Wee Eck Posted August 31, 2021 Report Share Posted August 31, 2021 1 hour ago, Fortythirtyeight said: This was written when the begging bowl that is ‘ Go Fund Me ‘ was first put out , and before the third ‘ line manager ‘ was released, it makes interesting reading, even though it was written tongue-in-cheek by the author. Does this sound like a good businessman? Buy a business , based in someone else’s rented property , that has struggled for years and probably has not made a profit for quite some time. Don’t do a thorough check of the ‘books’ and sack your main staff members who have good knowledge of how the business has been kept afloat all this time including the main man who is highly respected within his very specialised field. Then, decide to double your potential outgoings by doubling your main staff wage bill whilst only expecting the same financial income as the previous few years even though the country is an a financial crisis and add it to that the fact that you have watered down your main product to such an extent that your ‘ customers’ are telling you they won’t be visiting your establishment as you no longer provide value for money. To add further to that issue, INCREASE the price of your ‘ product ‘ to the point where most of your repeat customers cannot afford to purchase it on a regular basis. Then, bring in inexperienced staff to run the production line, sack two ‘ line managers ‘ in a row before they even entered the premises and then put out an appeal for cash from the very people who you wish to spend their hard earned pensions within your business as you also threaten to close the doors due to lack of support. I ask you ‘ Dragons ‘ , do you want to invest ??? Whilst its sad to lose any track , and not all of this catastrophe can be fully blamed on Mr. Grant, why would any businessman in their right mind put money into speedway in the current climate ? Tbh, I don’t see that as tongue in cheek, more an accurate description of what has happened. I will neither defend nor condemn the previous owners as I have no knowledge of what went on. I have read the allegations but am not aware that these have gone further than that. I know that HMRC have lodged a claim with the liquidators for a sum in excess of £158,000 from the previous company but, as this company is heading for voluntary rather than compulsory liquidation, that suggest that, one way or another, that claim will be or has been settled. As far as I am aware, no criminal proceedings have been started, something that you’d expect if there had been deliberate malfeasance. So, to me, the above comments ring true - a promotion that didn’t know what it was buying and got rid of all of the people that could have guided them, and instead used people lacking the necessary skills. When it was suggested that Neil Machin would be involved, that seemed a positive move but that quickly disappeared. Dave Tattum is certainly experienced but not recently at Championship level. Indeed, he had to drop down to the Development League from the then Premier league because he couldn’t make the PL pay. The final “nail” is knowing of people willing to help share the financial burden of 2021, who wanted to see survival this year with a push forward with a more competitive team in 2022 whose offers of assistance were turned down. Hopefully, there’s enough of them around that’ll take the club off the current promotion’s hands, and keep the Diamonds alive. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoff100 Posted August 31, 2021 Report Share Posted August 31, 2021 3 hours ago, singy13 said: So it requires a very quick fix then......hopefully THJ picks the correct lottery numbers asap. I see you were originally from Barra Marra.....did you attend Barrow speedway at Holker St in the early 70's....happy days v Comets. Question time, what is the connection between barrow speedway and elvis ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevePark Posted August 31, 2021 Author Report Share Posted August 31, 2021 3 hours ago, singy13 said: So it requires a very quick fix then......hopefully THJ picks the correct lottery numbers asap. I see you were originally from Barra Marra.....did you attend Barrow speedway at Holker St in the early 70's....happy days v Comets. I left Barrow in 1971. I went to Holker Street with my ex-next door neighbour in 1973 for one meeting (Canterbury, I think) and twice in 1974 for two meetings (Boston and Workington). I also saw the 1977 Eddie Crooks Trophy meeting at Park Road. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
singy13 Posted August 31, 2021 Report Share Posted August 31, 2021 12 minutes ago, geoff100 said: Question time, what is the connection between barrow speedway and elvis ? They were both sponsored by 'Happy Faces'...............they both ended up - 'all shook up'.......they both ended up in - 'Heartbreak Hotel'...they both were let down by George Best........ oh I give up geoff....? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fortythirtyeight Posted August 31, 2021 Report Share Posted August 31, 2021 1 hour ago, montie said: agreed but that was then and this is now,i was more interested to the difference between the two clubs and the reason of one seemingly running well and one not so well I repeat…… 2 hours ago, singy13 said: It doesn't seem that long that Brian Havelock was pressing some alarm bells at that place though...... Because of how he ran it and the budget team he put out, look how it’s been turned around , the lesson was learned on that occasion. