topsoil

As predicted

The BSF summed up in a post

Used to happen all the time back in the 70s and 80s when the sport was semi-professional and on "tours". Teams would arrive missing an injured rider and use a local reserve or "junior". So those "levels of stupidity" would happen regularly. Something to ponder for those who think that things were always better in the olden days or want the sport to go back to being semi-professional?

Quote from Alex Harkess, the Edinburgh director in the Speedway Star two weeks ago. "If you ever read the Speedway Forum, you would easily start to get depressed. Fortunately the reality of speedway is nothing like that".

It's normally in the Amateur section

That 'fanatical support' seems to be on the wane when you see from their website that ekstraliga crowds this season are 20% down from those in 2018 and 2019. Also 'the operating model' contains Lucky Losers in the playoffs. You can finish sixth, get knocked out the playoffs and still end up league champions.

Welcome to the land of the Lucky Loser Leagues

Lucky losers

Great attitude. To take it a step further, Leicester won at Mildenhall in the league a couple of weeks ago. Using your logic, is there any point Mildenhall turning up for the final? Or just give the trophy to Leicester now? Wouldn't that be the most sensible option?

Be prepared to be surprised then

Something must be up if crowds are down 20% from the 2018 and 2019 seasons

Judging by your table below it looks like he is spot on. Ostrow don't have a point and were probably down a long time ago. Lublin are miles in front. So 6 out of 7 teams go forward to the playoffs.

An unbalanced league and a lot of pointless meetings doesn't sound like a great set up

According to the ekstraliga website crowds for the 2022 season so far are about 20% down from the 2018 and 2019 seaons. Any reasons for this?

Who can afford four to go to matches in four days? How many riders would conveniently pull out of fourth legs if their team is out of the running? Imagine trying to re-arrange a date if there is a rain off 4TT qualifiers are dead in the water Best left in the past and viewed through the usual rose tinted glasses

Crowds have gone up at Berwick over the past two years. Loads of kids there every week with parents. Championship, National League and Northern Junior League teams. That's not 'killing the sport'.

Wouldn't trust him as far as I could throw him. Peter Waite had the right idea when he locked him in the Black & Gold car park.

Poole are still winning trophies

Yawn

If they were serious about this competition they would incorporate a Lucky Loser element somewhere

Six out of eight teams make the playoffs in Poland. Same in Sweden. Are they doing it wrong as well?

How we must yearn for the good old days when teams like Scunthorpe and Workington would go to Eastbourne and Rye House and regularly get beat 64-14. Now THAT was entertainment.

So it's really a glorified challenge, invented by Poland, taking place in Poland, for the benefit of Polish TV. Great.

Do we need a European Team Championship?

I don't know, I used to look forward to reading about all those David Icke conspiracy theories. Gave me a good laugh anyway