Stoke Potters 2014

[boz]

Was a big improver throughout the season (along with Ryan Macdonald) in the NJL. As mentioned above, race wins against some of the big hitters on the NJL. Good to see him getting a chance in the NL, and great to see another graduate from the NJL.

[Islander15]

Well thanks for a public response but I still feel that your comment was derogatory to the rider in question and you need to be more careful how you phrase your remarks which did not tell the full story. I don't care what you say about me I am fair game but a lad delighted and over the moon did not need to read what you had to say in that style which sounded like a put down. So just improve your research before making such a comment and I wont complain.

 

I don't comment abut the state of the Stoke track in the winter months either since I never see it. I understand that the drivers were pleased that a recent meeting was moved to Stoke in preference to the original venue. I have no interest in that sport but it helps pay the bills.

 

I apologise for my comment regarding the club you support and your possible activity to help it and that apart I am attacking your post not yourself. I must restrain my comments in future too.

 

I hope the Isle of Wight return at some point. A great Club but so lacking in support. Such a shame.

 

I hope perhaps we might meet somewhere and are able to chat. You may find I am not so bad as you think. (or worse lol)

 

 

Malcolm Vasey

I maintain that what I said was neither derogatory nor a put down but a simple fact. If you or Rob took it that way then that is up to you and not me, and probably shows your true thoughts. I posted a fact, and didn't include any of my opinion on him at all, and that fact you cannot dispute.

 

This is a forum for open debate for fans and anyone can post, within reason, what they want. I could not include the length of time he had been riding a bike because I did not know it and I was making no argument so it wasn't imperative that I looked up his riding position on the day. For example if I was to say Ricky Van Wolfswinkel cost Norwich £8.5million it's your opinion on him if you think I'm suggesting that's too much. I may well be of the opinion that he needs a year to settle and will do really well next year (which is the case btw).

 

I think it shows that my post was purely fact based with myself making no judgement on the rider and nothing negative towards him when you consider that nobody else bothered to complain about it or my similar post regarding Adam Extance.

[Swift Saint]

I think it shows that my post was purely fact based

 

No I think it shows and from your subsequent remarks that you knew little or nothing about him. In that respect it may be fact based but of very limited value because the content is limited to one fact which in itself is misleading others posting subsequently have only served to illustrate the weakness of your post.

 

I wont add any more to this as we could go on forever but your own statements reveal you knew almost nothing about the rider in question.

 

 

Malcolm Vasey

[Islander15]

No I think it shows and from your subsequent remarks that you knew little or nothing about him. In that respect it may be fact based but of very limited value because the content is limited to one fact which in itself is misleading others posting subsequently have only served to illustrate the weakness of your post.

 

I wont add any more to this as we could go on forever but your own statements reveal you knew almost nothing about the rider in question.

 

 

Malcolm Vasey

You ignore most of my first response and only answered a few words of my second, so that rather sums up your argument.

 

I never claimed to be of expert knowledge and left it to others to form a judgement. The more people that say what they know then the more we know overall and the better informed we can become.

[semion]

Who said never let facts get in the way of a good argument ?

 

Proud I thought you might have been in the frame for a return to Scunthorpe. I was considered that a club with a youth policy would suit you more than a stand alone Club. Not really worked out in Staffs for you so far, has it ? Just basing that comment on facts.

[vog]

Who said never let facts get in the way of a good argument ?

 

Proud I thought you might have been in the frame for a return to Scunthorpe. I was considered that a club with a youth policy would suit you more than a stand alone Club. Not really worked out in Staffs for you so far, has it ? Just basing that comment on facts.

 

I'll throw this out there, how do you base that it hasn't really worked out? The drop to the NL was not his choice, nor was the final team selected in the PL, so we can almost discount those.

 

Since moving to the NL, we topped the league, won the Pairs, reached the KoC final...that's more success than I have witnessed at Stoke in a long time! Under the Potters banner, that is the most success I have ever witnessed, and I started back in 1996.

 

Now, the only thing to do is win a 7 man trophy, because no Stoke team has ever managed that!

