bazaar3

Over the years there have been some great test matches having featured the major nations but which ones have really stood out in the memory for you. For me it was: On the box/video: England vs Denmark 1986/87? It was at Cradley Heath and the Danes stormed into an early lead into the meeting led by Gundersen, Nielsen and Jan O whilst England scrapped for every point and Captain Wigg even lending his green machine to Jem Doncaster but led by the starting marshall who didn't like Nielsen's antics on the inside gate and the teams tenacity, they fought back from 10 points down to get back to 2 towards the final heat. After a fantastic ride from Morton to pass Preben Eriksson and then both of them to cross the line nearly together and then end up collecting each other and crash into the first bend after the race, Wiggy and Collins just had to beat Hans from his favourite inside gate but he shot from the start and hung on for a 2 point vic to the Danes. Live: England vs Sweden vs Australia at Poole in 1991/92? The Swedes were a dominant force back then with Jonsson, Olsson, Nilsen and a young Rickardsson etc but a young England went tooth and nail until the final heat where Doncaster and Cox had to earn a 5-1 against Adams and I think home track rider Mick Poole. Donkey made the start along with Adams who drifted wide and Cocker shot between Poole and Adams for a famous victory and made the crowd go wild. Opinions...

It is a funny one with Kings Lynn. Obviously it would appear Birmingham have the crowds and sponsorship to give the top league a go because they are a city and speedway is popular in the midlands with a lot of defunct clubs ex supporters who may or have already jumped on the bandwagon. The reasons how I see Kings Lynn can afford to give it another go: 1) In the past they were a side that were not always competitive in the top league and I can't remember them winning too much hence the drop in crowds who obviously want to see their team to well week in week out and don't want to pay top league money to watch their team lose mose weeks. 2) Since they have entered the PL (or second league whatever) they have pritty much dominated it most seasons and the crowds have come back to watch the side and so obviously it has attracted more sponsors in the area because they have been a more successful side. Especially when there is a EL/PL League Final or Cup, it nearly always is a large increase in crowds compared to a standard league fixture. 3) They have wisely attained assets such as Darcy Ward and a few others and sold them onto EL clubs to have made enough capital to support a venture. 4) Perhaps as you say, they are still reluctant about entering the league as they don't want to be the bottom side again and lose crowds and drop down etc like before. Obviously much more cautious which is why they haven't joined earlier. Just my opinion.

You cannot compare the Polish and British leagues financially because they are very different. The attendance figures which can be up to probably 8 times as big as are attendances make the 2 leagues uncomparable so you can't really think of them as top leagues. It's more realistic to think on crowd attendances as for example Glasgow Celtic FC have many more supporters then St Mirren, so obviously are going to afford a better team etc. Better to compare British speedway to British Basketball......both struggling at grass roots level financially and not the most popular sport in Britain and struggling to pay stadium rent and for minor quality professionals with some top pros using their bleak attendance money. New fans....what new fans. TBH if there are any new fans they are more likely to be confused by the ridiculous amount of rules and BSPA rule changes that happen each year and the rule I hate, a rider being excluded for tape touching isn't excluded but a reserve can be brought in, hence anyone new who had seen a red card in a footy match to be replaced by a sub is far more baffling then naming a top league Elite, a second league Premier and a third league National which is quite easy to follow compared to most of the @@@@ that goes on in speedway. Do you really believe more are going to watch over a name change......how many fans did the FA Barclaycard Premier League lost because it changed it from Div 1......probably about none.

Semantics? How do you explain when wildcards have won GP's then? It's suppose to be the top 16 best but there is always a few riders who aren't in it but are good enough to be counted for. Martin Dugard was always an excellent rider in Britain but because he wasn't in the GP's or World Finals constantly, it didn't mean he wasn't good enough to be there and he was better then Andy Smith who somehow always made GP's and World Finals. Your conversation about rebranding is pointless and time and time again I have to laugh at this post. In legal terms, it's fine to use because it is the best league on averages in British Speedway so they can claim it as Elite. It also doesn't sound appealing to Sky Sports or businesses for sponsorship if you called it 'The slightly diluted League 1 of speedway'....I mean who on earth would sponsor that. Definitions don't matter......for the best interests of speedway, sponsorship and money matters and it is the best and that goes for the PL as well.

That is not what you stated. You said an Elite League rider...not a GP rider. No league in the world is going to have best 100 riders in it anyway because there will always be a rider who will be a heat leader in his home country and chooses not to ride abroad but is better then a reserve abroad. Anyway to quickly prove a financial point. How many of these clubs have there own stadiums and do not share with a greyhound/stock car businesses and don't have to pay ludicrous extortionate rent rates plus probably charging cheaper admission due to the economy of their country so can afford to pay GP riders. Just because a league has more GP riders, doesn't make it better speedway.

