Will We Ever Have A British World Champ Again

[stevebrum 6,820]

i dont buy this argument that we wont have anyone good enough to be in the GPs for a while - i dont think that will happen.

[SCB 0]

So we won't have any riders in the GP for the next 5 years, where Scott Nicholls going? He may not be in the top 8 for an automatic place but he is certainly one of the best 15 riders in the World so will get a place because of BSI nomination. Does anyone honestly think Scott is not GP standard and that there is another riderwho's not in the GPs that would do better than him?

 

Far too many people are seeing he is not in line for an automatic place next year and that he'll need a BSI nomination and assume that means he's not good enough, well he is!!!

[SammyR 0]

Alex Ferguson at Man. United had the money to buy the cream of the crop; ready-made, proven international players, but he invested time and effort to bring on the likes of Beckham, Scholes, Giggs, the Nevilles, etc. We've all seen the benefits that accrued to United, and England, as a result.

It's time for British speedway promoters to make the same commitment to youth, to ensure that home-grown talent can flourish, and make the need for expensive imports redundant.

I love watching the likes of Hampel, Lindback, Lindgen and Kasprzak, but these could be home-grown kids, who have progressed through a properly funded academy system, and fast-tracked into the type of red-hot competion which would ensure they had the 'killer instinct' in order to survive, rather then languishing in the comfort zone of the Premier League.

[AndyM 1]

I'm not sure I agree but if that is the case why? better backed? better sponsored? better trained? This is exactly why we are discussing these things - I personally remember an age when our riders thrived in a setup which only allowed top quality overseas riders in the old British League - there were very few '2nd rate' overseas riders and as such didn't clog up the natural path to progress for our guys - riders like Steve Bastable would have struggled to make the squad for a world team cup yet he had a 9 point average.  Compare that to now where reserve slots in Premier League teams are clogged and it is easy to see where the problem is - consider the chicken and the egg

 

dodgy british riders??? very poor and you obviously need to get yourself to a few CL and U15 matches to see the quality that is out there

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

There's no way the talent of our young riders is in any way inferior to riders from other countries, but the rate of development is lousy for many of the reasons Splatty quotes. Incentivising riders to stay in PL while allowing foreign riders at an equivalent age and ability to cut their teeth against the best is an obvious handicap to the development of our riders. If we've got CL as the training ground, why don't we have a process and method for fast-tracking riders with potential as a priority?

[AndyM 1]

So we won't have any riders in the GP for the next 5 years, where Scott Nicholls going?  He may not be in the top 8 for an automatic place but he is certainly one of the best 15 riders in the World so will get a place because of BSI nomination.  Does anyone honestly think Scott is not GP standard and that there is another riderwho's not in the GPs that would do better than him?

 

Far too many people are seeing he is not in line for an automatic place next year and that he'll need a BSI nomination and assume that means he's not good enough, well he is!!!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That wasn't the argument. I said that the gap between the current riders and the growth of the under-15s could possibly mean, as a worst case scenario, that we had no riders in the GP cut for 5 years - not the next 5 years. Think about it - if Scott misses the cut, we're down to the undemocratic process of nomination rather than fair qualification on the track. That might result in us having a slot, but we can't guarantee it.

 

We place great reliance on development by the likes of Wright and Kennett making it, but neither are yet full-time EL. There's the U21 championship, but they need more international competition to progress.

[iris123 20,939]

If Pepe was British we'd have him as a Wild Card, but the Poles go young.

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There is still one GP in Poland to race.Seen a rumour that Pepe is that man,with Zabik and Kasprzak as track reserves

[DonsFanSW 0]

As a couple of people have already said, James Wright has got the makings of a world class rider - always loved seeing him fly round Wimbledon.

Also Danny Betson, Lewis Bridger and Simon Lambert are pretty good prospects for the future.

With riders like Kennett, Stead and Harris getting better all the time, I don't think the state of British speedway is that bad.

But I think we will have to wait for James Wright to work his way up before we have at least a GP winner, let alone World Champion.

Nicholls and Richardson are good, but they don't quite have what it takes. In my opinion.

[iris123 20,939]

Must say in his defence,i have been impressed by Scott on the few occasions i have seen him.At the Danish Gp he was one of the few exciting riders.Maybe like AndyM said,with a proper back up team(a sports psychologist and an ex World Champ,P.C or Ivan)he should be able to get to the level where he can win a GP or 2.Once he makes that breakthrough,who knows.

[Subedei 0]

There is still one GP in Poland to race.Seen a rumour that Pepe is that man,with Zabik and Kasprzak as track reserves

 

Well, Pepe certainly deserves it. He's been having an outstanding season. And, of course, Bydgoszcz is his home track in Poland these days. It'll also make HenryW a happy fellow.

[home straight 290]

Well, Pepe certainly deserves it. He's been having an outstanding season. And, of course, Bydgoszcz is his home track in Poland these days. It'll also make HenryW a happy fellow.

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I'm afraid I don't agree with that Subedei, not wishing to take anything away from the guy, but he has already had a go at the GP series and couldn't crack it, I would rather see KK or Miskowiak get a chance.

Edited July 8, 2005 by home straight

[bazaar3 0]

Simple answer. Yes.

 

And who? Lewis Bridger.

[essaitch 24]

And you have to credit the Polish authorities for giving the youngsters the Wild Card places in their GPs.

Over here we fall back on the old semi-dependables. If Pepe was British we'd have him as a Wild Card, but the Poles go young.

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Oh, and remind me again who the wild cards were at Cardiff this year??

[arnieg 3,624]

We place great reliance on development by the likes of Wright and Kennett making it, but neither are yet full-time EL.  There's the U21 championship, but they need more international competition to progress.

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Spot on. People are writing off Nicholls, yet Scotty was averaging over six in the Elite league when he was the age that Wright, Kennett and King now are.

 

All three are talented but there is no evidence yet that any of them are as good as Scott Nicholls, let alone good enough to win a GP.

 

Even Lee Richardson who is often cited as the example of a late developer was averaging 9.6 in the Premier League when he was the same age as Wright/King/Kennett

 

People underestimate just how special a future world champion has to be

[AndyM 1]

For comparison, PC and Mike Lee were no 1 for their respective teams by 19!

[Guest themanwidtheplan]

Josh Auty will be world champ one day