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soupy Posted August 31, 2021 Report Share Posted August 31, 2021 Sad day yesterday with news that Rob Grant will not be at the helm and could be the demise of the club. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viper Posted August 31, 2021 Report Share Posted August 31, 2021 (edited) 5 hours ago, montie said: agreed but that was then and this is now,i was more interested to the difference between the two clubs and the reason of one seemingly running well and one not so well I don’t believe that there is a singular factor to why one club is thriving at this time and one is struggling but as has been said it’s not that long ago that Redcar were struggling themselves for crowd numbers. One of the main differences between the clubs is access to revenue streams, with Redcar being in a fortunate position to have access to the STMP to run other events outside of a match day and also gain other match day revenue through the selling of food and drink. Newcastle are at an disadvantage straight away with no chance of using the stadium outside of the usual few hours allocated for a match day and the substantial outlay needed to pay for the stadium rental. Also, some other match day sales also go into the pocket of the stadium owners rather than the club. Speedway in a majority of cities can no longer survive on gate receipts alone and in Newcastle’s case they don’t have sufficient access to other revenue streams to build up the business. That coupled with the reduction in sponsorship available due to the effect of Covid on businesses, means Newcastle budget was severely reduced. This means that Redcar have the comfort of being able to control their future financial model and have managed to build an attractive side as a result. Newcastle on the other hand have had to cut there cloth accordingly and as a result do not have a team that is as competitive. This has to my mind stopped some of the more casual supporters coming along to watch at Brough Park as they see it as a watered down product. The other element for me is that Redcar finally have the management structure that is built for success. Speedway is more than a full time job for those that run it and Redcar now have a trio running the show that knows the sport, knows the club and knows it’s supporters. Ben, Jamie and Jade have done a fantastic job and the split of the roles between the three ensure they are able to actively grow the club and focus on every aspect needed to do this successfully, from social media presence to rider development. In Newcastle case, Rob has taken on a huge challenge and, as one man with only one or two helpers then I believe certain elements have lapsed, match night production and digital communication being a couple. This again means that some supporters have drifted away either through lack of insight into the club or through the fact of the product on offer. This is no way meant as a complaint against Rob as I do believe that had Newcastle came to the tapes in 2022 under Robs ownership that we would have seen a different approach from the lessons he has learnt through a very tough first season. Edited August 31, 2021 by Viper 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fortythirtyeight Posted August 31, 2021 Report Share Posted August 31, 2021 Let’s pick some of the bones out of your argument. Redcar struggled for a decent crowd because of Havelock, his demeanour towards the fans and his budget for the team reducing the product to a bottom of the league regulars. A new promoter came in, used the same budget but with a complete different mindset in producing excitement around the place and doubled the crowd and more. The new management trio have continued on with that trend and made it even more successful. Do you not think Redcar pay rent to the council for the STMP? Everything inside the stadium belongs to the club , it was just a rubbish tip when the track was constructed and, unlike Brough Park, not a structure was standing so Redcar have built from scratch. Access to revenue streams….yes they have, through their own efforts. They only took over complete catering in 2020 . Sponsors….all clubs are responsible for generating their own so that’s down to the club to source. Watered down product …promoters choice, just like the clubs management structure, Redcar have a team that works, how many staff did Grant get rid off/ bring in to help ? His choice. Redcar were in the doldrums, but turned it around with positive, enthusiastic management from 2017 onwards using exactly the same budget that Havelock had. They have shown it can be done. Newcastle , take away the non disclosed debts they inherited, which should have been identified, have no different challenges to any other club this COVID affected year but I do understand Grant walking away from the stress of running a speedway club as even the Redcar management , who are all volunteers, are finding it very stressful in these challenging times. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoff100 Posted August 31, 2021 Report Share Posted August 31, 2021 7 hours ago, singy13 said: They were both sponsored by 'Happy Faces'...............they both ended up - 'all shook up'.......they both ended up in - 'Heartbreak Hotel'...they both were let down by George Best........ oh I give up geoff....? Barrow opened at park rd the night elvis died august 16 1977 went on the bus from workington remember it was on radio luxemberg all the way home . 