Best Team Managers

[SJA 40]

Who do we think are the best Team Managers across all three division in British speedway and why?

[Fromafar 10,364]

11 hours ago, SJA said:

Who do we think are the best Team Managers across all three division in British speedway and why?

To be honest(and no disrespect to them)Team managers don’t have a lot of big decisions to make regarding changes during a meeting.Only one tac sub and a couple of reserve changes( if necessary).Picking riders for heat 15 probably the big decision in a close situation.

Edited July 12, 2023 by Fromafar

[iainb 5,017]

12 hours ago, Fromafar said:

To be honest(and no disrespect to them)Team managers don’t have a lot of big decisions to make regarding changes during a meeting.Only one tac sub and a couple of reserve changes( if necessary).Picking riders for heat 15 probably the big decision in a close situation.

Most of them could phone in their changes... I think the value of a team manager these days lies more in the role of rider coach/mentor/motivator

[SJA 40]

On 7/13/2023 at 8:35 AM, iainb said:

Most of them could phone in their changes... I think the value of a team manager these days lies more in the role of rider coach/mentor/motivator

I would tend to agree, so who do you rate on that basis?

[iainb 5,017]

23 minutes ago, SJA said:

I would tend to agree, so who do you rate on that basis?

It's tricky as a lot of managers have to work with what they're given and it's whether they can add any value to that

 I think you've obviously got to say Middlo, his track record speaks for itself & and I may be biased but Stewart Dickson, they both seem full of enthusiasm and generally get riders punching above their weight.

Obviously Pete Adams is another one, maybe not so much recently but he also has a strong track records at team and individual level.

[SJA 40]

They were the three I thought people would say.  Middlo for track record, Dickson's record at Leicester for building successful teams is second only to Middlo and bothe can motivate riders and Pete Adams because of his savviness, although I do feel is can be to loyal to riders at times. 

[E I Addio 15,845]

I think it’s a bit of a circular thing really. A team manager is ultimately as good as his riders, by which I mean he has to have suitable riders to work with. Many professional riders, riding for possibly three teams in different countries feel they have heard it all before and are going to do their own thing whatever anybody else says. I remember Kelvin Tatum saying that if a rider is riding at a track he doesn’t like he will take it easy if he knows he has a potentially big pay day in a couple of nights time at one of his favourite tracks. On the other hand some riders will show great commitment even if they are only a guest rider . There are many variable factors a good TM needs to keep in mind .

Its true that Middlo has a good track record but he was provided with some pretty good names in his squad ! I often wonder what he would have done with a team built on a low budget. Equally I think there are others who could have been successful if they had the sort of teams Middlo had . 

For a good team manager there is more to it than picking a t/s or heat 15. Peter Adams, at his best a few years ago was IMO the epitome of a good manager . His mind was like a computer. He would think ahead all the time plan for every eventuality. If a rider touched the tapes he knew in advance , all worked out ,what he was going to, whether he would put him on 15metres or who he would replace him with and how it would impact on the remaining heats, and all these unexpected things all taken into account as the meeting progressed. Of course , at his peak he had some pretty decent riders to work with, especially riders like Freddie Lindgren and Peter Karlsson who were good friends off the track and a good partnership on it.  All these details contribute to being a good TM. 

Edited July 20, 2023 by E I Addio

[iainb 5,017]

4 minutes ago, E I Addio said:

Its true that Middlo has a good track record but he was provided with some pretty good names in his squad ! I often wonder what he would have done with a team built on a low budget. Equally I think there are others who could have been successful if they had the sort of teams Middlo had . 

I take your point about budget but all teams are built to a points limit and generally all within a point or 2 of each other, some how he manages to set an environment where riders you'd never dream of being any good coming up with those goods throughout an entire season

[E I Addio 15,845]

6 minutes ago, iainb said:

I take your point about budget but all teams are built to a points limit and generally all within a point or 2 of each other, some how he manages to set an environment where riders you'd never dream of being any good coming up with those goods throughout an entire season

I know. I can only assume that like a lot of other things in life if you are working with good quality people it brings your own standard up. All those who excelled, Chris Holder etc  weren’t suddenly produced by Middlo, they were good a anyway. I think that both Middlo and Peter Adamd were pretty close socially to their riders and that may have had something to do with it.

