Ben91

Yep. Because a motocross track on the centre green will give us great viewing... I can't see how it won't also cause problems on the home straight too.

Perhaps this is why we've heard nothing about the 'improvements' to the stadium over the winter. Because something along the lines of 'oh by the way there's a motocross track on the centre green now,' probably wouldn't go down too well. Struggling to see how fans are going to be able to see the whole of the track. Speedway races are far too short to be one of those motorsports where you only see part of the circuit. Seeing the whole thing is a big part of the uniqueness of the product. When I saw it I immediately thought of this (1.48-2.12):

As well they should have been. The club stepping into the top tier for the first time since reformation will have piqued interest. The fact that our nearest top flight club from the season before, Lakeside, dropped into the third tier will have brought fans who wanted to watch top tier racing from there. Coventry folded, their hardcore fans will have wanted a speedway fix and conveniently our side contained (and still does) a big ex-Bees contingent. Rye was also a new track for fans of many visiting clubs which will have put a few on the gate I'd expect. The crowds earlier in the season were better than later on though, we can't expect people to turn up. This season Lakeside are back in the 'pro' ranks in the second tier and to be perfectly honest, their side isn't much weaker than ours. Coventry also have a team back on track albeit in the third tier and based at Leicester, but it is closer to Coventry than Rye House is. The novelty of top tier racing will wear off for other Rye fans too. I'm not being a doom and gloom merchant, it just feels to me that over the winter more could have been done to get fans excited for what is to come. But it isn't 'crap' or 'bile' it is opinion, and one that others do share.

What posts are you referring to as 'crap' and 'bile' out of interest? The trouble with the 'take it or leave it' approach is that people are leaving it. In a world when there are so many alternatives to going to Speedway people don't have to just get behind the team because that's the way it is. Very similar comments lost us a lot of fans when Len Silver made them a few years ago when he dropped Jason Doyle in favour of Steve Boxall.

The last few years of Silver on track weren't great. The PR also wasn't good but it was still better than it has been from the current promotion in the fact that it was consistent rather than coming in flurries with plenty of silence between. Let's not kid ourselves that last year we had anything like a great team. Two results mean nothing. Our last truly good team was in 2007. KK fell in our lap last season and dug us out of a hole. The team for this season isn't great either and will rely on Kasprzak again if we are to make a play-off challenge. We've opted for 'names' in Nicholls and Harris who are probably only going downwards, over trying to bring in someone like Sundstrom who may actually increase his average. The way the promotion team build strikes me as "he's done well in the past so he will again." See Watt last year, see Lanham in the Premier League campaign for evidence of that. We're not in the censorship era any longer. Tell us why Barker was released (tell us why we even signed him in the first place, he's bobbins), tell us how the stadium developments are going, give us a reason why there is no Press and Practice as opposed to letting people speculate. It doesn't take long to do these things but they will be appreciated greatly by fans of the club a.k.a. The paying customers.

Herein lies the trouble. The Tatum and Pearson night wasn't a Rye House event and not everyone will have 1) been interested and 2) expected to find out news about Rye House there. Jenson's reaction to the AGM came on an obscure podcast roughly a month after the AGM (despite being told in November that he would be commenting on the AGM on his return to this country. They have the internet in Spain so even that seems a little extreme in terms of waiting). Put something on the club website, not on an obscure podcast, not at the shouty twins' trip to the zoo, not on the Facebook group. It isn't hard. A lot of fans want more communication from the club, it doesn't happen so what exactly is being taken on board from the promotion reading these forums and the Facebook group? The promotion have had enough slack to hang themselves more than once already. They first became involved at the club in 2015. This is their fourth season. Look at the changes Glasgow have made in a similar time in comparison. It isn't hard to keep fans updated. Once the team was announced we could have had a weekly profile on each member of the side for example. Not hard to put together and post on the website but there's seven weeks of content out of the winter there to keep people interested. Along with announcing the team that would have given content for over half of the winter break, easy stuff. An update on the developments at the stadium here and there wouldn't go amiss either.

The PR side over the winter has been terrible truth be told. This promotion have been getting away with it far too long because they are 'new.' They're not new anymore though but people are still cutting them slack. I actually think the club has regressed on the communication side since Len Silver left and I never thought that was possible. Press and practice is a good way to get fans excited for the season. Not much happens granted but as it is free you get floating fans in attendance. The sound and smell, the new riders etc. can convince someone who may not be thinking of attending many/any meetings otherwise. Have been falling out of love with the sport for some time now, it's a real shame as I'm a stone's throw from the track. Don't feel like I'm being offered anything from the club to make me even consider attending at the moment. And for anyone who wants to wheel out the 'if you don't use it you'll lose it' argument then save your breath.

