Matt Ford - No Sympathy

[SCB 0]

It hurts a lot to say this, but Poole have got their business model right, they seem to plan thoughtfully each year to ensure they are competitive the next, so in that respect more power to their elbow! - Without Poole's standards, I suspect the Elite League if its possible would be even weaker than it is at present, in other words they drive up standards. They have a knack of signing "racers" not just "riders", however where I part company from them, is when they bend and manipulate the rules to suit themselves, we should not expect even the weakest of promotions of other tracks to participate in what is almost cheating with rider averages etc.

 

If I lived in Poole I would definitely attend each week as they put out an attractive team, and surely this has to be the bottom line.

 

I know top riders don't want to commit to riding in the UK in any numbers, but the product on offer generally in the Elite is sub-standard, I reckon 4 teams are painfully weak and the play-off contenders will be decided really early this year, I agree with Mick Horton that we have a league of 1 and a league of 7 teams, but this in my opinion is the fault of the 7 not totally Poole, as much as it annoys me to say so.

I know it's frowned upon to quote a whole post to say I agree but it's worth it here. This post is spot on. I've said a few times now Matt Ford is 95% spot on but sadly that 5% where he cheats, bends and manipulates ruins what should be a great legacy in the sport and it' stupid as he doesn't need to do it!

[heathen chemistry 660]

Who is assuming the other promoters vote the rules in that suit poole,

 

the way i see it is .....IF each club has one vote each it would mean a majority of 5/3 for any rule change to be decided

 

therefore what happens when its 4/4 ? who has the deciding vote.....someone from the bspa/scb management ?

 

if theres a clik among clubs ...i know at one time pool,wolves and lakeside used to vote together......so they would only really need one more if the deciding voter was on there side too

 

so in reality it could be fairly easy for the rules to favour one club in a way

 

i also have no sympathy for any of the promoters they bring in these stupid rules year on year .....

 

one negative thing that could happen is a few of the promoters will get disilusioned with the sport as a few promoters have over the years due to that fact that one teams always seem to have a monopoly and other promoters are loosing money hand over fist, its fair to think some may just walk away as sandhu did ....

Edited April 9, 2016 by heathen chemistry

[Red Panda 366]

Like when? No other team has got a list of cheating as long as Poole, in fact every other team combined is not as long as Poole. Also, when other teams do break the rules it tends to be forgotten about quicker because the vast majority of fans accept it happened and it was wrong. Yet Poole cheat and the Poole fans come out with crap like "jealous" and "hater" and "wouldn't care if it was another team".

Poole are TERRIBLE for breaking rules. Always have been. I tell you what, you name a time any EL team other than Poole broke the rules and I'll give you a time Poole did.

Classic example and ironically it was against Poole was when Belle Vue faked the burst water main because some of their riders could not get back from Poland............funny how a picture of Matej Zagar in his Manchester Hotel room was posted on FB shortly after.............

 

Like I said they use the rules to their best advantage so now tell me why that is cheating.............

 

RP

[SCB 0]

Classic example and ironically it was against Poole was when Belle Vue faked the burst water main because some of their riders could not get back from Poland............funny how a picture of Matej Zagar in his Manchester Hotel room was posted on FB shortly after.............

 

Like I said they use the rules to their best advantage so now tell me why that is cheating.............

 

RP

And everyone said it was bad. And they were punished.

 

That was not "using rules to your advantage", it was blatant cheating. As was Poole cancelling a meeting vs Lakeside because they didn't have enough riders. Funny how BV do it and they get a huge fine and are prevented from calling off meetings. Poole do it and nothing happens. Why was that?

[lisa-colette 6,028]

Cos teenagers are better at getting away with stuff then BV. They not exactly subtle about it are they?

[heathen chemistry 660]

ford did a deal with cook a day or two in advance , paid travelling expenses and maybe a little brown envelope......

 

belle vue obviously didnt have time to come up with such a scheme so had to think of something quick -

 

but poole were told to ride by the scb with there original squad , but didnt want to re-declare without new signing pawlicki who hadnt ridden for them as yet

[bluebee 199]

You can admire the chutzpah, the razor sharp brain for spotting weakness in the regulations, you can applaud the Machiavellian mind that bends and distorts the situation to the advantage of one team but then you are supporting the death of the sport by a thousand cuts. The run of Poole championships has been like the successive hammering of nails in the coffin of British speedway. Each win has made the sport weaker. Each championship has been followed by a diluting of the sport in this country. Each trophy has left bad feeling amongst rival supporters.

 

I doubt if anyone in the future will look fondly on this period of Poole dominance. They will only reflect on a time of decline. Matt Ford likened Poole to Man Utd but they are really the Don Revie Leeds United - The Damned United. Cynicism and underhand craft were the preferred methods of both managements.

 

Until a real competitiveness is achieved across the league the sport will continue to decline. Speedway is such an exciting sport at its best - unfortunately, that is becoming rarer and rarer.

