Belle Vue 2016

[acef]

 

They've quite rightly hung them out to dry as Belle Vue are refusing to shoulder any blame at all.

So your advocating that it's OK for a sports governing body to publically lambaste one of it own members?

 

You think that's professional?

 

Whether the mistake was BVs or not, that type of behaviour is unethical and unprofessional.

 

Yours and this particular type of attitude is what is wrong with the sport on these shores.

 

I despair

[PHILIPRISING]

 

They've quite rightly hung them out to dry as Belle Vue are refusing to shoulder any blame at all.

 

I have little doubt the BSPA would have communicated with Belle Vue prior to issuing their own statement... and if that was the attitude they got, the usual Gordon/Morton reaction of "Not our fault, nothing to see here guv" then they were correct to distance themselves from them immediately.

PRETTY certain they didn't

[acef]

The 2nd statement should have been about how fans would be reimbursed instead it's a defence letter.

 

The way they've operated the sport in this country I'm incredulous about them contacting us at all.

 

This is now a farce beyond all farces and the sooner we can repair this track, build bridges and get on with the racing the better.

 

At the end if the day it's a stunning race track and as a speedway community we should be willing to give 2nd chances here

[E I Addio]

FURIOUS Belle Vue Chief Executive Officer David Gordon hit back at the criticism which followed the disastrous abandonment of Saturdays inaugural meeting at the new National Stadium, saying: This was NOT our fault.

 

Gordon and Chris Morton had to face a sell-out crowd to say the Peter Craven Memorial Trophy meeting had been called off after riders said the track wasnt safe following a practice session.

They were locked in an emergency meeting early on Monday with the Manchester City Council Project Team and stadium builders, ISG, to discuss what went wrong and what was to happen next.

 

Gordon stressed that all aspects of the stadium construction , including the laying of the track, were carried out under the stadium build contract. Belle Vues only responsibility was the erection of the safety fence, a specialist operation, which it was agreed would be done by track curator Colin Meredith.

 

Gordon said: There was a problem with the sub base of the track around the third and fourth bends which was recently completed. there were contractors workmen and machines out there first thing on Monday working to correct the problems."

 

 

Track work commenced early this morning

 

We had internal meetings on Sunday and meetings with the Council and the building contractors on Monday. The whole investigation process into what happened is ongoing. We will not comment until everything has been clarified.

 

The fact of the matter is that we didnt receive what we were supposed to receive. I cannot stress too much that we did not build this track, it was the responsibility of third parties and it was not fit for purpose.

 

We tried our best to get this meeting on but we were let down by circumstances beyond our control. We are now in serious dialogue with all concerned."

 

The contractors, who are not under our instructions, were working on the track first thing on Monday morning. The Belle Vue track curator is out there giving them advice and we hope his experience will help them get it put right.

 

Gordon added: The riders reaction not to race was understandable. The track was not raceable and how do you tell them not to race?

 

The work on the track will be reviewed by the stadium project team hourly and we will take a decision at 9am on Wednesday about whether or not we can run Fridays home meeting against Wolverhampton. If the remedial work is successful completed and tested then we will race.

 

We will be making a separate statement about re-staging and refunds for Saturday when we have taken advice about the contractual obligations that the other parties are subject to.

 

Asked about a Promoters Association statement blaming Belle Vue for what happened, Gordon said: No comment. I wouldnt make a statement like the BSPA have until I was in receipt of the full facts of the matter.

 

He concluded: Belle Vue Speedway are not to blame for Saturdays disaster. Other parties need to accept their responsibility and deal with the consequences.

 

Well, despite the "Nuffink to do wiv me guv " tone it does throw a little bit more light on the situation , and some of the knee jerk reactions on this thread especially those about track licensing are beginning to look a little mis-placed, and even more so those that blame the riders. One of speedways many problems is forum warriors who jump on the band wagon before all the facts are known

 

Two things we can say with certainty is that Chapman is beginning to prove to be a disaster as BSPA chairman and both he and Gordon are clueless as PR men and why on earth with all that is at stake they didn't get a proper company or press officer to handle these statements is beyond me. I am pretty sure that Nigel Pearson has company that deals with this sort of thing if not, it surely is not too difficult to get someone to handle professional press releases on a £7milion project.

