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9 minutes ago, phillwhitewasmad said:

Can't see any announcement anytime soon hearing both our friends from north of the border and one from the south are been difficult in the negotiations on the way forward. Never mind though with the season not starting till may plenty of time yet 

Difficult times, beyond anything faced before, even WW2 didn't stop Speedway taking place...

Therefore...

Time to all come together and compromise if needed for the good of the sport as a whole, (it might actually only be one year of 'doing something different' after all?)...

Every team that is left actually coming to the tapes, 'whenever' the season starts, has to be the objective, with every team having an opportunity to put out a competitive team being just as important..

From what you say,  I can only presume there must be some involved in Speedway who are not aware of the pandemic yet?

Or maybe some just simply didn't get the memo sent around 'working together'....  :rolleyes:

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9 minutes ago, mikebv said:

Difficult times, beyond anything faced before, even WW2 didn't stop Speedway taking place...

Therefore...

Time to all come together and compromise if needed for the good of the sport as a whole, (it might actually only be one year of 'doing something different' after all?)...

Every team that is left actually coming to the tapes, 'whenever' the season starts, has to be the objective, with every team having an opportunity to put out a competitive team being just as important..

From what you say,  I can only presume there must be some involved in Speedway who are not aware of the pandemic yet?

Or maybe some just simply didn't get the memo sent around 'working together'....  :rolleyes:

Would seem that way to those with a will to survive and hopefully help the sport survive but not to those with a will to win the league in these strange times 

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11 minutes ago, phillwhitewasmad said:

Would seem that way to those with a will to survive and hopefully help the sport survive but not to those with a will to win the league in these strange times 

You can only imagine that one, or maybe more, teams think they are sat on a 'killer team" which will allow them to win the league..

A victory that may even see them mentioned in the local "Gazette" or "Tribune", with maybe even a photo of them (possibly even in colour!), being put in just below the local Darts and Crib League results.. 

Who knows, their local mayor may hold a "buffet lunch" for them (post Covid obviously), which could attract up to 100 or so followers to attend and celebrate such a momentous, globally resonating achievement...

Name in the local paper? With maybe a photo too? And a buffet lunch with the local mayor?

Now that's got to be worth potentially f×××ing up a whole seasons Speedway for hasn't it?

Hasn't it? :unsure:

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51 minutes ago, mikebv said:

You can only imagine that one, or maybe more, teams think they are sat on a 'killer team" which will allow them to win the league..

A victory that may even see them mentioned in the local "Gazette" or "Tribune", with maybe even a photo of them (possibly even in colour!), being put in just below the local Darts and Crib League results.. 

Who knows, their local mayor may hold a "buffet lunch" for them (post Covid obviously), which could attract up to 100 or so followers to attend and celebrate such a momentous, globally resonating achievement...

Name in the local paper? With maybe a photo too? And a buffet lunch with the local mayor?

Now that's got to be worth potentially f×××ing up a whole seasons Speedway for hasn't it?

Hasn't it? :unsure:

But to the fans, riders and management it "could be" a once in a lifetime/career happening, something that will be remembered forever.  For me a league win is a total club "thing". Of course everyone involved would hope for adulation from the media but at the end of the day it's special for the club and all involved!!

This year, if we go racing, there will be winners and losers as always. Our leagues are all about starting relatively equal and that's a positive we have over ALL the rest ..... don't fret!

 

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8 minutes ago, Trees said:

But to the fans, riders and management it "could be" a once in a lifetime/career happening, something that will be remembered forever.  For me a league win is a total club "thing". Of course everyone involved would hope for adulation from the media but at the end of the day it's special for the club and all involved!!

This year, if we go racing, there will be winners and losers as always. Our leagues are all about starting relatively equal and that's a positive we have over ALL the rest ..... don't fret!

 

Agree. A successful team pulls in crowds. Compare Swindon and Peterborough last PL season 2000 at Swindon end of season about 500 at Peterborough. 

Look at CL where Glasgow and Leicester amongst biggest crowds. 

As much as people want to see Speedway when season starts, that will soon wear off when losses on track mount up. 

All Clubs want to be realistic some will always have bigger expectations than others and a pedigree of winning. 

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whoever makes up the team, there will still be a winner and the kudos that goes with it. I only ever watched 2nd div speedway, i don't feel short changed. The best race i ever saw involved Dave Durham and Dave Baugh as we beat Bradford 40-38 with a last heat, last lap decider 

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1 hour ago, Trees said:

But to the fans, riders and management it "could be" a once in a lifetime/career happening, something that will be remembered forever.  For me a league win is a total club "thing". Of course everyone involved would hope for adulation from the media but at the end of the day it's special for the club and all involved!!

This year, if we go racing, there will be winners and losers as always. Our leagues are all about starting relatively equal and that's a positive we have over ALL the rest ..... don't fret!

 

Fair play for still believing that winning any UK competition actually has relevance or kudos. You are, I believe, in an ever decreasing number but can't knock you for keeping the faith...