[Starman2006 2,354]

You can admire the chutzpah, the razor sharp brain for spotting weakness in the regulations, you can applaud the Machiavellian mind that bends and distorts the situation to the advantage of one team but then you are supporting the death of the sport by a thousand cuts. The run of Poole championships has been like the successive hammering of nails in the coffin of British speedway. Each win has made the sport weaker. Each championship has been followed by a diluting of the sport in this country. Each trophy has left bad feeling amongst rival supporters.

 

I doubt if anyone in the future will look fondly on this period of Poole dominance. They will only reflect on a time of decline. Matt Ford likened Poole to Man Utd but they are really the Don Revie Leeds United - The Damned United. Cynicism and underhand craft were the preferred methods of both managements.

 

Until a real competitiveness is achieved across the league the sport will continue to decline. Speedway is such an exciting sport at its best - unfortunately, that is becoming rarer and rarer.

Shame that, isn't it, we look forward to October...

[NOBODY 538]

I've long argued for an amalgamation of the leagues but when you read an interview like this you really don't want the Poole promotion anywhere near the Premier League.

 

There may be one set of rules but success doesn't come from following those rules but by manipulation of them, stretching them to breaking point and ensuring that there is always a fresh supply of riders on suspiciously false averages who miraculously blossom back to their known form when they arrive in Dorset. The accuracy of the heat leader and fast track reserve lists have been rightly called into question and, amazingly their errors have favoured Poole.

 

So, having twisted the sport, within its poorly thought-out and expressed, often contradictory rule book Ford then adds to the insult by coming up with this sanctimonious claptrap.

 

You may operate within the letter of the rules but not their spirit. The ruthlessness is killing speedway and to try to dress it up as an achievement for others to follow is an insult to sport, natural justice and anyone who has a genuine love of the sport, and not just whether their team is winning.

 

When Ford finally kills off the Elite League perhaps he can put Poole in the Ekstraliga and leave us to enjoy a uncontaminated sport of our own, on a lower but worthwhile and more enjoyable level?

Apart from the weather, bad promotion at Belle Vue and traffic jams on the m25 for 3 hours, it really is SH*T like the above that makes me hate speedway now. !!!

You can admire the chutzpah, the razor sharp brain for spotting weakness in the regulations, you can applaud the Machiavellian mind that bends and distorts the situation to the advantage of one team but then you are supporting the death of the sport by a thousand cuts. The run of Poole championships has been like the successive hammering of nails in the coffin of British speedway. Each win has made the sport weaker. Each championship has been followed by a diluting of the sport in this country. Each trophy has left bad feeling amongst rival supporters.

 

I doubt if anyone in the future will look fondly on this period of Poole dominance. They will only reflect on a time of decline. Matt Ford likened Poole to Man Utd but they are really the Don Revie Leeds United - The Damned United. Cynicism and underhand craft were the preferred methods of both managements.

 

Until a real competitiveness is achieved across the league the sport will continue to decline. Speedway is such an exciting sport at its best - unfortunately, that is becoming rarer and rarer.

More S**** on this than the farm I go to for manure! What utter utter rubbish...

Edited April 10, 2016 by PiratesPiratesPirates

[hagonshocker 1,956]

Matt is a great business man, shame he can not show a little bit of good will and compassion towards ALL of the other clubs, because without them he would not have a business.

Spot on!

[Stoke Potter 242]

I don't have the in-depth knowledge of Poole's supposed past misdemeanors but what I don't understand is why the other promotions would allow them to get away with it?

 

Did the Coventry - Peterborough walkout have any connection with Poole's dominance?

 

It's also got to be true to say that if most clubs had a Ford then the EL would be much better.

[Trees 2,814]

The way I see Poole is how I see a footballer who dives.

 

In time the footballer cuts out most of the diving but still gets a rough ride from the ref and fans alike whenever he goes down.

 

The footballer has created a reputation for himself so that every little issue comes under the microscope.

 

The problems fans of other clubs have with Poole are not without foundation I'm afraid.

Poole the club = Nicki Pedersen the rider

[Gavan 5,050]

Not Matt Fords biggest fan not by a long chalk.

 

He is good for Poole speedway but yet this article still quite clearly shows he has no idea what some of his actions have done to the sport and unfortunatly some of the blind sheep on here follow his every word.

 

One day there will be no elite league and some think thats fine as long as Poole at the top it doesnt matter about our sport.

 

As ive always said good for Poole but not good for the sport

[The Voice Of Reason 2,124]

Why don't other clubs pull the same strokes as Fraud?

 

Very often I'd imagine that this boils down to one thing - money.

 

You only have to see the team Poole assemble; or the sudden appearance of grinning boy the other year, to get the idea that this bloke is minted. It's also apparent that he has a 'win at all costs' mentality because he's probably always been brought up by Mummy & Daddy to be a spoilt brat. "What Matthew wants, Matthew shall have". Proof indeed subsequently evident by his pathetic, childish, poor-loser mentality when Coventry pipped them to the title.