[diamond_ren]

Good luck to the young lad it's the only way he'll improve riding against better riders each week.

[iannewsman]

I hear the price of season tickets has gone up by £10. Not bad for a business that owe's the fans two meetings from 2013 and one from 2012.

I would think anyone buying a season ticket for 2014 is taking a risk. Firstly, the promotion has shown that, not only are they incapable of completing a fuil season of meetings, with the ways things sound down there, who can guarantee they will even still be in business for the whole season, let alone run the full fixture list?

 

Last season they ran 15 meetings in a year with more than double that many Saturdays. If you include Sundays and bankholidays (5 days) you have around 65 days on which to stage a meeting. Yes, I know about the stox, but let's face it, they are only there because the speedway has been run into the ground and their money bales it out. But remember this, the summer of 2013 was one of the hottest and dryest for 50 years, so no excuses please.

 

There will be about 15-17 meetings (9 teams in the NL so 8 home meetings and few cup and other matches, depending how the team does in the cup) due to take place in 2014 and the season will have 32/33 Saturdays in it, so who needs to save that little amount anyway?

 

An adult season ticket is now £170, divide that by 15 you get £11.33 per meeting. Hardly a gread saving (0.67 pence) as it was only £12.00 for an adult on the gate in 2013. So you can expect to see prices at the gate go up to £13 or even £14 for an adult in 2014. So let us take an increase of £13.00 as an example. Now you have a saving of £1.67. Still not enough for a bottle of beer at the bar and only about the cost of a half pint.

 

After the woeful performance of last year (The team on the track and the promotion not completing the fixtures) I would have thought a price increase is a real slap in the face to those ever dwindling number of loyal fans. As I said before, will they have completed all the fixtures or even still be in business come October 31st 2014?

[Swift Saint]

PRESS RELEASE FROM STOKE SPEEDWAY

 

 

Stoke Promoter Dave Tattum formally released the Club’s fixture list for 2014 today which indicates an interesting spread of events across the whole summer starting with a home match against Kings Lynn for the Inter County Cup. That will be the first opportunity for supporters to see what is virtually an entirely new Potter’s line up with only Lee Payne surviving from the 2013 line up and he only arrived mid season.

 

Commenting on the team and the fixture list Dave Tattum said “We have fourteen home fixtures at the moment including a Cup match against the winners of the Plymouth v Kent First round tie which can’t be listed until our opponents are known. We hope to qualify for the later stages of the various competitions and we are also working on one or two ideas for other events which might include a Pride of the Potteries featuring the top National League riders and other innovations. Last season was disappointing but that’s gone and we have worked unstintingly to group together a great team for the coming year. We have outstanding riders who will lead from the front and I expect us to be difficult to beat anywhere. I eagerly await the return to the sport of Ben Wilson who has dedicated himself to being a high quality Number One and with Jon Armstrong returning to Stoke full of fire we are a tough team have no doubt. For much of last year Jon was heading the Mildenhall averages and that says it all. Ben Hopwood improves year on year loves Loomer Road and is well proven at this level. We have the exciting and emerging Lee Payne unheard of in speedway a year ago and yet finished last season with a near five point average. Big things are expected form him. The top five is completed by Chris Widman a man who can raise his game so often when necessary and ready to move to the next level. At reserve James McBain is so highly thought of in Scotland and desperate to seize this chance as is Rob Shuttleworth now back from New Zealand determined to move his career in speedway forward. I am thrilled with the line up” said Tattum.

 

We start the season with our traditional Press and Practice Day on 26^th March at Midday and will announce the arrangements for that very soon. It is going to be a new dawn for Stoke Speedway we are working tirelessly for that. The fixtures start on Saturday 29^th March with a Challenge match against Kings Lynn and we are out to avenge their Cup success over Us last season. Eight days later we are at Mildenhall in the Trophy and then we have Buxton in a Challenge before the League campaign begins at Plymouth on 19^th April. We want to do well for the Club and the supporters. We believe in the team we have and we are almost ready to go. Important track work will be carried out in the days leading up to Press and Practice and we are the most positive we have been in years. Please join us and let’s share a great season with our Potters”. said Dave Tattum.

