mikebv 10,270 Posted November 17, 2013 In answer to "castrolargh", yes we want incresed chances for Brits at reserve but the justifiable negativity this evening is because this is going to mean offering too many chances to Brits who've already shown they can barely cut it in the Premier League !! I've no reason to doubt how Phil The Ace has arrived at his 10 A-graders and 10 B-graders but doesn't that prove how daft this system's going to be. At least half those B-graders have never yet looked like hanging on to a Premier League reserve berth for any length of time ... now we're expecting them to put on some sort of show in the Elite League and develop their careers without having their confidence obliterated by trying to compete at a level way beyond their current ability (and in plenty of cases, way beyond the level they can ever hope to reach during their career). As I mentioned earlier, allowing for injuries you really need a pool of about 26 graded riders unless you let just those top 20 have umpteen guest bookings ... I dread to think who would be Phil The Ace's standby riders given some of the names he had to dredge up for that B-list. several have come on and said that they are glad that their teams are PL so therefore not effected..... well the top 20 NL riders pretty much make up the double uppers 'pool' in the PL which next year I presume will be 'ring fenced' for the EL should the inevitable fixtures clash?? that would then leave a good few 'all fall downers' for the PL... for me, IF this results in reduced admission and a genuine attempt at 'fast tracking' GB talent (and is administered fairly! ) then it may just work for the benefit of the sport... many have moaned that not enough is done for GB riders, so let's not moan now when at least four riders on view each night will be from these shores... keep them riding against each other and the racing 'entertainment' should be relative even if a few seconds slower... 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mdmc82 2,878 Posted November 17, 2013 Could it be any rider that has come through the NL system at anytime then? read on twitter it will also include British under 21s who have rode PL but never in EL who else would that include then? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pirate Nick 1,801 Posted November 17, 2013 Robert Lambert turns 16 on 5th April 2014. What's betting that he signs for Poole around that time. I wonder when was the last time that Poole had two Brits in their team. 2009 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MrMungo 708 Posted November 17, 2013 Could it be any rider that has come through the NL system at anytime then? Me thinks Tai Woffinden would clean up at reserve if that was the case! 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rogero 19 Posted November 17, 2013 Oh dear! Maybe the BSPA should have waited until the TV money is in or not. As it stands there appears to be a devaluing of entertainment and there will be some uncompetitive races. I deal with a number of businesses .. in a competitive world and a lack of money around you offer better value and a good product etc etc In 2014 it seems that Promoters costs will be cut, they may retain TV money and charge the same money for a lesser product? Is it me?! Will Matt Ford at Poole be reducing entrance fees by 10%? There is scope for that now. I live in Basingstoke and travel to my home city (163 miles) whenever I can to watch my speedway. I have taken a number of newbies to Poole this year ... I always travel down to watch 8 or 10 fixtures a year. NOT ANY MORE. If all this is true about NL riders racing against EL riders the product is diminished even if there is a genuine attempt to raise the standard of NL riders. I fear for the sport when someone like me ... a speedway fanatic of 50 years ... is now rethinking my support for my nearest EL team. Do the Promoters ever survey the views of fans? Seems to me that they will regret this BSPA meeting. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Starman2006 2,354 Posted November 17, 2013 Without wading through umpteen pages, double uppers? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
arthur cross 492 Posted November 17, 2013 for me, IF this results in reduced admission and a genuine attempt at 'fast tracking' GB talent (and is administered fairly! ) then it may just work for the benefit of the sport... many have moaned that not enough is done for GB riders, so let's not moan now when at least four riders on view each night will be from these shores... keep them riding against each other and the racing 'entertainment' should be relative even if a few seconds slower... How naive are you ? !! There's been no official mention of "reduced admission" ... even you're wondering whether it'll be administered fairly ... and most importantly of all, it's hugely debatable whether "fast tracking" any rider into the Elite League will actually work. Remember Tai Woffinden worked his way to the ultimate honour of World Champion by riding at least one full season in each of the Conference League (as it then was) and the Premier League before concentrating over here on the Elite League. Meanwhile Lewis Bridger didn't bother with the Premier League because he jumped straight into the Elite League full-time as a 16-year-old. At least Bridger had enough natural talent to get away with justifying bypassing the Premier League at that age ... now we're asking a bunch of riders with nowhere near as much natural talent to step into a regular Elite League team place when plenty of them have yet to hold a Premier League place for a full season. Utterly, utterly ridiculous ... a scheme that has absolutely no hope of lasting for the whole of the 2014 Elite League. 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Parsloes 1928 nearly 495 Posted November 17, 2013 As a staunch Leicester supporter I think someone's taking the Fosters. There is no way on God's earth I'm going to buy a season ticket to watch national league speedway. We've joined the so called elite league to have more local teams to ride against & we've replaced one of them. The sport I love is a bloody joke. I suppose I should be celebrating Leicester's elevation into the Elite League, but I can't. What a total shambles we are joining! Introducing NL riders into the EL, even in the half-assed way they have announced, is a terrible idea, poorly conceived and obviously not thought through properly. I cannot justify paying inflated admission and programme prices to watch what will be on offer in 2014. Hmm, so you're saying that because they'll be two heats (only) featuring NL riders (actually the other word for this, is up and coming young British talent..!) it won't be worth going anymore, even though the Lions will now be racing in the EL..? Have a word with yesrselves Lions' fans; I love Leicester Speedway and think today's news is great news. Surely you've heard of the concept of looking a glass half full rather than half empty. Though in this case even by your argument it's a glass one eighth empty, seven/eights full!!! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