 

It broke my heart the other year when Cook basically allowed him to get away with cancelling a meeting with Lakeside; despite Poole having a team, and being advised by the SCB to fulfill the fixture. He called it off 'in the interests of (Poole) speedway' and our promotion rolled over and had their tummies tickled. That subsequent 3 points, achieved in the re-arranged fixture, basically gave Poole their (4th) place in the play-offs and they won the league yet again. Cook's defence was "what could we have done when Poole called off the meeting"? My argument was to have advised Poole that we were not prepared to re-arrange; subsequently turned up at Poole with our squad ready to race as arranged; as advised by the SCB. I'm sure that the local (national?) media would have loved the story. If they didn't proceed with the fixture then, possibly with the media attention, it would have forced the arm of the numpties in Rugby to have done something. They could hardly have then contradicted their own advice; so they would have had to take action such as awarding Lakeside the points; or deducting points from Poole for non-fulfilment of a fixture. Without the subsequent win over us (when their team was back to full strength) it would have been impossible for Poole to get into the playoffs by the cut-off - justice done.

 

I am not jealous of success - just how it is achieved. I despise an "I'm alright Jack, sod the rest" attitude in any form (hence the reason I despise Cameron & Co. and their despicable supporters) - because I abhor lying, cheating and selfishness. And for people to say that Fraud simply manipulates rules - they must truly be living in their own little Utopian Bubble.

 

So, it's OK for people to say other promoters should follow the 'Poole Business Model' and 'do as Matt does'. But at the end of the day we surely aren't delusional enough to not believe that this would require significant financial input that, I would imagine, the vast majority of promoters just do not have at their disposal.

 

At the end of the day, if people truly think what Poole continually do is helping speedway at Elite League level, then I just give up. There seriously is no point in debate.

Edited April 10, 2016 by The Voice Of Reason

[Gavan 5,050]

Why don't other clubs pull the same strokes as Fraud?

 

Very often I'd imagine that this boils down to one thing - money.

 

You only have to see the team Poole assemble; or the sudden appearance of grinning boy the other year, to get the idea that this bloke is minted. It's also apparent that he has a 'win at all costs' mentality because he's probably always been brought up by Mummy & Daddy to be a spoilt brat. "What Matthew wants, Matthew shall have". Proof indeed subsequently evident by his pathetic, childish, poor-loser mentality when Coventry pipped them to the title.

 

It broke my heart the other year when Cook basically allowed him to get away with cancelling a meeting with Lakeside; despite Poole having a team, and being advised by the SCB to fulfill the fixture. He called it off 'in the interests of (Poole) speedway' and our promotion rolled over and had their tummies tickled. That subsequent 3 points, achieved in the re-arranged fixture, basically gave Poole their (4th) place in the play-offs and they won the league yet again. Cook's defence was "what could we have done when Poole called off the meeting"? My argument was to have advised Poole that we were not prepared to re-arrange; subsequently turned up at Poole with our squad ready to race as arranged; as advised by the SCB. I'm sure that the local (national?) media would have loved the story. If they didn't proceed with the fixture then, possibly with the media attention, it would have forced the arm of the numpties in a Rugby to have done something. They could hardly have then contradicted their own advice; so they would have had to take action such as awarding Lakeside the points; or deducting posts from Poole for non-fulfilment of a fixture. Without the subsequent win over us (when their team was back to full strength) it would have been impossible for Poole to get into the playoffs by the cut-off - justice done.

 

I am not jealous of success - just how it is achieved. I despise an "I'm alright Jack, sod the rest" attitude in any form (hence the reason I despise Cameron & Co. and their despicable supporters) - because I abhor lying, cheating and selfishness. And for people to say that Fraud simply manipulates rules - they must truly be living in their own little Utopian Bubble.

 

So, it's OK for people to say other promoters should follow the 'Poole Business Model' and 'do as Matt does'. But at the end of the day we surely aren't delusional enough to not believe that this would require significant financial input that, I would imagine, the vast majority of promoters just do not have at their disposal.

 

At the end of the day, if people truly think what Poole continually do is helping speedway at Elite League level, then I just give up. There seriously is no point in debate.

well said but you will get the usual uprising in Dorset ready to burn you in hell for daring to criticise.

 

If you go back over the controversial moments in Elite league history then i would guess the vast majority would include Poole.

 

Cancelling the Lakeside fixture

The farce in the rain against Belle Vue

Going to Eastbourne and finding out all the Poles couldnt ride through mystery illness or injury thus tracking track specialists as guests, then those riders suddenly fine to ride the day after.

Darcy Ward staying down to get a re-run in a live sky match last heat (cant remember the opposition) and the fans then having the audacity a week later to accuse Kildemand of the same and saying Wards was different.

 

Im sure there are more.

 

Then you get the head in the sand fans who say its jealousy lol. No its not people just want fairness, last year Poole won fair and square no issues.

 

The club at times is just to precious which stems from the management through to the fans. Middlo has shown he is a bit of a buffoon on social media getitng involved in arguments when he doesnt like what is aimed at him. You then get that going through to some , not all, supporters on here, who then just resort to abuse or not having the ability to debate. The Kyle Newman thread is a point in question. Myself and a couple of Poole fans disagree (chris4gillian , lisa-collete) for example but at least those guys and a few others dont resort to petty pathetic arguments.