norwichkev

June, not singled out I included you as those who had an interest in the subject. Most of you points covered in the response to Montie above. Forget racism this is not a PC thread. Totally agree on breeding ground for the Prem - but that is where it falls down, look at the riders still in NL, how many moved up last year? Solve the sport from top down, not bottom up - even in football there are now quota's to bring on new youngsters - and it's started in the Premiership not at the bottom - only way to ensure upwards movement. Embrace the likes of John Oliver, a good rider who will do you well, the better you do the bigger the gates the more revenue to invest in training etc. Kev

Question for you Montie. Cooper has only ridden 5 meetings this season - have you only just re-declared from this? If not then why could you not use r/r for Cooper? Adam Kirby is a good lad, but is he ready at this level? We tried Adam Portwood as did Dudley - both riders could have a future - if Scunny are that sure why are you not using Adam on the Monday? To push the young Brits as you say you could do that and fit in Stefan to give him the experience surely as you will be in the Top 4 anyway. Like I said mate a little bit of honesty as to what goes on goes a long way. Like I said JLo is quality and a good signing, but he ain't British. Just be honest and say that actually Aussie's ain't too bad and we want to win the league - you can sell your soapbox then. Me personally, never involved in whatever went on with Facebook etc, heard the rumours at the time but RG has his own business to run and his own interests. He knows what went on as I suspect you do, but whatever the truth it is commercial. Scunny have a good set up, and I suspect that you will find Mildy following a similar route with the new management team and their focus on training etc which is great for young Brits - can't think of a more experienced back up team in Speedway let alone NL - BTW the funding for this must surely be driven by the gate revenues which this season Camo has been a kep player in driving up. Taylor a breath of fresh air, as was Dakota & now Camo. Like I have said before Patriality / Non makes zero difference if the are not going to ride for Team GB. Many have made the point that we cannot stop the Pat's so therefore widen up and allow 1 per team of either. All 3 have added colour, Todd Kurtz was supern on the IOW Tuesday night and kept the meeting alive - think of the alternative - as an e.g either Adam's or a host of others against the likes of the Lambert's, Wrathalls, Evans, Armstrongs will not provide entertainment at this stage of their career BUT they can learn from the likes of Camo. As to the last point, did Ed get banned for cheating? as far as I understood it could not be proved that he knew what was going on. I think you would struggle to find a promoter EVEN Saint Rob who has not bent the odd rule now and again. Kev

Thought it was a simple question June - JLo is a 24 year old Aussie - Rob Godfrey should have googled it first if young Brits is all that he believes in If he has then by default in your eyes he is as bad as everybody else. Either that or you, Montie, Godfrey et al just stick your hands up and concede a) there is not the quantity / quality of young Brits at this moment in time of the right standard b)Concede that actually some lads from foriegn climes add value to the NL, brings in the paying public and keeps it alive c) Quit the knocking of other clubs for promoting the NL as an attractive entrance level to the sport - without looking at it, which team has the lowest ave age?. Aside from that, Jealous? not a bit of it, a great signing for Scunny which will probably win the League for you with a mainly Brit team and young riders that you have shown faith in. Good luck to you - just think in future before you get on your soapboxes. Oh, by the way Patriality or non-patriality makes no difference - if theyt aren't going to ride for Team GB it means Jacks. Kev

You will always get idiots wherever you go, most would agree totally unacceptable - however, read the comments from around the track and the action of the ref Stefan's appears to have been a racing accident with no blame no more, no less ( cant quite understand where you are coming from, whether it was Stefan or any other rider makes no odds ). Mildenhall have had the reputation over the years as a great crowd home and away - knowing a few on the first band I find that hard to believe. If you heard it then fair do's but I would hate to think people are trying to jump on a bandwagon that doesn't exist. Kev

I can see what you are trying to say m8 but IMO this issue is maybe getting out of proportion, cheering when things have gone wrong for the opposition etc has gone on for many years due to the partisan nature of a team sport - in general society now has bred the UK into an over sensitive nation where e.g. schools have non competitive sports days so nobody's feelings get hurt. In life you have to balance things out, the week before there were groans when Camo fell in Ht 15 I suspect it was much the same people who cheered Birks sliding off - either could have been injured no difference there - you can't have one side without the other, some people are vocal others not hence the same people were deathly quiet when Stefan fell. If an opposing rider is leading a race and his engine blows you will get cheers - then a good round of applause from the same people who cheered when he pushes his bike home. Bring in a fear culture and you will take away the atmosphere. Even though it is slightly off topic I think you maybe misread my post, Birks did not "cheat" he got away with moving at the start the ref missed it 1000 fans didn't. Lewis was hopping about when he fell, take your own analogy "even the most simple of falls can result in serious injury" you do not know whether he was hurt or not, you are surmising - a few weeks back Shane Hazledene from Hackney did it twice at Mildy in the same meeting - it is down to the referee to hand out punishment if he feels there is a misdemeanour and he did not, so presumably in his eyes there was not. At the time of the incident you were standing with a Team Manager, ask him what he would expect one of his riders to do in the same sort of situation injured or not. Oh and watch the Elite on TV you will see it happens often, time for a reality check me feels. I think the word you are looking for is gamesmanship. Can't comment on Jari, however, Rusty who did the updates had a pop at Camo last week for cheating by falling and feigning even though it turned out he had broken his wrist, after watching IOW last night in ht15 Rob Smith was at least a bike length behind everybody else coming into the first bend and slid himself off gaining a re-run - ref fell for it and he got allowed back in - I am sure in his comments on updates Rusty was consistent with the week before Can't blame supporters for supporting their own team against all others. Kev