 

It quite possible that some sub-contractor is at fault somewhere down the line and it is perhaps possible (we don't know yet) that Gordon and Morton could not reasonably have foreseen all this, but that is something to be sorted out in the course of time, but the fact remains that the bottom line is that it is Gordons project, he is the public face of what has gone wrong and a bit of contrition from him coupled with an genuine apology would go a long way to keeping the fans on side.

 

As for Chapman, I don't know what to make of his statement. I suspect the underlying theme might well be correct, and the buck may well stop with Belle Vue but to my mind the statement is so muddled it borders on gobbledegook. All he needed to say was that it was regrettable, an inquiry was being carried out and he would INFORM THE FA NS when more facts were to hand and in the meantime ask the fans for patience pending the outcome of the inquiry. That would cut out much of the speculation that is damaging to the sport.

 

 

.

[BWitcher]

So your advocating that it's OK for a sports governing body to publically lambaste one of it own members?

 

You think that's professional?

 

Whether the mistake was BVs or not, that type of behaviour is unethical and unprofessional.

 

Yours and this particular type of attitude is what is wrong with the sport on these shores.

 

I despair

 

When that member is steadfastly refusing to shoulder the blame then YES.

 

Belle Vue's statement is beyond a joke. They have (again) presided over a monumental **** up and (again) instead of holding their hands up, apologising that mistakes were made, but were made in the best of intentions, they choose to play the "It's not our fault" card which quite simply makes things worse.

 

Had they responded in the correct manner they could have garnered some sympathy and won back a lot of support. Instead they choose to stick two fingers up to all those who attended and only their deluded supporters will support them now.

[PHILIPRISING]

DEFINITELY shades of Warsaw here. As I now understand it the BV management had no direct control over the laying of the track as that fell within the remit of the contractors and until such time as the stadium is officially handed over that will remain the case.

 

It was the contractors who arrived this morning to dig up the offending area and start remedial work with Colin Meredith only officially allowed to offer advice.

 

The SCB licensed the track on Friday and it had been homologated earlier. It was only on Saturday night that the meeting referee became involved.

 

But, and it's a big but in my opinion, all this still doesn't negate the fact that only a couple of riders (Ritchie Worrell and Max Fricke) had a go on the track before Saturday. Worrall, by all accounts, was going round full blast and thought it okay.

 

One would have thought, for example, that Chris Morton with all his experience might have had doubts and even if the BV management were not allowed to do any work they could have got the contractors in to do so.

 

The fact remains, however, that most of the track was fit for purpose and the rest will be sooner rather than later but in the short term that will be of little consolation to anybody who made the trip there and, indeed, for David Gordon and Morton.

Edited March 21, 2016 by PHILIPRISING

[acef]

 

When that member is steadfastly refusing to shoulder the blame then YES.

 

Belle Vue's statement is beyond a joke. They have (again) presided over a monumental **** up and (again) instead of holding their hands up, apologising that mistakes were made, but were made in the best of intentions, they choose to play the "It's not our fault" card which quite simply makes things worse.

 

Had they responded in the correct manner they could have garnered some sympathy and won back a lot of support. Instead they choose to stick two fingers up to all those who attended and only their deluded supporters will support them now.

There have been several cock ups, from several clubs, over several years of this sports history and on several occasions has been handled insufficiently by you know who.

 

However non have been made an example of like BV, on this occasion and on hosegate.

 

I appreciate your reply, but after years of reading your comments surrounding BV speedway on here I'm of the opinion that you have some type of issue with us. Of course that's your entitlement, but from my end I'm going to leave it here.

 

Cheers.

