Big Al

Reduce the number of teams to 6. No matches to take place on Tuesdays, Saturdays, or Sundays. Ten home matches at home, and ten away. Teams to have only one match (home or away) per week (there will be occasional need for two matches in a week to catch up previously postponed fixtures). No league matches until April. 4 points for a win, 5 for an away win by 6 or more. Bonus point for aggregate match points total from all 4 matches between teams. Second and third placed teams race-off home and away, to qualify for playoff final against the table-topping team. League season to be completed by 30 September. FTR scheme to apply to No.7 position in team only. Minimum of 2 under-26 riders (regardless of nationality) in positions 1-6. Riders 1-6 have averages which determine team position Scrap the 2-year restriction on EL/PL doubling-up (probably illegal anyway). The flaws in the current FTR scheme have been badly exposed this year. There isn't enough depth in the pool when the injuries toll mounts. No disrespect, but you can't go on with the league having to rely on Hall and Wilkinson to make up the numbers. Young Brits will have to earn their place in the 1-6 alongside/in competition with young riders from other countries such as Jorgensen, Busk-Jacobsen etc. Having any team with a Saturday race day, weakens the overall product quality. Leicester really shouldn't have been allowed into the league with a Saturday race night. Keeping the number of teams limited to 6 will help to enforce that requirement. Clubs with easier access to their stadiums could stage 4th-tier events on non-home match weeks.......double-header matches, 4TT's, Individual events.......they can use the opportunity to help produce their own No.7 riders of the future.

Norman Storer........the only rider in the history of speedway to have an ashtray on his handlebars

That team's the one which went through a complete season 1-7 unchanged. I don't think that record will ever be equalled!! Cookie came along quite a few years after that.

I just wonder how much Mr Hemsley has "endeared" himself to other promoters over the past few years, and more specifically with his fellow EL promoters over the past two seasons. There have been episodes within the public domain such as the statement about the Kings Lynn track (whilst at the same time "bigging up" his own one); comments about Peter Karlsson last season (ok - not direct but it was obvious who he was talking about), and the somewhat public spat with Swindon last season over fixture planning - and maybe things going on this year regarding the projected transfer of Doyle. Generally the rather "braggadocio" attitude which seems to have been emitted since Leicester re-opened, admittedly much of it more comedic in value, but comments about Leicester getting meetings on when other tracks can't (because we have a "can do" attitude here at Leicester, or something like that), maybe that has just got up the nose of other promoters? So when the chance comes along to kick some sand in his face.........could they resist that opportunity? The downside with converting it to a challenge match, is it would have meant three home matches against Lakeside in one season (wowee). Or maybe it should have been changed to be a challenge match against Coventry, and let them have Sarjeant. Asleep on a blanket the whole time??......woken up to be given a few biccies and a drink at the interval (then back to sleep)??.......presumably didn't pay to get in??......sounds to me like the perfect way to "enjoy" matches at BP.

So next season it could be a case of "Doyle or No Doyle" to decide which league Leicester is in?

Ah cheers I'll keep a watch out for that......I bet Sky won't be too interested though.

I seem to have missed something. Has Darcy Ward been allowed to ride again?

Leicester website is promoting a special deal of double vodka and coke for £3.00 at this match. So is this a clue that Mr Ward is going to be in town?

To team ride, you need a suitably designed track to do it on.

In that case i agree with Barrow Boy

So how will the track be spiced-up for that one? tsc1 contradicted his own previous post!!

Think I can help you there. EL promoters agreed a contract in about 2009 which effectively handed control of track preparation to GSI for all Sky broadcast matches. This was part of the overall contract covering such matches, and has remained in effect even after the expiry of the more substantial sponsorship deal with Sky a couple of years ago. Last season the BP track for the live match was prepared in such a way that made it dangerous in my opinion - in an effort to produce incidents. This year it was probably not quite as dangerous but still doctored so as to produce incidents, which it did and it was again fortunate that no rider was seriously injured. I am sure that if Glyn Taylor had been in full control of prep, riders would not have been slithering and bouncing around looking like novices at times!

Leicester tried that one with Bridger - with moderate success

Surely David Hemsley can lend out a few of his pairs of rose-tinted spectacles?

So how about after each match you have rider ratings given from 1 to 5 Eg. 5. Gave it 100% each race, got to the starts without messing around, team rode when had chance, sporting attitude, took extra riders 1. Gave up trying quickly if he didnt gate, got picked off easily, didnt clear track when could have, messing about at starts The ratings could be given by the proboards texters at the meetings, and each rider would build up a running Quality Average

haha! Do away with averages. Introduce a new rating system based on points scored, consistent genuine effort made over 4 laps, sportsmanship, being at the start promptly, and condition of kevlars. Refs to produce a rating for each rider at the end of all matches, cumulative "quality ratings" to be built up over course of the season. All teams declared for matches to show current rider quality ratings, and use them as basis for pay.

Oh well......wish I'd not bothered with this now!! As someone who isn't a one-eyed supporter of a team, when i do go to see a match, one of the factors that gets me to go along is the chance to watch a "top" exponent of the art doing his stuff. I just think that it seems nowadys theres a higher chance that I'll go along, with money and time spent, and be disappointed at how whoever it is, actually performs. I know there the chance of that happening anyway, but it seems to be getting to be a higher chance. Thats what i meant by drop in quality. Didn't want to spark a stats "debate" !!!!

Anyway......I don't like this trend. It's another big drop in the quality of the product, in my view. Woffinden in 2014 started the trend, and it's spreading.

So are the top riders just not bothering making the extra effort because they're deciding that the returns on that effort are not worth it, and are deciding to cut down their costs? If that's the case - and we've had a lot of evidence to support that line of reasoning - we are heading more and more down the road towards a league where the number of outstanding riders is decreasing, and we have more mediocrity. Or is it better that the scoring levels of riders is becoming more similar? I know the days of three clear-cut heat leaders has long gone......but now we seem to be struggling to get any clearly defined heat leaders, or at least going in that direction. Is that bad or good?

I dont necessarily mean literally the number one, but the guy in the team you would call its top rider/s. Agree the format has made a difference, but is it about more than that?

Is it me, or am I noticing a continuing decline in the performance levels of riders who occupy number one race jackets? Is this real, or do statistics show otherwise? Does it apply to heat-leaders generally, or is it limited to the "top" riders only? Is it a trend which is likely to continue? What are the reasons, and what are the implications for the present and future viability of the Elite League?

More than one change then?

Wise choice

It probably involved David Hemsley, a toilet, and a lot of loo roll

Avoidance of clashes with Grand Prix dates has been often highlighted in terms of Leicester's fixture planning last season and this. Fair enough, but that's only part of the story. The fact is there are so many opportunities for the "top" riders to have a preferential commitment elsewhere on a Saturday/weekend, and there isn't a lot their clubs can do about it in most instances, especially with those riders who are not based in the UK. The UK-based riders seem to be much better when it comes to fulfilling weekend UK commitments, but only up to a point. So unfortunately, the penny will drop, as it already has with many, that although a forthcoming fixtures at Leicester seem attractive, theres a fair chance the actual "product" will fall short of that. Of course you'll always get some diehards who will show up even if the away team tracks 7 National League guests, but will those numbers be enough in the long run as the "floating" punters get more and more sceptical and spend their money and time on something else.