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Birmingham Future In Doubt ? Alan Phillips Has Had Enough!


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Gutted about this, should never have got to this stage. Thought that given the amazing response of the fans to raise £10,000, there might have been a chance of us getting saved.

 

I hope to god this isn't the last time we see speedway bikes in Birmingham, hopefully all efforts can be made to get the club back on the track next year. Will be hard work but we have got to fight for our club

 

Thanks to the BSPA for their efforts and to Coventry Speedway for that gesture about the season tickets.

Edited by Brummie Kev
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Ultimately, is there much difference between stay away fans voting with their feet and individuals getting out in good time like Phil Morris or Graham Drury, rescuers being reluctant to come back in like Tony Mole, prospective new investors never actually being identified (before proving reluctant as well) and the GRA never making any public comment as the Brummies' stadium landlord in the 3 weeks since Alan Phillips wanted out.

 

Instead, what they've got in common is that none of them have been willing to prop-up the Phillips regime as its nosedive became ever more obvious.

 

On that BBC-WM programme a couple of Saturdays ago, two things stood out for me that highlighted just how steep that nosedive must have become.

 

Firstly, given the general nature of the British climate, it was laughable for either Alan or Charles Phillips to want to use a couple of abandonments or wash-outs as one of the excuses for their struggles ... any realistic promoter factors in the expenses of at least "1-in-8" bad-weather meetings (and ideally, "1-in-6") into their overall budget so that a couple of rain-offs in quick succession are just an awkward problem rather than a dreadful crisis.

 

Secondly, when told live on-air by BBC-WM that the BSPA had declined to appear on the programme due to concerns over Alan Phillips's health, neither Alan nor Charles made any effort to counter that unusual reasoning from the BSPA ... no attempt even to bluster out something along the lines of "how dare they start having a go at my health, never mind having a go at how I'm running the Brummies" ... instead, the programme moved into its next phase with that BSPA reasoning being left totally unchallenged.

 

If someone can't even defend something as basic and fundamental as his own health when it's challenged in public in such an unusual way, no wonder nobody else wants be on-board behind-the-scenes with that person or his family ... and, in turn, how much blame can you really put onto stay-away fans carrying out their own version of dissociating themselves from a regime so dreadfully out of its depth.

 

Absolutely bang on again AC!

 

Up until a change in my working circumstances at start of 2014 season,I'd missed approximately 20-25 Brummies Speedway meetings both home and away since our comeback in 2007.Sponsored riders at Brum,helped out financially with testimonial meetings for riders(Jason Lyons,Danny King),did my bit for speedway updates and introduced work colleagues and friends to speedway racing,and this is what it has come to!! :cry: One incredibly sad day indeed for all of those involved in bringing speedway back to the Second City!!I'm absolutely done in!! :cry:

 

I really do hope we have a future!

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Sorry to read about the Brumies speedway ,hope,some good news comes quick ,house building company's cheque books are allready out I expect.or is there other racing at berry pay?

No chance whatsoever of houses being built anytime soon at Perry Barr ... it's the only one of the Greyhound Racing Association's four remaining tracks (not including currently defunct Oxford) whose operations are done in partnership with the local city council whereas the GRA's freeholds of Belle Vue and Hall Green (south-east Birmingham) have both been sold to private businesses in recent months and the future of Wimbledon remains a battle between a 21st-century greyhound redevelopment and AFC Wimbledon's arrival in their home town more than 20 years after Wimbledon FC left their ground further along Plough Lane for their ground-share with Crystal Palace.

 

That's an extra level of sadness within the Brummies' plight (or extra level of anger towards the Phillips regime) ... all this wretched saga has happened at a stadium that's NOT in danger of redevelopment.

 

What a (hopefully only temporary) waste of an unthreatened facility !!

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Aaah Jesus. Know the feeling when Wolves closed. Thankfully we rose from the ashes, hopefully Birmingham can do the same.

 

It's like knowing someone with a terminal disease, we all know the end is coming but doesn't make it any easier when it does.

 

Notice with interest that Van Straaten hasn't matched Coventry's offer yet.

Edited by Wolfsbane
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So sad to loose the Brummies,but to people banging on about the team. Alan Phillips did not put the team together Graham Dury did,and he was supposed to know what he was doing Phillips tried to strenthen the team after Dury jumped ship.

Are you Allan Phillips' Mother?

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Alan Phillips Statement: On Tuesday 8 July, out of frustration,I appointed joint administrators to attempt rescue. GRA, BSPA SCB all failed to respond to them. Sorry to all Brum fans.

 

He said he had money to clear the debt, and chose not to, which no doubt put off potential new owners...

 

Two words Alan Phillips, the second is "off".

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As an interesting adjunct to all this, it is interesting to see the third page of the current Swindon programme refers to "Swindon Speedway 2013 Ltd." It doesn't take much to read into this that they went bust last year and started a new limited company to run the show but were lucky enough to have people to actually come up with the money to perform a rebirth-we were very lucky, unfortunately the poor Brummies fans have been let down by empty promises.

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So sad to loose the Brummies,but to people banging on about the team. Alan Phillips did not put the team together Graham Dury did,and he was supposed to know what he was doing Phillips tried to strenthen the team after Dury jumped ship.

So wrong

You could have had best 7 in league.

Irrelevant in this case, if promotion failed to pay supplier bills whilst merrily accepting sponsorship/admission money/BSPA hand outs then it was always going to end in tears.

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Very sad to hear that it's finally happened. I hope that speedway will be back at Birmingham next season, even if it's PL.

Totally saddened by this Announcement. I only hope, as I said earlier that Birmingham 'Brummies' can be resurrected in the Premier League. The League they never should have left in the first place.

 

Mjolnir - Thor's Hammer. The Premier League is a good place to be.

Edited by The White Knight
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Totally saddened by this Announcement. I only hope, as I said earlier that Birmingham 'Brummies' can be resurrected in the Premier League. The League they never should have left in the first place.

 

 

We have got to keep the faith, its hard on day like this but ALOT of people fought hard over 20 years and we cant let it go without a fight. The fans raised £10k to save the club, and it shows that many people care about and hopefully that shows to a prospective promoter about bringing it back next year. Speedway at a lower level is still viable at Perry Barr and we have got to believe we will be back March 2015.

Lovely 14 plate Merc and lush office furniture on display in West Midlands, money well spent!

 

 

And on the new pub in Redditch it seems

Edited by Brummie Kev
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My heart goes out to the Birmingham fans and riders.

The uncertainty of where my club could be in couple years time is horrible so I can't even imagine how you must be feeling now.

 

Really hope something can be sorted to get Birmingham back racing next year. Will be a big loss :(

 

Well done to Mick Horton & Coventry for their kind gesture.

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