Dave Jones

If we take your arguement as correct then such tactics the EL would soon be run with only the 3 or 4 richest teams running. Sport doesnt reflect life in so much that if fans dont believe they have a chance of winning or at best being competitive they wont support you. Thats a fact of life, look at the numbers of man u or arsenal shirts you see in Coventry. The bees have won nothing for years but they are very well supported.The fact is the club has to try, not throw the towel in and say play by our rules or we take the ball home.Sandhu is a new promotor this year but you didn.t see him running to the conference asking for team strengths to be reduced to cut his costs,he has attacked the business in a positive manner and supported his team 100%.He has actually stated that costs will not be cut because last seasons second strings will now ask for heat leader money.For his troubles he now been well & truly kicked in the backside by the weak spined people who run this sport.Dekker if you genuinely believe I am wrong have a look round a few of the other forums and see what public opinion is.

Unfortunately Lupus you don,t seem to understand that there will always be winners and losers.If you give two people 10 grand each and tell them to go out and make their fortune one will come back with 20 grand & the other with nothing thats whats called "life".The problem with certain people in the BSPA is their negative thoughts and the continual desire to level down.If we take Ipswich as an example,they have been very succesful over recent years and have a retained list to be proud of.The fact that they have not been able to build on that success is hardly the fault of anyone other than the promotors of Ipswich Speedway.We are told that this new system is to encourage the new teams inthe elite league.Why should we?Terry Russell has his fingers in three tracks now, at Swindon he has bought the contract of Leigh Adams ,at Eastbourne he has a surplus of riders that will probably end up at one of the new tracks effectively keeping all his riders in work.He will be the big winner in all of this.At Coventry we have always built for the future,The introduction of Jonsson ,Janniro,& Fisher to Britain are the recent examples.Add to that the club has never been afraid to put their hands in their pockets to by a rider when necessary.Now if other promoters are unable or unwilling to compete on these terms thats, hardly the problem of Coventry Speedway,and now we are forced to dispose of two of our top riders who are not necessarily guaranteed to find other clubs . Who,s the loser there? Not the new teams in the league but the two riders concerned ,and the management of Cov and all the fans.I suggest you put your obvious dislike of the Bees to one side and then perhaps some" rational thinking" might be more evident.

If that means the Promoters accepting that they've got it wrong and changing things, then that has got to be a good thing - let's hope they are big enough to admit they've made mistakes and rectify them. I'm all for them changing their mind but not if it means that the 'new' teams can't get any decnet riders whilst 'other' teams - I'm not ALLOWED to mention who - are sooooooo desparate to win something, they get their own way and keep their heat leaders!!! If it can be gauranteed that Arena and Swindon (and Ipswich..... AND Oxford) can get two 8+ point riders to compete wih those who've already GOT this, then I say fine - however if it's only being done because certain promoters (who I CAN'T name ) want to gain an advantage NO MATTER WHAT, then I have severe reservations to say the least!!! I have NO problems with then changing the damn stupid GD rule - or even looking again at how the grading will work but whatever they decide should be in the best interests of the sport, not just the select few who kick up the biggest stink!!!! Gemini and Heathen - The problem is that Mr Pratt has been one of the worst examples of 'shrewd management'/'rule manipulation'/'bending of the rules'/'cheating' (delete as necessary dependant upon the tint of you glasses) over the last 20 or so years. Is it any wonder that I suspect him whenever anything of this ilk arises?!!! I thought the whole idea of competition is trying to win.Quite rightly the Bees, and their fans, are devastated at the thought of giving up two of their heat leaders.Indeed why should they give up riders to accomodate new teams when both the new clubs already have a wealthy benefactor in Terry Russell.He has done very well from the Sky deal .I suggest he should finance his own teams and leave the other clubs to do the same.

Who says Poole are the richest club? They have a team of loanee,s and a rented stadium,to be considered rich a club needs assets.Matt Ford could walk away anytime and leave Poole speedway with nothing.