ouch

Good point. I’d say around 80% to 90% less than cared in the 70’s and 80’s.

After the excellent away win a Leicester they followed it up with two superb wins at tricky Kings Lynn & Peterborough. Both these latter two meetings really show off the Witches title winning credentials, especially the last heat decider against the Panthers. If they beat Kings Lynn next week then I’d say they’ve one hand on the trophy.

You don’t remember rightly as the 25/75 percent rule wasn’t around at the time and was introduced in 2020. Whilst you’re correct that the first play off meeting was 21/09/16, you’re forgetting that the cut off date for where we move from qualification period to play off period was a week before. The last meeting of the qualifying period was 16/09/16 (https://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/sport/speedway/14748998.chequered-flag-report-lakeside-hammers-58-swindon-robins-35/ ) Wolverhampton’s last qualifying meeting was 12/09/16 just three weeks after Tai’s first meeting back. I suppose I could have said Tai was signed three weeks before the play off qualification period ended but I didn’t think I needed to as I thought the term play offs covered this. Following his 2016 debut with the Wolves, Tai rode at Monmore on 2 further nights before their final qualifying meeting.

I can’t put my hand on the 2017 regs when the Tai ringer rule was first applied. I’d imagine they’d be similar to the 2018 regs that forbade any changes for fixtures after 15/08/2018. The play offs started over four weeks after this date on 17/09/2018. The initial Tai ringer rule was in connection with his signing in 2016 just three weeks before the play offs when they knew he couldn’t gain a new average and therefore be eligible to do it all over again the following year. Thankfully the powers that be saw sense and put a stop to such things. It’s crazy that in the intervening years the window between allowable team changes and play offs has shrunk making the Tai ringer rule almost redundant.

Any club that gives a debut to a superstar that isn’t covering for a badly injured rider, three weeks or so before the play off cut off are just grim individuals. Doesn’t sit well with me and I’m not bothered if it goes against the grain on here, we’ll never agree on this. Play fair or not at all in my book. Many ex fans feel the same way.

He couldn’t even do that as there is only Jason near him at the top of the averages. Good luck in you battle with the Bates’.

It was in reply to Mike’s question about whether he’d return for this year’s playoffs. I definitely think you’ll return next year which is great.

I think it would take a Leicester (Bates) win at Sheffield (Bates) during the qualifying meetings to keep Ipswich out, it’s that close. Play off meetings can be so financially rewarding. No Emil return I’m afraid.

BSF rules, racing is great at NSS and my track.

So this is wrong then? ”There wasn’t enough fixtures for him to get a new average as he was signed as a ringer for the play offs.” Lambert couldn’t rider in earlier meetings as Max wasn’t injured. Basic stuff here lad.

There wasn’t enough fixtures for him to get a new average as he was signed as a ringer for the play offs. The Wolves alternative is he was not a ringer and rode loads of meetings. The BSPA just couldn’t be bothered calculating his new average so left it.

What you mean to say is nobody cheers when ANY rider gets hurt - I hope!

Very bitter, because your only contribution to the whole sorry saga was cheering when Joonas got injured. So sad.

Did Tai ride enough meetings in 2016 to gain a new average? Was Joonas fit to ride in those consecutive meetings? Was the ringer rule brought in for the 2017 season? Just trying to get my facts straight. Thanks in advance for your assistance in answering these questions.

His 7.03 average is from 2014 (http://www.speedwaygbarchive.co.uk/14issues/el14_issue29.pdf) as he didn’t ride in enough meetings in 2016 with him being brought in for the play offs.(https://britishspeedway.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/p23_issue_23.pdf) He replaced the unfortunate Joonas Kylmakorpi who had increased his average for Wolves but stupidly on his part increased it to 7.06. (http://www.speedwaygbarchive.co.uk/files/downloads/el16_issue_25.pdf) This is when CVS ditched the poor lad in favour of the World Champion. No 8 point reassessments back then for GP men, even the world champion. Kylmakorpi wasn’t injured and the ringers rule was brought in the next season due to Wolves tactics. (The SCB website doesn’t offer archival information on past publications but evidence of the newly added ringer rule can be seen in the 2017 play off final where Wolves we’re not only denied the opportunity of signing Tai as a ringer again, they couldn’t even sign replacements for two injured heat leaders in Lindgren & Thorsell. This was and is ridiculous imo and as we have seen subsequently, rendered the tie a none even. http://www.speedwaygbarchive.co.uk/17results/wolverhampton_04.10.17_res.pdf) Crowds continued to drop alarmingly in the UK.

That’s not fair or true. It’s just the 13 home fixtures they need to cram into a 24 week period that fans are interested in. Sorry, 25 week period, though this could be extended………..again. They did manage to cram 15 meetings into 33 weeks last year and I reckon they’ll beat that rate this year fingers crossed, so well done on the improvement.

If you include those, that only leaves 48 days to squeeze in all those fixtures. Just not possible and absolutely definitely certain that it’s not their fault. Bates only needs two or three sycophants telling him it’s not his fault and he’ll believe it and carry on year after year after year after year. Looking forward to the fireworks on November 5th at Sheffields late season finale again.

Don’t worry they can ask for the declared team to be reversed. It was never allowed before, at least not for us Aces when we asked but Wolves got it through no problem so I’m sure as a Cartel team all will be spiffing.

Bates v Bates, what a nightmare for the paying public. Let them eat cake they say, yes please you say. uk speedway gets entirely what it deserves if this forum is anything to go by. What a great shame.

It’s a literal bleeding’ miracle that Belle Vue can put on a full top league league program plus Colts, plus PCMT, plus Women’s championship, plus short track, plus British Final in their allotted time. Tale wagging the dog again in Speedway as we pander to the lowest common denominator. If you’re a car crash, no worries we’ll work around you. Jesus, things will never change. Switch the lights off on your way out.

Correct. Peterborough made a change outside of the transfer window due to a long term injury. Belle Vue were initially stopped (by a rival promoter on the BSPL top table) but cited the previous application of the rule. The SCB agreed that rules should be applied the same and the rule book won out and the Aces could make the signing. In sport playing by the rules is important and the loose application or down right breaking of rules over the last couple of decades has had a big effect on crowds, especially the old school that made up the largest percentage of fans. No rules, no fair competition, no point.

Explain?

It’s good to hear a club such as Leicester is a viable business as most on here fear the opposite. Their team is as expensive as others and their crowds are on a par with the rest with similar sponsorship income. Perhaps we now need to be more optimistic about the top league going forward.

Don’t forget, fans do not like an outsider coming in and telling clubs to ride by the rules, so you’ve no chance with financing promoters. This, as with every year it’s been rife again with rules changed or just disregarded to suit certain teams. There is no way the Cartel backed by BSF will release their death grip on the sport. I enjoy the Colts and I’d be more than happy to watch that standard of racing (and I mean racing) every week with local lads who have jobs as well. If they move on to become stars like Dan then good luck to them.

It was 17 million or so I heard from some people though it may have been different people to your people. The club is only kept afloat now as Lemon apparently harvests the organs of our younger fans. Older fans organs feed the greyhounds next door so we get use of their parking. I have to take issue about the hot shot business people as they’re not that daft and they know that Lemmo does indeed run a burger van outside Stockport County. Explains why he was missing from the recent tv meeting and they had to get a lookalike in.