steve roberts 9,246 Posted October 24, 2017 (edited) Any league meeting not run before the cut-off should be forfeited. it is farcical that league meetings are still being held after the play-offs have been completed. ...remember the 2002 season when Oxford were denied the opportunity in taking part in the play-offs (as reigning champions) because Peterborough were unable to run the match against Oxford before the designated cut off date. Now that was farcical! Call me old fashioned but I do think it important that ALL matches be run so that the final league table looks complete and orderly. Nothing worse than a final table showing an incomplete picture. Edited October 24, 2017 by steve roberts 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cityrebel 2,960 Posted October 24, 2017 My speedway career stems from 1968 to date. How would i sum up the present state of our sport. Two words, bloody awful!!! 7 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ch958 2,395 Posted October 24, 2017 Meaningless fixture? Not for the riders, that is their chosen "job" - they ride to earn a living, and also for the enjoyment of - as Bomber says - "riding my bike" Fixtures are never meaningless to anyone involved whose livelihood depends on them how about the customers??? Without them there is no livelihood 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fromafar 10,375 Posted October 24, 2017 Meaningless fixture? Not for the riders, that is their chosen "job" - they ride to earn a living, and also for the enjoyment of - as Bomber says - "riding my bike" Fixtures are never meaningless to anyone involved whose livelihood depends on them If they can be bothered these days.Looks like a lot trying to get some money back from injury insurance over the last month. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RobMcCaffery 2,752 Posted October 24, 2017 (edited) While I sympathise with Somerset here, the main track where I was involved over the years avoided such clashes by staging their event in November. But then, we weren't full of overseas riders who have better things to do in November. (Mind you, most seem to have better things to do between March and October). Where I do not sympathise is the comment that there are 'meaningless fixtures' taking place on Friday. All three are league matches and if they are now 'meaningless' then god help the sport. Okay the titles have been decided but that does not make completing the season 'meaningless'. - it's completing the season. Almost any other team sport I know would find it laughable that league seasons could not be completed. Only in speedway is it accepted, which is one more small reason why it lacks respect in the outside world. Okay, so if these three matches are 'meaningless' and should not be run, where exactly do we draw the line? Once it's mathematically impossible for a team to make the play-offs should they cancel all remaining fixtures since they are now 'meaningless'? During a meeting, once a side cannot mathematically win do we abandon the match and cancel the 'meaningless' heats? Do fans get refunds on their season tickets? 'Meaningless' is a stupid concept and is corrosive to the sport. It's only one small step for people to decide the whole sport is without meaning. Why can't we just enjoy speedway - and complete the season without these damaging comments? A speedway meeting is worth a thousand booze-ups Edited October 24, 2017 by Rob McCaffery 6 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MattK 3,447 Posted October 24, 2017 'Meaningless' is a stupid concept and is corrosive to the sport. It's only one small step for people to decide the whole sport is without meaning. The only thing more stupid would be running league meetings after the play-offs have been completed and the league winner's trophy given to the victors. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
moxey63 1,785 Posted October 24, 2017 Thought end-of-season shindigs had seen their day, to be honest. Aren't they from a bygone time where we all sat at the table to eat our meals? Are they from an era when riders actually cared who had been supporting them all that summer? 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Grand Central 2,654 Posted October 24, 2017 (edited) Whether these fixtures are meaningless or not, is a matter of opinion, for any of us. And we, here, are free to express it publicly. However for a licenced promoter to believe it is very revealing. Of their bizarre mentality, if nothing else. But for the same person, in that position, to express it publicly. That could be seen as 'Bringing the Sport into Disrepute. People have been fined or banned for less. . Edited October 24, 2017 by Grand Central 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Grachan 7,362 Posted October 24, 2017 (edited) It seems more and more common these days to see clubs putting very amutuerish statements out on their websites which are not-very-thinly veiled criticisms of riders and/or supporters. This one is a classic example. If they want people to attend their end-of-season event then make it an event people want to attend. Having said that, riders wanting payment to attend does seem a bit odd, but I don't think putting these type of statements out on websites make a club look professinal. Edited October 24, 2017 by grachan 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Alan_Jones 1,005 Posted October 24, 2017 It seems more and more common these days to see clubs putting very amutuerish statements out on their websites which are not-very-thinly veiled criticisms of riders and/or supporters. This one is a classic example. If they want people to attend their end-of-season event then make it an event people want to attend. Having said that, riders wanting payment to attend does seem a bit odd, but I don't think putting these type of statements out on websites make a club look professinal. Edit -having just been to look at the Somerset website, I notice that this is not what is written there, so perhaps a link to the article might be worthwhile so we know where it came from. On the website, http://somersetrebels.co/news.php?extend.2107 “Then, for one reason or another, you get riders who either do not want to attend, want to be paid to attend, or cannot attend due having to ride in to meaningless fixtures which are still being run at this late in the season!” Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Grachan 7,362 Posted October 24, 2017 On the website, http://somersetrebels.co/news.php?extend.2107 “Then, for one reason or another, you get riders who either do not want to attend, want to be paid to attend, or cannot attend due having to ride in to meaningless fixtures which are still being run at this late in the season!” Thanks. I did later find it and edit my comment. I originally found a different article. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mikebv 10,292 Posted October 24, 2017 (edited) While I sympathise with Somerset here, the main track where I was involved over the years avoided such clashes by staging their event in November. But then, we weren't full of overseas riders who have better things to do in November. (Mind you, most seem to have better things to do between March and October). Where I do not sympathise is the comment that there are 'meaningless fixtures' taking place on Friday. All three are league matches and if they are now 'meaningless' then god help the sport. Okay the titles have been decided but that does not make completing the season 'meaningless'. - it's completing the season. Almost any other team sport I know would find it laughable that league seasons could not be completed. Only in speedway is it accepted, which is one more small reason why it lacks respect in the outside world. Okay, so if these three matches are 'meaningless' and should not be run, where exactly do we draw the line? Once it's mathematically impossible for a team to make the play-offs should they cancel all remaining fixtures since they are now 'meaningless'? During a meeting, once a side cannot mathematically win do we abandon the match and cancel the 'meaningless' heats? Do fans get refunds on their season tickets? 'Meaningless' is a stupid concept and is corrosive to the sport. It's only one small step for people to decide the whole sport is without meaning. Why can't we just enjoy speedway - and complete the season without these damaging comments? A speedway meeting is worth a thousand booze-ups Understand your sentiments Rob but the reality is that many, many meetings through the year are actually 'meaningless' given the often 'random' make up of the teams... People already do decide the Sport has no meaning in this country with many now who still attend, just going along to watch the 'racing spectacle' rather than having any 'emotional attachment' as invariably 'their team' is seldom made up of 'their riders'... For many more others? Well, they simply have just given up attending... My team won a Cup against a team with THREE of their own riders, the Final itself had SEVEN guests... You really would have to go some to get a wider sporting public (and even many fans of the sport too) to believe that any National Trophy won under those circumstances isn't anything other than 'meaningless'... And if an actual National Final has no credibilty what chance attracting a crowd for the previous rounds? Maybe there is no actual way of running the Sport in Britain with credibility? If so, what we have now is all we will get in future and many more 'meaningless meetings' will take place so maybe we should just get used to it..(?) As you say, its just one step away from saying the whole sport (in this country) has no meaning.. Pretty close to that now I would say particularly after the past five years or so... Edited October 24, 2017 by mikebv 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fromafar 10,375 Posted October 24, 2017 People attending nowadays are there because of habit and social outing for the evening.There is entertainment supplied by the riders that turn up on the evening.( sometimes good). 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mikebv 10,292 Posted October 24, 2017 (edited) People attending nowadays are there because of habit and social outing for the evening.There is entertainment supplied by the riders that turn up on the evening.( sometimes good).Spot on... It can still be a great night out watching four riders of similar ability racing four laps of Speedway... The problem is 'shoe horning' that into a Team Sport concept with too many teams and team places to fill and/(or) not enough riders..... Many fans now go and "just watch the racing" with a view of "If we win, we win. If we don't, we dont".. Not because they don't want their club to be succesful, far from it, its just simply because they no longer have that emotional attachment they once did.. Lets face it, winning with a team of ringers is hollow as they are not really your riders, and getting beat by a team full of ringers isn't painful as they weren't really your opponents anyway.. Unfortunately there are only so many fans willing to follow a team Sport under those parameters... Edited October 24, 2017 by mikebv 6 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bruno 1,790 Posted October 24, 2017 Sums me up spot on,trouble is I'm not that bothered if I miss meetings these days. On the slippery slope? 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
