GWC

Inferior to what ? The PL it’s supposed to be!

Then they can call it PL 2 !

There has been considerable work done to the part of the car park with an enclosed area block paved and high fencing around it. It looks destined for something to do with the carts though.

Yes it’s called the decline of the NL !

But there would have come a day when a stadium built in 1929 was no longer fit for purpose so the inevitable was demolition.

It was pretty gut wrenching at the time as Rye had signed Jamie Courtney who had to go into the team and then use a Raider as the other reserve. Stuart Robson gets injured then Courtney then Luke Bowen but still they enforced Boxall to move into the team. Still the following year Rye signed Woffinden and he definitely wouldn’t have been allowed to stay as a reserve all season.

The 2 reserves need to be riders from the NL if that league is going to have any relevance in the future. The 1-5 should only have 2 riders doubling up so the PL needs to sort itself out.

Remember well in 1972 first meeting full house then.

Sometimes comments on here really show up people’s lack of humility less of course speedway knowledge! Perks was brought in to help Swindon over loss of confidence of their reserves not to win matches on his own! For the guy to even return to UK after he was dropped so many times by other clubs because they needed strengthening gives him credit for his commitment.

The league must reign in allowing riders like Masters doubling up/down. The standard is kept high with these guys in it but as mentioned the riders at the bottom are more or less fodder.

I’m pretty sure in his mind Matt Ford has moved on from speedway and wants to get out of Poole. It therefore puts Poole in the same bracket as most clubs or even a bit below in the financial clout of clubs. It gives me no pleasure in seeing a great club now struggle but the sport is on knife edge that a wrong decision here and there could push it over. A questionnaire is a good idea but realistically will they get sensible reply’s.

Most teams are built with depth it’s the racing format that puts a reserve with a heat leader in some heats. Some teams decide to go for upper rider strength and then have NL standard reserves so you can guess the outcome there. If they changed the points limit teams would just do the same except the lower points riders would perhaps be a better standard but still fodder for the better riders.

Not every week though!

What is most people’s gripe with sport? The fact you are not seeing the ‘top’ riders for your buck? Or the doubling up and down due to the lack of riders because we haven’t or didn’t want to invest in UK riders? Or the quality of racing and the overall meeting experience? Loss of teams in the south east of England? The overall condition of the majority of stadiums that don’t measure up to 21st century viewing requirements? My answer would be ‘all of the above’ but being a realist it is what it is and unless there is money and lots of it none of this will drastically change.

If Kennett isn’t included might then be lost to the sport and that is not good. The points limit needs to be reduced as it’s causing too many youngsters to struggle and reduce ‘doubling up’.

Indeed Keith and crowds pretty similar and income level. A lot rent their stadia as well with volunteering a must to survive at that level. All depends on the ‘rider demands’ and who is prepared to ride in the UK. Sweden now looks like its heading the same way so there could be more riders available. A budget blown on one rider because he is GP level isn’t going to be very popular (with riders) but on the other hand might get a few hundred more through the gate. Improve the racing and stadia experience is more important imo than who is riding and the promotion have to make a profit otherwise it’s bye bye.

There also needs to be some thought put into how strong the CL should be. We have seen young riders move up from the NL and then call it a day when they struggle and ultimately disillusioned with the sport having put in the miles to get so far.

Will Doyle himself want to ride in the UK? He has had a poor GP series by his standards. By June I can see a couple of riders being ‘under threat’ !

You will no doubt be in the queue behind Peterborough for riders next season!

The inability of the UK to produce enough riders who can hold their own on the world stage must have a correlation to our current state. Shipping in riders at vast expense has seen a deterioration in our leagues and hastened its demise. We don't get the crowds that imo justified paying large sums of money to riders of sometimes average standard because they came from Poland or somewhere else and therefore must be good. We haven’t or didn’t want to encourage youth and were too busy putting on a show that supporters said they must have to justify their attendance. Whilst I supported Rye House who encouraged youth and lived within their means (until you know who took over) I would read about other teams supporters saying we must have so and so riding because I won’t go otherwise! We now have a situation where the sport is maintained by the need for the majority of riders to fill 2 team places to enable the leagues to survive. Another reason for the decline of the sport. It is probably true to say that the sport will continue to contract as stadiums are gobbled up by redevelopment and an ageing attendance. How long it will last is really down to this and the people who put their livelihoods at risk to bring us the entertainment.

The trouble is everyone wants to be a winner! The Premier is geared for tv and all other clubs suffer. Likelihood of a NL next season is difficult to see with so few teams unless a revamp of the league system is undertaken. Its time to look at the pro and semi pro argument of 2 leagues imo.

You’ve not seen Jake Mulford then!

As stadiums deteriorate with age it will be cheaper to sell off and profit from the land. The crowd levels cannot demand the continuation of the sport at many venues.

It was Kerr and Lawson in ht 15 and got Eastbourne’s only 5-1 of the meeting. Kennett didn’t look right maybe carrying injury.

With team Denmark now at Glasgow I suspect they will want a slick track.