frigbo

This precisely sums up one of the main reasons I no longer go. The majority of riders in the PL couldn't care less about any aspect of the meeting, team or fans as long as their pocket is lined and wh*re themselves out to whoever is paying the next pound coin.

Viable for who?? Some weaker tracks may have to be sacrificed to make something new work. Fudging everything to enable a couple of teams to exist in front of 150 people isn't helping.

Still, in effect, replacing your number 1 with a junior irrespective of where in the team they ride. Maybe there's an option to only permit a number one guest for away meetings and teams utilise r/r at home and only if the absence is through injury? A mid-level big league should, in threory, mean less top-end absences for anything other than injury anyway.

Those scenarios aren't a new thing though. Whilst guests and a degree of doubling-up (number 8's) existed during the halcyon days, the current situation has taken both to ridiculous levels where league meetings end up being between random sets of riders far too regularly. We can all remember isolated situations in the past where teams have been full of other riders, but the issue now is it has become the norm. I can almost cope with guests for missing number ones and shared position doubling-up for young British riders if we really must, but will not go again until the current free-for-all is sorted out. The first fundamental change needed is to run the sport for the fans and not as a rider benefit scheme! If lower level riders need to become amateur then so be it. I quite like the idea of one big league to start building some foundations of recovery, but it needs to be pitched at a level that most current PL and CL teams can afford, without necessarily accommodating the lowest common denominator - some teams will have to drop to CL level if necessary to ensure the big league is both affordable but still of a reasonable standard. The 'sport' is in such a mess that there is no one silver bullet to fix things and maybe it is beyond repair? One thing that is particularly concerning is it is evident that most fans can't even agree on what is broken, never mind agree the fix!

Reports on Twitter yesterday that former Ipswich, Peterborough and Canterbury rider Dave Gooderham passed away following a recent stroke.

Poor old Torquay....

It's simple economics though surely? You can't spend out more than come in - too many tracks are doing that right now. if substantial funding which tracks don't have is needed drive up incomings, the only option to stay afloat is to minimise outgoings. Personally, I think we're at a stage where not enough new people think speedway is anything but dull (which let's be honest most of the time it is) and as its hardcore support dies off there are insufficient new people to jutify the spend on massive promotional costs. As a fan of 40+ years, the reasons i no longer go are purely down to the lack of credibility as a team sport. I want to support Swindon, not some random selection of seven mercenaries each week who will prostitute their services to whoever wants them next. For me some of the best seasons in relatively recent times were the 2000-2003 seasons in the lower league. We had continuity, regular meetings, full away teams and a Swindon side that gave a toss - nothing to do with it being second division.

Simple - if they're not good enough to ride competitively to make a sufficient living, they should be part-time. Classic tail wagging the dog comment. Break the foundations of the sport so the riders don't have to get jobs!

Never understood the old "not enough riders" comment. Solely based on riders who are still active and have raced in Britain in the last 3 seasons, there are plenty to fill 19 teams with spares left over - that's without touching the NL and any newcomers. Sure, a few of those 19 teams may not be able to afford running at an increased standard, but that only improves the rider position and they would have to operate at a level to suit their pocket. 16 teams would be a more than manageable amount for one big league. The big challenge would be the need to retain fixed nights (sensible ones) to enable the few top-liners we still have to stay and attract any others who previously have shown an appetite for a full season here (Zagar for example). The old pony about watching Doyle v Wethers for example is no different from the 'halcyon days' of Mauger v Jim Tebby. If the top boys cannot be accommodated, either financially or on agreed race nights, it's time to bin them off and find a level to make it a proper team sport again, with teams operating when they wish as long as there are no riders missing owing to a second division meeting in Burkina Faso ir somewhere! The key to making one league work is to ensure the teams are balanced and at a level everyone can operate at - that's where 1995/96 went wrong as Bradford, Wolves, Poole and Cradley in particular hoarded the big stars and left Midd'bro, Long Eaton, Sheffield etc to scrabble around to find heat-leaders. The current situation of pandering to riders needs is killing the game and has to stop.

Therein lies the root of most of the issues. The sport is run to appease the riders and everything and everyone else has to fall in line behind Until that mentality changes it will continue to spiral southwards!

News gathering on social media that former Birmingham, Wimbledon and Swindon rider Ari Koponen has sadly passed away.

I see news gathering on social media this morning that Vaclav Verner has sadly passes away.

Whilst clubs should obviously honour the deals agreed, these numbers do highlight the type of unsustainable money riders are taking out that the sport can ill-afford to pay.

Ian Champion has passed away.

Unfortunately, as stupid as it is, shared and guest team managers aren't a new thing. Speedway has had an incredible knack to show itself as thoroughly unprofessional and tinpot for much longer than most realise.