[HAMMER180]

You can blame it on the contractors but surely as

speedway promoters and management you should have

overseen the track lay and tested it before such a

GRAND OPENING pass the buck time I thinks.

[Steve Shovlar]

FURIOUS Belle Vue Chief Executive Officer David Gordon hit back at the criticism which followed the disastrous abandonment of Saturdays inaugural meeting at the new National Stadium, saying: This was NOT our fault.

Gordon and Chris Morton had to face a sell-out crowd to say the Peter Craven Memorial Trophy meeting had been called off after riders said the track wasnt safe following a practice session.

They were locked in an emergency meeting early on Monday with the Manchester City Council Project Team and stadium builders, ISG, to discuss what went wrong and what was to happen next.

Gordon stressed that all aspects of the stadium construction , including the laying of the track, were carried out under the stadium build contract. Belle Vues only responsibility was the erection of the safety fence, a specialist operation, which it was agreed would be done by track curator Colin Meredith.

Gordon said: There was a problem with the sub base of the track around the third and fourth bends which was recently completed. there were contractors workmen and machines out there first thing on Monday working to correct the problems."

Track work commenced early this morning

We had internal meetings on Sunday and meetings with the Council and the building contractors on Monday. The whole investigation process into what happened is ongoing. We will not comment until everything has been clarified.

The fact of the matter is that we didnt receive what we were supposed to receive. I cannot stress too much that we did not build this track, it was the responsibility of third parties and it was not fit for purpose.

We tried our best to get this meeting on but we were let down by circumstances beyond our control. We are now in serious dialogue with all concerned."

The contractors, who are not under our instructions, were working on the track first thing on Monday morning. The Belle Vue track curator is out there giving them advice and we hope his experience will help them get it put right.

Gordon added: The riders reaction not to race was understandable. The track was not raceable and how do you tell them not to race?

The work on the track will be reviewed by the stadium project team hourly and we will take a decision at 9am on Wednesday about whether or not we can run Fridays home meeting against Wolverhampton. If the remedial work is successful completed and tested then we will race.

We will be making a separate statement about re-staging and refunds for Saturday when we have taken advice about the contractual obligations that the other parties are subject to.

Asked about a Promoters Association statement blaming Belle Vue for what happened, Gordon said: No comment. I wouldnt make a statement like the BSPA have until I was in receipt of the full facts of the matter.

He concluded: Belle Vue Speedway are not to blame for Saturdays disaster. Other parties need to accept their responsibility and deal with the consequences.

Ye gads!!

 

Its like Captain Smith of the Titanic standing on the bridge as water laps around his head shouting out, "its not my fault! I was asleep in my bunk when the guy on the wheel hit the iceberg!".

 

Sorry but the buck stops with the promoters. And unlike Captain Smith, they saw the iceberg coming from days off but still decided to steer into it!

Edited March 21, 2016 by Steve Shovlar

[BWitcher]

There have been several cock ups, from several clubs, over several years of this sports history and on several occasions has been handled insufficiently by you know who.

 

However non have been made an example of like BV, on this occasion and on hosegate.

 

I appreciate your reply, but after years of reading your comments surrounding BV speedway on here I'm of the opinion that you have some type of issue with us. Of course that's your entitlement, but from my end I'm going to leave it here.

 

Cheers.

 

We have this event, the infamous hosegate and the infamous Good Friday meeting v Wolves.

 

If you'd read any of my comments then you would know that it is nothing to do with having an 'issue' with Belle Vue, moreso having an issue with downright incompetence and refusal to shoulder blame. That is the case regardless of the club involved, including the one I support.

 

Belle Vue's promotion could have explained that the work was carried out by contractors but they should also most clearly have stated that despite that, the buck stopped with them and they apologised for it.

Edited March 21, 2016 by BWitcher

[A ORLOV]

If Gordon was stupid enough to allow a third party, and by the sound of it a non speedway third party, to build and lay the track then does not test it he deserves all the flack he is getting.