Lorna, great to see you again Sunday. Don't do that, the way to look at it is if a rider is a distant fourth his reason for carrying on is the hope that a rider in front falls or has a mechanical problem. Riders and supporters want to win which is not wrong as is a highly competitive sport, but agree with you 100% if it's a bad smash it is a different matter ( ala stefan ), and quite rightly you noticed the response. Take the will to win away and we do not have a sport. Ironically it is normally opposing riders whom are doing well who get a cheer when they fall, but suspect it is normally a relief response which i guess in a twisted way is more of a mark of respect. This year more than most I have noticed the appreciation by the Mildy crowd of opposing riders, take Lambert last week - yes, he rides Elite but how many on the forum have cribbed? he was superb on the day and deserves all the accolades. Kev

Totally agree, I can understand the earlier comments but they were related to the Birks slide off which was fairly innocuous, and after he had jumped the start a couple of times and got away with it - was i feel an ironic response of justice. Afraid we are all getting sucked in by the PC brigade that we are not allowed to have an opinion. If you want to be realistic? - total silence with the Stefan crash, that is the real response by not just mildy but all true Speedway fans. Kev

Good to see you again mate complete with the AC/DC shorts we even managed to win with you there, shows things are on the up. Nielsen crash looked horrific, glad he is not too badly hurt - still can't believe you think Halsey was at fault "the Scunthorpe youngster had nowhere else to go and was almost level" bit like saying I almost won the lottery, the bloke next door won it - Dan was ahead so could choose his own line and did not appear to look back for Stefan refs decision backs that up - never known a stadium to go so quiet so quick though. Thought both Aaron and Dan did well yesterday and all of our riders took some crucial points. Worrall brothers were superb, couldn't see them getting beaten until the fall. Kev

The problem is that then takes away the protection that Patriality brings. However, no argument with that one if it is regulated and raises the standards, would like to see a rewards system in place for NL clubs that brings over the riders that then helps fund more training for young Brits. Reality is that at the moment we do not have the young riders coming through of NL standard.

You are right RT that he could not have run in Ht 15, the way we saw it was that Ht 11 he stood a better chance of beating TA and kept a healthier margin IMO that Ht 11 was a pivotal point in the meeting - Ht 15 would then have been of less importance and run with Hargreaves and Blackbird

I think the winner yet again yesterday was Speedway NL - proof of that was the size of the crowd who couldn't have been disapointed by what they saw, take Camo or Lambert as the Panto villain out and it would probably have been a tame affair. Both guys set the standard for the rest of their teams and set up an exciting end to the meeting also great to see Tony Atkin still putting it about, overall I thought was a fair result. Still a bit mystified why Camo was not used as a r/r in Heat 11, ultimately it could have cost us the extra point.

Robbo's was ideed horrific straight into first bend fence on his back wheel when his throttle stuck open I believe - could have been over some fences. Ben's yesterday came at the exit of bend 2 similar place to McGowams in the televised meeting last week so no comparison - should, perish the thoughy, anybody be trying to bring up old chestuts and make mischief

Looks like a big ask for the Hawks, more worrying must be the programme notes from Jon Cook in the Lakeside programme tonite - and the Jonathan Chapman vision of the way forwards.

Maybe you should read your posts before you spout your garbage, although the use of the word simple is probably close to home for you. He has a British passport that says it all. If you are passionate as you claim try looking at the positives in life instead of always whinging, no wonder as a nation we are no longer great with the likes of you about - you certainly don't make me proud to be British. Spot on HT, must have been a defect in contraception when that one was spawned

Errrrrrrrrrrrrrr No, or he couldn't ride in the NL. Instead of being a criticising spend some money on watching some quality and enjoy while you can - 14+2 on what appears to be a difficult track I suspect he possibly rode for the first time should tell you something?, maybe you can then sell your blinkers on Ebay. Or maybe not, be a Brit like others of your ilk and be a whinging Pom. Why on earth would he want to show allegiance to this country with nobs like you about.

Totally agree on all points, Rob Branford was top quality and has moved up a gear from last team he was here and he was very impressive then. Showed maturity in stalking JJ until bend 4 lap 4 in Ht6 and taking him on the line. Crowd was well up, hopefully some of these will return again and also spread the word about the NL - all we need to do now is get rid of some of the negativity in some quarters and put a bit of balance into the best way forwards for the league. They will raise the barrier and bring out the best in the up and coming young brits which can only be good for the sport. Met with Cameron and his mum on Sunday, excellent charming down to earth people people who had the time to stand and have a chat after the meeting - they deserve the opportunity having uprooted the family and flown halfway around the world. Lads like this will be a big benefit to UK speedway for years to come, and add some colour and excitement along the way.

