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mikebv

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Posts posted by mikebv

  1. Posted

    Nigel does a good job in delivering an image of a fast, high octane, adrenaline rush sport..

    Talking low and slow won't help that image...

    Lots of things are simply not fit for purpose in UK Speedway..

    I would suggest Nigel and Kelvin are not one of them...

    • Like 5

  2. Posted

    2 hours ago, BWitcher said:

    Agree, but as I said many of the principles are the same.

    It is the 32 owners that vote on any rule changes for example, not an independent body.

    The Competition Committee who propose the rule changes aren't independent, they are all representatives of clubs. be it presidents, owners or head coaches.

    In essence the same as the BSPA management committee.

    It's just the professionalism and adaption of ideas that is the major (and of course I mean MAJOR) difference.

    Those elected in the NFL though are still independant arbiters of the sport..

    Roger Goodell (NFL Commissioner) is a decision and policy maker without any affiliation to any club and is in his 13th year of tenure with several elections completed..

    The clubs can replace him if he doesn't deliver what they as a collective need (growth and money in the main)..

    "The most powerful man in sports" is his grandiose title..

    British Speedway would never allow such a position to exist and will carry on all doing their own little thing at a local level without any joined up national plan for the 'brand' of Speedway..

    All running to stand still and win that unenvious race to the bottom..

  4. Posted

    1 hour ago, BWitcher said:

    To be fair, aren't American sports generally run this way?

    Far more professionally of course..

    They have a much more joined up system (as you say professional), which to be honest I've always thought British Speedway should have followed..

    An elected commission with no allegiances running a trade organisation of franchises..

    All collectively marketing, all collectively sharing the pie that their plan delivers..

    No relegation means no threat to any long term business plan and guarantees a certain amount to be budgeted for each season..

    Obviously this comes with severe sanction if you let the 'brand' down and if you don't cut it then you could find yourself out of a franchise..

    This aspirational business plan though obviously delivers overall organic growth..

    If UK Speedway tried it, it would take a year of arguments and meetings to just agree on the name for the organisation, never mind the operating model and business plan..

    • Like 1

  5. Posted · Edited by mikebv

    12 minutes ago, ray c said:

    league should never be run by promoters independent body 

    Never in a million years..

    It's their money and they don't want anyone involved who they need to report to..

    You are right by the way...

    No "proper" competition would ever dream about letting its own competitors make the rules up, changing them like the wind as and when it suits/doesnt suit individuals..

    What we have now is all there is...

    Crowds are pretty much stable(ish) I would say, all be it at a low base, so it won't lose too many more fans (unless through natural causes), as they are all mainly die hards now I would suggest..

    To paraphrase an old adage, "If it can't be fixed, don't try"....

    Rinse and repeat ad infinitum...

    • Like 1

  6. Posted

    On 4 September 2019 at 8:21 PM, Bavarian said:

    Boring? Come on, man! Except for Leszno dominating at the top, the Ekstraliga this year was tremendously exciting. Who would have thought that Gorzow and Torun finish the season in the relegaton zone. All meetings were generally excellent throughout the season, and attracted big crowds, and that even with live tv coverage for the first time of EVERY meeting.  

    Agreed,

    The only negative thing to come out of watching Polands coverage every weeked is then watching the coverage of domestic UK speedway on the Monday..

    Sadly it really highlights the huge differences across every single facet of the sport in both countries..

    Been some great racing this year, and when a team with Doyle, Holder, Holder and NKI get relegated well adrift of the top teams you have an exceptional overall competition standard..

    • Like 2

  7. Posted · Edited by mikebv

    7 minutes ago, JeremyCorbynFan said:

    They do it in the NBA. The bottom team gets the first two draft picks from the free agents.

    It ensures a competitive league.

    Every team can draft pick riders from all the others teams in the league every week of the season now so no need to bring in any extra rules.. :D

    It ensures a competitive league...:rolleyes:

  8. Posted

    6 minutes ago, bellevueace said:

    Agreed but I think visiting riders would have less concerns about coming to the NSS as they would going to Wolves.

    Think BT might be a bit peed off..

    Apart from Swindon this year the other tracks in the play offs havent offered up great racing from what I've seen on TV.. 

    Lets hope they can all prepare great racetracks for their semis and final and good luck to all of them... 

    Be good to get six cracking TV meetings to end the season...

