Wildcards 2010

[Blazeaway]

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

 

It's just not true. Kennett failed to beat 1 non Slovenian at the world cup this year and was the second lowest scoring wildcard (only beaten into last by the Italian. There's no way they have put him in.

 

Doesn't make any sense from a business point of view either, who's going to bring in the crowds? Zagar/Lindback or Eddie Kennett? Hmmm.

Not even as if he's got any big name sponsors to speak of.

 

It was reported in the media last year that Zagar had got a pick when he hadn't. Can only assume this is the same.

 

Fingers crossed you are right mate. Kennett has no place in the GP's whatsoever, not now or ever. Nice lad Ed but never gonna be GP material.

 

Picking Ed as a WC will give the GP detractors even more ammo.

Edited October 26, 2009 by Blazeaway

[Chris Brown]

These are the worst picks of all time Kennett not good enough never will be... Tai not ready yet .....Andersen had loads of chances and now going backwards .......Lingren had his best season but was still not good enough to finish in the top 8 or get by the gp race off .

 

The sooner they get rid of wildcards the better the whole thing it now just a money making circus rather than a world championship event .

 

Jeepers, I agree with Orion !

 

Spot on mate, you should have to earn the right to compete for the World Championship, not be handed it for failure

 

All 4 of these failed to qualify and should not be in it

[Pinny]

Ed Kennett in the GP series full time?

 

Its like throwing Elton John into the playboy mansion!

[HenryW]

Jeepers, I agree with Orion !

 

Spot on mate, you should have to earn the right to compete for the World Championship, not be handed it for failure

 

All 4 of these failed to qualify and should not be in it

I would probably agree in regards to the other 3, but I think Freddie has done enough to deserve his place.

He finished 9th in the SGP series and 4th in the qualifier. If you want them to "qualify" then they would have to come from one of those lists surely, and so Freddie is next in line both times.

Would you be happy with Lindgren, Harris, Protasiewicz and Watt being given the 4 places instead?

[spook]

I just dont see the sense in this decision if its true............. its one thing forcing there to be two British wildcards....... although embarrassing we all got over it last year right? ...... but to knowingly risk two young riders future aspirations instead of sticking for another year with Rico and Bomber is madness...... do IMG look at what happens in overseas leagues? Is this brand of wishful thinking really going to translate into points on the board?

 

good luck to both Tai and Ed and I hope they do the business .......... throughout his career Ed Kennett has been written off as not being good enough.... and throughout his career he has proved people wrong.... I hope he does it yet again

[wjm]

Whilst this is not official it is true that Ed's name has been put up there and if he does get the pick then BSI/IMG have put forward their long term plan.

Instead of drip feeding youngsters into the GP's one a year they appear to have gone with a new batch of younger riders who, if they perform well could continue and grow over future GP's.

 

I dont think I would have put Ed's name in the frame for 2010 but having thought about it for a while I am really looking forward to the series next year and planning on travelling to a few extra GP's.

 

As a Brit supporting Brits Im happy and with a good team (family and friends) behind Ed I think he will do well on the track and in front of the camera which is which BSI are after.

 

Oh and Tai - if he says he is in the right frame of mind for 2010 then he has my Union Jack waving for him and well.

 

 

I agree with this post.

 

IMO out side the top 5 or 6 riders the rest are just making up the numbers. , rather than having riders Yo Yo in and out of it they are looking for progression and more riders who can compete.

 

 

 

[norbold]

IMO out side the top 5 or 6 riders the rest are just making up the numbers. , rather than having riders Yo Yo in and out of it they are looking for progression and more riders who can compete.

Well, of course, this is the real problem. How many riders stand a realistic chance of becoming world champion next year? Probably four at the most - Crump, Pedersen, Gollob and the Russian with the long name. Then you have Hancock and Jonsson with just the very slimmest of outside chances. After that, there's no-one. In some ways it really doesn't matter who you put in after that, so you may as well go for some youngsters who have the chance of progressing to give them experience rather than the old hands who will never ever win a World Championship. I'm not saying Eddie is the right choice, but rather him than Scotty or Richardson for that reason.

[wjm]

Well, of course, this is the real problem. How many riders stand a realistic chance of becoming world champion next year? Probably four at the most - Crump, Pedersen, Gollob and the Russian with the long name. Then you have Hancock and Jonsson with just the very slimmest of outside chances. After that, there's no-one. In some ways it really doesn't matter who you put in after that, so you may as well go for some youngsters who have the chance of progressing to give them experience rather than the old hands who will never ever win a World Championship. I'm not saying Eddie is the right choice, but rather him than Scotty or Richardson for that reason.

 

 

That's the way I see it and a few years ago , admittedly in a 24 rider series , people like Cegelski, Nicholls and Jonsson were given Wild Card places and the time to learn the series , and at times all of them faced struggles , it even took people like Adams time to adjust to GP life.

 

It takes an exceptional talent like Emil to just arrive in the Gran Prix and be a success.

 

It isn't just about staying competitive on track you need to learn how to compete in a Grand Prix , I might be wrong but Emil has a few guys around him that used to be part of Rickardsons set up ? which would give him a slight advantage before he even got on the bike.

 

As long as riders like Kennet and Woffinden see the first year as being part of an apprenticeship and learn from it then the idea could work.

 

I would doubt that there results will be fantastic in the first season but as long as they are competitive and on the pace , then I don't see a problem with it , I can see the logic in the choice.

 

Truth be told it excites me more to see new faces in it with the idea of them improving than riders like Walasek and Ulamek , they also had there chance to qualify and didn't.

