British Final 2021

[bigcatdiary 3,165]

5 minutes ago, chris4gillian said:

So Jadon Sancho shouldn't have been picked for England during the time he played for Borussia Dortmund?  Nonsense.  If you're English you're English no matter where you ply your trade.

I am talking U.K. speedway which if you haven’t already have noticed isn’t in the same position as a lot of other sports in this country.

Their should be consequences for not riding in your domestic league and that’s my opinion, riders are clear to make their own choices, I don’t have a problem with any British rider riding abroad but I think they should put the U.K. ahead of other countries if circumstances or other rules suggest they are limited to how many leagues they can do.

Edited August 17, 2021 by bigcatdiary

[chris4gillian 1,832]

4 minutes ago, bigcatdiary said:

I am talking U.K. speedway which if you haven’t already have noticed isn’t in the same position as a lot of other sports in this country.

The principle of your statement and my response is exactly the same, no matter what sport one is speaking about.

Edited August 17, 2021 by chris4gillian

[Grachan 7,362]

5 minutes ago, chris4gillian said:

The principle of your statement and my response is exactly the same, no matter what sport one is speaking about.

I have no problem with having Woffinden and Lambert in the SON, and they probably give us the best chance of winning it. Having said that, picking Bewley and Ellis would definitely have a long-term benefit and might also give riders an incentive to keep riding in the UK once they hit World Class.

I wouldn't normally consider going without the two GP riders, but I think we now have a couple of really useful riders and would be happy to see them represent us. I think the crowd might feel a greater attachment to them too.

It would be a bold decision, but one I feel might get a lot of support.

[The Cheese 2,022]

Well done to Adam Ellis, best rider on the night so fully deserved. 

Bewley's time will come I'm sure, hopefully both can make it into the GPs through the qualifier this weekend 

[chris4gillian 1,832]

6 minutes ago, Grachan said:

I have no problem with having Woffinden and Lambert in the SON, and they probably give us the best chance of winning it. Having said that, picking Bewley and Ellis would definitely have a long-term benefit and might also give riders an incentive to keep riding in the UK once they hit World Class.

I wouldn't normally consider going without the two GP riders, but I think we now have a couple of really useful riders and would be happy to see them represent us. I think the crowd might feel a greater attachment to them too.

It would be a bold decision, but one I feel might get a lot of support.

Whilst I do agree with what you say in principle, if you have any intentions of winning at world level you've got to go with your two best riders and that without doubt is Tai and Lambo.  Bewley and Ellis both have many years ahead of them (assuming they stay serious injury free) and their time will come.

[Grachan 7,362]

1 minute ago, chris4gillian said:

Whilst I do agree with what you say in principle, if you have any intentions of winning at world level you've got to go with your two best riders and that without doubt is Tai and Lambo.  Bewley and Ellis both have many years ahead of them (assuming they stay serious injury free) and their time will come.

It will, but can Tai and Robert match the might of either Russia or Poland in this anyway? I agree, they probably have a greater chance than Adam and Dan would, but I still can't see it. Tai isn't quite the rider he was before.

At what point do we consider moving Dan and Adam up. The SON format gives them little chance of representing us at World level now that both are over 21. It's a shame they have butchered the World Cup really. It would be nice to have a team of all 4 as I think they would be a match for most countries.

[OGT 612]

Decent meeting last night, congrats to Adam for his fantastic win. Also great to see Bomber and Scotty giving it a go and turning the clock back a few years.

For me though, the big, sorry huge talking point, which could have repercussions across the whole speedway world was Nigel Pearson telling Kelvin Tatum that he used to cheer the name of Simon Cross but boo when Kelv's was announced at Cradley meetings. Wow. You could tell by the latter's muted response that he was taken aback and their awkward interactions over the rest of the meeting showed that all was not well.

Could this be the end of an era? The end of their wonderful 30 year partnership (seems longer)? Time will tell, I suppose, but it's sure going to be difficult for both of them, especially Kelvin, to carry on as normal after an admission as earth shattering as that.

Keep your eyes on the tabloids, this is gonna be big! 

[iainb 4,999]

11 hours ago, Steve Shovlar said:

A shame Lambert and Woffinden hold British fans in contempt and can’t be arsed to come over for this one.

Yes, Booo!

11 hours ago, Steve Shovlar said:

Fantastic Adam Ellis! Well deserved and a great ride in the final. Will follow Bewley, Lambert and Woffinden to bigger things.

