Tom Turner

Hoping for a Pirates win with a bit fat 0 from Benji.

The point is the rules were changed with less than a month of the season left. There is no way anybody else can benefit from this rule. Do you see now? Technically Poole did not cheat, but in the eyes of every decent supporter they have, and you'd have to deluded to think otherwise!

What's that got to do with outright cheating?

Come on Starman, you're giving us Pirates supporters a bad name. If the rules had changed a month or two ago it wouldn't have been a problem. It's the fact that that the rules were changed so late on in the season, and that Poole had made use of these rules before they were even announced! You must be able to put 2 and 2 together?

The fact that the rules were changed doesn't matter, the point is it was clearly changed just for Poole's benefit. And that is through and through wrong. It is not too late for Matt Ford to make amends. If you are reading this, which I expect you are, do the right thing and get on the phone to Brendan. Let's not beat around the bush, I would be surprised if he scored a single point off his own back, but it's the right thing to do.

I am Poole born and bred. I have supported the Pirates ever since my parents introduced me to the sport just over 10 years ago and I have defended Matt for a lot of his actions, but this is inexcusable cheating and has thoroughly put a damper on the whole season for me. Gutting.

For me this was tarnished by Poole's cheating. Shame really.

To be honest I just do it for fun! Keep's things fresh It's fun to pick fun and silly names sometimes. Nope, nothing embarrassing. You can obviously tell when somebody has hundreds of posts that they aren't new. You can just look at their profile to know who they were before. It's public for the world to see. I just enjoy changing my name, I do it once every few weeks.

You could do with acting your age as well.

Oh give it a rest. This is becoming borderline abuse now. You can see my name history by clicking on my profile. Changing names is actually quite common on forums, the very reason the feature is there. Just because some idiot chats rubbish and changes his name that means anybody who changes there name is him? :/ Come on mate.

But why? That is my question. We had a good team. It was capable of taking on King's Lynn. Matt Ford is an intelligent man, he would of known it would cause this uproar. Excuse me if I'm wrong, but team's do not get a reward for winning is that correct? They only get the extra money at the gate for being a part of the final? We would of made it to the final without Benji. It just doesn't make any sense.

Pipe down Gavan, it's not our fault is it. Stop tarring us with the same brush.

As a Poole fan I am often the first to criticize Matt Ford, however on this occasion it does seem there is more to it than we can see. I don't believe for a second this rule change is purely as a result of Matt Ford wishing to change his fast track rider. There must be more to it than that. I feel sorry for my fellow Poole supporters as there is nothing quite as crushing to a loyal supporter than knowing that if we win the league this year everybody will say we didn't deserve it.

Sounds like a good system to me, but what will happen when a number 6 moves up in to the main team. Would they need to pick another FT rider to fill his spot? I don't think years riding or age should play a big part in the selections, I think it should only be based on the last couple of years of their career. If they have been riding badly or failed to hold a team position then they should have the chance to improve through the draft system imo, even if they have previously ridden at a higher level. Some riders could really benefit from the extra rides to get back on track.

Not at all, it is very much just a number. The riders may be judged by their average when it comes to building a team and their contribution to the team but it does NOT accurately determine whether or not a rider has improved. I could understand that argument if it were a rider on his way down and it was important for him as his future lies within that league, but when it is what I would call an "up and coming rider" like Kyle Newman who is aiming to be the best at his game, his Premier League average probably means rather little to him as he is aiming to surpass the Premier League. A real racer is not interested in simply getting a bit better at what they already do, they want to try new approaches, new lines and learn from every mistake they make. That is in my opinion the only way to master your sport. You cannot become the master of any field before making every mistake in it first. Although his average has not increased in Premier League, that is in no way a reflection of his skill as a rider. The Kyle Newman I have seen this year is a much better all rounded racer than the year before. I would put a wager on that he will add 2 points to his premier league average next season (barring injury) due to the skills he has developed in this years draft system. I disagree entirely. Why shouldn't he? He may of had experience in the Elite League, but before his play off performance he was pretty rubbish! Riding out of your depth in a few Elite League matches doesn't make you a better rider, and certainly shouldn't be excluded from the draft system in that case. If that were the case then riders who might be tempted to try their hand at Elite League racing would thing twice as they would be better off waiting for a draft position. Why slow down their progression as a rider because they have ridden in a match above their present level?

