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http://www.fim-live.com/fileadmin/alfresco/Supplementary_Regulations_updated.pdf If the nationality of the referee constitutes an announcement, this'll suffice for a couple of weeks' worth of press releases...

The B SPA haven't "killed off" anything - if the clubs decide they don't want to meet the criteria for British Junior League racing, then that's up to them. Of the "experienced riders" who don't meet the criteria, how many were British (surely that's the point of the league) and how many were under 40 - there surely has to be SOME distiction between "junior racing" & "some mid-life crisis with a bike" amateur racing. As has just been posted AJL have used the same 3 man teams, 4 heats that the NJL used, so what's the problem?

Yes it is - Except the bloke's name is "Terro" rather than "Tear-o"... so that actually makes hime "Terro the Herro" This is what happens when old, befuddled people are taken out for the day from their care home & instead of feeding ducks in the park are given a microphone with which to entertain themsleves (God knows, no one else is entertained).

Always happy to assist the hard-of-thinking - even the abusive ones.

I can only apologise for being ill-prepared in referring to a quote in a magazine. I didn't realise that I needed to contact Mr Parker & ask him follow up questions to justify his initial comments. (can't help but notice the track preparation hasn't come under further scrutiny though). OK, you're one of the decresing number of locals who enjoy their speedway at Scunthorpe. Fine, get on with it. I wasn't aware that any other opinion wasn't to be tolerated. Seemingly that's an opinion shared by 80% of the locals who were there when I visited three years earlier, but there you go..... Enjoy your speedway, assuming it's on tonight - better hurry to beat the crowds flocking to The Best Race Track In The Country.

I'm pretty certain that I don't care about the finances of Scunthorpe and their promotion. You're the one that brought up financial outlay. Difficult to comment on the remainder of your post as it seems to suggest that English may not be your first language. I'm fully aware that it's a poll amongst referees, thanks, who aren't there to judge entertaiment. Kenni Larsen amongst others I've spoken to find it boring as its SO wide it ends up being ridden as a circle, and Shane Parker in the Speedway Star reckoned the material used leaves something to be desired as does the preparation. But they probably know nothing.

Oh wow, a poll. To be ranked alongside the poll in the Speedway Star Big Issue. Still worrying about the financial implications of Scunthorpe's remedial work necessary to be deemed acceptable to the FIM?

It doesn't make the slightest difference which match it was as, seemingly, in your opinion, the track is uniformily well prepared, but to calm you down a bit, Berwick were the visitors. As I recall, apart from one storming ride from Ashworth when he eventually got past his team mate & chased down both Scorpions, there wasn't a great deal to write home about. Because, in the last instance rather than address his own inaccuracies regarding finance - evidently more of a concern to him than the Scunthorpe promotion, as they didn't seem to think it was an issue - the poster lobbed out an infantile name-related insult. Look, if the good people of Scunthorpe (well, at least on the evidence of actually having been at the track, an increasingly small number of them anyway) think the racing is the best in the country, good luck to them. That's their opinion. I happen to think that it's going steadily downhill and has done for some considerable time. That's my opinion.

... so that will be another argument lost, so there's nothing left but to hurl pathetic infantile insults...

If you're going to try & have a pop at me, at least try and get your facts right. Where does finance come into it? The press release on the website doesn't mention finance and it might seem to YOU that the financial outlay is unreasonable - the promoter in question doesn't: he been apparently trying to get the work done and supposedly it's purely down to timescale that he's pulled out. I bow to the superior knowledge and experience of a Leicester fan with regard to track preparation and excitement, blessed as you are with a regular diet of both. I'll ignore the riders from both leagues that I've spoken to who have voiced differing opinions on why the track is a shadow of its former self. I'll accept that it's the only track that hasn't suffered from Stock Cars being introduced, and that the bouncy castle strapped to the earth bank- mounted Armco barrier& bits of old fence add a bit of excitement.

Any need to resort to childish insults, simply because someone doesn't subscribe to the Scunthorpe best track in the country mantra? If you can't recall the track being worn out, it's immaterial which match I attended. It was the Berwick match. You seemingly think the track was fine. Or, it was the Newcastle match. Again, it would appear you thought the track was fine that night too. Who the visitors were, doesn't matter. I thought the track was considerably worse than on previous visits. That's my opinion - I wasn't aware that I wasn't permitted to express it without abuse. With regard to the crowds, simple maths would suggest that the gathering on the night in question wouldn't have covered the basic outgoings of points money and a few running costs Therefore, it's not much a leap to assuming all the other activity helps fund Friday nights. Considerably reduced in numbers over the last handful of visits, this "best track in the country" doesn't appeared to have held the attention of many locals - unless there's another reason for them to be stopping away in droves in comparison to other tracks. If you could actually read what was posted instead of trying & failing to be ironic, you would see that I wasn't commenting on the unprofessionalism of the out of date nature of the website, rather than the constantly moving goalposts surrounding Kenny Smith. You might think its the best racing. I don't. It may have been a few years ago, now I think it's poor in comparison. I don't recall mentioning profitability at all. However, now that you've brought it up, if you think the "crowd" witnessed on the night in question covered the costs, you're kidding yourself more than about the quality of racing

www.scunthorpescorpions.co - it's the scrolling / changing thing at the foot of the page. It happened to be displaying the exciting details of the opening meeting when I accessed the site. The recent visit was.... recently So that'll be when one of the northern teams visited. Or are you going to tell me that on the night of the Berwick (or Newcastle) meeting the world-renowned Scunthorpe Mardi Gras was in full swing, thereby decimating the crowd, when on other nights the place is packed to the gunnels & the last one in has to wear a "House Full" sign on his back?

