Lakeside V Poole Friday 1st July

[foreverblue 6,096]

They scored well, holder riding like you expect whilst Ellis showing his parent track knowledge.

This is probably more of a shock result than Leicester winning at Swindon.

Holder getting what you expect, he usually struggles at lakeside

[jim3751 88]

 

Thank goodness some are still interested in what actually happened rather than the back stabbing.

 

There is no doubt that the wheels fell off the Lakeside juggernaut bigtime, but apart from the actual result it was probably the worst meeting entertainment wise since the present promotion took over.. As has been said Jon Cook took to the mic to apologise for the poor standard and to acknowledge that people could find better things to do on a Friday night than watch rubbish like that.

 

The track was dangerous ( and that was the opinion of a top Lakeside rider, not the whingeing Kylmakorpi) . The heavy rain recently had damaged the track and it had to be re-laid ( I understand it was the same with Poole , Rye House and possibly a few others) . Unfortunately more rain seems to have damaged it further making rideable but not raceable, and certainly below par for entertainment. 14 of the heats were effectively over by bens 2 and Kim Nilsson was the one exception that was able to make a genuine overtake. It was pretty much gate and go and Holder and Starke were the only ones that really had the gate weighed up. It was the same for both teams of course but it was a bit of a freak meeting with the track like that.

 

Lawson and Bridger seemed well of the boil and struggled with the track. In Lewis' case he doesn't have enough time on the bike and is the victim of the crackpot BSPA ruling that says the British Champion and the runner-up can double down, the two reserves in the British GP can double down, but Bridger, who has a lower average than any of them can only ride EL. You really have to wonder at the mentality of the people running this sport.

 

Finally Paul Starke. Unbelievable. It is difficult to describe in words just how competent, confident and stylish he looked. Quite honestly he looked to every inch a reasonable 2nd/3rd heatleader, maybe the sort of standard you would expect from say Rory Schlein,, as he was a year or two back. I was amazed by how much he has come on. I would even go as far as to say on that form he looked probably the best EDR rider I've seen this year with the possible exception of Steve Worrall and I am net even sure about that. The one glimmer of enjoyment in a dull and disastrous meeting was seeing the improvement in this young rider who has come up the hard way and not had all handed to him on a plate. , so well done Paul.

I just wanted to know how much passing there was so thanks for explaining. I chose not to go because of the number of guests but gate and go on a wet night is not for me. One of the highlights for me in what seems ages ago now was Bridger working hard to pass and generally succeeding.

 

PS I enjoyed watching Wales playing a team game beat a lot of individuals

[tellboy 3,662]

Good result for Poole,just proves a PL side can beat an EL side

[stevebrum 6,824]

Holder getting what you expect, he usually struggles at lakeside

 

I meant as you might expect from his status as former World Champion and GP standings.

 

Good result for Poole,just proves a PL side can beat an EL side

They can't and don't.

[mikebv 10,292]

Do you not think Cook would not have gone for another date with a paying gate if he could ?

And yet we had two PL meetings on TV last week and Swindon v Cov this Monday coming..

 

Maybe any of those dates could have been used for what should have been a very attractive fixture show casing two of the top teams in the EL..?

 

Crowd may have been reduced from a 'normal' week due to TV being there but the 'TV payment' would have softened the blow and I would suggest more would still have attended than the level of crowd many say went last night..

 

Meetings like last night at Lakeside and BV just simply do the sport no favours at all...

 

Yet it appears to be by design and not due to circumstance that these kind of 'select sides' get put together far too frequently..

 

Which can never be right can it?

Edited July 2, 2016 by mikebv

[E I Addio 15,845]

And yet we had two PL meetings on TV last week and Swindon v Cov this Monday coming..

Maybe any of those dates could have been used for what should have been a very attractive fixture show casing two of the top teams in the EL..?

Crowd may have been reduced from a 'normal' week due to TV being there but the 'TV payment' would have softened the blow and I would suggest more would still have attended than the level of crowd many say went last night..

Meetings like last night at Lakeside and BV just simply do the sport no favours at all...

Yet it appears to be by design and not due to circumstance that these kind of 'select sides' get put together far too frequently..

Which can never be right can it?

I don't know the ins and outs of every possible alternative date but the TV broadcasts are down to Sky not the individual promotions. All things being equal switching to Monday would be a good way out but Sky seem to pick and choose as they wish. For example the last broadcast of Lakeside v Wolves was sceduled for a Friday in the fixture list but then pulled out by Sky. Lakeside have been on twice anyway which I suppose throws a bit of a spanner in the works.