 

Edited February 26, 2014 by Proud Potter

[big lad]

Same old, same old.

Only a return to PL will bring back some of the fans that used to watch this one time great club.

Sorry but no thanks

[Swift Saint]

big lad, on 27 Feb 2014 - 07:40 AM, said:

Same old, same old.

Only a return to PL will bring back some of the fans that used to watch this one time great club.

Sorry but no thanks

 

That's right don't make a reasoned argument about the quality of our team or make any sensible comment. Just the usual drippings from the mouth of a parrot get real why don't you?

 

The racing in the National League at Stoke is very exciting as all speedway is at this level and you should know that as a sponsor of a National League rider. This level is now available in the Elite League so it cant be that bad. We have the best prospect ex moto crioss rider to have entered the sport in the last two years and the averages prove that and a great team.

 

Admit it or will your arguments be as weak as those you made to Buxton.

 

 

 

Malcolm Vasey

Edited February 27, 2014 by Proud Potter

[semion]

Malc is there any chance that Prem League racing will return to Stoke in short too medium term ? I well remember the strap line of Proud Potter when you took on the job at Stoke.

[TMW]

Same old, same old.

Only a return to PL will bring back some of the fans that used to watch this one time great club.

Sorry but no thanks

Bit insensitive really while 2 teams have been given notice of possible closure Mildenhall & Coventry and 1 is on death row IOW. Maybe you would like Stoke to follow?

[iannewsman]

Oh Semion you really are having a laugh. Stoke will never go back in the PL while that bunch are running the place. There have been more false statements and false promises come out of that place than you'd hear in a fraud trial. That's why the place is called NEVERLAND, because it will never achieve anything worthwhile.

 

Stand alone NL tracks like Stoke are 'stand alone' for a reason, they can't achieve anything else because they are on the way out and can't drop any lower.

 

A once great club has been mismanaged into slow extinction and Malcolm has played his part in that. When he came in they were a PL team. All his previous experience was at NL/Conference level so I guess he's happy he's now got the club down to his level.

[Swift Saint]

Malc is there any chance that Prem League racing will return to Stoke in short too medium term ? I well remember the strap line of Proud Potter when you took on the job at Stoke.

With negativity towards us that is displayed too often on here I would say not but I am not part of the company that operates speedway at Stoke I am the Team Manager. Of course we are ambitious as a Club and I would suggest you have a chat with me when I am, next at Kings Lynn and we can address these issues.

 

TMW is correct when he says the sport has enough problems without the in-fighting. Why there is so much negativity I just don't know. We had a poor season last year and like a plane in a spin downwards try as we might we could not correct it. There will be problems for teams this season due to a rider shortage and those that advocate a lower points limit are correct. Unfortunately, the 40 point limit was fixed for three years and this is the last year of that period. I suggest next year something like 36 would be more appropriate but we must ensure that there are enough National League teams for those who will undoubtedly improve their averages in the next few months.

 

If there is an influx of teams because the Elite Reserve Draft principles are successful, which I hope will happen, we may have to have an even lower limit. My worry this season is that if you lose through long term injury your No. 1 2 or 3 rider where do you get a replacement from? OK if it is the No.1 in theory you can use a guest but that might be more difficult now with the three League rider quite commonplace but what if it is your No, 2 or 3 rider and you are stuck with R/R only and if you lose two riders from the middle order what do you do?

 

The play off system determines the League winners and that's at the end of the season and it could be the winners will be even more likely to be those who have a team that closest resembles their starting line up. I well remember Stoke finished 7 points clear in 2011 and lost in the play offs and the Cup Final because we were hampered by injuries. Its a tough situation.

 

In spite of that I think the Elite League draft was a step forward for British riders and I hope the Premier League will follow suit which will also make that product more affordable to put on and maybe improve the numbers able to compete at that level. Added to that are the potential rider development benefits of such a move and they cant be quantified accurately till we try it.

