking at to find a reason as to why they're having to do so? That is sport wide, not just in relation to Rye. In fairness to our promotion, the seeds for the state the sport is now in were sown many years before they were even involved in the sport. Your definition of being a supporter is incredibly off the mark. Fans should have patience, yes, but they also have a right to comment on things, otherwise what is the point of a forum? Calls to sack riders may not help, but they also shouldn't hinder when they are in a place that frankly, a rider should not be looking if he doesn't want to see criticism directed towards his performances. It doesn't make people unintelligent if their opinion and yours are different.

People involved in the sport need to stop using the term "keyboard warrior(s)." Not going to get people on side at all.

And at reserve too according to the latest averages. Could be a trump card at home.

Had an eye on this on updates as there were five riders with Rye connections on show. Looks like a really good performance from Morley, not a track he'd generally be expected to do well at. Kev Doolan's scoring these past couple of nights seems to have rolled the clock back a decade or so as well!

Cool story bro.

Not at all. I'm all for debate with people who don't attempt to patronise and speak as if their opinion is gospel. No paddies being thrown here. Life's too short. If it makes you feel better you can chalk it up as an argument won though. Well done.

We both know I never said that. Sad.

And makes no sense as it doesn't make us stronger. Harris is better than Worrall, I'd put Robbo ahead of Starke too. Wells would be better than Kennett away but worse at home. Morley is too expensive on the average he has and far from good enough on away tracks. If NBJ is on a 4.15 we need to try get him in any way possible. Surprised nobody has gone for Josh Auty on a 4.68 too, not a world beater by any means but for a rider a point and a bit more expensive than Morley, for example, you're getting a rider twice as good if not more in reality.

The days of Rye having any kind of home advantage went with the adverse camber years ago. I'm less than a mile from the track, bright skies at present. It has tried to rain a couple of times in the last few hours but nothing to put a meeting in jeopardy has come down. Forecast is good from now, the next rain predicted in Hoddesdon a 30% chance at 12pm tomorrow afternoon.

I'll be surprised if Wolves don't beat us and take all four points.

I think the part about Jenson not being a speedway man is the nail hit on the head. Schroeck too doesn't fill me with confidence as a team manager either. Since the new promotion has come in we have had a lot of 'name' signings as I'd describe it. In the Premier League Lanham was signed on the back of the fact he was a 10 point rider at that level in the early 2000s, Peter Karger signed because his dad is Brian Karger who used to be half decent. Then last season, Harris, Nicholls and Watt, all signed on reputation and the fact that they had done well in the past. There's more than that to singing riders. We were lucky to have KK fall into our lap mid-season and, yes, we did end the season as the form team. But we still didn't make the play-offs. Other teams strengthened over the winter and we made two like-for-like changes. Complacency perhaps, or thinking that other sides wouldn't be looking to put together sides different to what they had last year. A few of us said here and on Facebook that is wasn't enough but were shot down by a vocal majority. Those who think that we should all just be grateful to have Speedway to watch. Having three riders north of 35 years of age was always a worry for me. Harris to me seems like a Glasgow rider who comes to us as his second club to go through the motions and pick up his pay. Perhaps that is down to Glasgow's PR side being better though and me taking it the wrong way. He certainly isn't a top tier heatleader any more though. Nicholls' troubles may well be down to his machinery but that needs nipping in the bud asap. There's a lot of pressure on Robbo. He is one of my favourite all time riders but his average is expensive and the team was built for him to score lots of points from reserve. I've waffled on here, apologies. I have been planning on going tomorrow night having not been able to make it to the called off Leicester meeting, I fear we'll get turned over though by what looks like an average Wolves side at best.

Tell me, does making patronising comments on the internet make you feel like a big man? If so I'll have to try it some time. Comparing now, on start of season averages it is easy to say that compared rider for rider the Rye team is a lot stronger. Compare this Rye seven with the side that finishes top of the Championship at the end of the season and the gap will be closer than it appears now. Robson is a second heatleader in a weak Championship side, Summers would be a number one at only two other clubs in that tier. You can dress stats up to suit your argument all you like, as can I. But then that was your point wasn't it, that there's no argument...

In your opinion. Mine is different. This hypothetical match won't happen anyway.

A few Championship sides would give us a test over two legs I'd wager. Hoping Nicholls' problems are bike related, if not then his form in both tiers (obviously he's only had 1 1/2 top flight meetings thus far) is a major cause for concern. Harris isn't even a number one in the second division at present. If things aren't looking rosey then Kasprzak soon can become CBAsprzak. Summers is uninspiring to say the least. Kennett could suffer from lack of meetings. There's a lot of pressure on Robbo to score well at reserve and potentially be taking lots of rides. Clegg's performance on the track he probably has done more laps around than any other concerns me too, he's not the rider he was looking like developing into a few years back.

A poor showing from the Rockets tonight. Let's not have any excuses about the riders needing to blow away the cobwebs, the Wolverhampton side came into this much colder than our riders, Kennett aside. It'll be interesting to see what excuses are wheeled out for this one.

He's the ideal rider to have in your engine room at this level for sure. Wouldn't ever knock him for his commitment or enthusiasm, just that he always is portrayed as a 'bargain' signing. The Lakeside team looks good, as you say, he'll probably remain a second string and if he does then I can't see why he wouldn't hit a high six/low seven average wise.

Newman has been around his current average for quite some time now. I do wonder why people still think it is an attractive one, it's his level. He may push up to about a seven if he stays at second string all season with no pressure on him to do the bulk of the scoring.

I suspect you already know the answer to that.

Have looked for Scott's scores with interest over the last couple of nights as he is Rye's number one this term again. Would have expected a lot more from him around a track he is mightily familiar with in Ipswich and one at which he is considered a specialist in Lakeside. Hopefully it is just a case of early season blowing the cobwebs away, if he was going to fall off a cliff I'd have expected it to have happened a few seasons back. From a selfish point of view I'd prefer to see him have his off nights in a Peterborough race jacket than a Rye House one too!

I think the Somerset side has been vastly underrated by many when making predictions for the season. Doyle should go through the card, KK potentially will be the only Rocket to trouble him. The Rebels are just as strong in the engine room as we are and should score more from reserve as well.