 

I am not suggesting for a moment that patched up sides are acceptable, but you have to look beyond that and consider the underlying problem that the sport is playing second fiddle to the GP season and Continental fixtures. There is money in the GP's for the TV companies but there are too many for the British season, and IMO too many GP's anyway.Six would be ideal.

[Hodgy 976]

Ah something posted on here that we don't know where it came from. Anyway assuming its accurate it doesn't say Cook thought it would be an easy three points so that bit is a figment of your imagination.

 

It is not a dig at the supporters as a whole. He refers to the FEW online posters ( I presume you know what "few" means) who criticise the sport at every single opportunity . Now I cant think of many apart from bigcatdiary who criticise the sport at every single opportunity. Even mikebv has a good word to msay sometimes so clearly the number that Cook was referring to are very few, and frankly I don't have much time for people who NEVER have anything positive to say.

 

FWIW Cook was asked about something like this at the fans forum in February. His answer was that his duty is to the fans who pay their £18 to come through the turnstiles. I think pretty much every business owner would say the same and I doubt whether any promoter would say different.

 

With regard to the possible postponement this was dealt with in Cook's programme notes . He pointed out that there are still 8 home matches to be fitted in, at the fixture list has already been messed up by two Swindon rain offs and one meeting that had to be re-0scheduled because of a Sky broadcast. There are no more reserved dates in the fixture list. as said but before its all very well to criticise but nobody is prepared to come up with a workable solution. That is the reality of modern speedway in the British climate while playing second fiddle to the Continental season. Not saying I like it but that's the way it is. Obviously not great for Lakeside when the visiting team that pulls in one of the biggest crowds of the season turns up with a patched up side that brings in possibly half the expected Box Office. Do you not think Cook would not have gone for another date with a paying gate if he could ?

 

Surely his duty (and all promotors) is to increase those £18 punters, then entertain. Unfortunately it's very difficult to sell Man Utd reserves are in town. How have we sunk so low as to having teams race a meeting with only 2 of their own!!! It's so out of control.

 

BCD doesn't critisise the sport - only the way it is run, the frustrations many share. Hearing many voicing the need for more EL meetings - but always struggle to fit in what they have.

 

Sorry not very positive - but no mind, most only remember the negatives.

[B.V 72 1,054]

Good result for Poole,just proves a PL side can beat an EL side

I have nothing against the premier league but the people who keep going on how close the leagues are now are talking B/S.Yes Premier league riders ride in the Elite league but most of them are Premier league heat leaders inc a lot of the FTR riders.So add them to the Elite league quality riders and any Elite team would wipe the floor with any Prem league team as past results have proven.

So lets end this silly talk as there is no evidence to back up yours and a few others point of view.

Edited July 3, 2016 by B.V 72

[E I Addio 15,845]

Surely his duty (and all promotors) is to increase those £18 punters, then entertain. Unfortunately it's very difficult to sell Man Utd reserves are in town. How have we sunk so low as to having teams race a meeting with only 2 of their own!!! It's so out of control.

BCD doesn't critisise the sport - only the way it is run, the frustrations many share. Hearing many voicing the need for more EL meetings - but always struggle to fit in what they have.

Sorry not very positive - but no mind, most only remember the negatives.

I think we are getting off the point and into speculation now. There is absolutely no dispute about the fact that a patched up team of guests is not going to bring the punters in. Finding a way round the problem is the hard part.

 

The starting point is why we're Poole five riders short? One was injured and you can't help that, but the rest were riding abroad and therein lies the problem. British Speedwáy his so heavily dependent on foreign riders that some teams would almost cease to exist without them . That is problem that has snowballed over the years and some promoters have found it too easy to bring ready made foreign riders in and ignored the development of home riders, but that is the problem the sport now faces. The other part of the problem is that continental fixtures take precedence so much more than in the past. Bjarne Pedersen was clear enough when he stated in Speedwáy Star that he was giving priority to British Speedwáy at a time when he wanted a job but then continental bookings rolled in and he changed his mind. Buckowski decided he would rather ride in a re-arranged Polish meeting than to ride for his British club, and do it goes on.

 

So we are faced with a problem not of Pooles making , not of Lakeside's making but because certain riders feel it more important , for whatever reason to ride in Contintal meetings that only arose after this fixture was made. Nevertheless in some fans minds the riders are beyond criticism and its the fault of the clubs concerned. You ask how we have sunk so low as to have 5 riders short but that is the reason why. Does anybody seriously think Matt Ford deliberately set out to come with five riders missing or Jon Cook thought it would be a good idea if Lakeside lost half the expected gate money ?

 

Unless and until there is some coordination in fixtures Europe wide or clubs make it clear that if riders want a GB job there yes must mean yes not maybe things don't change.