 

I would stress that these are only my own opinions and I respect those of persons who may see things differently.

 

But I suggest we let things settle down support the good intentions that lie behind the move and analyse carefully to get things right in the future.

 

Malcolm Vasey

Oh Semion you really are having a laugh. Stoke will never go back in the PL while that bunch are running the place. There have been more false statements and false promises come out of that place than you'd hear in a fraud trial. That's why the place is called NEVERLAND, because it will never achieve anything worthwhile.

 

Stand alone NL tracks like Stoke are 'stand alone' for a reason, they can't achieve anything else because they are on the way out and can't drop any lower.

 

A once great club has been mismanaged into slow extinction and Malcolm has played his part in that. When he came in they were a PL team. All his previous experience was at NL/Conference level so I guess he's happy he's now got the club down to his level.

For everyone's information these are the words of a former announcer of very limited talent who left under a cloud and wastes no opportunity to vent his spleen in this way.

 

His ignorance and arrogance are extreme and he would rather attempt to destroy something than allow "once great Club" he holds so dear try to make any kind of recovery

 

I wont go on because it is pointless but anyone who knows me well in speedway will be aware that I have worked unstintingly in various capacities and insults from the like of Ian Lewsey are like water of a ducks back because no-one would believe him anyway.

 

Malcolm Vasey

[montie]

Malcolm,the new Dawn at Stoke Speedway Tattum speaks about,does she work in the bar or the turnstiles???

[Stokielee]

Malcolm, you were listed as Co-Promoter in last season's programme, so are you a member of the promoting team or not?

 

Despite your comments regarding Iannewsman, it would be completely true to say that most GENUINE Stoke fans would like to see 2 things:

 

1) New owners

2) A return to the PL

 

The fans would flock back if those 2 things happened. A good number would return if just the first happened!

[Swift Saint]

It is possible to be a Promoter is speedway or a Club Chairman without being part of the operating or owning company. It is quite common in fact.

 

 

Malcolm Vasey

[big lad]

I agree with Ian Lewsey, this was once a great club, and a club most of us held very dear to us, but since you arrived Malcom, we have gone down from PL racing to bottom of the NL.

I can not see how you can call yourself a manager, when all you have had is failure,infact anybody could had done that well!!!!

If I were you I would be looking at giving someone else the chance, it could not be any worse.

Edited February 28, 2014 by big lad

[Halifaxtiger]

I tend to disregard the subjective vitriol poured out by Iannewsman as they are clearly those of someone with an axe to grind who has no intention of being unbiased.

 

Having said that, speaking to the lads I know at Stoke they all say that if the present promotion left there would be a lot of people who would return, regardless of the level at which the club operated. I am not sure what Dave Tatum has done but according to them (and we are talking about passionate Potters supporters) he's alienated a considerable number of people.

 

I don't go to Stoke much. The reason for that was put very well by a good friend of mine : 'Always some problem, always some lame excuse'.

 

In the past few seasons, I have seen (or heard about) lights going out during the meeting, tea bars running out of food and drink and intervals being held two heats after a long sun break. I was there in 2011 against Dudley when spectators sat around for at least 2 hours waiting for an ambulance to turn up - official word was it was stuck in traffic, hearsay was it hadn't been arranged.

 

I have seen 200 matches in the last three seasons and the worst track I have seen in that time was for the NL 4's in 2012 at Loomer Road. Having consulted a few people (riders, managers, track curators) before, during and after the meeting (because I completely unqualified to judge)while there was an acceptance that there had been bad weather there was a unanimous opinion that it was totally down to the Stoke promotion. On the rare occasions I have been subsequently, the preparation still hasn't been to the standard that paying fans should be entitled to expect.

 

Then we have the fact that they were unable to complete a home racing programme of around 15 matches between March and October last season.

 

Adding all that lot together, whichever way you look at it it isn't good at all.

 

The sadness of it is there's no reason that with bit more effort, attention to detail and customer care Stoke would be an excellent place to watch speedway.

Edited February 28, 2014 by Halifaxtiger