uk_martin

Don't you believe it. In Post Brexit Britain, just watch how creative with their visa related excused promoters are going to get. And for as long as the BSPZzz allow "facilities" for riders who are "victims" of "visa delays" the more farcical the situation will become.

To which the answer may well be "why didn't you offer to take part in Birmingham's Festival of Sport 2022?" Joking aside, when the Council talks about sport, it refers to those sports that ordinary people can take part in, not just view from the sidelines. Participation is what it's all about these days.

So, is the "visa issue" just an excuse of convenience? Is he actually withholding his services and the people are being shielded from the truth so that he doesn't end his season with a 28-day ban?

The CWG are over but the traffic management and parking restrictions (at least as they affect the residential areas) continue for the rest of the week. There's ample parking at the One Shop Stopping Centre, and the new road layout provides you with a simple right hand turn option outside the main entrance when coming southbound down the A34. Access to the OSSC is traffic light controlled and seems to work well. It's far better than in previous years when you had to go around the Crown & Cushion roundabout and double back on yourself. Give it a go, you may be pleasantly surprised.

So, how's Brexit working out for you?

Maybe by providing a product that people consider is worth paying money to go and see? Not heard anyone complaining about not getting value for money at these games. Having competitors "of your own" to cheer on helps too. Team England didn't resort to American or German "guests" if one of their own was missing.

But that's a comedy show that doesn't pretend to take itself seriously...

I heard the perspective of this from Joe Thurley's widdow. The name was abused as a cheap publicity stunt. The trophy was supposed to have been on display in a glass cabinet at the stadium, and as was said, there was supposed to be an annual event to compete for the trophy too...it never happened. Hence my enquiry about whether the "Alan Grahame" event is anything else other than yet another name from Birmingham's relatable history being taken in vain.

Interesting use of the word "run". According to the Brummies web site "BIRMINGHAM have declared their intention to compete in the 2023 Championship campaign"...now whether that's going to be competing at a crawling, or walking or running pace, remains to be seen.

Glasgow Tigers vs Rest of the League. Easy win for the home team IMHO.

Let's hope that this problem gets addressed then. In a city where 40% of the population is aged under 25, relying on older people for your fan base doesn't bode well for a long-term future. Let's just hope that with the promotion giving it a proper go, they can tap into a younger and more sustainable audience.

I'd like to think that the meeting will generate some funds that can go to the Grahame estate. That said, with the crowds at the levels that they have been, you have to question if that's likely to happen. Is the Alan Grahame name being used just to boost crowd numbers just to cut losses, or is there a realistic chance of some money being raised that will go to the estate? I guess the answer to that depends on how attractive the teams put out on the night are, how people respond to the event and what the riders get paid for their attendance.

Maybe Poole will tell their fans that It'll be "A night like no other"? It's what the Brummies are doing on their Social Media posts. One thing's for certain, one way or another, it will absolutely live up to that billing.

If there are 40,000 at Cardiff, at least 10,000 - 20,000 will be Poles, Swedes, Germans, Danes etc "on tour". The British contingent at Cardiff is a lot lower than you may think.

Ronald McDonald will be available as a guest for the rest of the season. He already wears team colours

Oh well, there won't be much more of that in the future then, will there? Still, we got our country back, innit?

Great News! The McDonalds Drive-Thru over the road from the stadium, which replaced the Seventh Trap pub, is now open for business, and is happily serving customers. So, from demolition of the Seventh Trap, realigning Regina Drive, and bringing the construction up to opening, in only 16 weeks, that's an impressive achievement.

Not to mention paying train fares

Seems that Speedway Star's symbiotic relationship with the BSPZzz has been highlighted again, as shown by the withdrawal of the Isle of White (seen as the antichrist by the BSPZzz) fixtures from their publication.

Thank you to the three guest riders who racked up 33 out of Birmingham's 46 points. So, Oxford added Jack Thomas to their team mid-season? Kind of goes to show what can be done. And yet the Brummies still insist on preferring to hire guest riders rather than fielding their "own" team. The number of times that Tom Brennan has appeared for the Brummies this year, it must seem like he's the nearest there is to a rider that is "trippling-up".

Out of 14 riders, 4 are guests and one is called Reidar Replacement, or something. Reidar Replacement and all 4 guests outscored the top-scoring Brummies contracted rider. And I'll qualify that by saying that it took Sedgmen 5 rides to get his 4+1 as opposed to Castagna who achieved it in 4 rides. That, folks, is a major reason why the Brummies are struggling to draw in the fans, I'd say. Who are the fans supposed to "latch onto" and support? Their "own" rider who struggles to pick up points or someone else's riders who are coming to the team's rescue? Not a good situation to be in. Not that you can do much about the guest for Shanes, but the "Sign Vissing and get a guest for the season" situation is one of the team managers own creation. And very lamentable it is too. Try explaining that one to a newcomer to the sport. And as for the guest for Auty, I can only guess that the guest rider is the easy option compared to signing a new rider and re-declaring the team. How long has it been now? It's almost like the Brummies are too comfortable fielding guest riders that they become an integral part of team planning. Well, I'm sorry, but I don't think that's what the fans want.

Tonight has been delayed by a rain shower too...(where the hell did that come from?) so who knows...

The John Barnes of British speedway - always good for his club, always useless for his country.

And he did. The same old colours that he always flies when riding for his country. And on a track that he ought to know like the back of his hand. A complete waste of water and rations, that man.

Run by Steve - steve@gbspeedway.com who has the "About" page written in the first person singular, so obviously a one-man effort. Well done Steve!