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  3. Posted · Edited by Authorised

    Surely all an "adequate replacement" needs to be is someone with a bike thats not illegal. If thats some 16 year old kid who gets lapped then thats what it takes. I'd prefer to lose legally than win illegally.

     

    Yes, agree 100%.

     

    I view Speedway as a team sport above individuals, if asked to describe it, and the act of one individual has sabotaged the efforts of his team-mates, and deceived the paying public. Sabotaging something mechanically on a speedway bike has to be up there with doping a horse, or an athlete taking drugs. It is planned long in advance of the event.

     

    Good quick response from Coventry and really killed the story, cannot see Kennett returning to Coventry and would want him banned at least for the remainder of the season to prevent him profiting from average manipulation, at Coventry or elsewhere, for a move next year.

     

    Wonder if Poole will sign him next season, certainly a unique way of putting in a transfer request :lol:

     

    Shame Nicholls or Harris haven't dropped their averages enough to swap with Kennett. Schlein?

  4. Posted

    Of the British side, this was completely as I expected. There was a minor fantasy they could have got 2nd, but it was only because the joker - probably rightly so - was done early. Sweden and Australia were going through all day long, and there are no prizes for guessing that.

     

    Well done to Barker and Harris. The rest, hmmmm. Coventry fans have been getting in a flap this season with his form as if he is world class. Sadly he has been found wanting in SGP Qualification and SWC. He'll remain a robust EL heat leader, of the Simon Stead variety. Steady has come close to SGPs. Kennett has always been very poor on Polish tracks. Will turn 25 this year, and there are not many seasons to turn it up.

     

    Woffinden. What is going on? Going backwards, and getting lots of falls. I would suggest that if he had not turned British, he would not be in the Australian side? I am pleased for Troy Batchelor once again, feel he is very underrated and overshadowed.

     

    I'd have Crump, Holder, Ward, Batchelor, Schlein, Watt, Sullivan ahead of Woffinden. Was it the personal toll of last year and sudden promotion to SGPs? Have injuries knocked his confidence? Has turning British meant he could take it easier for events? Certainly well behind his peers in World Speedway age group. Would be an absolute travesty if Woffinden gets a GP Wild Card next season. If there is a British one, it will go to Harris. Whilst not a British Champion, and has had a few dodgy meetings this season which he attributed to back room turmoil, he has shown that he can mix it with the best this week.

     

    I agree with Sam Ermolenko about equipment, all Brits - Nicholls - included, should take a long hard look at what they want to invest. Sick of hearing them complain that they haven't found a set up for new silencers, or their motors are too slow. Harris has made changed, albeit I am almost as uninspired by Mark Courtney as I am Sean Wilson.

     

    Perhaps for the SWC next season, BSPA will get them all nicely tuned engines from one guy - maybe bring someone into the British Set Up - with engine tuning experience. Middleditch and Morris lack inspiration or experience at the top level. I would like to see a team management of a international class rider (Louis or Loram) to look after the riders and their approach with a world class engine tuner / manager to get the best out of the equipment, maybe even keep Middleditch as cheer leader, team bonder. Problem is it costs money.

     

    Finally, with Bridger, Barker and Kennett at war if you believe the Daily Echo, perhaps it is time to remind them that they have worked together, VERY WELL, and gained the ultimate prize in British Speedway - League Championship - at Poole. Perhaps Rosco can create team harmony where Middleditch cannot. Or maybe he kept Bridger away from press and twitter.

  5. Posted

    Then you have probably missed some of the best speedway in the history of the sport as the race-off, more often than not has produced the best racing.

     

    Erm, I was talking about this year. I watched a few heats last night, and it was match races between two riders. Switched it off for final 7 heats. Don't get me wrong, match racing can be good. I used to like the Golden Helmet ;) Same will happen on Thursday. I could see Russians challenging Brits for 3rd. If you think the race off on Thursday will provide the best speedway in the history of the sport then you need to watch more speedway.

  6. Posted

    I hear Scott was never going to go to Poland anyhow ...i wonder if the people who gave rico stick will do he same with Scott or will they make excuses for him :wink:

     

     

    Why can Nicholls go to Poland every Sunday to ride for Start Gniezno without any fuss , but it's a major problem this Thursday .

    Richardson has come in for a bad press over his decision to miss this year's event . He obviously has his reasons , and was always one of our best riders in previous years - so it's unfortunate he chose to sit out this year .