But as for all starting level? A myth sadly. As always happens, within a month the team who everyone on here will have said that they have 'no chance' before the season starts, will be cut miles adrift and spend the rest of the season changing riders but never actually improving (due to the restrictive rules), and, again as always happens, will end up  finishing bottom 40 or 50 points behind the top team..

For me, if ever there was a season when absolutely everything must be done to create a Speedway season where every race, never mind every meeting, should deliver a positive for the sport then this is it..

Whoever may win the 'titles' is pretty much irrelevant (particularly this year), and should be very much secondary to every team putting a competitive unit out on the track every meeting, and winning any title should also be miles behind delivering entertainment that inspires fans to want to go back and attend the next meeting...

 

 

 

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10 hours ago, spiegal said:

There was an old adage in Speedway years ago...you make your own stars within 2 months....Always listen to what your customer wants..imo people want 1. Entertainment. 2. Value for money 3. racers not riders..4. decent toilets and food. 5. team members who are yours and neither borrowed or racing for another uk team. 6. A Team..not made up of seven people whose name you can't even pronounce. 7. get rid of race times..it impresses nobody and puts nobody on the gate 8. Standardised equipment..Obviously riders wouldn't like it..but if it saves money they will quickly come round...9. Never let the tail wag the donkey..10. The NL concept is the road map.....entertainment again..

James, you have hit the nail firmly on the head, IMO someone like yourself would be an ideal person to oversee the sport in this country and bring the promoters into line. Though when you did your presentation and mention your background in the sport

Fan

Sponsor

Former Promoter and Team manager

Successful businessman, and the amount of market research of supporters from all over the place that you have carried out over the years.

I still think they would find some obscure reason to say you were unsuitable for the role

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2 minutes ago, Triple.H. said:

James, you have hit the nail firmly on the head, IMO someone like yourself would be an ideal person to oversee the sport in this country and bring the promoters into line. Though when you did your presentation and mention your background in the sport

Fan

Sponsor

Former Promoter and Team manager

Successful businessman, and the amount of market research of supporters from all over the place that you have carried out over the years.

I still think they would find some obscure reason to say you were unsuitable for the role

Or roll their eyes collectively and say "what does he know?"...:rolleyes:

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3 hours ago, HGould said:

Agree. A successful team pulls in crowds. Compare Swindon and Peterborough last PL season 2000 at Swindon end of season about 500 at Peterborough. 

Look at CL where Glasgow and Leicester amongst biggest crowds. 

As much as people want to see Speedway when season starts, that will soon wear off when losses on track mount up. 

All Clubs want to be realistic some will always have bigger expectations than others and a pedigree of winning. 

Would suggest Workington would disagree...  

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5 hours ago, phillwhitewasmad said:

Would seem that way to those with a will to survive and hopefully help the sport survive but not to those with a will to win the league in these strange times 

Nobody knows what was proposed to the Promotions yet.Teams are built to a budget whether it be large or small ,therefore Teams have to weigh up how much the suggestions being proposed will be worth  running given the pandemic ,don't blame Swindon or Somerset for throwing in the towel on this season with the uncertainty. Maybe some of the proposed League set-ups will be made public before May!!!

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i feel for the clubs that are holding out as they've obviously invested greatly in the team and want to keep it.

unfortunately, that "winning" feeling this year will just be getting to the tapes, not trophies, and the kudos will come naturally if that does happen.

run a season how Denmark do with smaller teams, see if it works, if it does then keep it, if not then there's the old trusted to fall back on. but something has to be done now, no good waiting as the moment will be lost, and this decision really could be the difference needed for the future.

please promoters for once stop squabbling and go for the big picture, it might get rosy for you after

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call me cynical but that's what 40 continuous years of watch speedway does to you

"working together" ; "this year is more about taking part" ; "it doesn't matter who wins the league"

Hear it all before, many times.

It's usually meaning "I've got a massive improver or two from (perm any speedway nation on the globe) who I can sneak in on a 4 point average and catch the rest cold"

The more some Promoters bleat, especially the serially competitive ones (nowt wrong with that by the way) like Ford, CVS , Dickson to name but three, about winning not being important, the more you know they have something up their sleeves!

Wait for the actual 1-7 or 1-6 to be declared and then comment and make you're mind up!  

 

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A very difficult situation for riders and promoters with so much uncertainty regarding the Covid virus and Brexit and all that issues it involves ( working arrangement , flights ,etc) will it be feasible for many foreign riders to continue to commute or be based in the UK.

Throw in the Polish restrictions as well add in that two clubs have already threw in the towel for 2021 which all adds to the all to poor situation we are in.

Many of us have been critical off the BSPA (L) in the past and most of the time with good reason but I do not envy them frying to unravel the many variables of the coming season.

The management committees have been naive or just  hopeful of setting start of last season racing schedules when many people were all to aware this was never going to happen.

 

Hopefully we can all see some racing in 2021 , Glasgow, Belle Vue.....Cardiff ?

 

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Over Christmas there was a reference in Speedway Star (Peter Oakes: winners & losers) to the recommendations of the 'way forward' group (Louis, Lemon, Dickson etc) for the future of British speedway being rejected by the BSPL.

 

Does anyone know what those recommendations were? And what was the argument for throwing them out?

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