Backless

Not a problem: qualifying teams' riders had to be a)fit to ride & have completed a certain number of matches for their club (I don't recall the exact number, because i) i have no need to retain the number and ii) I don't actually care what it is / was ). Leicester, as hosts, didn't qualify & therefore the qualifying number of matches doesn't apply. The anally retentive on here would have preferred that Leicester ran without Karlsson, Nemo etc. or even better hadn't been allowed in the meeting at all - not least of all because it would have started a whole mass debate about "poor crowd" "loss making event" and all the rest. I hope that helps.

And then the bitching on here centres around "who's in the fours?", "they can't even advertise the event", "how can fans plan ahead?". It just needs a bit of common sense: some sort of rider qualification to weasel out the average fixers is necessary, a cut off date for teams qualification, & the host team are exempt... BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE TO QUALIFY. The alternative being most of the home crowd stay away & the whole thing goes down the pan. The crowd at Peterborough last year was okay, but nothing exciting, and those who bang on about Peterborough being "the home of the fours" conveniently ignore the fact that at least part of the "great atmosphere" was because the home crowd were there, because it was a PL track for most of those "great" years.

3 - get some of the cash in ahead of the day then pay upfront expenses, improving cashflow Heaven forbid them from acting in an organised manner & being a bit professional. Hell, they've even advertised the event around Leicester city centre. What'll happen if some first - timers turn out for the event? Let's await the "the queues were too long, filled with 'ordinary people', yet again the real speedway fan suffers - damn you, BSPA!" comments .......

Well as you've pointed out, there's unlikely to be 7x 200 fans turn out from the other tracks, & there's still a gap of 800 on the capacity, so accomodating this mtyhical 1,000 kids you're panic about Seems that times are so hard that there's even a shortage of things to moan about. Is advance ticket sales the best that's left. God forbid if the BSPA make it easier for punters to buy their tickets reduce queues on the day & improve their cashflow by getting some of the receipts in ahead of the meeting. What could they possibly be thing? Cue another "Hang Your Heads In Shame" thread

Wind yer neck in, dearie..... So that'll be NOT fit at the cut off date. Or indeed in a declared 1-7 for Somerset. Fully aware thanks - and there's five in a team, but I guess cider-drinkers can't count that far, what with only having four fingers 'n all.... So what? He's not in the declared team - it's not a case of who MIGHT BE, GOING TO BE, HOPES TO BE, or EXPECTS TO BE. McGowan, Mellgren, Haines, Masters, Gathercole, Davies, Holder. That's the declared Somerset team on 1/7/11. Explain exactly how Somerset would have declared Hefenbrock in their team for the 4s. Still nothing like a speedway fan for knowing for than the promoters.

Not in depth knowledge, just a bit of common sense: unless you're suggesting that the PL Fours should include guests. (Now there's an idea for 2012 to start a mass err... debate on here: "Dear BSPA, A suggestion........"

No - because at the CUT OFF DATE Lemon was injured & Poole wasn't. That's the point of a CUT OFF DATE - or would you prefer the organisers to wait until the meetings are completed the night before the PL Fours in case someone else gets injured? Maybe ALL the team should attend & when everyone is in the pits & warmed up only THEN decide the top 8 qualifiers: that would eliminate late injuries, breakdowns en route & calamatous machinery failures.

Is Hefenbrock fit? Really? When did he last ride for Somerset? If they changes the declared line up & he breaks down physically on Friday who will be responsible for THAT farce? Christ, isn't there enough bleating from those supporters whose team's didn't qualify?

Seemed like a perfectly apt response to "And what could they do if no teams wanted to come down". Why else would teams "come down"? Just for a chat?

Lioness wasn't (I presume) suggesting that Newport fans would be up in arms over Screen & Grieves. The point is that the rules are in place and have been for some considerable time - not just to be implemented to suppress the Welsh And what team do you think Newcastle are going to put out? If team manipulation prevention doesn't meet with your satisfaction, what about only including riders who have the requisite number of functioning limbs?

Is that the best that can be offered for one match in May & one in June/ "Nobody wanted to play with us"? The argument made is to stop team manipulation. Gjedde had ONE match for Newport. That's the point. The fact that he has a previous career is what's irrelevant.

