sparkafag

What’s the fitness status of Christian Henry? He has missed a lot of speedway the last few years but he would be a gamble worth taking IMO. The Pijper/asset/long/short term debate. The idea of assets and long term thinking is wonderful but to have a long term you need a short term. If an assessed average rider isn’t an instant sensation you are carrying them, the team starts dropping points, crowds will tail off, it isn’t a gamble many sides can afford to take, whereas if a rider like Pijper is signed, punches above their weight/perform to average fans will quickly take to them, fans will always like a rider who scores points irrespective of their age or who owns their contract, TJ proved that last season. I would also question how substantial loan fees currently are, my natural assumption is clubs will be far more understanding when it comes to the terms and conditions of loans (Havelock aside) given the current predicament of the sport. The asset system in theory is great, but in reality and in the current climate, sign 7 really good riders irrespective of where they are from or who owns them and see where the season takes you, 2014 confirms that.

Oddly enough I could see Morris going to Edinburgh

While Cook was a bit of an anomaly in that he simply won a lot of races, Edinburgh have shown that strong reserves don’t matter. I would also question the requirement of a genuinely strong reserve now to partner the Number 7/3.00 Brit, quite a lot of reserves are going to be poor and thus easy pickings. An example case being someone like Nathan Greaves (not to pick on him) could meet a rider like Jan Gravesen a minimum of twice a meeting (Heat 2/8/12 or 14). If you manage smartly you could bully the other sides weak link with a moderate rider. I would assume there will be a bit of that this season given only 2 heats are protected. A decent Brit on 3.00 and one of the runoff the mill journeymen reserves of the last few years could score a lot of points this season.

Alden on 7.37 is a no brainer.

Evidently Monster Energy Drinks

A fit Mellgren (which he really deserves) puts a point on his average, great start.

Masters is the kind of person who thinks it's acceptable to lay into a guy lying injured on track so neither wonder a GP has him worked up

Across both legs then…. The insinuation that a rider who top scored against a side over two legs in a Play Off Semi Final was in on the act and joining that side next season is ridiculous, that was the point. If a rider is seemingly “at it” to the point they would reduce their average across a season, what is another two meetings to them….two meetings that could genuinely influence the side they are about to join.

You’re not saying it but you are basically implying he is a cheat, if that is the logic his team mates must have been in on the act as well because if they had performed to the same level Andersen did in the PO SF first leg the chances are Poole wouldn’t have been in the final. My brain doesn’t twist the way it has to in order to buy into such conspiracy theories.

Because there’s a points limit.

Yes, it absolutely is a daft name, it shouldn’t have been named fast track, aiding development would probably have been better, either that or don’t make any mention of it during the winter and no one would have known any better and just got on with it, because to be honest most clubs have been signing 3.00 Brit riders for years. It is completely arse backwards to suggest the system hasn’t (and will continue) to develop riders. They are evidently going to improve based on track time alone. The “Fast Track” system has allowed riders like Starke, Nielsen, Sarjeant, Kerr, Blackbird and Bates 100s of laps that they wouldn’t have been afforded as they simply wouldn’t have had a team place at Poole, Leicester etc, that alone has aided their development before you even consider the input of the riders they have been around. They might have “got there” but the experience has increased their chances of “getting there” which is the entire point of a development system, they are now “there” in the PL as well, and most can now be considered very steady performers in that league and that’s before even mentioning the ones who were good before the system was in place. If racing protected races helped aid their development, good, the country needs more riders to help improve the product short/medium and long term. Sides benefit If they pick some riders up on beneficial grades, of course they do, the same way sides benefit (typically the richer ones) from picking up riders on bargain averages. If Glasgow for example sign Wajnacket this season it’s no different than them chucking money at Berge on a seemingly bargain average last winter.

A critique is a detailed analyses and assessment designed to improve though, there has to be a degree of balance and logic when doing that so that the person you are critiquing can take something from it. It also tends to stick to a point, focus on it, drill down on it and improve it, thus far you’ve moved from it being a short term fix, it isn’t, mentioning that the the World Cup doesn’t matter, which isn’t relevant, the riders aren’t Pl quality without defining what PL quality is, and now that protected races spoil the product with continual references to old promotions. What is anyone meant to learn from that critique? it just seems a bit….yeah but.

What is “PL quality”? I am a bit of a loss to the answer to that question, it seems to come up quite regular in reference to guys (more so young Brits) “are they ready”, define “ready” or “PL quality” because over the course of the last 10 years riders have raced in the PL who were really very poor, there was even riders during the glory days of 02 through 09 who weren’t very good. Some might argue Clegg and Branford aren’t “PL quality”…well they have just raced in a side that won the league and arguably only found their place in that side as a result of restrictive points limits, cost cutting etc…if it wasn’t for that they probably/possibly wouldn’t have had a place…what else were Edinburgh going to do? win the league by even more with other riders? If riders can’t kick on they will be replaced that’s always been the nature of sport, at least the system affords them the chance. If 4 or 5 Brits can come through a season, in theory its 5 less riders who miss meetings because of commitments on the continent thus leading to R/R and guests. if it so happens it cuts costs, great, that’s an additional bonus rather than something to be mocked, I would far rather clubs were sustainable than not, it’s easy mocking a system or plan put in place, but if the alternative is to simply mock it, then it just seems like a bit of a cheap shot. The worst thing about this system (fast track reserves) is it has a name, something to point at, in reality it’s just the same team building/points limit process that’s been in place for years.