Nonsense. Define by what you mean as an Elite League rider? Tell me a TOP league in the world where all these so called 'Elite League' riders ride? Now if you say speedway in general is too expensive for the average fan/family I would certainly agree.

Steve has a point though. He said Mick Bratley said a Midland club wanted Hans, so that could really be only Cov or Brum since Wolves have Lindgren and Tai. Even if his other sources are not true you could see Cov trying to fit in Hans, Harris, EK, Larsen on a low and Shamek on a 4 to build a strong team especially with Rosco's nouse for signing bargains. This was obviously being set up way before the AGM and that is why the Bees are steaming. The only other thing I would add that may have made sense would be for Cov to sign KK and that would probably have meant Hans by the midlands theory go Brum, but perhaps Poole refused to loan out KK to the Bees for another season since he had a say in the final.

Ahh so that why the protest....only took me 100 pages (well I haven't read them all) to work out why the Bees stormed out. Bit slow at the mo. Fancy signing a rider before the AGM especially one as expensive as Andersen. So looks like Harris is off to Manchester then?

Since I get the feeling you don't agree sounding by your posts, may I ask what you would do in the situation since your an ImpartialOne?

Yes it's within freedom to challenge......although doesn't mean it's going to succeed. In this case do you not feel Sandhu or whoever was representing Coventry made a huge error or are you succumbed to being un-Impartial?

Looking at this post.....it looks like something Authorised would write and post. Change of name Authorised?

Not really....some of the thread is intellectual debate.

Of course.....but if there is a law, take for example somebody wants to bring an A class drug into society and wants it to be legal to sell it and pop it, it doesn't mean everyone else wants it. That's why we have a proper democracy to not bring this law into place. Why should we allow Coventry to make the rules.....if we did, it would be the same principal so your point holds no weight.

Well done for adding the start of 95 to it....

There is no unfair treatment....and if there is democracy rules. You know the saying 'If you can't stand the heat get out the kitchen'.....and that's the way Coventry are going.

I don't think you have quite got the gist of how much money promoters are losing yet. Implementing the rule would be beneficial for closer racing in the top league, more economically friendly for promotions and doesn't turn the sport into football with the 'who buys wins' scenario. Plus the only way the EL is going to get back up is unfortunately work it's way down because of the state it is in and make the EL and PL closer and make the promo/releg rule more interesting instead of the laughing stock it is now. It could be worse.....it could be the Italian League.

Great news and got to shout out a big thanks to Mark for deciding to pick Poole as his farewell meeting. He in my eyes will also be considered having legend status after being the first Poole rider to win the world title. Definently going to this one and I hope many more will to after his fantastic performances and rider skills we saw in the laate nineties and turn of millenium. What a career.

How many businessess or companies do you know that release a christmas message in an OFFICIAL statement? Anyways could just be an agree to disagree here me thinks SCB.

Understandable. As alan boon said I would like it weaked to see both leagues more equal. The foreigners IMO should raise at least half a point. Like this rule. Unsure about the Pawlicki situation. Sitting on the fence with this one. The question really is do 2 rights make a wrong. Probably living in a dream world now but I would like to see 5 sensibel non biased-ish forum fans from each club make up their own BSPA and present ideas etc. 5 because democracy would rule and you could say the Coventry and Wolves like this rule but it wouldn't benefit Brimingham fans etc. We should just make up our own independant body and we could have polls on if we like a BSPA rule or not and the democracy could query it. More minds could make the sport better, who knows? Anyway back to reality.

Probably the same sort of joke statement they wer suppose to make a few days ago which they covered up with Xmas pic and a merry xmas message. Wonder if this time it will show a happy new year message this time around with a pic of fireworks in the new statement?

Why is it inaccurate....show me the colour of your concrete.

You told me yesterday that the BSPA and the Cov promotion were meeting yesterday.....and you said something along the lines of do you think they are meeting to swap cake recipes. Be truthful now.

Well SCB told me and he is the forum statto.....if it went down then it probably went down unless your calling him a liar. Don't shoot the messenger. The relevance is put in a simple picture where words about the meeting and what would have come from it been put into it's place. And then send a xmas message disguising all ok.....check me out Miss Marple. What in an official statement.....ok eyes wide shut.

Oh come on Beeone and TruBee. My opinion on the evidence. 1) We are told earlier that Coventry are to talk to the BSPA in a meeting and that they are to release an official statement. 2) The official statement of the talk is...........a xmas pic that a 12 year old could have designed on Paint and wishing the fans a good christmas. 3) Why on earth would you release an official statement of a happy xmas......no other club has probably ever done it in an official statement and if they did they would have done it on Christmas Eve or Day. 4) This would conclude that the meeting took place and the Bees got nowhere with the talks OR the only option that saves face and it was abandoned due to the weather.

PMSL SS... Somebody send them the Dave Benson Phillips video guide to fire and safety. No extinguisher in the pic either....wonder how many hazards are in the picture.