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God, don't encourage even more outpourings! In only the way that a super-hero can, he's pointed out that PHOTOGROPHERS & PHOTOGRAPHERS are two distinctly different aspects of the speedway meeting experience - or perhaps in a signature patronising way he's pointed out (gulp!) a spelling mistake. It is through this method that his powers as Supreme Being manifest themselves which is why all us mere mortals hang on his every pronouncement and accept everything he graciously hands down to us as facts - which are indisputable. In his own mind.

Always a good idea for the sometime-when-not-in-a-huff web wizard to antagonise the club sponsor!

I know this thread isn't for comment, but I think that's a fitting tribute to Sweetman for his services to British Speedway last season - and long may it continue.

So we've lowered our expectations from a "small" amount to a "very small" amount. How much? £5k? £10k? So, you want the EL teams to be effectively "taxed" to subsidise some mythical NL team, who'll ride where? At a track that previously didn't want / couldn't afford / has no market for an NL team? Maybe EVERY EL team should be FORCED to have an NL team - would that be better? Presumably even you would acknowledge that it might be somewhat problematical for Wolves to have their own NL side. So that leaves nine clubs. Ignoring the fact that Birmingham have experimented (apparently with resounding failure in terms of fan interest), there's still 33% of EL teams involved in running NL teams, as opposed to @ 25% of PL teams (and reducing next year). But don't let that get in your way

Oh yeah, I fogot: they're awash with money. Whether it's right or wrong, in keeping with any other sport that "benefits" from the "Sky riches", it's ploughed into wages. Or maybe you're suggesting a further weakening of EL levels (if that's possible & still be able to differentiate from PL sides) to save cash to put into "the pot". So you're just ignoring that, however small, a higher percentage of EL teams have connection with NL teams than do the PL. Never let a fact get in the way of a prejudice...

Pot? There's a pot? Dateline Saturday, AGM: first point of order: WHAT POT?

Excellent answer. Pithy & to the point. Insightful. Setting aside Hackney being shared between Rye House & Lakeside (the latter looking at establishing a team of their own for next year), we have Belle Vue & King's Lynn on one hand (9 teams & Lakeside in the EL)& Scunthorpe & Newport on the other (13 teams & Rye House in the PL). Now, only two of those four are either considering of have already not running next year. But, damn those money grabbing EL promoters

Yes, an excellent reassessment of the situation. In the first report if the Saints don't run, it's because Rob Godfrey pulled the plug. In the second report if the Saints don't run, it's because Rob Godfrey couldn't persuade Neil Machin to continue.

Really? I don't remember you bringing it up more than 5 times a day. Such earth-shattering decision making as what to put in the programme notes that no one reads, I'm just surprised that Sheffield fans weren't to be found outside Scunthorpe on Friday with placards & banners demanding equal status for their alphbetically - challenged representation. It's one of life's great ironies that Morecambe & Wise were taken from us before such tumblin', hilarious hi jinks could have provided them with such a rich vein of material. For someone as pedantic, doesn't your last comment suggest you would have been in favour of people becoming in debt to show their support for the team / teams / town / city respesentatives / club / clubs? Are your fascinating postings going to exceed comments about the actual meetings by as great a margin as they did with the semi final? And yet folk persist it's the rulebook that drives the hoardes of new fans away - nothing to do with their coming into contact with bobble hat wearing, nylon clad obbsessives with their multicoloured pens & spreadsheets

And if it had gone ahead last week, they would have been at full strength. Suck it up - it happens. For that matter, it's not as if the Saints have got this far with a full team - the last time Belle Vue visited the Scorpions were at Edinburgh, needed a guest … & pulled Richie Worrall from the Saints!

Will they at least be able to broadcast the damn thing in 16:9??? I think it was the Nordic SGP that was in 4:3 but Sky decided squashing the pictures into 16:9 would suffice for the poor saps who have paid to watch. "Lack of HD Studios"? FFS! I look forward to an adjustment being made to my direct debit in that case. HOW LONG have Sky been charging extra for an (incrementally increasing) HD service & they STILL Haven't geared their own studios up to cater for it? Pathetic.

