salty

Hopefully when it is re-run it will involve two full teams. Hats off to David Howe for posting on here to help clear things up.

The more I think about it, i don't see why there was the need for the rule change. If you are going to drop Compton from 15 to 25, why not simply drop him down 2 more to 27 (or move Johnson up a couple to 24 as well). People might have questioned it but there would have been no requirement for the clumsy change of wording and the ridiculous changing of a rule so late in the season.

I pointed out that your answer was wrong. In your opinion you said that the rule was changed because the (FTR) system is a farce. I just pointed out, quite correctly, that this rule change doesn't in any shape or form change the FTR system, it simply enables one team to introduce one rider which they couldn't have done under the previous rules. No other team or rider will be affected by this rule change. So what you should say is...."Thanks Salty, I didn't really understand it before but now I do"

Jeez starry, this rule change doesn't do anything to change the system. All it does and all it will ever do is allow Poole to replace a rider with one who is graded higher. This change in the rule will not effect any other team or rider.

A very reasonable post. It is quite refreshing to hear the majority of Pirates fans on here feeing somewhat disconcerted about this weeks events. Phil Morris certainly has had some input. As far as I know he is solely responsible for the FTR gradings, so he was the person who decided Benji should now be graded 25. Would be interesting to know who then implemented the cut-off at below 24? Given that 3 weeks ago in the Speedway Star Middlo was complaining about how the rules prevented them from strengthening up it isn't too much to speculate where the motivation for the rule change came from. As it stands we will complete the first season of FTR where every team bar one who has made a change has done so by using a replacement lower down the grades. Belle Vue are the only other team with a rider graded below 25 (Payne at 26) but can still only use riders below 26. So Poole are the only team who could possibly benefit from this change. As for your other point regarding Nick Morris, as his Dad is a Heathen I've always hoped he would go to the very top in the sport, but I agree his progress seems to have stalled. Don't know what the problem is, maybe the new race formula doesn't help and maybe his home tracks aren't helping him develop, but I hope he can overcome his current difficulties and continue his progression.

More to the point, why implement a rule change that only affects one rider. (or two if you are the unfortunate Brendon Johnson).

Starry if you look at the FTR list the rule change can only benefit one team. 25. Compton 26. Payne 27. Johnson 28. Hopwood. Before the change, Johnson could not be replaced by Compton - now he can. The rule change doesn't benefit Belle Vue because under the old rules Payne could be replaced by anybody 27 and below. The rule change doesn't benefit anybody else because there are no other riders in a 1-7 greded below 24. You could argue Belle Vue could have beaten Matt to the punch and replaced Payne with Compton, except the rule only got changed on the BSPA website after Ford had already announce the Compton signing. So yes, you can say the rule was changed solely for Poole's benefit. I suppose you could take take it a step further and say (and this is an absolute fact) that the rule change only affected one rider - Benji Compton. Under the old rules Payne and Johnson (26 and 27) could be replaced by anybody underneath them. The changed rules mean that they can still be replaced by anybody underneath them - plus now 1 more rider - Benji Compton! So maybe Benji is the machiavellian genius behind this all along???

I think it is more relevant to ask who this rule change could possibly benefit. On the list posted yesterday there are only 2 riders who were rated below 24 who were in a 1-7 - namely Brendan Johnson and Lee Payne. Additionally, there are only 5 riders rated below 24 who were available to be recruited so its hard to see why many of the promoters would be bothered introducing a seemingly minor rule change so late in the season. Yet this rule (added to Benji's mysterious slump in the rankings) has benefited one particular promoter, so not hard to see the motivation for the change.

Keep up. The introduction of the word replacement alongside guest was commented on about 5 pages ago, yesterday afternoon. No mention of why a rule was changed after 5 months of the season or why a rider should inexplicably drop 10 places in the grading list.

If they deign to make a statement - which they probably won't - you know exactly what it will contain. The FTR is a great initiative which is enabling 18 young British riders gain valuable experience. However, like all new initiatives there is sometimes the need to do some fine tuning. A number of promoters had expressed concern how the grading system caused some difficulty when attempting to find replacement riders (cue random quote from Rosco when he was struggling to find cover for Darryl Ritchings and Dan Greenwood earlier in the season). Consequently, the rule was relaxed for riders graded below 24 earlier in the season. Unfortunately, the new wording of the rule could have led some to misunderstand how it was to be applied, but this has now been altered. Regarding the individual rider in this case, he has suffered an injury which has affected his form and the Fast Track Co-ordinator, who has done a fantastic job, felt his new grading reflected his current status as he recovers his form following that injury. Everything is rosy. FTR is great. We are doing a brilliant job. I can see smoke and flames but pass me my fiddle.

Looking forward to it. Also looking forward to next weeks double page expose "How Poole got Benji"

Matt wanted Benji. He couldn't get him originally. He thought he'd got him at the end of April, but he missed out due to injury and subsequently through Benji's rating being too high. So amazingly Benji's grading dropped from 15 to 25. Middlo complained that "with the fast track system this year you can't strengthen up. When you get another rider, you have to go down the draft list." This was two weeks ago, so presumably at that time he knew that Compton was out of their reach. So amazingly we now see a rule re-worded the day after the change has been announced. So Matt got Benji. Clearly other members of the BSPA and the Fast Track Co-ordinator have acquiesced in this happening/being allowed to happen. We can only speculate why they would do so.