<p> <br /><br /> </p> By putting yourself forward for the job.... & then not being up to standard upon inspection. "Interesting" to check out the article on the website - the home page is still advertising the opening meeting of the season: apparently a top field is being assembled for the Kenny Smith Memorial Meeting. See, easy to put yourself forward for something... and not deliver. On a recent visit, the track looked to be, well, totally knackered through overuse & was a shadow of it's former self, but i suppose that's necessary to fund PL racing. Certainly the "crowd" wasnt a shadow of its former self - there weren't enough to cast a big enough shadow - in fact only the travelling support made it a "crowd" as opposed to a "gathering".

Plus the fact that the Cheerful Orange Coloured Kockanee is seemingly much more untested in screwing everybody in sight rather than actually achieving anything. Still there are the many sponsorship deals he's brought into the sport to administer too.

Oh well, golly gee, I'll just have to learn to live with that. Criticism? Not really. Rejection of the ra-ra, let's all be grateful to Sky? Yes. Inaccurate? That's one thing you couldn't find, up to and including the LIVE coverage tonight 0:55 - 9:00 of the 3rd One Day International between New Zealand and South Africa - in HD. So, not exactly cutting edge technology, breaking new ground.

Tell you what, I'll show my "appreciation" like I usually do: by direct debit each month. What do you want? A medal? Oh my God! It's in HD! That'll be because it's on Sky Sports HD, is it? For which HD subscribers pay more. Very good of Sky to provide WHAT THEY'RE BEING PAID FOR. Holy Mother! It's on live!we better all get out of bed and show our support by wearing Sky Sports nightwear! Let's not bother trying to make it out like Sky Sports are "going the extra mile": through the night they're currently broadcasting live New Zealand v South Africa cricket - I haven't noticed Britain becoming a nocturnal nation this week as everyone grabs a kip during the day so they're fresh as daisy for the first ball every night. It's already mentioned that it's being shown live in Australia,so it's not as if the infrastructure isn't going to be in place. Thanks Sky, take all the praise you deserve. For providing what you're being paid for.

Well even back in November he'd identified a couple - as well as saying that if Sheffield weren't involved Scunthorpe would go it alone. Surely the point of "development" is that you don't know what you're going to get from the "undeveloped". "I'm actually thinking we might go with a team that is totally about developing new riders" - you can almost tasre the fear & trepidation in that quote At this rate you'll be able to identify the date when the Kenny Smith Meeting was rained off last year (as per Mr Hollingsworth, Speedway Star, recently)

So, there's a difference between "breaking the team up" and "starting again"? You DO know that you couldn't have one without the other - they kinda come as a pair.

Is that the latest version of recent history being ponied out now, is it? The team may well have already made the play-offs before the promoter started moaning about pulling out of the National League, but worrying about breaking the team up - you're having a laugh. - "We're not a stand alone club and every pound it (NL team) loses is a pound out of the PL pot, and it's a matter of survival" - "it all comes out of the pot, which is diminishing quicker and quicker and it's been a tough year as it is" - "the one that's on it's own (NL fixture), 200 people will come and that doesn't pay for anything" all quotes of Rob Godfrey, Speedway Star, 5/11/11. - "I'm actually thinking we might go with a team that is totally about developing new riders" - "I acould give them (raw recuits from an amateur meeting) a job and make the National Leaguewhat I want to make it: a development league" both quotes from Rob Godfrey, Speedway Star, 19/11/11 So, not much evidence of Sucuuny's worry about "having to start again" - quite the opposite, in fact.

Wool that be the Scunthorpe Saints that were so well supported last year that their promoter was going to pull the plug on them due to two men & a bored dog watching them - until they got to the play offs, when his mood swing medication kicked in & everything became rosy once again?

That being the case, then that's a good thing - especially this week.

So the grand scheme would be to reduce the number of races involving the riders that the public actually turn up & pay to see - reducing the programmed rides for reserves by 25% and denying the paying public the nominated riders race - to free up more time for novices and amateurs. Sounds like a real winner and should help cut having to print so many admission tickets each season.

I would have thought that it MIGHT undermine the "seriousness" of the promotion's threat to withdraw from the Premier League if they announce the riders taking part in their first meeting LOL! Awaits Mallett bleating on about how poor the crowd was for the opening night meeting - "if the people don't turn up in greater numbers for the League Cup, we'll have no alternative but to withdraw from the Premier League"

Why, precisely, would that rule be "stupid" - I thought the league was supposed to be about developing talent.

SLIDESHOW? What? Surely someone in deepest Suffolk has ventured towards the cutting edge of technology & could show CINE FILM too (accompanied by a pianist, just like they do in the new-fangled moving picture emporiums)?