moxey63 1,785 Posted November 17, 2013 Exactly and remember the likes of Carl Stonehewer, Joe Screen, Sean Wilson and others were nowhere near good enough for the British League at that time but can anyone say riding in the top league did not speed up their progress ? Personally I would love to see the likes of Robert Lambert, Adam Ellis riding in every league they can, all 3 would be great if it aids their development. Instead in the past we have the likes of Lasse Bjerre, Ludvig Lindgreand and most of the Aussies riding in more than one league so let's get the young British riders riding in every league No disrespect but this rule should not see the Jon Armstrong's of this world benefiting, let's hope it's the riders for the future that are the beneficiaries Just one final thought. The promoters are ridiculed for their annual shuffling of the Titanic's deck chairs but give them credit where it's due. Most on here would do nothing and then moan when their club closed because of spiralling costs Most of the money in the sport is being taken by overseas riders who come over, make a great living, run for the hills when meetings like the ELRC or Ben Fund comes around and then a fortune again from bloody testimonials and seemingly that is a model fans are happy with Some riders have testimonials and that is the last we see if them ! Get behind what is for once a positive step Joe Screen actually made his debut for Belle Vue in 1989 - scored 10 points in the match and then rode his first Junior fixture afterwards. So he was already good enough, no need for junior racing. Carl Stonehewer and Sean Wilson would have come through with their talents and were producitive grasstrackers at the time. You could say Mark Loran made his name in the main team and used junior league for practice. Very rarely did the junior league present the talent it was aimed at producing. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Starman2006 2,354 Posted November 17, 2013 Double Uppers?? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rebel1 72 Posted November 17, 2013 Two National League riders per Elite League club. Interesting to say the least, no-one seems to have seen that coming! Now for all the bickering vis-a-vi 'you have two of the best from the NL or why have we been lumbered with him'! It will be very interesting given that they intend to have two reserve races per meeting. This is where the teams win or lose many meetings, however, it does mean that the 1-5 riders cannot become reserves so will have to stand up and be counted to maintain their place, no looking for easy pickings in the basement slots. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
salty 2,202 Posted November 17, 2013 I'll give you your Screen, Stoney and Wilson. You can also add in Paul Fry, Ray Morton and Andy Phillips who all went on to have decent careers. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hackney Speedway 2 Posted November 17, 2013 Well I really can’t believe the BSPA statement. To have two NL riders in each Elite League team, surely they can’t be serious! It will knock young NL rider’s confidence, we know the Lambert feller will beat all the reserves, but well, Hackney is totally dismayed! Two tier teams again, oh dear. In Hackney’s humble opinion, speedway is dying in the UK. Speedway in the UK needs new blood, fresh ideas, fresh promoters. It’s the old pals act, I've seen it all before and money speaks! They keep the hated tactical rule, they still call the top league Elite [that’s farcical] and if as I believe Sky gave each EL club £100,000 last year and these clubs still loose money hand over fist, then I’m afraid and it hurts me to say it, but we say bye-bye to the Grand Prix riders in the UK. You deserve much more money than you get, every rider does, but you’re strangling British speedway and that cannot be allowed to happen. Simply unless you’re a very rich promoter, clubs will cease as it looks like Peterborough have sadly done. How can the vast majority of clubs afford to pay a rider £5000 per meeting as one club its believed to have done last season! We could have had an expanded Premier League. That would bring on young British riders. But no we just keep things plodding along. No reason why we can’t have our European friends riding in the UK, but at sensible rates.If speedway in the UK does get a television contract, let’s see more Premier League Speedway, although probably no speedway in the UK on satellite wouldn't be such a bad thing. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mikebv 10,270 Posted November 17, 2013 How naive are you ? !! There's been no official mention of "reduced admission" ... even you're wondering whether it'll be administered fairly ... and most importantly of all, it's hugely debatable whether "fast tracking" any rider into the Elite League will actually work. Remember Tai Woffinden worked his way to the ultimate honour of World Champion by riding at least one full season in each of the Conference League (as it then was) and the Premier League before concentrating over here on the Elite League. Meanwhile Lewis Bridger didn't bother with the Premier League because he jumped straight into the Elite League full-time as a 16-year-old. At least Bridger had enough natural talent to get away with justifying bypassing the Premier League at that age ... now we're asking a bunch of riders with nowhere near as much natural talent to step into a regular Elite League team place when plenty of them have yet to hold a Premier League place for a full season. Utterly, utterly ridiculous ... a scheme that has absolutely no hope of lasting for the whole of the 2014 Elite League. As I say 'IF'..... one thing is for sure, doing nothing wasnt an option... this may turn out to be contrived bollox, but at least its a way of reducing costs with effectively 5 man teams rather than seven, it reduces air fare/hotel costs and gives the NL riders the opportunity to rub shoulders with much better riders without having to race against them... as you say it may not last, but at least it is radical (which the BSPA gets called for never being) and if SKY do come on board may get dumped, however what this does do I would suggest is give the EL breathing space in their challenge in balancing the books.. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
OILYRAG 86 Posted November 17, 2013 I'll give you your Screen, Stoney and Wilson. You can also add in Paul Fry, Ray Morton and Andy Phillips who all went on to have decent careers. So we can think of half a dozen over 20 years that its worked for then , great ! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