Unbelievable. The word replacement has appeared on the new issue next to guest. Hasn't been there for any of the other 23 issues. Utter disgrace.

Benji rides for Kent?

At least we don't have someone telling us how Matt is a step ahead of the rest once again and that nothing has been done wrong and we should move along because there is nothing to see!

Bit worrying that he says he knows nothing about Speedway, given his involvement in influencing the future of Wimbledon Stadium.

Aye it was a bit like that film "Brewsters Millions".

That is the same quotes used on the Poole website yesterday. I can't see how a planned move at the end of April is relevant. Once the May FTR list was announced and Compton was graded above Lee Smart then that move was dead in the water. As far as I remember Smart was still in the Pirates 1-7 until 11th May when he was replaced by Hopwood. Since then Benji has always been graded too high to fit into the Pirates septet (unless he replaces Kyle), until this "loophole"was discovered/manufactured.

If what you say is correct, then yet again I despair for the sport. The change re the rules about who can guest was changed in Mid May. No change was made regarding team declarations. Why was it changed? Swindon complained how difficult they found it to replace Darryl Ritchings and of course Middlo complained 2 weeks ago how the rules stopped them "strengthening up". The rules haven't changed since then, but Compton has sunk to number 25. Unprecedented move as no other riders has moved anywhere near as much. One would have to question the role of the "Fast Track Co-ordinator" in thiis Why was it felt the rules needed to be changed mid-season? Why was the rule change not written in the rules regarding team declarations and only written with regard to guests? Why has Compton's grading fallen so low? Amazing that all those changes have benefited one team. You say it's none of our business, which sums up why the promoters attitude has brought the sport to its knees. I vowed not to attend any Elite League meetings after the winter of discontent and I have seen nothing to change my mind. Still follow the sport and still despair at the direction it continues to take.

I think it was Middlo who was quoted during their bad spell last summer as saying "winning means everything".As others say the integrity of the sport is long shot to bits, and even sadder, most don't even care anymore, or even cared in the first place. Poole will get a good crowd tonight with the vast majority totally unaware and uncaring about the make up of the Pirates 1-7.

Come on. Do you seriously think that the promoters haven't got their wee "special relationships" for the perceived common good? Look at the postponement of the Lakeside meeting last year, the Belle Vue farce to get them into the play-offs. How many teams have Poole assets riding for them?

Compton got paid 8 from 4 rides riding for Swindon against Poole earlier this season. Now back to fitness after his hand injury he has far more potential to score points than the other riders the Pirates have tried in their 2nd FTR slot. No reason at all why he should have slumped 10 places on the list. Even then it shouldn't matter because he is still 2 places above Johnston and the rule about riders graded below 24 only applies to guest bookings. Yet again the Pirates have got their way and the "you scratch my back I'll scratch yours" mentality of the cartel of promoters mean that nobody has the cojones to stand up to them. Edit: to reply to Charizard. I'll be amazed if there is any further communication from anyone. Nobody seemes willing to rock the boat at the promoters top table. Regarding the constant accusations of rule bending, well you reap what you sow. The sad fact is that whenever there is a new rule many of us sit back and wait to see how Poole can exploit it. The FTR suited them with Newman's inclusion, somewhat controversially given his PL average and experience. Not content with having one of the top FT riders, they have now managed to get their way with their second choice.

No riders have been judged equal since the FTR lists were first announced. This whole thing stinks - as usual. Poole announced back in April they were going to bring Benji in to replace Lee Smart. Owing to injury that didn't happen and in the May FTR lists Benji was above Smart so they couldn't have done it anyway (became largely irrelevant because Benji was injured). The change in rule regarding GUESTS ie those below 24 were treated equally for guest purposes, appeared for the first time on 13th May. At that time Benji Compton was ranked 15 Certainly don't remember Swindon having a similar option when they were looking to replace Dan Greenwood. Speedway Star w/e 26th July. Middlo is quoted "With the FT sysytem you can't strengthen up. When you get another rider you have to go down the draft list. It's ludicrous" August 6th. Suddenly Compton ranked now at 25 is replacing a rider ranked 27 using a rule which is very specifically written to relate to GUESTS. Why, oh why, do the other clubs keep allowing Poole to do this? No wonder the sport is dying.

Like I said, the word same should not be there, no rider is graded the same as any other. It leads to ambiguity and gives people (in this case Poole) the chance to interpret the rules the way they see fit. As far as I read it the section about below 24 etc should only relate to guests.

In black and white - Similarly only Riders with the same or lower FTDP Grading may be re-declared for the 6th or 7th positions. Compton is 25, Johnson is 27. You might question why it uses the word "same". Surely only the word lower needs to be used. But the bit written by Stevebrum is clearly only applied to guests. As usual a badly written rule.