Laying a track is a specialist job that even some of the curators that have been doing it for years do not always get right due to the weather or material which is too dry or wet, who in their right mind would leave a job like that to a contractor.

Edited March 21, 2016 by A ORLOV

[SUPERACE]

When that member is steadfastly refusing to shoulder the blame then YES.

 

Belle Vue's statement is beyond a joke. They have (again) presided over a monumental **** up and (again) instead of holding their hands up, apologising that mistakes were made, but were made in the best of intentions, they choose to play the "It's not our fault" card which quite simply makes things worse.

 

Had they responded in the correct manner they could have garnered some sympathy and won back a lot of support. Instead they choose to stick two fingers up to all those who attended and only their deluded supporters will support them now.

You do realise the bspa statement came first, they hung Belle vue out to dry long before they had there say.

[SCB]

BV HAVE to take the blame. They opened the turnstiles, they let people in, they didn't cancel the meeting. Had they cancelled the meeting they could have put out that press release slating the contractors!

[BWitcher]

You do realise the bspa statement came first, they hung Belle vue out to dry long before they had there say.

 

No, Belle Vue hung themselves out to dry.

 

Belle Vue have stuck the knife into themselves.

 

Belle Vue have messed up their biggest night in a long long time and potentially damaged the viability of the club in the future.

 

Belle Vue have refused to even apologise or accept any blame.

 

The reaction of the BSPA, whilst not great, is pretty meaningless in the overall scheme of things.

[Grand Central]

The nature of the two statements today, from Chapman and from Gordon do leave one with some wider questions.

 

If they are so poor in their judgement of how to make a public statement.
The content. The language, The tone.

 

That they both lack the skills to do this professionally

That they lack the selfwareness of their own inadequacies in this regard, so do not delegate to other better people.

 

Then what of their judgment generally?

Chief Exceutive of Belle Vue Speedway ....?

Chairman of the BSPA .... ?

 

Speedway in Manchester, Speedway in GB .... it's just not in very good hands, is it?

Edited March 21, 2016 by Grand Central

[foamfence]

If Gordon says it wasn't his fault, how come Tai says that people were saying the track was unfit on Thursday? It's usually the responsibility of the boss, even if contractors are involved.

[maneacat]

Yes it is ignorent to suggest that. Facts are the stadium completion was behind, happens a lot in construction. The issue and only issue for Belle Vue was that they didnt postpone the meeting earlier knowing delays to the build had effected bends 3 and 4 from settling properly

With such a crucial and public deadline for completion of this project I would be very interested to know what Penalty Clauses were in the contracts. A stadium of this size and value would surely have been under the legal contracts drawn up by fully qualified Construction Lawyers - this should not have been allowed to happen and definitely needs investigation as to why it went so badly wrong.

[Daniel Smith]

BV HAVE to take the blame. They opened the turnstiles, they let people in, they didn't cancel the meeting. Had they cancelled the meeting they could have put out that press release slating the contractors!

Spot on

[Trees]

What happened between Worrall and Fricke successfully practising and race night?

[E I Addio]

No, Belle Vue hung themselves out to dry.

 

Belle Vue have stuck the knife into themselves.

 

Belle Vue have messed up their biggest night in a long long time and potentially damaged the viability of the club in the future.

 

Belle Vue have refused to even apologise or accept any blame.

 

The reaction of the BSPA, whilst not great, is pretty meaningless in the overall scheme of things.

Exactly. Those of us on the outside don't have enough information to come to a considered judgment on how any blame should be apportioned but Belle Vue, or more precisely Gordon and Morton, are the public face of the project and need to acknowledge some degree of overall responsibility even if we fing at a future date that there are others that have messed up.

 

Gordon and Morton are human, they make mistakes as we all do. If press releases and public statements were handled properly they could get a fair bit of public sympathy instead of animosity. Gordon in particular is starting to look a fool.

Edited March 21, 2016 by E I Addio