    Presuming BT can be bothered showing them all obviously.. :D

    • Like 3

  10. Posted · Edited by mikebv

    16 minutes ago, iainb said:

    So again... In which sport other than Speedway do the away team get more league points for a draw than the home team?

    ... Apology accepted

    Rugby Union and Cricket..

    In Rugby the away team can score more tries and gain bonus points over and above their point for the draw..

    In Cricket the away team can score the same as their opponents but take more wickets so get bowling bonus points over and above the points for the draw..

    And Duckworth - Lewis - Stern can award a win for a draw, (and even if scoring less than the other team)..!

  11. Posted · Edited by mikebv

    30 minutes ago, BWitcher said:

    As Bagpuss says, Cricket and Rugby Union for sure. 

    They're mickey mouse joke sports though I suppose!

    In fact, I was in a bar in the Algarve a couple of weeks ago and an Englishman was watching some Rugby and boy did the locals laugh when he told them about the losers getting a pt in Rugby. 

    And in European Football, including the biggest club tournament in the world, you can draw and at the same time win for scoring more goals at your opponents place than your opponent did at your place.. !!

    One of the things UK Speedway has definitely got right is the scoring.

    Maybe we should give Duckworth, Lewis and Stern a call? :D

    • Like 1

  12. Posted · Edited by mikebv

    10 hours ago, Skidder1 said:

    So are we saying that live speedway coverage in UK is in no way part of the reason for reduced speedway attendances?

    Attendances have been dropping for the past 40 years, well before live Speedway was beamed regularly into UK homes.

    Other sports though in that time have grown their attendances (and brand), on the back of much increased live coverage of sport in the past 20 years in particular..

    Domestic sports such as Rugby, (both codes), Cricket with its 20/20 coverage, BSB, and Darts in particular have all benefitted tremendously by live coverage..

    Darts being the PDC variation rather than the BDO..

    Which I think is very relevant..

    Live coverage of the BDO is terrible. Often played out in front of a black curtain backdrop to hide the lack of a crowd. Whilst the PDC sells out 10000+ arenas..

    One prospers and grows year on year, whilst one hands out leaflets for their 'majors' to local milk men and taxi drivers in the town where the event is held to hand out to anyone who accepts one..

    Same sport, two different ways to have used the coverage they have been given..

    Similar to Poland and British Speedways use of their coverage maybe?

    In short, if what you put out to the watching masses is poor, uninteresting, and devoid of relevance, played out in front of empty stands alluding to its worth, then it will severely damage your brand, resulting in an inevitable vicious circle of decline...

    That's then your fault for letting this happen, not TV's for showing it...

     

     

    • Like 1

  13. Posted

    15 hours ago, Midland Red said:

    With Woffinden in the two/three man team, it doesn’t take much to push for the top spot, whoever’s the TM

    Without, any TM is on a dead cert loser

     

    Spot on...

    Without Lionel Messi, Pep Guardiola has won as many Champions Leagues as David Moyes has.. ;)

    • Like 1

  14. Posted

    8 hours ago, hagonshocker said:

    Absolutely bonkers!!! That's being a jobs worth of the highest order.....how can you race without an opponent? Lol crazy

    I seem to remember he pulled wheelies down every straight to keep the crowd entertained as they watched the less than edge of the seat spectacle of one rider completing four laps all alone..

    Obviously the ref didn't appreciate his efforts..

    Or lack of them as he saw it... :rolleyes:

    You have to remember though that the crowd were primarily there to watch him referee, not to be entertained by the show the riders were putting on for them... :D

    • Like 1
    • Haha 1

  15. Posted

    17 hours ago, Mr Blobby said:

    Get your head out his backside he’s acted unprofessional again today. 

    From reading about the withdrawals, the quality of racing, the state of the track and the length of time it took to run the meeting..

    It looks like a few were 'unprofessional'.. :rolleyes:

    It's a great sport when done well..

    Sadly for far too many times in this country it isn't done well..

    A 'showpiece event' too which should be a standard bearer for the domestic league.. ? :(

    Surely someone in authority must see what they presently deliver is no where near good enough to ever be a success? :unsure:

    • Like 1

  17. Posted · Edited by mikebv

    16 minutes ago, orion said:

    Yet again ringers have always been in speedway and never stop it being popular or stop it being cover by the wider mainstream media ..yet another speedway  myth 

    So in this modern age of instant 24/7 media coverage it can stand its operating model up to scrutiny against those of every other sport and be measured positively against them on credibility and integrity can it? :D:rolleyes:

    And Speedways popularity which you describe has been on a steep year on year decline for the past 40 years using the current operating model..

