BWitcher

Being right doesn't make you a pedant. However, being wrong and refusing to accept that even when it's explained makes you... I'll let you decide. Nice long post, most of it complete nonsense as I highly doubt a SINGLE one of the people you took to the sport commented on 'heads nodding up and down'. That line comes alongside the 'pub erupted in laughter' when I explained .... (substitute in any rule the poster doesn't like but is struggling to give reasons why). None of the post above supports a higher or lower points limit either with the exception of team continuity, unless you think that folk will say, ooh the points limit is 45, I won't bother with a programme anymore. It quite simply has zero relevance and is just another futile attempt to cover up the fact that you were WRONG. As for your being out of touch with 'modern society', it's quite clear that YOU are the one who is out of touch. There are more and more stats being produced for every sport going (bar speedway). Why is that? Because folk lap it up. There are a multitude of apps crammed to the hilt with statistics that are used for many purposes from general interest to betting.

Used correctly tv coverage would bring more fans in, however it wasn't and if anything has been damaging (other than the money)

That's what I said? Last season they began to approach tv meetings in the correct manner, however for 95% of the previous 20 years they didn't. 'Otherwise it'd be like darts ffs'. Yes, we don't want attendances to grow from a few hundred to several thousand +... I mean.. ffs!

Live speedway has been utterly wasted. Only last season with BT did they 'begin' to grasp the concept. EVERY single live tv meeting should have been reduced entrance to ensure a healthy, vibrant crowd so anyone tuning in on TV sees it's a 'happening' event. Instead they see a sparse crowd week in week out which immediately tells them not to bother.

Not surprising they made a loss. The strength of the league was cut again last season.. and more fans walked away. Doubling up and guests were out of control.. and more fans walked away. And here we are with 'some' fans screaming to cut the strength again... so more fans walk away. The doubling up/guests situation is fixed, that is one positive step at least. The points limit is 42.5, that was another... But totally undone with the 'one over 8 rule' which has outraged fans of Wolves and Swindon. Not one single fan will be added by this rule, but you can guarantee it will cause more to once again.. walk away.

We think we're right because we ARE right. You'd have to be pretty dumb to keep posting about something when you're wrong. We're not discussing an opinion, we're discussing something factual. The only person who needs to 'take a deep breath' is yourself. Have you stopped to consider why we can illustrate things with past examples? Stats, as has already been discussed, are immensely popular in all of the major sports yet you in your infinite wisdom believe they have contributed to the demise of speedway. The reality is quite the opposite, the statistical side of the sport could be expanded upon massively to help hook more fans.

100% spot on. Statistics and 'data' play a much larger part in football now than you give credit for though, especially on the management side of things where everything is analysed to the nth degree. Again, this is an area where speedway lags behind. You mention about riders and their average from certain gates, I've done such an analysis myself as you may have seen me mention previously on this forum. Nicolai Klindt over his spell riding for Wolves averaged over 8 from gates 3 and 4 and under 4 from the inside gates at Monmore Green. That's a massively significant difference and a clued up team manager racing at Monmore with Klindt at reserve (or any other rider with such a split) could gain a significant advantage. However, try mentioning it and most in the sport think you are just talking nonsense. You can guarantee it would be capitalised on in almost any other sport.

Sadly for Jacob there really is only one option there if Fred wishes to return.

Absolutely nothing to do with being good at Maths or not. It's perfectly understandable to assume some of the things they do, such as 45 should be the pts limit because there 90pts in a match etc.. However, once it's explained in a pretty basic fashion some folk are just too pig ignorant to listen. As for 'statistics'.. seriously? It's quite the opposite I would say. Younger sports fans are obsessed with statistics and it is an area that the sport is failing in massively. Every sport out there, there are apps crammed full of stats. Speedway is lagging way behind in that area and it is one area they could do far more in.

The usual post. When you don't understand something and even when it's explained still REFUSE to understand, resort to the old 'it's a big joke' line. Some simply won't listen I'm afraid waiheke. On the Wolves fan page a fan, supported by quite a few others, was rambling on about how weak the league was because it didn't have 20+ 9pt average riders like it did in the late 60's (time period he quoted). A few of us quickly explained that was due to the size of the league, the heat format and the fact bonus pts were included in the averages. Of course, rather than learning something they continue to argue and came out with a classic.... "Are you seriously telling me that if 20 Tony Rickardsson level riders were in British Speedway now they wouldn't all have 9+ averages, lol!" I replied that I am categorically 100% stating that would be the case and explained how often they would be racing against each other. The response? A block and he left the group. It's staggering just how some refuse to learn.

They can't afford it to be any more.

To be honest it actually disappoints me that you can't use one in Heat 8. Some of the very best memories under the old rules came from the No 2 and sometimes even No 7 beating the big gun tac sub. Again though, it really does amuse me how the same folk who have been preaching how people laughed at the sport because of the unfairness of the double pt ride would come flocking back if a more unfair system was rolled out.

Clearly you want more false results and less credibility. Pretty much shoots your entire argument down in flames.

I think it's you that doesn't get it. It's been this way the entire time I have been watching the sport, since early 80's.

So you wouldn't go if it was free. You don't watch it on TV. Yet you feel you can offer opinions on the current product. Hilarious.

Sounds about right for an eight team league with Heats 13 and 15 and no bonus pts in the averages.

Some folks seem to be acting as if this is something new!

It all starts to merge together after a while, I'm rapidly reaching that point now too!

How dare you be so disrespectful. Can you do any better? They risk their lives for your entertainment.

Quite a regular thing, especially after the move to 15 heats. Cradley in the Hancock Hamill days could be 10pts down going into Heat 13.. 5-1.. double tac sub 5-1 and then 5-1 again. Match won.

Ok, forget the much. They are not being dumbed down at all. The league will be stronger.

They're not being dumbed down much this year, if anything at all.

I don't envisage that being much of an issue. The bigger risk is he has never even ridden at heat leader for any prolonged spell. His average is based upon riding at No 4 and is quite inflated as a result. Next year should have been the year he transitioned to No 2 heat leader.. throwing him in at No 1 is a big ask, especially if the team he is in is struggling.

Exactly, it would be a major risk given he achieved it riding at No 4. Next year should have been the year Jacob moved to 2nd heat leader and hopefully adapted to that rule.

Only by fools. Signing a No 1 based upon an average achieved at No 4 is risky in the extreme. Ah the old myth. Yep, racing was much closer when Hans Nielsen was racing David Haynes back in the late 80's. Big difference between riding at no 4 and at no 1. Making that step up AND changing track would be a gamble for teams taking him on.