uk_martin

It was a "Mickey Mouse" competition when Falubaz Zielona Gora staged it lol As for now, I think it's a good event to follow. Can't condem an event just because it "wasn't invented here". It's Poole's fault that the event is now being held in Poland again. They had the chance to host it, and fluffed it. On the subject of Poole Pirates, are they now throwing a sulk over losing Darcy Ward in that FIM decision by pulling out? As I understand it, this being an FIM event, it takes precidence over the PL, doesn't it? So yes, Robert Lambert may get the taste of some top class international action, which will be to his benefit.

If Peterborough now decide to replace the injured Adam Roynon with Adam Ellis, will Ellis still be able to double up or will he be lost to the team for good? OR if Peterborough only sign Ellis on a 6 week contract until Roynon returns, can Ellis return to the Brummies afterwards?

Glad I'm not the only one left confused.

Fixing the problem is nothing to do with you, that's true. I just wish that whoever it is to do with would sort themselves out. However just to say that there's a post in a place where no-one would think of looking, and not even giving a link to where it can be found is not very helpful is it? Surely you know that the Brummies forum is a members only forum, so the general public won't see anything that's there. So is this just a stunt to gain new members for the forum? Right now, there's a situation going on, potentially ammounting to "identity theft" and if the fans / public believe the wrong people they could be suckered into a right mess. There's a promise on one Facebook page for "an exciting special offer coming before our season opener which will have Perry Barr packed to the rafters!!" Who knows what that may be, but IF IT ISN'T GENUINE and the public are being duped, then just hiding the information that could help them avoid getting caught out, in a forgotten corner of the internet does no-one any good does it? Far better if the information that could protect the 1100+ fans of that Facebook page from being conned was to be put somewhere where it can be seen woudn't you think? And as for your cheap personal insult, well, see if I care.

Yes, but don't worry, there's a post in the Brummies Forum that sorts it all out This is an a matter I agree with you about completely. Mind you, others have had other opinions. It's been discussed here - http://www.speedway-forum.co.uk/forums/index.php?showtopic=78353 The danger of course of the blind leading the blind is that a one-eyed-man can come along and cause havoc.

I see that one of the Brummies Facebook pages says that there is going to be a special offer "which will have Perry Barr packed to the rafters!!" Worth noting though that this has come from the Facebook page that says it's "official" but the other "official" page (which says it is the real official page) says it isn't....(ho hum). Nothing being said on the Facebook page that isn't official in the slightest or on the Brummies web site. Let's just hope that this isn't some kind of spoof, nor the time for the long suffering fan to endure more confusion and to have to keep their wits about them so as not to get suckered in to this chaos. There are 1108 people who will get to see whatever this offer is, most of whom will probably be unaware of the behind the scenes situation, and that's before they share the news out, so if this is a spoof, and people get suckered, there could be a bad outcome. Never mind eh? All confusion can be cleared up here - Can someone just clear up another bit of confusion please? Is this challenge against Cradley for the Dan McCormack Memorial Cup (or whatever it was being called) or is it for the Travel Tours Plus Challenge, which apparently does not feature a trophy? And if there isn't a trophy, can somene fetch back that traffic cone that was awarded to Birmingham when they beat Stoke in the 2008 M6 Challenge Cup Cone. Need to have something to present to the winners.

Well bully for the slack handfull of Brummies Forum users. I take it that the rest of the world including newcomers to speedway can go and swivel then? Instead of posting messages why not get on and sort the problem out?

Can someone please clear up, for the benefit of those about to get confused, what's going on with the Brummies presence on Facebook? We have this Page (all about "Sky Sports Elite League Speedway team the Birmingham Brummies") - https://www.facebook.com/BirminghamBrummies?fref=ts Then there's this "Official" Page - claiming that "The Selco Birmingham Brummies are Birmingham's Speedway Team based at the Perry Barr Greyhound Stadium and compete in the British Elite League" ...and this even more "Official" Page - - and on this one in the thread about this being the "ONLY" official page we see a contribution from the owner of the Brummies Fans Forum arguing over the "ownership" of the club - like it doesn't belong to Tony Mole, or something. What is going on? C'mon guys, sort it out. Birmingham Speedway is in the Last Chance Saloon, it doesn't need this.

Did anyone phone in to ask which way around the track do the bikes go?

Yeah, see you too. Which Brian? I think I've trippled the numbers of Brian's I know since the advent of speedway returning to Birmingham lol. And before that one goes any further, is it stuff that's better asked in private?

EUREKA! This is exactly the role model that Darcy Ward should follow. He should convert to Islam (never a drop of alcohol will pass his lips then) - change his name to something Islamic e.g. Daheer Waheed and ride in a plain black race suit. Now that would be big box office when he makes his (then to be) much awaited return...

Ahh...the lure of the bottle...time will tell. And as the subject of football was raised (and keeping in-theme with the lure of the bottle), was the World Cup any the worse off for never featuring George Best back in the late 60's and early 70's?

I think you need to re-read what I wrote and only half of which you highlighted in red...it's the money (taken on the Wednesday night) that gets taken to the bank on the Thursday...Clearer now?

Haven't a clue what to expect on track, but off track, thank gawd that some hype and publicity is being applied... https://www.facebook.com/birminghamspeedway/photos/a.933032060040934.1073741827.344109385599874/963463213664485/?type=1&theater Who wins and who loses is somewhat irrelevant. What matters will be the survival of the sport in the city which will begin next Thursday, when the money paid in at the gate is taken to the bank. One forecast I will make is that Cradley fans will outnumber Brummies fans and that their noise and boisterousness may rub some of the Brummies old-timers up the wrong way. We may even get comments about the language used ...however, that's something that will have to be tolerated. What will matter most if that a good evenings entertainment is had by all, and that people get a good enough impression from what they see, to want to go again.

are you suggesting Are you suggesting that Darcy Ward's supporters and apologists are all OLD? Surely not???

