IainB

... and who can ever forget Sam Ermolenko's "office" comedy genius 😂

Any idea if the stadium will be open before Christmas for gifts and season tickets 😂

To be fair I think BT Sport did start to up their game towards the end of the GP coverage first time round with Scott Nicholls doing analysis on the big screen and even bringing his bikes in to show starting techniques etc. And Natalie Quirk was the most knowledge presenter the sport has ever had. I don't think the TV coverage has ever recovered after the sudden sad death of Nigel Pearson. Another marmite character (aren't they all) but one of the few involved in Speedway, along with Tatum and Louis who were/are articulate enough to be on TV. Not only involved in Speedway he did carry some credibility within the industry and who knows may have been able to carry some sway. Tatum should never have been lead commentator but much like British Speedway there was nobody else ever given the chance after a Tony Millard was edged out at Sky.

The coverage of Speedway is so light touch and superficial (always has been) that I can't really think of it attracting anybody. The beauty of most sports are when you start to scratch the surface and go beyond skin deep and begin to understand the intricacies involved... what's the track like and are you going to make any changes before throwing back to a giggling presenter telling us that the absolute bilge we're watching is brilliant Speedway and great racing doesn't really cut it for most sports fans.

You'll be waiting for a hell of a long time for any of that... they just move on to the next club. It amazes me that whenever a club closes you never really hear anything from the riders other than something like "it's a shame"... and then they pop up and ride elsewhere and leave it to the fans to fight the fight. I can tell them all it's more than a shame, it's absolutely bloody devastating!

100% there is a need, and I think you know this. Those 6 clubs are not coming back anytime soon (if at all) but if they did that would make 2 healthy leagues of 10 teams. There would undoubtedly need to be some form of doubling up until such a point that a properly implemented rider development plan started to produce league quality riders... instead of the lip service we pay to such development at the moment with clubs being allowed to stage just a single development meeting a year.

I tell you who will notice... land developers, for British Speedway to "choose" to run without 5 clubs next season is unthinkable and would be a suicidal move. Just at the point where the likes of Coventry, Swindon, Peterborough, Lakeside, Rye House, Wolverhampton et al are trying to prove to the local and national authorities that there is a need for these tracks to reopen if the powers that be decided to do this it'd be close to game over for those clubs.

I'm not sure the FIM are really interested in any domestic speedway anywhere. I don't think the ACU particularly have a one to one relationship with the SCB/BSPL. In the old National League days didn't those riders also ride with ACU licences? Obviously if there were to be any kind of breakaway league it'd probably be more attractive if it were affiliated to the ACU.

Would almost have filled Torun

... as have many others riding speedway with both NORA & SCB/ACU licences

That's the fella 👍🏻

... in other news and just sticking my 2 penneth in regarding the lifting of air fences. I've often thought that the current air fence setup needs something more solid in front of it on the rider facing side. Something similar to an ice cream sandwich, where the ice cream is the air bag and the wafers either side are, the existing fence, crowd side and something similar rider side but made of an easily breakable material, maybe something like what the kick boards are made of, maybe slightly dug into the ground... I wonder if anything like this has ever been tested? You could possibly even have them down the straights too if they had a more rigid outer and riders couldn't catch their handle bars in them. The air bag is only there for energy dispersion.

To be honest, every one I've listened to so far which has only really been since the play offs episodes there's been some sort of sound issues with at least one of the contributors, yours always seems okay actually. I'm sure the guy that runs it has the best of intentions but you've got to be able to hear what's being said or what's the point? The Talk Speedway podcast also had similar issues with that Australian ex rider guy, can't think of his name at the moment constantly dropping out and you often just get the guy that presents it talking to himself for minutes on end! If people are going to publish these things to the public it really needs to be better quality in 2025 like the Ian Brannan podcasts, I know he's a pro but surely it can't be that difficult to check sound levels of all participants before starting and if somebody's isn't up to scratch don't just continue like everything's okay. ... just saying

Yes, I know that, that's why I didn't quote you in, it was just a general point regarding the podcast... don't get me started on the often atrocious sound quality 😜

Why would you have Andrew Bain on your podcast and not ask him the 1 question every fan wants to know the answer to? 🤷‍♂️

Hadn't the AGM always used to be in January until relatively recently?

There are a few riders (maybe without families) that are choosing to base themselves out in Poland these days... or Andorra!

I think we're refereeing to the likes of DT & JJ as "no hopers" now 😟 We have a pool of under 24 riders, "no hopers", just waiting to be given the opportunity to ride regularly and improve their skills to hopefully be part of the salvation of the sport in this country. We don't need to be bringing them all in from abroad.

... finishing off at Ipswich? 🤔

No, it would mean he'd be able to ride here without ruining his club financially. If he wants to ride in th UK on a Monday and Thursday, without a TV deal, he needs to accept a pay cut, it really is that simple.

He must think the Ipswich fans are a right fickle bunch then 😁😉

The answer is partly in his hands... accept a big pay cut

You're saying Poland are not hanging around to see what the UK are playing at? 😂