It should be presenting a professional image. Things working 'alright' 70, 60, 50 etc. years ago so not being changed is the exact reason Speedway is on its arse here now.

Not great, not terrible. Home form will be key. The happy clappers on the Facebook page will undoubtedly be labelling it the best thing since sliced bread but we could have done a lot better. Nevertheless will look forward to seeing how we fare.

No, it isn't what they have done. It is what I said they should have done. Fine servants or not, nobody is bigger than the sport.

The right decision has been made (almost). Things need to be done for the good of the sport as a whole, not to appease a couple of riders and/or promoters. For this year any rider with a Premiership average of over six should not have been allowed to double up/down with doubling up between the top two divisions scrapped from next year. People are quick to tell you there aren't enough riders to go around. There are.

There were more midweek than weekend meetings last season. For me midweek is better, these things will even out I'd imagine.

The Grand Prix series is best for the sport. The World Champion should be the rider who is consistently the best across the season, there shouldn't be a fluke champion who has a good night. The sport in this country needs a huge shot in the arm if we are ever to see a GP meeting held at Wembley again as there simply isn't the interest at the moment to make it a viable prospect (without going into the logistics, benefits of Cardiff due to it having a roof etc). Downward slopes can be stopped if caught early, something that happened in 1981 isn't the catalyst for the place British Speedway is in now however.

I never said he shouldn't be. My point is that we should have tried to sign him (we may well have but I doubt it).

The asset system needs to be scrapped. It should have been done years ago but while promotors are deciding the rules between themselves then the self-serving asset system will remain. Riders are self-employed contractors and should be signing year-long contracts with the team they have agreed to ride for on a season by season basis. I'm disappointed to see Linus is in discussions with Poole, I'm assuming that our promotion didn't explore the avenue of signing him at all, swap him in for Harris (if KK is the last rider) and the team looks a whole lot better to me.

If it isn't Kasprzak then it's going to be a long season.

Shame to see, but there's some who will tell you there's a rider shortage...

Sorry didn't realise you'd been ill.

Why would he be reading the speedway forum? You just quoted me saying it.

I'd rather have Kasprzak than Holder.

Easily the best team assembled so far. Doyle will lead the line. There's improvement in Holder, Allen, BWD and Jeppesen. Lawson and Wright will carry on as they were this season. Saw Jeppesen in Poland this season, was mixing it with the likes of Hampel, Zengota and Protasiewicz, it was only an individual meeting but you could tell he's got something about him. Should be putting a point or so on his starting average.

Uninspiring. Winning attracts fans. Sport is about winning. Entertainment is a by-product. I think we all do. Anybody else that fits doesn't have the scope for average improvement KK has and then it could be a long season.

KK hasn't been announced because a) He's not signed on yet or b ) The promotion know he's the key man in the team and are keeping us in suspense. Hope it's the former because if it isn't then there aren't many great options out there if not and the team as a whole could well be seen as a bit meh.

The ages of the riders are irrelevant if they can do the job on the track. So far we have Clegg on a two point average. Can he improve it? Yes. Robson on a 5.72 at reserve. Can he improve it? Probably not but probably will maintain it and lets not forget he was top bonus point scorer in the league this year. His average was nearer seven with bonus points included. It's a good reserve pairing. Barker on a 6.00. Can he improve it? Probably not. This is the one announced so far I'm not over enthused by. But, he is likely to be at two or in a reserve berth all season. Kennett on a 6.39. Can he improve it? Yes. His home form should look after that. He's not got the pressure of being number one but he can score like one at Rye House. As a second string he'll be solid enough away. I'm hoping the last three are Nicholls, KK and another. As entertaining as Harris is, he is going in one direction average wise. Nicholls is better out of the traps and a better team rider too as far as I'm concerned. It could be better for sure but we won't be whipping boys.

Speedway isn't a normal job. If a rider is good enough then channels to ride abroad will open for them, otherwise they're not owed anything here, particularly not to the detriment of the paying public. Riders ride in the first place for themselves as a hobby or to satisfy the need for an adrenaline rush. Somewhere along the lines some have started to expect to earn their living from it. Ultimately riders race for themselves, in other sports if you're not good enough you have to go out and get a proper job and either give up the sport or compete and practice in your spare time and funding it from your own pocket.