Not there today.

We stand by the start /finish and his gating did not seem that bad, match practice will sharpen the last little bit shame we have to wait 3 weeks for the next Home fixture, suspect a few will travel up to Buxton 3rd July. Easy to forget this was his first league meeting, and have to say he got better as the meeting went on his pass of Ben Taylor in Ht11 IMO marked the turning point of the meeting. Also agree with you, look forward to seeing how he handles the bigger tracks. Great to see a great number of fans from Ipswich there you must have been delighted with him - he should put bums on seats at most NL tracks - and also JJ and Lewis in his last couple of rides hope to see more of you in the future.

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear - good job you had your facts right or you would have looked a right t**t.

Think you have it spot on whether at Mildy or anywhere else, NL can be a very good product if governed by common sense. Monty, RT et al time to put your hands up, you got it wrong!! No doubt you will acknowledge. Cameron looks quality for such a young age ( as did young 13 year old Lambert at Rye House the other week ) I am sure he will give it 100% - hats off to him, flies half way around the world at 15!! - bring on the U.K. equivalent. The more youngsters of any nationality that hit the U.K. can only bring more people to the sport, and raise performance levels in our young un's. Maybe any future should give Stoke & Scunny a miss to ensure they are appreciated Will it make fen Tigers stronger? Who knows? Brundle will be a big loss to a well balanced team and deserves his chance at RH, Adam Portwood will come again, has shown massive improvement this year - but Mark and Cameron will bring entertainment and 100% commitment. Roll on Sunday.

What happened to the semi's then? Change of format or NL rules? Well done Tigers and not a young aussie in sight. Well for Mildenhall anyway

Very good side that would have been unquestionably, BUT there are not enough to go around at this moment in time. I remember the "wobbler" comments that were used in a manner that suggested that if you did not support these then you were anti Bits etc, etc - a bit like some correspondants on here peddling the line that if you want e.g. a young Aussie in the NL then by implication you must by anti young Brits. Good rhetoric but of course complete nonsense. Forget "Wobblers" every rider at some stage must have been one. Some riders can be smooth but not on the pace, have the wrong inner thinking and some will reach a stage where it will be apparent that they will not cut the mustard - in itself that is a place taken that will not help the development process. Finance wise as Chopper has said I have not heard of any NL Aussie being paid over the odds although not saying it does not happen. The fact that these guys come all of this way to further develop shows their drive, ambition and commitment - the NL should be using this as a stage to contract these guys to ensure that they get a return as they move up the Leagues, this in turn would help fund operations. Mildy NL financial difficulties are well documented were driven by an unfortunate set of family circumstances, but I totally agree financial implications are paramount. It's at a different level so not an easy comparison but P'Boro bringng n Nikki P and Coventry bringing in Emil ( hope financially the get it right )- I and others will go to both to see them, same as I went to RH to see Garrity ( shame he broke down on route ). It's all about promoting interest. Read the forums though and see how many fans openly admitted to coming back to West Row just to see firstly Dakota and secondly Taylor, also great to see Ben Hopwood go out at Rye with Cameron in the second half - competition in young Brits is what we need. Agree 100% with Jayne's post though, we have to play by the rules - but maybe the rules are inhibitive and not in best interests of NL as a whole.

Cheers is a small amount anyway, and in most cases wouldn't cover even the basics of fuel/ oil etc certainly not a "job" wage. Principal is the same though could be £100 a point, 100% of nothing is nothing. Can't see it adding to the mass of Brits unemployed.

Morning Malcolm. Not sure what logic has failed anybody or how you have been proven right. At £5 a point I don't think that NL can be called a Job. HT, 2BP and BFD are spot on a) Numbers involved Raising standards amongst our own c) Entertainment and d) Supporters - all this in a depressed market where finances are tight. At the moment in the NL we have teams struggling to find reserves - e.g. IOW for one, reserve riders who are coming in half a lap behind week after week - then only getting 3 rides because the other can be used to take extra rides and score more points, allegations of riders being sacked for not turning up. Hardly reasons to shout success and take a bow eh! Bit of a poor shot about people not caring about Brits just because they do not share your blinkered view. The Empire has gone Malcolm, if you think deeeeply about the benefits of our colonial cousins for well thought out reasons as laid out by BFD you might just start to get it. U15's? Not something that I have followed apart from attending the odd event a) What crowds turn up at Look at the last 3-4 years where is the big influx into the sport? Ashley Morris has done well, Brandon was the stand out star a couple of years back and half this season on is only just beginning to get up to speed. Sam Woods has bucked the trend and made the effort and is over learning his craft in Denmark as we speak, if he can do it why can't others? Two thoughts that you do not appear to consider - 1)if the current base of U.K. youngsters ready for NL are that good then why are Promoters / Fans wanting to bring people from overseas over? 2) Most Aussie's have more "Brit" in them than a lot of the current U.K. population - so who are you claiming as ours? Stand back, smell the coffee and take a look at some of the crowds out there and read the forums on why people do not attend the NL - logic says that if the trend continues teams will close and we could end up having Brit team managers unemployed