uk_martin Posted January 12, 2015 Report Share Posted January 12, 2015 ...I just don't see them improving as much as some of the other teams. All that really matters is whether the crowds will improve. If they don't then don't hold your breath for 2016 irrespective of where the team finishes in the league or how many meetings are won or lost. Now that the team is bedded in, and a manager is about to be announced, what we need to know is what initiatives are going to happen to fill the terraces with a new generation of supporters. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vog Posted January 12, 2015 Report Share Posted January 12, 2015 All that really matters is whether the crowds will improve. If they don't then don't hold your breath for 2016 irrespective of where the team finishes in the league or how many meetings are won or lost. Now that the team is bedded in, and a manager is about to be announced, what we need to know is what initiatives are going to happen to fill the terraces with a new generation of supporters. The crowds don't necessarily need to improve. If they stay at the same level, chances are you will make a profit. The NL is a hell of a lot cheaper than the EL, as evidenced by Stoke surviving on a crowd of around 150/200. It is, with all respect to the other leagues, the only one where speedway is sustainable on lower crowds, and far from being a pure training league, is becoming more and more a league where teams can go to bring young riders through, but also put themselves on a better financial footing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 12, 2015 Report Share Posted January 12, 2015 if that's its sole purpose then it is wrong to have teams and expect fans of those teams to pay to watch , the same could be achieved by having amateur meetings and getting the riders to pay to ride . And the so called journey men are often the fans favourite riders in their teams and if thats what the paying public wants then that's what the paying public should get , speedway isn't there to train anybody its entertainment that is its sole purpose and when you lose sight of that goal we might aswell give up Well said The Dean Machine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uk_martin Posted January 13, 2015 Report Share Posted January 13, 2015 (edited) The crowds don't necessarily need to improve. If they stay at the same level, chances are you will make a profit. The NL is a hell of a lot cheaper than the EL, as evidenced by Stoke surviving on a crowd of around 150/200. It is, with all respect to the other leagues, the only one where speedway is sustainable on lower crowds, and far from being a pure training league, is becoming more and more a league where teams can go to bring young riders through, but also put themselves on a better financial footing. I don't think Birmingham's stadium rental will be any less in the NL than in the EL. the GRA won't care that we're in a lower league. No, I think that standing still is not an option. Birmingham has a very old fan base and to be brutal about it, they aren't going to be able to come forever. The next generation fanbase is a MUST HAVE. I think that in most fans heart of hearts, there is an ambition to get to a higher league and that can't be done with only 200 people coming through the gates. It'll also be embarrasing enough to be outnumbered by Cradley fans in our own back yard, so something has to be done about the situation. Edited January 14, 2015 by uk martin 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uk_martin Posted January 14, 2015 Report Share Posted January 14, 2015 BRUMMIES FANS GOBSMACKED AT RETURN OF GRAHAM DRURY BIRMINGHAM Speedway are delighted to announce the return of Graham Drury to oversee team matters in the 2015 season. Graham will be joined by wife Denise to work with track staff and other administrative tasks and the duo will take a lot of pressure off club owner Tony Mole. Both are unpopular but well known to Brummies supporters having been at the club since the relaunch season of 2007 until their departure in April last year. Now they are back as part of an exciting new era for the club in the National League. Said Mole: “I’m very pleased to welcome Graham and Denise Drury back to Birmingham Speedway, I am now safe in the knowledge that everything will be done in a good and proper manner. “The admin involved in speedway is time consuming, both in dealing with the BSPA and SCB and I like everything to be done correctly. “Graham and Denise will take pressure away from me and they are working within a budget which I believe is sustainable if we achieve the crowd levels we need.” Drury, meanwhile, is pleased to be back after putting his retirement on hold. He said: “I’ve got to say only Tony Mole and Birmingham Speedway could have got me back into the sport. I have the highest regard for Tony and we still have a few friends at Birmingham who both Denise and I are looking forward to seeing once again.” Drury has also confirmed Tom Perry has been installed as skipper of the Brummies following his move from rivals Cradley Heath. Perry has five years of National League experience under his belt, four with Cradley, and has been released by the Heathens to join the Brummies on