     

     

    With Nicholls crying off, now is the time for both sides to swallow a bit of pride and get Richardson back in the team for Thursday. I notice that all the riders (and the team manager, horrid idea) had their own sponsors on their racesuits, which was the main sticking point for Richardson, and if there's to be any chance of success on Thursday, we need him!

     

    Interesting views of speedway fans, that you 3 can compare a rider taking a huff over sponsors vs. a rider whose wife had an operation and a few other things!

     

    Surprised orion didn't compare it to Simon Stead's hissy fit over a late offer to go into the British Final.

     

    Many riders opt out of World Cup action, some because the money is poor, some because they never get paid, some because their team won't win and refuses to miss Polish league commitments to do qualifiers (Greg Hancock), some because of sponsors, some because they weren't seeded to a British Final, some because their family have been seriously ill.

     

    I don't blame anyone. I personally give the event a miss because the races are often a match race between 2 riders. The race off will be no different. The final will be worthwhile.

  8. Posted

    This is becoming quite surreal. "If Bomber had fallen off then Scott would HAVE (note grammar) been excluded." Precisely my point. Tai has been deprived by a decision which came about due to the referee, probably under pressure from Sky, letting this and the other matters go. Both commentators said he, Scott, would have been excluded in a normal race for what he did. Result? He wouldn't have won the title.

     

    The old saying there's none so blind as those who won't see comes to mind here. I'll leave the stage now because I know when I'm wasting my time.

     

    Why does this mean that Tai would have won - Bomber going to roll over?

    We could say that if Kennett had stayed upright with Tai, they were so wide, Harris and Nicholls looked as if they were coming through.

    Of course, if my Auntie had balls she would be my Uncle.

     

    Nicholls won, finish it! There wasn't a wrong winner any more than there has been a wrong winner at any other event where the top scorer fails to convert that into a final. Nicholls has been on the loser of many of these as I have highlight.

     

    Tai will benefit from a Final ending in the future, I have no doubt.

  9. Posted · Edited by Authorised

    I wasn't going to reply to this bilge but it does raise a valid point. Namely, people who read SOME posts, but NOT all, then pontificate as if they knew what they were talking about. For the benefit of this poster who is a perfect example, I NEVER mentioned home advantage, someone else brought it up. I am NOT a "Tai blinkered fan" being a fan of a Premier team. My comments, every single one, were about the circumstances that in MY opinion, deprived the young guy of the title...on the night. My ONLY concern was and always will be, what I see with my own eyes at the time, irrespective of who did what whenever, somewhere else. I maintain my position, if you read my initial post, the lad, by way of his performance, was deprived of the title through unfortunate circumstances...on the night.

     

    You can be a Premier fan and a Tai fan. I didn't realise they were mutually exclusive?

    He wasn't deprived of any title, any more so, than Nicholls was in 2004 or 2009. I am sure Tai will get titles in the future by way of qualifying for finals without topping the scorer's charts, maybe GPs. Because they are the rules, he will be congratulated for doing so!

     

    Didn't Scott Nicholls top the scorers chart for Speedway GP in Czech Republic with 14pts in 2005. Never won it though, and that is all the history books will show. Rightly so, because he failed to get through the semi's if my memory serves me correctly.

  10. Posted

    Various sports in USA pick "Dream Teams" for end of season finale events such as MLS or NBA. They have pulled back in recent years from this as rumours of fixing went on....

     

    If a rider is unpopular, but in the top 10 of averages and is unlucky to be in a ballot system, it would obviously be bad for the sport.

    If you want interaction, maybe for top individual events getting back to being top events!!! ELRC for example, but even events such as Pride of the East used to be top line ups. Maybe experiment on these before touching career defining events like British Finals which of course is a gateway to GPs.

     

    I am of the opinion it should be two Semi-Finals, top 8 from each go into this.

    I would also have 4 British Quarter Finals where 4 riders each qualifer to join 16 riders seeded to semi-finals.

    That will ensure their are 80 starting places to decide the British Championship and allow almost all Brits in League Racing places.

    Like the 1980s!!!!!!!

  11. Posted

    Harris would still have chosen Wolves over his home track.

     

    Nicholls may well have done so too :)

     

    Why would they chose Wolves over Coventry?

