The White Knight

But at least qualifying is an even playing field. PICKS, GIFTS, SPONSOR'S INFLUENCE, FAVOURITISM, NATIONALITY TO BRING IN PUNTERS AT THE GATE, HAS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH SPORT. :mad: Of course when people like those you mention qualify - you can always get upsets. Once in a while the unexpected happens and someone different wins a GP. To use Football parlance - a Giant Killing Act. This ADDS interest to the Sport and reduces the amount of seeing the same old Riders at EVERY GP EVERY YEAR. :rolleyes:

........................ and for his TEAM RIDING abilities. :rolleyes: (how many times). :rolleyes:

Just because the Elite League is totally b*llsed up - DON'T start dictating to the Premier League when, where and how THEY ride their Speedway. :mad: I suggest you look at putting your Elite League house in order and leave the other Leagues alone. Perhaps, though, the Elite League is beyond help. :rolleyes:

But you still haven't answered the questions Niamh: i) Why have Qualifiers? and ii) How do you decide who are the best in the World?

That says it ALL really.

A VERY good and fair point Ghostwalker.

Now THAT is SPOT ON orion.

Well why the heck have QUALIFYING Rounds Niamh - if you are just going to PICK the 'best in the World'. I really can't understand why you don't seem to get it - we are talking about a SPORT - you know COMPETITION. Ian

I can back up sidney's point by simply saying that, under the old Rule (which I didn't like either) by saying that at least you could NOT pull back SEVEN Points on the opposition in ONE Race. Wrong, Immoral, Unfair, Unsporting and any other adjective you care to truthfully apply. Oh - and before you ask - I too have seen BOTH versions of the Rule in operation. I hated BOTH of them, the current Double Points Rule the most.

Tully is a Team man - Lindgren ISN'T!! End of story as far as I am concerned. Oh - and all of this 'potential' that Lindgren is supposed to have - he hasn't improved that much for Newcastle on last Season - and Newcastle is the Team that I am interested in.

I really wish I could but I have a prior engagement then. :sad:

Great to hear that folk are rallying round Chris. :approve:

Yet MORE people dishing out places in the GP. Bl**dy GREAT isn't it. :mad: I don't know why they don't just do away with QUALIFYING altogether and just stick in the Riders they want. That is the way the SGP seems to be going anyway. :mad:

NO WE DON'T!!! If enough people complain to the 'powers that be' then we, as Customers should have the ability to change things...... or We can walk away - AND A HELL OF A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE ALREADY DONE THAT!!! Remember - this is Speedway and the top Management of the Sport in general do NOT have a good track record of looking after their Fan Base. Far better to brown nose SKY for CASH and do exactly what they (SKY) ask than consider the loyal Supporters who have supported the Sport for years. They should remember SKY CASH IS TEMPORARY - SUPPORTERS CASH CAN, TO A POINT, BE RELIED UPON. In pandering to SKY - the Sport does itself no favours.

It's NOT just the Points that Andrew Tully scores the fact that he TEAM RIDES other Riders in to scoring Points as well. You certainly could NEVER accuse Lindgren of TEAM RIDING. Lindgren and Tully BOTH have identical averages - but crucially, how many extra Points has Lindgren helped people to score? - NIL I would reckon. Tully quite a lot I would expect. Who therefore is of MORE VALUE to the TEAM - simple - Andrew Tully. I would be gutted if he left and Lindgren stayed.

They have ALREADY, as you say, "messed around" with Speedway's Formula FAR TOO MUCH!! :mad: I fear for the future of our wonderful Sport which I have supported for nigh on Fifty years. It certainly isn't the same Sport that I loved in my early days. :sad:

I would be VERY sad to see Tully leave - it would not bother me one jot if Lindgren went. C'mooooooooooon the Lean, Mean Racing Machine - that is - ANDREW TULLY.

Usually for the better Dave, usually for the better. I would cite the fact that with Jokers, Double Points, Play Offs and all the other crap that has gone in to changing the Sport, has NOT had the effect of bringing massive Crowds in. In fact, in general Gates are falling - I wonder why? Perhaps the influence of SKY Television has not been as advantageous to Speedway as was hoped - MOST of the changes were introduced at THEIR behest. A fat lot of good it has done us. Perhaps part of the reason people are drifting away is that the credibility of our so called Sport is stretched beyond the limit and beyond belief. :sad:

I thought we already had that. :shock: :blink:

I don't like the System - however - Good Luck Tai. I DO hope that you can win the Championship.

Yes - I couldn't agree more - even though I have not finished reading this Issue yet. I might be a bit sad but the arrival of both BackTrack and Classic Speedway really does buck me up.

Exactly.

You could leave the League and Fixtures as they are, have NO 'Cut Off' Date and NO 'Play Offs' - everybody would finish their Meetings and the Team that finished TOP OF THE LEAGUE would be CHAMPIONS!!! :approve: It's NOT rocket science.

...................... and there's the rub. :rolleyes:

I never stated ALL of Speedway's problems Philip - just a hell of a lot of them. Race days as has been mentioned and lack of top Riders in our so called Elite League is another, in my opinion.