I am neither your mate or "a Scorpion so called fan" - was it "a so called Scorpion fan" you were aiming for? It's a shame that when you rely on Google to translate into English that it screws your efforts up in that way.

An unusual happening at Newport, surely. Very recently on the meting thread, there's a comment about it being admitted that the track was "too slick" and how the'll be changed for the next match. So, it would appear that the home promotion have taken over the initiative & are "underminging" the track staff themselves now

Get over yourself. Richrd Hollingsworth does more for speedway on a day off than some Antipodean tumbling, hanger-on clown could ever achieve. "When Jason looked up about to start his proffesion he was waving his arms like a Flaming Gala" - could you get someone with English as their first language to translate? If the rider in question WAS infringing on the starting gate of the Scunthorpe rider, then it was right to "underming" the Starting Marshall. "Team manageing" doesn't have to be solely from the pits - he's perfectly within his rights to object to starting procedures that need "underminging"

Whereas this place is as trustworthy as the BBC

Fair enough, although the same blokes would have the same chance to cock up the track. Wasn't the indoor GP at Germany "rained off" a couple of years ago lol

Why? Because it rained? It rained at Scunthorpe last night - maybe Rob Godfrey's licence should be pulled. The track's rubbish 'cos it rained. That's just as likely to happen most places. Better there than some country hicksville track in a forest.

Why is it not fair? Is it only raining on gates 3 & 4?

Part Two: Having already knocked it on the head / put it out of its misery, that'll be another admission of being understrength. So that's now BOTH organisers. Being a "nice bunch of guys" isn't really the point though is it? Exactly. Another nice attitude (albeit since withdrawn). As it's a couple of weeks holiday, travelling round & being "involved", that'll probably colour your opinion though, won't it? Well, I HAD moved on until one of the Americans' "foster mothers" brought me up by name as being the only one who thought it to be substandard. Of course, you cheering on the Yanks (as well as the up 7 coming JOe Screen & Lubos Tomicek) wouldn't be related to Mr Bowden cancelling Team Viking, would it? So, why would that have happened? I'll take a stab at that being someone else added to the list of those not interested in "substandard fayre" . Not something previously mentioned though is it? "First half of the tour not good enough as per usual" wouldn't really work as an advertising strategy. Oh good, someone else "involved" in speedway. Once again though, being an integral part of "the show" somewhat colours your opinion. Still, being in the pits must have been exciting. From the learning curve on dislpay last week, what could be expected would be most of the Activity Holidaymakers signing up to ride in the Amateur Meetings at (Say) Scunthorpe. Of course then they wouldn't need so much mothering & err tour infrastructure & "backroom crew" Still, I'm sure it's been a nice holiday.

Part One: Really? I'm the only one.......? Well, after having been banged on about at length it transpires that the retired star whose addition to the team would excite everyone's interest didn't materialise..... becasue of a blown engine.

Well, there y'go. Although it doesn't even appear to be the case of calling for the cavalry when it's dawned on the management that what theyre serving up is substandard - it seems that the cavalry were going to turn up anyway in it's own sweet time. It doesn't matter if the first half of the tour is a rip off, at least WE get to live the dream

Actually, you can. But that's a technological development that's been in place for quite some time. So, it's down to the organisers to arrange their schedule to suit the rider availablity & turn out with a proper team at ALL venues - or does the additional expense that the (in this case) Newcastle promotion & public went to come secondary to a troupe of novices "living the dream"? Nice attitude. Is that the same one adopted by the management? If that's the case, expect a more relaxed schedule next year. Repeated comments about the EL Sky fixture are irrelevant. Unless you're trying to defend your substandard fayre as "we're rubbish, but so are others".

Advertise it as an opportunity to meet nice, genuine, guys then Evidently, the drafting in of Novratil (wh was very good last year) suggests that I'm not the only one who thinks that Sunday wasn't good enough.

All the more reason to pull the plug if necessary. Apart from anything else, based on this year's experience, the promoters' aren't exactly going to be beating down doors next year, are they? Nothing other than a waste of my time & money - that personal enough for you?

And what bearing does that have on this year? All the more reason for withdrawing if they're not up to it - which they clearly aren't - rather than serving up substandard novice fayre.