Echoes of Oscar-winner Michael Douglas' Gordon Gekko 'lunch is for wimps' speech as King’s Lynn Stars boss Brady says sleep is a 'waste'
City trader Gordon Gekko, as portrayed in an Oscar-winning turn by actor Michael Douglas in the 1987 movie Wall Street, famously uttered “lunch is for wimps”.
In a similar vein, during Oscar week team manager Alex Brady – who leads his King’s Lynn Stars troops into the new speedway season on Thursday at Ipswich in the league cup – said sleep is a waste of time.
Busy Brady is managing director of property company Minors & Brady, the club sponsors; Stars team boss; and now, as announced pre-season, co-promoter.
Brady, who arrived midway through the shortened 2021 campaign, said: “We have the cup to start with, next Thursday at Ipswich, and the expectation there is to make the final of that as a minimum standard, so beating Ipswich and Peterborough in the group stages, and obviously to get into the play-offs at the end of the year, that is the aim.”
He said the club was delighted that legend Niels-Kristian Iversen, who could not make Thursday’s press and practice day, was back at the Adrian Flux Arena after being associated at Lynn during various spells from 2001 onwards.
Brady remarked: “We were just saying in the office a short while ago, seeing his race jacket up there with Iversen number one just feels right at King’s Lynn.
“We’re delighted to have him back. He is a genuine number one in this league.
“He doesn’t have the ‘balloon average’ that some of the other riders have and it’s obviously worked in our favour to fit him in for (the injured) Peter Kildemand.
“We’re delighted to have him on board.”
On the make up of his team and bonding he added: “We’ve been working a lot throughout the winter on team-building. Obviously it’s been difficult with Josh Pickering, one of our new signings, living in Australia, so it’s been difficult to be together.
“But we’ve bonded really well on WhatsApp and done various video calls and all sorts of stuff like that.
“The team we have assembled what I think will set ourselves apart is we have a team of winners. They’re desperate to score points and to do well, and crucially they all want to be here, too.”
Brady has no problem combining all of his various roles, on and off-track.
He commented: “I’m one of these people who can’t stop. Sleep to me is a waste of time; I’d rather be doing something.
“I find my thinking time is when I go for a run every morning before work.
“Both jobs are quite high pressure, but I wouldn’t have it any other way, I thrive off it.”