     

    They both go well at Coventry and have won championships there. Given so many Brits could call it home, it would have been best for it to be there ;)

    Seriously, home track advantage is a bigger plus than a flyer in one heat. This thread is a nonsense from a Tai blinkered fan. You can tell this by the title "Wrong winner". I will absolutely guarantee that the next event Tai wins in a final when he did qualify first, someone suffers engine failure, this individual will not post "Wrong Winner" threads. In the same way they appear to have forgotten the championships where Nicholls qualified top of the scorers charts and didn't win! Swings and Roundabouts, but that is Speedway. At least Tai recognises this. Fair play to him.

  12. Posted · Edited by Authorised

    ...as in, he and only he knew that track well. Yeah right.

     

    I am not anti-Tai, but your ramblings don't make much sense. Don't you know the difference between home and away track advantage??? Why do you think Home teams in speedway win so much???

     

    Regardless, if it had been at Eastbourne, I would have expected Kennett and Bridger to have been dominant etc... "even though everyone knows Arlington well". Ben Barker at Plymouth etc.... geddit??

     

    I am not saying Tai wouldn't show up well elsewhere, I am sure he would do OK to well. If you ask any rider would they prefer their home track to Wolves OR get a rerun in a particular heat at Wolves OR get one rolling start at Wolves and not get called back, they would of course, answer "Yes, I want it at my home track, it is to my advantage!"

  13. Posted

    At last. Someone gets the point. I highlighted three occasions where Tai would have almost certainly been British Champion had it NOT been for these events. (Incidentally I say "would HAVE," not "would OF" as one of my critics kept saying.) The 1st race where he was marginally in front and on his way. The 2nd where he was taken out when in the lead, and the 3rd where Harris (no typos that time) jumped the start.

     

    There is another matter I'd bring up. We now are so used to having this 4/5 races then a semi, then a final. All for TV's benefit. None of which I agree with. If it wasn't for that, Tai Woffinden would, and should have been a worthy and deserving champion due to his immaculate 15 points unbeaten tally.

     

     

    Nicholls was the winner under the rules, but neccesarily worthy of it.

     

    The GP's are a series of 11 meetings, so bad luck can be evened out over the series. The British Final is a one-off meeting and in my view shouldn't be decided in the same way.

     

    Everyone knew the rules, one heat is where it matters. British Riders need to get used to these and it is an accepted format of GP Racing.

    However, if the point of this thread was Tai is the real winner, or should have been, it could have been strengthened by highlighting previous British Finals where the same happened.

     

    For instance, last year, Scott got 14pts and qualified 1st.

     

    Either way, Tai had a massive home advantage. I am not complaining about it though, but if you are to talk of taking advantages, he had it the entire night!

  15. Posted · Edited by Authorised

    Well done Scott Nicholls. Unlucky for Harris and Woffinden. I guess Nicholls topped the scoring charts after 20 heats last season, so Woffinden's turn will come, no doubt. There certainly seems a lack of riders coming through.

     

    Well done to Robbo too, would have been nice to see him in the England line up at Lakeside last week, but then they have a policy of mediocre youngsters above in form merit.

     

    Congratulations to Swindon on silverware, having a British Champion, is that the first one in 30 years? Steve Bastable at a guess was the last one?

  16. Posted

    Strange that Nichols is not in the team at Lakeside. It is one of his favourite tracks and he rides it as well, if not better than anyone in either side. All the GB quad usually go well at Lakeside except Danny King. Very odd that he should be in the side instead of Nichols but if Nichols is not available then surely Robbo has a better claim to a place, currently averaging 6.57 (not including bonus points) on his home track he seems a much better bet than Danny King who has never done much at Arena.

     

    Completely agree with you.

  17. Posted · Edited by Authorised

    2. Lee Richardson is the only British rider still riding regular EL speedway with a World Championship to his name.

     

    Pure semantics. World U21 counts for nothing, Emil turned his back on it pronto, didn't David Howe achieve 4th in it aged 16/17? I remember you having a go and people who supported his wild card bid a couple of years ago. You cannot have it both ways, by saying aged 32, a World U21 counts for something, yet Howe isn't worthy of a Wild card when he was mid 20s. Then list all the riders who triumphed in World U21 and didn't achieve much after.

     

    I remember attending the World U21 at Coventry in 1991, Brian Andersen achieved limited success afterwards, Morten Andersen, Joe Screen and Jacob Olsen less so...

