TTT Posted July 14, 2022 Report Share Posted July 14, 2022 We done very well tonight to put up 39 with a five man team. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
szkocjasid Posted July 14, 2022 Report Share Posted July 14, 2022 1 hour ago, Grachan said: Why are peoole wetting their pants over a green light start? This has been the standard procedure for years if the tapes fail. Most motor sports start on lights anyway so it's no big deal. Better than calling it off surely. Not sure about the green flag thing though. Why not put the red lights on for starters orders then riders go when it goes out. That's far to sensible a solution for them to use that lol! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4thbender Posted July 15, 2022 Report Share Posted July 15, 2022 After the embarrassing debacle of the Ipswich match in the full glare of live television, they've had three weeks - THREE WEEKS! - to make sure that everything is in tip-top condition to avert even the remotest chance of a repeat of the needless embarrassing delays; and what happens? before a wheel has turned there comes the wearisome announcement of "track electrician to the referee's box" and there's a thirty-five minute delay because of the perennial problems with the starting gate. And even after it has been decided that the gate is never going to work, it takes the referee another twenty minutes to explain to the riders that they have to start on the green light. Throughout all this, poor old Ryan Guest has the thankless task of "entertaining" the increasingly-restless crowd by staging inane interviews with Steady (who repeats ad nauseum all the 'news' he's already written in the programme notes) and Adam Ellis, who tells us how interesting it is to be riding at number three rather than number five. I can't believe I paid good money to be treated - along with a thousand others - with such casual offhandedness. Maybe Damian Bates will now realize what he should have done years ago, that it makes sense to pay an electrician a day's wage to come in and re-wire the endlessly-failing starting gate system and replace all the ageing components that have let us down with monotonous regularity, meeting after meeting, for years. It's a small price to pay to ensure that the paying customers are not frustrated and disgruntled at having to wait an hour on their feet before they get to see the racing they've paid for. I wonder if the truth will dawn on the promotion that they've got another three weeks to fix the problems, rather than waiting till 7.30 on race-night. What utter plonkers! Damian Bates had the gall to write in the programme notes of his "disappointment" with people who write on here to express their well-justified displeasure at having been treated like fools, having paid good money to be left standing around for endless minutes at the Ipswich fiasco waiting for something to happen. He slags us off in the programme notes and then DOES IT AGAIN AT THE VERY NEXT MATCH! Has the man no shame? He thanks us for our "patience and understanding" but clearly this is just empty rhetoric to cover over the cracks. Well, Batesy old boy, I for one DON'T understand and my patience is wearing thin. There are other things to do on a Thursday night and like many others I now regard speedway as being in the last chance saloon. Frank Varey must be spinning in his grave. Best get your finger out. 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dontforgetthefueltapsbruv Posted July 15, 2022 Report Share Posted July 15, 2022 If Bates is publicly expressing his disappointment in his paying customers expressing their opinion it shows all you need to know as to why speedway finds itself in its current position...... 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4thbender Posted July 15, 2022 Report Share Posted July 15, 2022 2 minutes ago, dontforgetthefueltapsbruv said: If Bates is publicly expressing his disappointment in his paying customers expressing their opinion it shows all you need to know as to why speedway finds itself in its current position...... I wonder if Bates treats his customers the same way at The Old Post Office. I wouldn't fancy waiting an hour for my chicken and chips so I don't think I'll be visiting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigcatdiary Posted July 15, 2022 Report Share Posted July 15, 2022 5 minutes ago, dontforgetthefueltapsbruv said: If Bates is publicly expressing his disappointment in his paying customers expressing their opinion it shows all you need to know as to why speedway finds itself in its current position...... Nothing new though is it, the BSPL are completely not interested in generally what their fans have to say, if they did they would ask instead of completely ignoring the paying public. Most of them (not all) work on the assumption they do a wonderful job in providing the fan base with something to watch thinking it’s mostly wonderful and exciting racing when in reality 90% of the time it’s boring gate and go utter shyte. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TTT Posted July 15, 2022 Report Share Posted July 15, 2022 Bates would be begging those same customers to turn up every week if he was getting low attendances at Owlerton. Bates' logic I can't accept any kind of constructive criticism from my customers so please stand around and be quiet like a primary school kid sat in detention while I do my utmost to make the sport look like an even bigger joke in this country and if you don't get the 15 Heats of racing that you paid for then it's not my problem. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bald Bloke Posted July 15, 2022 Report Share Posted July 15, 2022 1 hour ago, 4thbender said: I wonder if Bates treats his customers the same way at The Old Post Office. I wouldn't fancy waiting an hour for my chicken and chips so I don't think I'll be visiting. You might not have to wait an hour if they can catch the chicken at the first attempt, and find the spade to dig up the spuds. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaColette Posted July 15, 2022 Report Share Posted July 15, 2022 I will look forward to the 'defending' of this or 'excuses' on the next podcast and try not to laugh too much! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IainB Posted July 15, 2022 Report Share Posted July 15, 2022 (edited) 2 hours ago, 4thbender said: Maybe Damian Bates will now realize what he should have done years ago, that it makes sense to pay an electrician a day's wage to come in and re-wire the endlessly-failing starting gate system and replace all the ageing components that have let us down with monotonous regularity, meeting after meeting, for years. It's a small price to pay to ensure that the paying customers are not frustrated and disgruntled at having to wait an hour on their feet before they get to see the racing they've paid for. I wonder if the truth will dawn on the promotion that they've got another three weeks to fix the problems, rather than waiting till 7.30 on race-night. What utter plonkers! I must admit I thought this thread would be a bit busier today, perhaps people have just given up... All of what you say is absolutely spot on of course... how many times do you hear the phrase "circumstances totally beyond our control"? They'll probably wheel that one out for the re-wiring of the starting tapes, coming up with some excuse about how it's the stadium owners responsibility. If it's effecting your business, you sort it out! Reading the match report on the Sheffield website, it was just bad luck, so there you go. Edited July 15, 2022 by iainb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thommo34 Posted July 15, 2022 Report Share Posted July 15, 2022 Having read all the posts on this meeting I am extremely surprised that the person who seems to have escaped criticism is the referee. Rightly the Sheffield promotion should take a lot of the blame but I felt that the referee should have been much stronger with the culprits who were continually rolling (cheating) on several occasions got away with it. When the races were stopped it beggars belief that he could not see the culprit(s) and warn or disqualify them. Th crowds frustration was then further tested by opening the pit gate and the further delays to the meeting were totally unnecssary. When will the powers that be learn! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4thbender Posted July 15, 2022 Report Share Posted July 15, 2022 1 hour ago, thommo34 said: Having read all the posts on this meeting I am extremely surprised that the person who seems to have escaped criticism is the referee. Rightly the Sheffield promotion should take a lot of the blame but I felt that the referee should have been much stronger with the culprits who were continually rolling (cheating) on several occasions got away with it. When the races were stopped it beggars belief that he could not see the culprit(s) and warn or disqualify them. Th crowds frustration was then further tested by opening the pit gate and the further delays to the meeting were totally unnecssary. When will the powers that be learn! Absolutely correct. I toyed with the idea of making a formal complaint to the SCB about the referee's slowness to act, but figured I'd be wasting my time. Why did it take him 35 minutes to realize the normal starting equipment was shot? After 10 minutes of the electrician fiddling about unsuccessfully he should have advised the team managers that the green light starting procedure would be adopted (according to the announcer this is the FIM rule) and got on with it. It took him a further twenty minutes to advise the riders of the change in procedure and, even after Ryan announced that the riders had been duly advised, it still took the referee another ten minutes to get back in his box and get racing underway. An utter shambolic example of the referee making a bad situation ten times worse. Apparently Steady puts this latest Owlerton disaster down to 'bad luck.' He should remember the 16th century proverb: "Diligence is the mother of good luck." 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cue Ball Posted July 15, 2022 Report Share Posted July 15, 2022 Read somewhere that it was the ref who had broken something in the box that killed the tapes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dontforgetthefueltapsbruv Posted July 16, 2022 Report Share Posted July 16, 2022 10 hours ago, Cue Ball said: Read somewhere that it was the ref who had broken something in the box that killed the tapes But definitely not Sheffield's fault.... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeW436 Posted July 16, 2022 Report Share Posted July 16, 2022 Just another one to add to the amateur episodes to happen with our sport in this country, the powers at be should probably stop blaming the Poles for killing the sport here and start looking at themselves before it’s too late…that’s if it’s not already 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeilWatson Posted July 16, 2022 Report Share Posted July 16, 2022 20 hours ago, 4thbender said: Absolutely correct. I toyed with the idea of making a formal complaint to the SCB about the referee's slowness to act, but figured I'd be wasting my time. Why did it take him 35 minutes to realize the normal starting equipment was shot? After 10 minutes of the electrician fiddling about unsuccessfully he should have advised the team managers that the green light starting procedure would be adopted (according to the announcer this is the FIM rule) and got on with it. It took him a further twenty minutes to advise the riders of the change in procedure and, even after Ryan announced that the riders had been duly advised, it still took the referee another ten minutes to get back in his box and get racing underway. An utter shambolic example of the referee making a bad situation ten times worse. Apparently Steady puts this latest Owlerton disaster down to 'bad luck.' He should remember the 16th century proverb: "Diligence is the mother of good luck." 2022 Speedway Regulations: 011.1.8 Faulty Starting Gate If, because of faulty operation of the starting gate, or for any other reason, the Referee considers a start to have been incorrect, they must immediately stop the heat and order a re-start with all riders competing. If the starting gate should fail to operate entirely, the Referee may start the heats by using the green light. The green light will be switched on to indicate ‘under starters orders’ and switched off to indicate the ‘start’. Alternatively, the green/National flag may be used. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dontforgetthefueltapsbruv Posted July 16, 2022 Report Share Posted July 16, 2022 I have had a private message to confirm it was indeed the referee that broke the equipment It was all his fault for pressing the wrong buttons or pressing the correct buttons the wrong way There was nothing Sheffield could've done to prevent this unfortunate unforeseeable situation Whatever he did caused such extensive damage that it was assessed by the electrician that "many hours work" would be required to rectify the situation I must say I am rather sceptical and feel that the root cause is rather more likely to have been an out dated no longer fit for purpose control panel (unless of course the ref savagely beat the system with a sledgehammer! ) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikebv Posted July 16, 2022 Report Share Posted July 16, 2022 8 minutes ago, dontforgetthefueltapsbruv said: I have had a private message to confirm it was indeed the referee that broke the equipment It was all his fault for pressing the wrong buttons or pressing the correct buttons the wrong way There was nothing Sheffield could've done to prevent this unfortunate unforeseeable situation Whatever he did caused such extensive damage that it was assessed by the electrician that "many hours work" would be required to rectify the situation I must say I am rather sceptical and feel that the root cause is rather more likely to have been an out dated no longer fit for purpose control panel (unless of course the ref savagely beat the system with a sledgehammer! ) Shades of Eric, Ernie, and Andre 'Preview'... The ref said... "I am pressing all the right buttons, just not necessarily in the right order".. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bald Bloke Posted July 16, 2022 Report Share Posted July 16, 2022 13 minutes ago, dontforgetthefueltapsbruv said: I have had a private message to confirm it was indeed the referee that broke the equipment It was all his fault for pressing the wrong buttons or pressing the correct buttons the wrong way There was nothing Sheffield could've done to prevent this unfortunate unforeseeable situation Whatever he did caused such extensive damage that it was assessed by the electrician that "many hours work" would be required to rectify the situation I must say I am rather sceptical and feel that the root cause is rather more likely to have been an out dated no longer fit for purpose control panel (unless of course the ref savagely beat the system with a sledgehammer! ) Bloody hell, how old was the equipment if doing that would cause so such damage. The 2nd part more than likely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badge Posted July 16, 2022 Report Share Posted July 16, 2022 18 minutes ago, dontforgetthefueltapsbruv said: I have had a private message to confirm it was indeed the referee that broke the equipment It was all his fault for pressing the wrong buttons or pressing the correct buttons the wrong way There was nothing Sheffield could've done to prevent this unfortunate unforeseeable situation Whatever he did caused such extensive damage that it was assessed by the electrician that "many hours work" would be required to rectify the situation I must say I am rather sceptical and feel that the root cause is rather more likely to have been an out dated no longer fit for purpose control panel (unless of course the ref savagely beat the system with a sledgehammer! ) Steady bruv, we don't want a repeat of someone getting out of their pram and screaming at the ref Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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