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diamonds85 Posted September 2, 2021 Report Share Posted September 2, 2021 How did Rob go from being able to afford to build a whole new stadium (multi million pound investment) to not being able to continue... Has he really lost that much money over the year? Genuine question, not trying to be awkward Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fromafar Posted September 2, 2021 Report Share Posted September 2, 2021 (edited) 29 minutes ago, Diamonds85 said: How did Rob go from being able to afford to build a whole new stadium (multi million pound investment) to not being able to continue... Has he really lost that much money over the year? Genuine question, not trying to be awkward He discovered it really is easy to lose a fortune in speedway and have Zilch to show for it.Easier to make a fortune selling butcher meat without the stress. Edited September 2, 2021 by Fromafar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chewbacca Posted September 2, 2021 Report Share Posted September 2, 2021 It wasn’t going to be a multi-million pound stadium. Did you ever visit Berrington Lough? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
screm Posted September 2, 2021 Report Share Posted September 2, 2021 3 minutes ago, Chewbacca said: It wasn’t going to be a multi-million pound stadium. Did you ever visit Berrington Lough? Every week. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Normski Posted September 2, 2021 Report Share Posted September 2, 2021 5 minutes ago, screm said: Every week. Cracking little setup 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruffdiamond Posted September 2, 2021 Report Share Posted September 2, 2021 13 minutes ago, Chewbacca said: It wasn’t going to be a multi-million pound stadium. Did you ever visit Berrington Lough? It's no good having a big shop, if there ain't many customers. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diamondboy Posted September 2, 2021 Report Share Posted September 2, 2021 The books were obviously 20% more attractive when first looked at......... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soupy Posted September 2, 2021 Report Share Posted September 2, 2021 1 hour ago, Diamondboy said: The books were obviously 20% more attractive when first looked at......... Did they actually look at the books 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TotallyHonestJohn Posted September 2, 2021 Report Share Posted September 2, 2021 3 hours ago, Diamonds85 said: How did Rob go from being able to afford to build a whole new stadium (multi million pound investment) to not being able to continue... Has he really lost that much money over the year? Genuine question, not trying to be awkward Multi Million Pound investment? Council set up the infrastructure level the land and stick a fence round it... Diamonds lay a track, hire or buy a second hand genny; hire or buy a second hand stand (similar to what the Falcon's started with at Kingston Park) set up a scaffold type stand (aka Redcar) stick an air fence round it build some pits and a changing room (similar to Scunny) and off you go generating funds daily and not just on a Sunday... training sessions to hire out amateur meetings to run... stock cars and a BMX track out back to encourage the kids... outlay for that around 150k... No different to Scunny who have a good set up and Rob Godfrey started off with a basic site and built on it over the years... that site didn't just land overnight with one massive outlay of Dosh its taken time to build.... and that's certainly not the Olympic Stadium is it... but it's fit for purpose and does the job... Regards THJ 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fromafar Posted September 2, 2021 Report Share Posted September 2, 2021 Just now, TotallyHonestJohn said: Multi Million Pound investment? Council set up the infrastructure level the land and stick a fence round it... Diamonds lay a track, hire or buy a second hand genny; hire or buy a second hand stand (similar to what the Falcon's started with at Kingston Park) set up a scaffold type stand (aka Redcar) stick an air fence round it build some pits and a changing room (similar to Scunny) and off you go generating funds daily and not just on a Sunday... training sessions to hire out amateur meetings to run... stock cars and a BMX track out back to encourage the kids... outlay for that around 150k... No different to Scunny who have a good set up and Rob Godfrey started off with a basic site and built on it over the years... that site didn't just land overnight with one massive outlay of Dosh its taken time to build.... and that's certainly not the Olympic Stadium is it... but it's fit for purpose and does the job... Regards THJ I asked earlier,but I assume nothing come of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TotallyHonestJohn Posted September 2, 2021 Report Share Posted September 2, 2021 4 minutes ago, soupy said: Did they actually look at the books Honestly I did and there was no way of telling what was lying in wait for anyone who took it on... It was totally bad luck... because if Rob had of collapsed Newspeed from the off and just ran with the new company from the start he would have been protected from what happened and not lost anything... The books were a shambles and I knew what was going on as I had the same accountant as Newspeed but I thought there could have been possibilities in taking it on however when Rob came in I backed off... And with luck like that I will never win the lottery... Regards THJ 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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