I agree with pretty much all you are saying there. I've been saying for months that a dramatic overhaul in what we have in Birmingham is needed, and that an all out effort is needed to attract in the next generation of supporters. I've said repeatedly that the Brummies need to do what it takes to get the people in their late teens and early 20's into the sport. People who pay can at the gate and who have the money still in their pockets when they get hooked on the sport so that they can keep on spending, before they get mixed up with partners, kids, mortgages etc. Like you, I come away from Perry Barr feeling like I'm one of the "New Kids On The Block" when, being in my 50's I ought to be feeling like the "Oldest Swigner In Town" when I leave the stadium. That has to be wrong. Unfortunately, at the moment, all I see is "same old same old"...with the emphasis on OLD! It's like, promoting speedway is all about "open the doors and the people will come". It's like 2007 all over again, only the crowd is now all 8 years older per person than they were in 2007. Dammit, one of the riders at P&P today was even wearing a set of Lee Smart's old kevlars. And yes you're right. I wasn't around much at the start of last year, and only came back when they signed Bartosz Zmarzlik (which lasted all of 2 meetings). In the PL days, I went home and away and for the years 2007-2012 I missed a grand total of 6 meetings in all that time, even after the Brummies went into the EL. Sadly, the EL, the petty politics, some of the personalities involved, and all the shenanigans that were encountered meant that I seriously fell out of love with British Speedway, it's organisers and those responsible for making it, at the highest level, a Poole Pirates love-in. That said you may still be confusing me with other past stalwart fans who have fallen out of love with British Speedway, as there are other previous ever-presents in who stopped attending in recent years, and pretty much for the same reasons. One or two of these who I speak to may also be making a return, others I know for a fact won't. They've been lost for good. They've found other things to do with their time and money. Now that the Brummies have dropped down out of the Poole Pirates sphere of influence and associated corruption, I'm going to give this NL venture the benefit of the doubt, and let it win me over or lose me for good on its own merits. Let's see how we go.

Got an idea...why not all the Darcy Ward supporters and apologists start an on-line petition to get him reinstated, like the one for Jeremy Clarkson? Surely Ward can get more signatures on his petition than Clarkson is doing? What could possibly go wrong?

How about more important things, like which will be the top 3 teams for adding numbers to their home attendances over the course of the season? This above all else will determine who survives and who folds. At Birmingham we've seen blockbuster teams that the fans got bored of (2010 any one?) and we've finished top of the Elite League, but crowds have dwindled. Maybe we should determine the "winners" on the promoters skills in promoting the team and not the riders skills on the track? Maybe, and this is an open question, the racing and the winning and the league positions should not be an end in themselves, but more a means to an end? Maybe Stoke will be the winners if they start the season with 200 fans and end the year with 300? That way they are sure to survive into 2016. What would Eastbourne Birmingham or Cradley need to do to compete with that?

And they'll salute him too, when they've fixed his car and sent him on his way.

Your're right. What I think it boils down to is that Lewis Bridger was allowed to get away with the "no bikes" stunt last season without anyone (BSPA / SCB) having the guts to pull him up for bringing the sport into disrepute. So this year others have been able to get away with it too. And do you think that the people who are so big and brave to fine and punish a track announcer, Chris Simpson, last year for calling them a "bunch of knobs" are going to do anything about riders ripping the pi$$ out of the sport (and proving Chris Simpson right)? Of course not. Can't wait to see how many riders will be bike-less next year.

Doesn't matter. I can't remember a season since 2007 when he hasn't had a prolonged spell out through injury, I've said in the past the Roynon is too brittle boned to survive a season as a speedway rider and that every year, he's another long-term injury waiting to happen. He's had his payments out ot the BEN pot, so to snub making a contribution back into it is, erm, rather bad manners, don't you think? And if it's true that he's been training around other tracks on bikes that he says he doesn't have, then that is absolutely unacceptable. How much of this sort of dishonesty does it take before there's a bona fide case for a rider (or riders) bringing the sport into disrepute? Is there not a case for them to answer to the authorities over this? As Rob Godfrey says, if they refuse to contribute to the fund then they shouldn't be able to claim from it if (and in Roynon's case - WHEN) they god forbid, need to. I hope that Godfrey means what he says and that it wasn't all a knee jerk reaction to the disappointment to learning the news. Some of these riders need to be taught a lesson.

Correct. My name isn't Craig Cook. And as for the rest.. Rob Godfrey says it all.

Goddam right I don't like him. From the days when he cried out of riding for GB in the test matches against Australia to the days when he cried about why Ben Barker got picked for Prague and not him. This sad excuse only reinforces that dislike. He'll hope to ride in Poland on Sundays so god help Belle Vue on Monday's if he can't manage his equipment availability.

The thought of Neil Middlesnitch doing a "Vlad the Insaner" Putin pose doesn't bear thinking about.

http://www.speedway365.com/archives/12883 Seems Craig Cook is "doing a Lewis Bridger" - after a whole winter of doing nothing, knowing in advance that he won't have a bike ready to compete. WHAT A DISGRACE. More likely he's having a sulk that he's been invited to take part in the same team as Ben Barker. In which case, GROW UP COOK! Wouldn't it be an irony if Cook got an injury that caused him to go cap in hand to BEN for financial assistance. Good job that BEN are probably too honorable and dignified to tell Cook where he should go in such a circumstance.