I suppose what I am saying really is that the TM is to some extent what you make of it. In some cases it really is just picking a t/s or heat 15 in others they work a lot harder. One of the worst T/ms I ever saw was Neil Vatcher when he was at Lakeside. Nice bloke but no communication skills with the riders at all. 

[steve roberts 9,246]

31 minutes ago, E I Addio said:

I think it’s a bit of a circular thing really. A team manager is ultimately as good as his riders, by which I mean he has to have suitable riders to work with. Many professional riders, riding for possibly three teams in different countries feel they have heard it all before and are going to do their own thing whatever anybody else says. I remember Kelvin Tatum saying that if a rider is riding at a track he doesn’t like he will take it easy if he knows he has a potentially big pay day in a couple of nights time at one of his favourite tracks. On the other hand some riders will show great commitment even if they are only a guest rider . There are many variable factors a good TM needs to keep in mind .

Its true that Middlo has a good track record but he was provided with some pretty good names in his squad ! I often wonder what he would have done with a team built on a low budget. Equally I think there are others who could have been successful if they had the sort of teams Middlo had . 

For a good team manager there is more to it than picking a t/s or heat 15. Peter Adams, at his best a few years ago was IMO the epitome of a good manager . His mind was like a computer. He would think ahead all the time plan for every eventuality. If a rider touched the tapes he knew in advance , all worked out ,what he was going to, whether he would put him on 15metres or who he would replace him with and how it would impact on the remaining heats, and all these unexpected things all taken into account as the meeting progressed. Of course , at his peak he had some pretty decent riders to work with, especially riders like Freddie Lindgren and Peter Karlsson who were good friends off the track and a good partnership on it.  All these details contribute to being a good TM. 

Agree entirely...having a sure ability around you to work with makes things much easier. Ipswich were not the strongest of teams on paper during their double winning years (1975/76) but having the combined force of John Berry and Ron Bagley running the show they excelled bringing out the best in their riders.

[longmeadow 24]

Absolute no brainer. Peter Adams. Won it twice with coventry twice at cradley and five times at wolverhampton.

 

[steve roberts 9,246]

The best Team Managers also had good Lieutenants on track who acted as "go-betweens"...Ole Olsen at Coventry, Sam Ermolenko at Wolves, John Louis at Ipswich, Ivan Mauger at Exeter and Hans Nielsen at Oxford to name but a few.

[Gavan 5,050]

This isn’t even up for debate 

Pete Adams by a mile and that’s from an Ipswich fan

Rosco also won with 2 different clubs and what he did at Coventry was brilliant 

Middlo is ok but had the budget to work with and I’m sure any manager could have done the same as he did with the resources he was given 

[Technik 491]

The position of todays team manager is more for an enthusiast. There is very little that can be done to change the outcome of a meeting. as a kid I would stand with a group of pals & we would manage both sides making decisions as to what to do when in a position to use T/S or who to put in as R/R & when to use a reserve. of course if the manager differs to us then the debate continues. Todays speedway will not allow that & now all we talk about is how long the meeting is delayed or the dust & why is it so expensive.

But I think the best team manager was Allan Ham at Bradford, He had the ability to motivate an average reserve into beliving he could beat a world champion & humble enough to be able to work alongside World Champions. Each time I went to Odsal it was set up like a championship arena, It was a very intimadating on arrival but always an excellent show

[steve roberts 9,246]

8 minutes ago, Technik said:

The position of todays team manager is more for an enthusiast. There is very little that can be done to change the outcome of a meeting. as a kid I would stand with a group of pals & we would manage both sides making decisions as to what to do when in a position to use T/S or who to put in as R/R & when to use a reserve. of course if the manager differs to us then the debate continues. Todays speedway will not allow that & now all we talk about is how long the meeting is delayed or the dust & why is it so expensive.

But I think the best team manager was Allan Ham at Bradford, He had the ability to motivate an average reserve into beliving he could beat a world champion & humble enough to be able to work alongside World Champions. Each time I went to Odsal it was set up like a championship arena, It was a very intimadating on arrival but always an excellent show

...which was half the fun between races and discussing what had just taken place. Personally I don't understand the need to rush thru' a meeting and have it all done and dusted in as little time as possible. Never agreed with the adage that a meeting consists of just fifteen minutes of action (although extra races would be beneficial) because personally what went on between heats only added to the entertainment value in my opinion.