He will find it much harder in a league meeting against a fired up Poole side.

It's all about experience. The more time they can get racing the better. Sometimes time is all you need to get better, but Premier League isn't giving riders enough rides to gain this experience. I have said before I would prefer a stronger league without the draft system, but it does seem the draft system is a good way to give those riders the extra "leg up" they need to get better. It is not all about point scoring. A year in the draft system isn't going to turn any rider into a superstar, it's not going to make a poor rider brilliant overnight, but it does give them the chance to practice and learn from their mistakes so next season when they return to Premier or Elite league they can focus on putting their experience to the test, rather than making the mistakes they would otherwise have not learned from.

I believe strongly in "pushing" the rules. I think its a big and entertaining part of team tactics to get the most out of what the rules allowed, but in this case it looks clear the rules have been completely ignored, which I do not believe in at all.

And that's worth damaging the integrity of the entire sport?

You talk so much crap. Do you do it on purpose, or do you genuinely not care that every post you make is completely disregarded by every other supporter? Poole will win this with ease. Kildemand goes well at Poole, North is generally rubbish and so is Mr Inconsistent Batchelor. Worrall won't get anywhere near 10. 55 point win by Poole in the bag if they are half as fired up as they were at Wolverhampton, and with it coming up to the business end of the season I am sure Matt Ford will accept nothing less than 110% from all the guys in the team.

Rubbish. What on earth could Matt be bringing to the table that is good enough for all other promoters to give their blessing to his cheating? Like I said, it's explanation time from the BSPA. Something doesn't add up.

There has to be an explanation. If Matt Ford has done wrong why isn't he being held accountable? It's all well and good going on and on about how Matt Ford, the pantomime villain of speedway, is a horrendous cheat, but if no action is taken then how can anybody say he has done wrong? I am fed up with Poole's efforts being rubbished every single season because somebody wants to throw an allegation our way. If Matt Ford has broken a rule then the BSPA need to come to the stand and publicly reprimand him NOW, as it isn't fair on Poole fans. Funnily enough, we don't all sit in our arm chairs rubbing our hands together whilst we plot the next big scam, it completely undermines our whole season. It's simple really, Either Matt Ford has acted within the rules, and a BSPA statement must explain how that is the case or Matt Ford has broken the rules, and the Pirates should be penalized and a BSPA statement must explain that also. Other supporters may think it's great to win all the time, but it's not when every other supporter feels you did not deserve it. It's horrible and ruins the speedway experience. So come on BSPA, statement time.

Completely disagree with all this nonsense about Kyle Newman not improving as a rider. His premier league average is just a number, it cannot accurately gauge improvement as it is taken literally and cannot factor in certain mitigating circumstances like his mid-season injury caused by possibly the biggest accident he has had as a rider. Now I don't know about you, but that would certain knock my confidence for a while. Kyle Newman has without a doubt improved this season and become a better rider through the draft system, and it was no doubt the right decision to include him in the list. A perfect example of the draft system working.

I think what you mean to say SCB is his Premier League average hasn't improved at all (and if you want to be funny about it, it has actually improved by 0.07). As a rider he has come on leaps and bounds. He has developed from a rider who could just about keep the bike straight for 4 laps to a rider who is confident in trying out different lines and going on the attack rather than just trying to hold on to his gate position. He has picked up essential confidence and experience which as undoubtedly made him a better rider. I would of thought you of all people would be able to see when a rider has improved, especially considering the injuries he has picked up which definitely took their toll on some of his performances this year. This year has without a doubt been his most valuable year in speedway.

I agree to an extent, he has much lesser competition now, but he has shown he can hold his own against decent second string riders now which he certainly wasn't capable of last year. A lot of people are saying Kyle shouldn't of been in the draft this year, but there is not a chance he would be half as good as he is now without it. Typical really, everybody bleats on about how the draft system will help develop British riders, and then as soon as one starts benefiting from it they bleat on about how he should never of been included in the first place! Speedway fans for you!