stevehone

irony of that post if you think about the club Harris rides for

and Wimbledon

plus reserve

Brad Oxley Archie Windmill was a tall chap too

realise that 15 into 8 doesn't go

ok, so people want qualifiers back, i know i do, i used to enjoy them. there are 15 teams in the PL, we used to have groups of 4 in the qualifiers, the numbers don't go. so what do we do, have 3 groups of 5? thats called the premier trophy and it's been done. are the qualifiers meant to be regional like they used to be? is that the fairest way to do it, or should there be a draw where you could get a group of Somerset - Glasgow - Workington - Kings Lynn. not really a money spinner is it, and that used to be the main reason for having the regional qualifiers. so what are the ideas for the qualifiers? how do they get worked out? what would people like to see? no matter what happens, you are always going to upset people, it will never work out how it 'should', teams won't qualify that 'should', and people will always moan about it on this forum.

there's my choices to start with!!

i'm not disagreeing, i only asked the question as i didn't know the answer!

how many meetings had Moggo ridden in for Workington before clinching the 4's for them last year?

everyone had to lower their averages to fit in with what Newport wanted this year ... do you really think they'll get a meeting like this? just my opinion of course

but i have heard somewhere along the line that a track in it's first season can not have one of the top meetings. may be wrong, but that would be why they didn't get one of the other meetings.

shame you only want BL riders for now ... Richard Green in the NL was one of the most entertaining riders out there think you're being very kind about Preben Eriksen ... that would take us back to Kelvin Tatum again and what Kelvin had to suffer thanks to Eriksen

Kelvin Tatum ... 1983 (or was it '84?) debut season for Wimbledon. in at reserve in the top league, fast bikes, not a lot of control (or that's how it looked!!)

... for the PL, Glasgow and Workington have had a good couple of years

well when you're talking EL, it is only Belle Vue north of the midlands.

the lighting at Sheffield is brilliant, as long as you only want to see the start gate.

the last 20 - 30 years

Quote by razzer: but the more sensible and respected people, many of whom are now sadly gone or have drifted out of the sport have kept them in check would that be the same sensible and respected people that in the 30+ years that you've been going have gradually run the sport into the ground making serious changes necessary?

the same can be said for Kings Lynn also though ... some very good comments from the riders after the ELPairs. a few ex-KL riders should make it interesting like Nicki Pedersen, Jason Crump, Peter Karlsson, Leigh Adams to name a few.

yes you have, it seems to come from the same people, but you've heard it before and you will keep hearing it. when Jonathan came into promoting he was a nightmare, jumping into things and opening his mouth when it should have stayed shut, and not doing things that should have been done. the difference is now is that he listened and put things right, that's why there's been a turn around. there are always going to be people that don't like new ideas or new enthusiasm, and they're the ones that are making the most noise. it's unfortunate the venue has been switched for whatever reason, but if people want some things to continue it's about getting behind what's going on and supporting it, or you'll be a main reason for it laying down to die. as CS said, look at Oxford ... ok, so the product wasn't great, but the reason it went was because of lack of support. wonder how long it will take before people that are moaning on here are then moaning about the loss of a British Final, or ELRC, or PLRC etc ... because thats what happens when you don't get behind a product.

going by what was announced at KL on wednesday

it isn't fair that KL get 2 of the meetings, but who else could run it on a Thursday at short notice after Sheffield decided they can't have an airfence. would many Scottish fans travel down if it was at Poole or Swindon? the core of the EL is southern based ... it's unfortunate but that's how it is, and that's where the fans are going to come from in general. yes, it's a shame we don't have Bradford and Halifax etc in the EL, but that's speedway in the 21st century. no airfence at individual events is not anything to do with the Elite League. the Elite League Riders Championship is, that's why they need an airfence, it's an EL meeting.

so what would you say to Ipswich, Kings Lynn, Peterborough, Mildenhall fans that might say they won't be going to Poole as you can't get much farther south? or supporters from Edinburgh, Belle Vue, Glasgow, Berwick etc that really fancied going to see the ELRC last year. basically, you're not going to please everyone ... people in the north will moan if it's in the south, people in the south will moan if it's in the north. the best thing to do is have it in the midlands and on a neutral track. so who would that be? Birmingham? anyone else? i believe Birmingham were earmarked for one of the Super7 events this year, no idea why it changed ... was it because of some rule that says a new track can't host one of the showpiece meetings in their first year? i don't know for sure, but i remember seeing their name down originally. if that's the case, then it couldn't have been there. which leaves ... erm ... where? i was going to Sheffield anyway for the meeting .. ok, it's not so far for me to go now, but i would have been there anyway. if it was at Poole, i wouldn't have gone ... far too outlandish getting there from near Kings Lynn

i think you need to read through the airfence debates that went on for a while regarding issues attached to that. very convenient for the Chapman's that they own their stadium, think of the uproar if no other club could accomodate this meeting and it had to be cancelled because Sheffield have greyhounds that day.

as has already been mentioned, the Chapman's own their stadium so are in a good position to say what happens in that stadium on any particular day. if another stadium was to be found for that Thursday night who could accomodate? so many tracks have to consider other events ... i would love to see it at Peterborough, but as it's a showground they have to fit in with everything else, hence no meetings for a couple of weeks. Birmingham ... they would have to get the stadium for the Thursday, and by all accounts it's bad enough getting it for a Wednesday. how many promoters own their stadium and could seriously put on the ELRC at fairly short notice? with regards to Neil Machin, he's part of the BSPA so did he not realise that all EL meetings have to have an airfence? i know people are saying that this meeting and that meeting didn't have one, but as this is an EL meeting, it would surely have to. you'd think he might have spoke up at the time it was agreed, after all, i bet he wasn't just told he was having the ELRC and there were no discussions. when Kings Lynn put on the EL Pairs, they had to go down to Eastbourne the night before to collect their air fence to borrow, i expect something like this will have to happen again. airfences are not generic, they do not fit all types of fence, these have to be the right type, so it's not always just a case of saying they could have just gone and got Oxford's.