Well they were known last year - if only in the west half of Scotland. Nothing's changed. They're hardly going to detail the fine print of qualifying in the short press release. Qualifiers wouldn't necessarily solve the situation. Newcastle (as I quoted them above) would have walked through the qualifiers early in the season (say Bach, Lemon, Robson, Sneddon)only to be represented by (at present) Robson, Nedermark, Sneddon & Newman. Where the BSPA have screwed things up is with Leicester, unless they're going to exclude Karlsson, Nemo & Bager

Well, your facts regarding the Newcastle total include Mark Lemon & Jason King. Of course there wouldn't be any comment if they were replaced on the day by Derek Sneddon & Kyle Newman, with Richie Worrall at reserve. As in previous years, there's a qualifying number of matches to prevent team manipulation. Glasgow suffered last year. As at the 1st of July Doyle had ridden 3 matches, Gjedde 1. Instead of slagging off the organisers, it might be an idea to look closer to home, at a "promotion" who have run 5 home meetings since Easter.

I am neither your mate or "a Scorpion so called fan" - was it "a so called Scorpion fan" you were aiming for? It's a shame that when you rely on Google to translate into English that it screws your efforts up in that way.

An unusual happening at Newport, surely. Very recently on the meting thread, there's a comment about it being admitted that the track was "too slick" and how the'll be changed for the next match. So, it would appear that the home promotion have taken over the initiative & are "underminging" the track staff themselves now

Get over yourself. Richrd Hollingsworth does more for speedway on a day off than some Antipodean tumbling, hanger-on clown could ever achieve. "When Jason looked up about to start his proffesion he was waving his arms like a Flaming Gala" - could you get someone with English as their first language to translate? If the rider in question WAS infringing on the starting gate of the Scunthorpe rider, then it was right to "underming" the Starting Marshall. "Team manageing" doesn't have to be solely from the pits - he's perfectly within his rights to object to starting procedures that need "underminging"

Whereas this place is as trustworthy as the BBC

As opposed to his testimonial held, what, about a season or so before he retired? Ignoring the seeming inability to spell almost anything other than "farewell", I'm sure STONEY appreciates your support - if not your misspelt addresses on his mail :-)

I think the consideration of whether Richardson should have the opportunity of being crowned British Champion is an academic point at best. As much as I'm no fan of Scott Nicholls, at least in a recent interview he was quoted as saying that being British Champion is important to him (as opposed to being wildcard at Cardiff). He goes on to say that Poles, Danes, Swedes, - whoever - all attach importance to being their National Champion. But not Lee Richardson. All of which sums up his lack of ambition & achievement, along with others, and is symptamatic of GB's decline.

Fair enough, although the same blokes would have the same chance to cock up the track. Wasn't the indoor GP at Germany "rained off" a couple of years ago lol

Why? Because it rained? It rained at Scunthorpe last night - maybe Rob Godfrey's licence should be pulled. The track's rubbish 'cos it rained. That's just as likely to happen most places. Better there than some country hicksville track in a forest.

Why is it not fair? Is it only raining on gates 3 & 4?

A 2010 one ?

Part Two: Having already knocked it on the head / put it out of its misery, that'll be another admission of being understrength. So that's now BOTH organisers. Being a "nice bunch of guys" isn't really the point though is it? Exactly. Another nice attitude (albeit since withdrawn). As it's a couple of weeks holiday, travelling round & being "involved", that'll probably colour your opinion though, won't it? Well, I HAD moved on until one of the Americans' "foster mothers" brought me up by name as being the only one who thought it to be substandard. Of course, you cheering on the Yanks (as well as the up 7 coming JOe Screen & Lubos Tomicek) wouldn't be related to Mr Bowden cancelling Team Viking, would it? So, why would that have happened? I'll take a stab at that being someone else added to the list of those not interested in "substandard fayre" . Not something previously mentioned though is it? "First half of the tour not good enough as per usual" wouldn't really work as an advertising strategy. Oh good, someone else "involved" in speedway. Once again though, being an integral part of "the show" somewhat colours your opinion. Still, being in the pits must have been exciting. From the learning curve on dislpay last week, what could be expected would be most of the Activity Holidaymakers signing up to ride in the Amateur Meetings at (Say) Scunthorpe. Of course then they wouldn't need so much mothering & err tour infrastructure & "backroom crew" Still, I'm sure it's been a nice holiday.

Part One: Really? I'm the only one.......? Well, after having been banged on about at length it transpires that the retired star whose addition to the team would excite everyone's interest didn't materialise..... becasue of a blown engine.