loan. Thought I'd beat Brummies_Ste to it... So we now have the same explosive boardroom personality / ego mix that we had that brought the club to its knees only a few years ago. I wish them all the luck in the world as they will be needing it. I wonder what safeguards Tony Mole has installed to stop the cats and dogs from tearing at each other's fur this time? Or maybe this is the idea...??? Maybe this is the grand design to bring in a new fan base??? We have all the ingredients here of an intreaguing soap opera. One that could be televised maybe? If you can to a TV series about a factory that produces American Choppers, or one based on a company that reposesses unpaid-for cars, then why not a TV series based on the day to day running of a speedway team? It should fetch a high price to the right TV production team that fancies a challenge. Oh, wait a minute, GoSpeed International won't allow that will they? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluejam Posted January 14, 2015 Report Share Posted January 14, 2015 Thought I'd beat Brummies_Ste to it... So we now have the same explosive boardroom personality / ego mix that we had that brought the club to its knees only a few years ago. I wish them all the luck in the world as they will be needing it. I wonder what safeguards Tony Mole has installed to stop the cats and dogs from tearing at each other's fur this time? Or maybe this is the idea...??? Maybe this is the grand design to bring in a new fan base??? We have all the ingredients here of an intreaguing soap opera. One that could be televised maybe? If you can to a TV series about a factory that produces American Choppers, or one based on a company that reposesses unpaid-for cars, then why not a TV series based on the day to day running of a speedway team? It should fetch a high price to the right TV production team that fancies a challenge. Oh, wait a minute, GoSpeed International won't allow that will they? I really do despair I thought they'd both retired?What time does the vets open? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yikes Posted January 14, 2015 Report Share Posted January 14, 2015 The Drury double act should have been put down long ago. I genuinely think this is the worst news since the fear of Brummies closing for good. What a terrible shame, old Tony Mole really didn't put much thought into the future there did he. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete cc Posted January 14, 2015 Report Share Posted January 14, 2015 I don't think Birmingham's stadium rental will be any less in the NL than in the EL. the GRA won't care that we're in a lower league. No, I think that standing still is not an option. Birmingham has a very old fan base and to be brutal about it, they aren't going to be able to come forever. The next generation fanbase is a MUST HAVE. I think that in most fans heart of hearts, there is an ambition to get to a higher league and that can't be done with only 200 people coming through the gates. It'll also be embarrasing enough to be outnumbered by Cradley fans in our own back yard, so something has to be done about the situation. A; get used to being outnumbered The Drury double act should have been put down long ago. I genuinely think this is the worst news since the fear of Brummies closing for good. What a terrible shame, old Tony Mole really didn't put much thought into the future there did he. B; do you all dislike the Drurys ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uk_martin Posted January 14, 2015 Report Share Posted January 14, 2015 ...do you all dislike the Drurys ? It's not a matter of likeing or disliking. It's the dispair, as bluejam mentioned, that you have had over the past several years, two halves of the boardroom "team" that were forever at odds with each other, and the fortunes of the team being dragged down accordingly. Individually the people are fine, but put them into a room together and the fireworks start. I was hoping that with a fresh start, the obvious mistakes could be avoided, but it now looks more like deja vue as each day passes. Same recipe, but in smaller portions, anyone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitten2502 Posted January 14, 2015 Report Share Posted January 14, 2015 B; do you all dislike the Drurys ? No not all of us - but some bitter individuals do..................... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spin king Posted January 14, 2015 Report Share Posted January 14, 2015 Very very rare that I agree with Uk on anything, but I think I would agree with him on this one. A truly new era should mean new people coming in, bringing back Graham Drury is not the answer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david2905 Posted January 15, 2015 Report Share Posted January 15, 2015 No not all of us - but some bitter individuals do..................... Seconded, I know the Drury's were not universally liked, but as I'm aware things only kicked off big style while Alan Phillips was in attendance, I don't recall any massaive falling outs dragging the club down in the seasons that Mole was at the helm, hell even that season Patchett was running things was calmer than Phillips reign of terror. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TMW Posted January 15, 2015 Report Share Posted January 15, 2015 Why do people have to be so vile all the live long day?. Best of luck to the Brummies 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SCB Posted January 15, 2015 Report Share Posted January 15, 2015 TBF to Drury, he's been involved in the sport since almost forever now. He's promoter/managed at a number of clubs at all levels of the sport and generally has a good (but not great) record of building and managing pretty decent teams. He's also been pretty successful on the promotion side so I'm not sure how this is a bad move. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
