mikebv

Erik Ross looks one to watch...

Have you been the head of marketing and advertising for UK Speedway over the past 40 years?

But how could you tell who is who?.. So difficult.....

100%... So the "glamour, trophy hunting teams" should compete in the top tier and let the 2nd Div revert to what it once was...

A lot of his views strangely mirror those of Adrian Smith....

A good interview in the Speedway Star with Phil.... States he may "upset some", but he does seem to have a lot of clear understanding of what needs fixing to make the sport credible in the UK.. Let's hope he has the mandate to do so...

The Championship should have two "juniors" like Poland have in their top league. Giving the UK lads a guaranteed perfect stepping stone from NL to a higher standard... Seems crackers that the top league have rising stars but not the league below, given that the RS's in the top league race against world class talent each night.. The sport doesnt need a plethora of World Class GB riders, (it always seems to naturally get 3 or 4 who are of that level), but it does need plenty of "decent" home grown talent that can fill up team places in both Div 1 and 2... The middle tier would be a perfect breeding ground for the development of those riders..

Is it "He should have been on 8.56?".....

Hopefully with Phil Morris in charge such lack of transparency will be a thing of the past... Maybe more regulations in "black and white" will result, rather than the (deliberate I presume), many ones that allow subjectivity to be used in reaching a decision.. Which results in many "outsiders looking in", believing "who you are in the grand scheme of things", gets you the decisions you want... There could easily (like many other individual sports do), be a world ranking list, based on riders performances around the globe.. And then use that to clearly define what assessed averages will be...

I think 'wanting to get the top riders back' has to be influencing some of the averages to be used in the top league... However, the sport needs to avoid as much 'subjectivity' as possible, being delivered by those who inevitably may have a vested interest in the outcome, so using some 'actual info' is at least based on fact and not opinion... And some of the riders who are returning rode against much better opponents when they were last here so gauging them now would be very subjective indeed... An 8 point minimum for GP riders would cover most bases, with anything higher being down to their actual last average when they rode last over here... Edit : Maybe they should do a ranking level based on individuals Poland, Sweden, The UK, and FIM event results? The Top 20 could then be a minimum 8 with a sliding scale as you go down to say the top 50.. eg The top ten are a minimum 8.5, the next ten are an 8,, the next ten are 7.5, the next ten are 7, and the last ten in the best fifty riders are 6.5...

Six actual "seniors" including the number 8, and two juniors.. This country's top league could have gone to four seniors and two juniors when the "top names" left, meaning plenty of "senior" cover for injured riders... However, the 2nd Div wanted to use Div 1 HL's and the Div 1 HL's wanted the money, hence DU'ing become rife and out of control... As you say, there is a reason Poland will never go down the guest route and it's that the fans, media and sponsors would never countenance such a situation as it would destroy their competitions credibility and render them pretty much worthless, (and unwatchable from those brought up on it being a "proper team sport").....

And without the third change (that wasnt allowed in the redulations), maybe they wouldnt have qualified? All ifs, buts and maybes obviously, but as you say, time to move on.. Roll on 2023, could be a cracker with some decent teams announced, and let's see if Mr Morris can sort such situations out...

Over to Mr Morris.... Integrity....

I think the non stand alone tracks need to be more about development... No point in creating "professional juniors" who spend their careers riding NDL and can just about compete at reserve in the Championship... The non stand alone clubs in particular should be about unearthing talent that could maybe become "first teamers" further down the line, or be able to generate loan fees or transfer values later in their careers.. Let's he honest, even winning the Premiership delivers hardly any wider publicity outside of the Speedway bubble, so winning one of the other two titles resonates even less, with the NDL very much the least of the three, therefore development of future British talent to take team places higher up the ladder has to be a key fundamental principle part of their model...

Robert Lambert?

And would also suggest that Discovery can see a positive future for the Sport in the UK, and obviously their own business, if someone can almost "save the promoters from themselves" and run the sport like a bona fide sport that wants to be taken seriously... You wont get anywhere near the sports potential (Poland proves what it can become), if fans and major sponsors cannot take it seriously, (even many die hard fans of the actual sport struggle)... With some major names back, it's the best year in a long time to try and build some positive momentum, so a good time to take the control away of those who would struggle to understand how to deliver it...

Could follow Swindon and have a few...

A difficult decision for the Promoter I would think... Given the time of year, you cannot rule out rain, (or snow!), and any dodgy weather may make some think twice before attending, and therefore pay to watch it from their armchairs.. For me and my lad It would be a difference between £58 (which all goes to the Promoter), and circa £15 which is shared between the producers and the promoter.. Maybe one of those Geo blockers could work?.. But I do have a VPN meaning i am Lithuanian anyway...

Should get the season off to a bang.... Tai or Emil would be great as the last one. . NKI not too shabby though if it is him... £24/£29 a fair price to watch that calibre of field I would suggest...

Hopefully he is a Discovery appointed CEO....

I was going to suggest... "What about the Abbey Stadium?"... Decades of Speedway heritage there, and perfect for a rebuild and track reshape now Greyhounds have gone.. A "blank canvas" on which to build too... Would be perfect I would suggest... Can't think why it hasnt been chosen...

Maybe his appointment is being encouraged/led by Discovery? Their sporting hierarchy will know him via the GPs.. Maybe they see what Speedway can be when they see how it is ran, followed, and covered in Poland and want to try and replicate it over here? The sport in the UK has generally got viewing figures that "punches above its weight", so possibly they feel that if they could get rid of the "Mickey Mouse" rules and reputation of its leagues, then UK Soeedway may become a relatively inexpensive to cover (for them) success story? Europsrt/Discovery will be used to dealing with bone fide CEO's and business leaders, and, with the best will in the world, I would suggest those who try and administer it currently are only willing amateurs, without a lot of the required skill set to run a major professional sport,, who are "doing the best they can" to run things. Hence UK Speedway remains very much a minor professional sport in the UK... Best of luck to Phil, his starting point this season with some major talent returning has good timing for him...

Poole's crowds do drop off quite significantly when they are not successful as well too dont they? And its more noticable there given the higher than most starting point when they are doing well I would say.. Maybe being a big fish in a small pond suits them best now...

But would they be with Bewley, Emil, and Nicki P et al there? Poole, quite sensbily stepped down when the top league and the 2nd Div were pretty much using all the same riders, so it made perfect sense to drop down, save money, use Div 1 HL's and ride on their historical best nght... Maybe Thursday would be more successful when some of the World's best are there?

"Integrity, Transparency and Perception"... Does Phil come on here? Great news... Just as long as his remit isn't influenced by the self interest of others it could be a major move forward for the sport in the UK... Chris Louis seems to be a voice that can see the UK version of Speedway's major fundamental issues that hold it back from being taken seriously, (which impacts crowd levels negatively and also major sponsor involvement), but can also see the huge potential that the sport has if ever done "properly" in the UK... A very positive move, and with the "major names" starting to come back, let's hope the "custodians" see the bigger picture rather than just their own team being "successful" in such a small minority sport, which currently resonates little.... A good year to launch some major marketing of the sport given the quality of riders on offer, and hopefully with his contacts, Phil Morris can help facilitate this... Just hide the water truck from him on TV race nights...