If they could, I would suggest it is pretty evident they won’t be able to. I have always enjoyed the early AGM release, but it’s probably time to bin it, it just allows fans the chance to get completely hysterical.

No one actually thinks reserves are going to get 10+ averages and then be replaced by riders like Woffinden do they?

For someone who doesn’t want to create fractions or elements of the support it’s an absurdly naïve statement that’s left open to interpretation.

Is it not the complete opposite of a short term solution? Is it not the ideal solution in that it should, in theory, help create a larger churn of British riders in this country who want to race and stay in this country rather than travelling around the world for open meetings, thus missing meetings which leads to R/R. guests and disrupted race calendars (the things that seem to irk a lot of fans). Not every rider who is part of the system has to go on to World Cup glory, if any do it will be a bonus, but if they help to rid speedway of some of its supposed ills, surely that’s beneficial?

Exactly, which is why it would then be unfair that they weren’t afforded the same news re the club that others were, as has been said, it isn’t a big deal. I was only quoting your post, it wasn't me who made the comment re true die hard fans.

Really? Because this statement suggest the complete opposite, in fact it’s almost implying the ¾ who weren’t in attendance aren’t die hards or real fans in your eyes. It’s the kind of statement that almost looks intended to create a “them and us” situation. I would go as far as to say that if it hadn’t been mentioned re any kind of them/us mentality or in fact the self-admittance of, basically sh*t stirring, no one would be even batting an eye lid re this one and in fact just enjoying the success of the BSSC night and the fact the club is running in 2016.

The statement on the site a few weeks ago explained what is happening in 2016. A lot of fans aren’t in the Supporters Club so shouldn’t have to attend their events to receive club news** ** this is in no way intended as a dig at the supporters club.

About 15 years ago it would have impacted attendance, probably at both tracks, now though, I would seriously doubt it, you would be talking a handful of fans at best. I would assume the bigger worry is the attraction of Glasgow to riders rather than fans.

Ow he only finished with a 8.73 average, what a disaster. I would assume Kurtz would quite comfortably carry a comparable PL average to Cook when he is the same age, although the chances of him racing PL speedway at the age of 28 should his career carry on the same trajectory are pretty slim, although what Cook has to do with it I don't know, he isn't really the water mark for a rider like Kurtz.

He started the season on a 7.54 and will end it with an average of 9.17 that’s not “stagnant” it couldn’t be further away from being motionless or lifeless. I would also question what benefit there is to Kurtz racing for a small track side, where is that going to benefit him in the future? There aren’t even that many small tracks in the UK anymore let alone the GP and the “small” tracks in the GP typically race like big tracks. He needs a racing brain which he seems to lack at times, but that will come, and it will probably be advanced racing on a track like Somerset more rather than less. Added to all of this, he is a kid, a young man who needs to adapt to the demands of a 40/50 meeting season, it is hardly surprising that has come as a struggle to him given this season is basically the first time he has ever had to do it, that “struggle” has also seen him hit, again, just to stress this, a stagnant 9.17 average.

I appreciate the counter might be “tough” and “live with it” but a rider like Bates has a 5.86 average, it would put him in every side in the country’s top 5 and he now has 2 years PL racing, its riders like that where this kind of system falls on its arse, just as it was Jon Armstrong the last time and the likes of Carl Wilkinson in the EL.

The fixtures list and structure of fixtures would be my priority, stadiums shouldn’t be sitting empty during the summer months. It typically leads to clubs having to run fixtures when people have lost interest in the season. The League Cup in particular needs looked at IMO. It could probably be scrapped with the fixtures merged into the league to compensate clubs for the lack of local meetings and also allows clubs the chance to sell a marketable season ticket and riders for the reduced contracts. It would also help with the rearranging of fixtures and promotion as in theory it means you are running a meaningful league meeting come September rather than a meeting in a competition you were eliminated from/qualified from months ago. Clubs might grumble at the lack of a chance at a Final, but surely the counter to that would be, make money from a Final and lose money running dead rubbers to a less than average crowd. Begin the PL campaign with a front loaded regional fixture list, and end it the same way. If at all possible merge as many tours as possible into the fixture list, in theory an ideal fixture list would look something like..Rye v Ipswich, Peterborough, Somerset to start ….Northern team tours in the summer and then end at home v Ipswich, Peterborough and Somerset. Away from home reverse it with weekend trips to Edinburgh, Berwick and Glasgow in the middle, and again “Up North to Sheffield, Workington and Newcastle.... I appreciate this in it's self creates the logistical stadium issue as that in theory means 2 Saturday nights Rye aren't running at home etc and so on. Who knows, add the points from the early season regional fixtures and the side who gains the most “regional points” from the typical Premier Trophy group are the side that goes on to represent the region at the 4s. If it means prearranged fixtures rather than computer generated etc so be it, make it as friendly as possible to clubs and fans. Who knows, overtime you could build it so that the fixture pattern remains the same every season like La Liga in Spain, so that a Somerset fan can say meeting number 12 away from home means we are at Workington so I can plan around that, and plan to attend that meeting. I also feel the lack of an additional final would add to spectacle of the Play Offs and KOC. The season ending with 3 Finals in the space of a month sort of takes the shine of IMO. I appreciate like most things, this is probably easier said than done but I do feel there are minor fixes which could/can make differences without having to cost a lot of money, this might be one.