 

BTW, BCD' s criticisms go beyond the way the sport is run. There are all kinds of snipes against certain riders, snipes against some promoters based on fiction rather than fact, and of course his endless vendetta against all things Lakeside, especially the track, which is what it is and nobody forces him to watch but plenty of other neutrals have spoken well of the racing there in recent years, but that doesn't stop him bleating on.

 

BTW , I am not a Jon Cook sycophant. There is a lot of faults I could spell out but I don't see the point of doing it on here, and, unlike some, I do try to do my best to be fair .

[Skidder1 7,637]

Just to be clear, despite the knowledge way back in January that riders would be missing, if Lakeside had stuck with Bjarne, would he still have been missing on Friday?? If Poole's meeting on Wednesday hadn't been rained off, he would have been in the Poole side not Denmark!

 

Poole had a similar problem to Lakeside with Bjarne's fixture clashes but have worked with him to reduce the clashes down to 3 fixtures - not sure if Friday's was one of them as I believe they were concentrating on home meetings?!

 

As for Buzckowski - he didn't 'rather decide he would ride in a re-arranged Polish fixture'!! It was the Polish Championship and he would have been banned if he hadn't taken his place.

[Starman2006 2,355]

Things were not much better at Newcastle today. Plymouth ran with 3 guests and RR.

[RobMcCaffery 2,752]

I have nothing against the premier league but the people who keep going on how close the leagues are now are talking B/S.Yes Premier league riders ride in the Elite league but most of them are Premier league heat leaders inc a lot of the FTR riders.So add them to the Elite league quality riders and any Elite team would wipe the floor with any Prem league team as past results have proven.

So lets end this silly talk as there is no evidence to back up yours and a few others point of view.

Who is saying they're that close? I don't remember seeing any. Of course they're not and any fool can see that. PL sides are assembled on a sensible budget to compete with each other, not with EL sides. I think most PL fans don't give a damn whether their sides would be beaten by EL teams. They're just happy enough having regular speedway with a reasonably sensible set-up. It's not just about how strong your side is but how strong your league is.

 

The opening of the NSS should not mask the serious problems that afflict the rest of the EL. Taking consolation that your team's bigger than the PL team might make a few happy, but not those with common sense.

Edited July 3, 2016 by rmc

[orion 7,615]

Who is saying they're that close? I don't remember seeing any. Of course they're not and any fool can see that. PL sides are assembled on a sensible budget to compete with each other, not with EL sides. I think most PL fans don't give a damn whether their sides would be beaten by EL teams. They're just happy enough having regular speedway with a reasonably sensible set-up. It's not just about how strong your side is but how strong your league is.

 

The opening of the NSS should not mask the serious problems that afflict the rest of the EL. Taking consolation that your team's bigger than the PL team might make a few happy, but not those with common sense.

Yet again another myth ..Pl teams are not all assembled on a sensible budget at all ...you just as much as a team overspending in the Pl as you do in the El ..what do think Glasgow budget is compare to others ? by accounts there losing money hand over fist

 

Yet again there are problems in both leagues and serious problem in speedway in the uk in general ..why people keep coming up with these myths is a joke

Edited July 3, 2016 by orion

[B.V 72 1,054]

Who is saying they're that close? I don't remember seeing any. Of course they're not and any fool can see that. PL sides are assembled on a sensible budget to compete with each other, not with EL sides. I think most PL fans don't give a damn whether their sides would be beaten by EL teams. They're just happy enough having regular speedway with a reasonably sensible set-up. It's not just about how strong your side is but how strong your league is.

 

The opening of the NSS should not mask the serious problems that afflict the rest of the EL. Taking consolation that your team's bigger than the PL team might make a few happy, but not those with common sense.

Please read the post of which my post was an answer to.(quote - Good result for Poole.Just proves a PL side can beat an EL side)

As my post says i have nothing against the Premier league i just think that people that say premier league teams are now close to being as strong as Elite teams and could beat an Elite team are talking rubbish.(there are a good few other posters who think the same as the quoted poster)As your post says (quote - of course they're not and any fool can see that)so you agree with my post.

 

PS i also think that anyone with common sense can see that the whole of British speedway has serious problems not just the EL league.

Edited July 4, 2016 by B.V 72

[tellboy 3,662]

I have nothing against the premier league but the people who keep going on how close the leagues are now are talking B/S.Yes Premier league riders ride in the Elite league but most of them are Premier league heat leaders inc a lot of the FTR riders.So add them to the Elite league quality riders and any Elite team would wipe the floor with any Prem league team as past results have proven.

So lets end this silly talk as there is no evidence to back up yours and a few others point of view.

Blimey didnt think anyone would go off on one.I did put a little wink on the end as to say it was little bit of mickey take

Edited July 4, 2016 by tellboy