Yes Hurrah! Now Ellis can join those holding British fans in contempt 

10 hours ago, HenryW said:

Possibly a bit harsh, as Rob has said on twitter that he wasn't offered a place.

Definitely harsh... Why would you not invite a 3 x World Champion and a European Champion but decide to invite an Australian "British" Champion

1 hour ago, bigcatdiary said:

It’s all about decisions isn’t it, they both decided not to ride in the U.K this year

So I can understand the BSPL not including them in anything they organise, personally I wouldn’t include them in the SON or anything else for which the ACU/SCB get allocated places for, like the World and European Championships etc.

British places should go to riders who race in the U.K.

You track your best riders... end of.

46 minutes ago, George Dodds said:

time for Britain to get more involved in staging SEC and GP qualifying rounds in addition to age group championships

Not so sure they have too much choice about the GP qualifiers as they seem to be allocated by the FIM to "lesser" Speedway nations, why we don't qualify for that these days I'm not sure. BSPL have never been keen on the SEC and only recently have allowed British riders to compete in the event. It is disappoint not to have seen the GB Speedway Team ride in any event on their own shores this year though. I know travel is difficult this year but surely an event could have been put on somewhere in the country at some point, there was a blank date in the calendar when the British GP was cancelled.

 

Well done Adam Elliss!

[iainb 4,999]

2 minutes ago, Grachan said:

Tai isn't quite the rider he was before.

Neither is Emil or Magic... But I think Bartek and Artem are making them look a bit ordinary at the moment

[lbw 869]

Whoops I burped! 

Edited August 17, 2021 by PirateShip

[E I Addio 15,843]

Well done to Adam, Dan, and indeed Charles Wright who really stepped up on the night. Very unfortunate for Kyle Howarth not to make the final after coming so close and looking hungry enough in the heats  to be a potential winner. 
Scott and Bomber are obviously over the hill now but they both showed they have a special quality that the younger ones can only aspire to. I enjoyed watching them and speedway will be poorer when they eventually hang up their Kevlars for good.

Nothing can take away from Adams win though.I’ve known him since his early days practicing at Lakeside, a thoroughly nice guy as indeed Dan seems to be. 

Such a shame those running the sport don’t match the talent of those riding in it.

[Bagpuss 10,779]

It's not Lambert and Woffinden's fault that our league is such a poor product nowadays, they base themselves in Poland to ride in the best league and to make good money. Bewley and possibly Ellis will probably follow suit as their career trajectories go up and up, riders don't want all the travel backwards and forwards and prefer two race days as well as World Championshop commitments. World class riders will outgrow what we have over here because its been managed so badly over the last 20-30 years and I would never blame any British rider for cutting the UK out of their schedule. 

Edited August 17, 2021 by Bagpuss

[mikebv 10,270]

49 minutes ago, chris4gillian said:

So Jadon Sancho shouldn't have been picked for England during the time he played for Borussia Dortmund?  Nonsense.  If you're English you're English no matter where you ply your trade.

Nor Jude Bellingham...

Nor Kevin Keegan, Tony Woodcock, Trevor Francis, Ray Wilkins, Gary Lineker, Paul Gascoigne, David Platt.....

And France shouldn't pick Pogba, nor Portugal Bruno, or Ronaldo and no Neymar for Brazil...

[chris4gillian 1,832]

20 minutes ago, Grachan said:

It will, but can Tai and Robert match the might of either Russia or Poland in this anyway? I agree, they probably have a greater chance than Adam and Dan would, but I still can't see it. Tai isn't quite the rider he was before.

At what point do we consider moving Dan and Adam up. The SON format gives them little chance of representing us at World level now that both are over 21. It's a shame they have butchered the World Cup really. It would be nice to have a team of all 4 as I think they would be a match for most countries.

I disagree, he's having machinery problems at the moment.  ALL riders go through 'poor' patches for whatever reason and most (not all) recover from them once they isolate the issue. Tai is still in the top 6 in the world champs. don't forget...

Oh and well done Adam Ellis 

[chris4gillian 1,832]

4 minutes ago, mikebv said:

Nor Jude Bellingham...

Nor Kevin Keegan, Tony Woodcock, Trevor Francis, Ray Wilkins, Gary Lineker, Paul Gascoigne, David Platt.....

And France shouldn't pick Pogba, nor Portugal Bruno, or Ronaldo and no Neymar for Brazil...

I just picked a very recent player in that position to validate my point.  There are countless players and sports people who don't ply their trade in their home country, so why single out speedway riders?  It's a very weak argument, full stop.