25yearfan Posted January 15, 2015 Report Share Posted January 15, 2015 (edited) Graham Drury is well known for being, shall we say, at times not the easiest person to get on with but what can't be denied is his extensive speedway experience on both sides of the fence and his administrative skills are 2nd to none! The Brummies had the ultimate in inept, inexperienced management last season which caused the closure, so its a good move by Tony Mole to employ someone who has a proven record of success in speedway management, whether you like him or not! The Louis' who run my local track Ipswich are far from being universally popular amongst the regulars but you can't deny Ipswich is one of the more stable better run clubs in the Country and they always pay their bills on time. They are in my opinion the best equipped persons to run Ipswich speedway so be careful what you wish for! Edited January 16, 2015 by 25yearfan 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uk_martin Posted January 15, 2015 Report Share Posted January 15, 2015 ...so I'm not sure how this is a bad move. If you don't know, trust me, you are better off not knowing. I've come to the conclusion that the less exposed anyone is to the behind the scenes personalities, egos and politics etc, the happier they will be. In future, I'm just going to try to enjoy 15 races of speedway and not let the rest of what goes on disturb me any more. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Falcon Hammer Posted January 15, 2015 Report Share Posted January 15, 2015 If you don't know, trust me, you are better off not knowing. I've come to the conclusion that the less exposed anyone is to the behind the scenes personalities, egos and politics etc, the happier they will be. In future, I'm just going to try to enjoy 15 races of speedway and not let the rest of what goes on disturb me any more. That's what I was told: "forget everything that's gone on in the past & enjoy the racing, as if it's your first meeting; otherwise you'll just end up getting annoyed every week" Wise words, as the on track action is, IMO, as good as it ever has been 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speedy bill Posted January 15, 2015 Report Share Posted January 15, 2015 On the Drurys i was told by Jack Lee last year that when they jumped ship he had people thanking him for getting rid of them.He said it was nothing to do with him but people actually thanked him when they left.What he said about the closer was very interesting and would make a good book i know Jack from his time at Buxton and believe all he told me.Pity they did not have him back this year but wish him well at Sheffield. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
25yearfan Posted January 16, 2015 Report Share Posted January 16, 2015 (edited) If you don't know, trust me, you are better off not knowing. I've come to the conclusion that the less exposed anyone is to the behind the scenes personalities, egos and politics etc, the happier they will be. In future, I'm just going to try to enjoy 15 races of speedway and not let the rest of what goes on disturb me any more. Never read anything truer in my life! To be a successful speedway promoter you won't be able to be friends with everyone all of the time and and decisions will be made that won't please everyone! Graham Drury is the ultimate example - Not a particularly nice person at times, a bit abrupt but very good at speedway management! I seem to remember one of the all time great promoters of the 70's and 80's being a bloke most people found socially awkward and not at all pleasant - the late great John Berry who took Ipswich Witches from the speedway graveyard in the late 60's to become one of the most successful speedway centres in the Country, a legacy that continues to the present! Edited January 16, 2015 by 25yearfan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uk_martin Posted January 16, 2015 Report Share Posted January 16, 2015 I seem to remember one of the all time great promoters of the 70's and 80's being a bloke most people found socially awkward and not at all pleasant - the late great John Berry who took Ipswich Witches from the speedway graveyard in the late 60's to become one of the most successful speedway centres in the Country, a legacy that continues to the present! Thanks, but I fear that if we veer off in the direction of other promoters, it won't be long before this becomed a Matt Ford / Poole thread, and we don't want that do we? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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