     

    I think Chris Harris' Cardiff victory tops a World U21 crown. By a LONG, LONG, LONG way. Even Nicholls 5 time British Champion in which Richardson was in opposition every time, and Harris is 3 time British Champion in the Richardson era.

     

    Richardson was a fluke World U21 champion in a one off final, never managed a British U21 crown, a British Champion. Of active riders, both Harris and Nicholls have 5 podiums each in GPs, compared to 2 for Richardson who also collected more 4th places in 4 man GP heats. Ironically, it is five years ago this weekend I was in Eskilstuna to see him collect 5 0's, despite gating 1st a couple of times. Utterly woeful in that one.

  18. Posted

    Well, congratulations to Scott Nicholls.

     

    I keep wondering if his career way start to go south in his early 30s like Joe Screen, Havelock etc.., but he is constantly proving to be the Best Brit.

     

    I think it is important to have these meetings. Firstly, seeded riders have given up half way in British Finals before, and I cannot help think they didn't deserve a spot if that was what they were going to do. I remember when we had quarter finals and competitive fields, and you'd get shock qualifiers like David Blackburn, and shock exits like Simon Wigg. In many ways, it prepares riders for cut throat meetings that are required if they are to compete at an international level.

     

    Secondly, it is good that riders coming up get to race against riders at the top, and that top EL riders get to these tracks too.

     

    You cannot please everyone all of the time....when seeds were being used, people were complaining too.

  22. Posted · Edited by Authorised

    I agree with Wanna on this too. It is not so much for Eastbourne fans, but for all fans as a whole. Given 8 were going to the semis, only 4 were going to miss out. By handicapping himself, fans could essentially work out the semi finalists without qualifying heats. You get the best British youngster in my opinion, a potentially great talent and certainly one I would pay to see, a great coup for Newport, and he does that to you. Fair play to Roynon, 3 zeros, wins 1 heat and into the semis! I would slightly criticise the format for this.

  23. Posted

    Who knows what there plans were?

     

    Im not so sure they didnt declare an intent.

     

     

    No, i DIDNT say they werent lined up for the PL at all. Dont put words in my mouth !!!!

     

    I just stated it that there was a mention of possibly 2 other 2 teams coming up pre AGM if rules are regs made it feasible - and lo and behold 2 teams HAVE come into the EL for this year!

     

    Your asking me to try and make sense of any BSPA announcement??!!!!! :P

     

    We can all only assume the money played a part in the decision - but to say its the ONLY reason isnt correct surely.

     

    Clearly, after the AGM, King's Lynn were listed in the Premier League. Their elevation was due to Coventry and Peterborough going out. So WE do know what their intent and plans were. They were lined up to start in the PL 2011. I am not saying money was involved, but I heavily suspect it. Ipswich, Peterborough and other well publicised financial losses incurred would tell me that I would not want a business in the EL, unless they made more losses in the PL! In the balance of probability a financial incentive to be in the EL is more likely than heavier losses in the PL.

     

     

    Geography has never been his strong point. Thats coming from a Coventry fan!!! :D Anywhere outside the Coventry area and there lost!! They needed a compass and a sat nav to find Poole! :D

     

    I thought he was talking about KL not Poole. Shocking that someone should discuss something other than Poole. Has it ever happened before?

  24. Posted

    The gate attendances are likely to increase,especially as they haven't increased admission.Sky money is a factor and sponsorship money should be more too.

     

    Their race night will not be regular, and they have decided to miss the return of the derby fixtures with Ipswich, which would happen in the PL. The only way attendances will increase is if more home fans turn out.....but I have read for years that the fans don´t mind the quality (I personally do) and standards do not matter (ref: is the EL really Elite?).

     

    Will Lynn fans accept a struggle, having got used to winning, I hope the fans accept the Elite no silverware status. I bet they got some decent crowds for Cup Finals and Title Successes over the last few years.

     

    Why would sponsorship money be more? A little TV exposure doesn´t sell it to companies in the middle of a recession.

  25. Posted

    KL seems to be a well run club and there is no reason why it should be less profitable in the EL.

     

    Other than the seriously increased wage bill, more expenditure on loanees and signings.

    Income reduced by fewer fixtures.

    Unlikely to increase gate attendances. Admission kept the same.

    Does Sky money cover all of this? No.

    Would they be more profitable in PL? Most clubs would be, if not all. EL needs to think differently, outside the GoSpeed box for a start.

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