    Therefore I suggest they try something different to try and halt this slide because doing the same thing time and time again, and expecting different results, is widely regarded as a mark of insanity...

    And that's no myth.. ;)

     

     

     

  19. Posted

    49 minutes ago, marko said:

    Another Monday, three Prem matches and BT Sport are showing nothing, what's the point of them covering the league? its not just the live meeting, its a round up of what has been happening, for the non regular fans/armchair fans, how are they supposed to stay invested?

    Let's be honest. .

    It's all a bit Mickey Mouse isn't it?

    They are very lucky to even have a TV company showing the racing over here, and I would think it's only due to the SGP coverage that they already have that BT bothered to come on board..

    Imagine if the sport went out on mainstream TV and someone trying to explain last weeks Peterborough team to the watching millions? 

    Or last year's Grand Final where two riders who ride for neither team were initially planned to represent both finalists,  swap at 'half time', and change teams..?

    And then explaining how riders can swap teams every week of the season, effectively destroying their own season, their own teams' season, and, incredibly, their own fans' season, by scoring points for rivals who are competing for the same competition title..

    Sometimes it's for the best that no one seems too bothered..

    Speedway, (in the UK) should be grateful it gets any coverage at all..

     

     

    • Like 4

  23. Posted

    3 hours ago, NeilWatson said:

    Art 19.7.4 of the Speedway Regulations:

    It is mandatory for riders to appear in the NDL 4TT, NDL BP and NDLRC; riders will be suspended from their next 2 Home Meetings in contravention, subject to the Directors confirmation.

    But is it in the 'interests of British Speedway''?

    I love the way Speedway over here always throws that little caveat in at the end..

    Basically, "We do have rules. It's just that we might not always want to implement them"

    :D

    • Like 1

  24. Posted

    5 hours ago, SPEEDY69 said:

    I don't blame the promotion at all and the fans at the track witnessed a decent meeting. 

    That's good...

    Maybe next week they could start with a blank piece of paper and let the fans pick two septets?

    Foxhall specialists obviously..

    Do it to a 42.5 point total team average and you would have some great racing I would suggest, never mind decent..

    Maybe call one team 'Ipswich' and the other team 'Poole' and the winners can get either three points or four points towards a National Title..

    You know, thinking about it in more detail...

    14 track specialists at every meeting in the UK, and lots of rides for the riders to earn as much as they can before enjoying their winter, ticks two major boxes there..

    The only down side could be seeing the same 14 track specialists time and time again at your track but that could be spiced up a bit by swapping them around and mixing them up between the two teams each week..

    Which to be fair, isn't a million miles away from what happens now so shouldn't pose too much of a problem..

    Could catch on this..

  25. Posted

    6 hours ago, NeilWatson said:

    Ostergaard, Becker, Morley, Agertoft. You’ve ‘never even heard of one of them’?

    • Peterborough stalwart for many years

    • 2019 Wolverhampton rider

    • 2018 Lakeside rider (did we race then at all last year?)

    • Agertoft as a CL reserve I accept may be off your radar.

    Given the timing of the rider withdrawals, and the other fixtures last night - what would you suggest?

    And no, postponement wasn’t an option.....

    Then no one in authority within British Speedway can ever moan about a lack of mainstream media coverage Neil..

    Nor can they complain about a lack of blue chip company sponsorship for their teams and the league as a whole..

    Imagine, for example, Tesco sponsoring the Panthers? Their brand will be linked to such nonsense that is allowed to pervade week in week out within Speedway and therefore could become damaged by its association..

    Ultimately this means there is no way these major companies would get involved with something so devoid of any credibility in the context of a bona fide National Sporting Championship..

    In fact it probably is good news to a large degree that it is constantly ignored by the wider media given its so open to ridicule.

    Imagine Poland running Speedway like this with the exposure they get every week? Believe me, it wouldn't get anywhere near the same wall to wall coverage, fan base or sponsorship from national companies if they did..

    Two months of what we accept over here would see a collapse of their Leagues and crowds akin to the GB levels as TV companies and sponsors would drop it like a stone..

    If you can't do something properly then probably best not to do it at all as, with all things, you are only as good as your weakest link..

    And Speedway in the UK have more weak links due to its operating model than is good for the brand.. 

     

    • Like 2
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