 

We can all sit and name riders who had a chance to qualify but didn't and it was through no fault but there own.

 

If there is going to be a Wild Card system in place then it s better to use it for younger riders IMO and I would have said the same if it had been a nomination from another country.

 

Some would argue that the bigger problem is giving it to some one like Hans who I am a massive fan of but didn't do enough to justify his place in the series this season at all.

[srbramble]

Well, of course, this is the real problem. How many riders stand a realistic chance of becoming world champion next year? Probably four at the most - Crump, Pedersen, Gollob and the Russian with the long name. Then you have Hancock and Jonsson with just the very slimmest of outside chances. After that, there's no-one. In some ways it really doesn't matter who you put in after that, so you may as well go for some youngsters who have the chance of progressing to give them experience rather than the old hands who will never ever win a World Championship. I'm not saying Eddie is the right choice, but rather him than Scotty or Richardson for that reason.

 

Suggest that when you pillage other peoples posts, at least have the decency to acredit them.

[Sprog1]

That's the way I see it and a few years ago , admittedly in a 24 rider series , people like Cegelski, Nicholls and Jonsson were given Wild Card places and the time to learn the series , and at times all of them faced struggles , it even took people like Adams time to adjust to GP life.

 

It takes an exceptional talent like Emil to just arrive in the Gran Prix and be a success.

 

It isn't just about staying competitive on track you need to learn how to compete in a Grand Prix , I might be wrong but Emil has a few guys around him that used to be part of Rickardsons set up ? which would give him a slight advantage before he even got on the bike.

 

As long as riders like Kennet and Woffinden see the first year as being part of an apprenticeship and learn from it then the idea could work.

 

I would doubt that there results will be fantastic in the first season but as long as they are competitive and on the pace , then I don't see a problem with it , I can see the logic in the choice.

 

Truth be told it excites me more to see new faces in it with the idea of them improving than riders like Walasek and Ulamek , they also had there chance to qualify and didn't.

 

We can all sit and name riders who had a chance to qualify but didn't and it was through no fault but there own.

 

If there is going to be a Wild Card system in place then it s better to use it for younger riders IMO and I would have said the same if it had been a nomination from another country.

 

Some would argue that the bigger problem is giving it to some one like Hans who I am a massive fan of but didn't do enough to justify his place in the series this season at all.

I think you are missing the point slightly.

 

The issue is who decides which riders should be given the wildcard and what is the criteria for their decision.

 

The thing that is wrong about all this is that Woofinden and Kennett are in simply because they are British riders and the organisers want a couple of Brits in. While these decisions are taken behind closed doors decent riders from other lesser speedway nations will have less chance. Someone like Zagar who is a rider of proven ability and reaching the peak of his ability at the age of 26 is denied a chance because he comes from a nation deemed by the powers that be to be of less speedway significance than GB, despite the fact that he has been an altogether more successful rider than either Woofinden of Kennett this year.

 

The point that we keep coming back to is this:What is the point of having qualifying rounds if at the end of it riders are going to be put in because their face fits, even though they were not good enough to qualify ?

 

Why not be honest and just carve it up behind closed doors to start with, and not bother with the charade of qualifying rounds ?

 

How are we genuinely going to find the worlds best if its all decided on who you know rather than the points you score in qualifying ?

 

[srbramble]

Are the 4 picks 100% nailed on? Lindgren and Woffinden I can understand. Both are the future of the sport, young and brilliant, and and can draw the sponsorship necessary to build a long GP career. Andersen has had many years in the series, enough time to prove himself, and IMO, hasn't done that for a while. As for Kennett, I don't get that at all. He's at best an average EL rider, with little or no real form overseas. There are numerous young riders who should have got in before he did, and the best of them is Darcy Ward, who has set the speedway world alight with his results this season. Surely, if youre going to go out on a limb and take a punt on a new face, wouldn't the under 21 world champion get in before Kennett?

Edited October 27, 2009 by srbramble

[wjm]

I think you are missing the point slightly.

 

The issue is who decides which riders should be given the wildcard and what is the criteria for their decision.

 

The thing that is wrong about all this is that Woofinden and Kennett are in simply because they are British riders and the organisers want a couple of Brits in. While these decisions are taken behind closed doors decent riders from other lesser speedway nations will have less chance. Someone like Zagar who is a rider of proven ability and reaching the peak of his ability at the age of 26 is denied a chance because he comes from a nation deemed by the powers that be to be of less speedway significance than GB, despite the fact that he has been an altogether more successful rider than either Woofinden of Kennett this year.

 

The point that we keep coming back to is this:What is the point of having qualifying rounds if at the end of it riders are going to be put in because their face fits, even though they were not good enough to qualify ?

 

Why not be honest and just carve it up behind closed doors to start with, and not bother with the charade of qualifying rounds ?

 

How are we genuinely going to find the worlds best if its all decided on who you know rather than the points you score in qualifying ?

 

 

No I am not really missing the point to be honest.

 

The real reason Zager missed out is because he didn't qualify and crappy old Zorro did, so if he cant qualify before some one like that , why should he be in it ?.

 

Zorros qualification would also show the reason behind having qualifiers do you think Zetterstorm is the kind of " face that fits " in the Grand Prix ?.

 

As I explained in my post the reason I think Woffy and Kennet have been selected is to learn to be GP riders.

 

Do they have a chance of winning the World Title ? Not really , not next season but lets see what they can learn , I actually think Kennet especially could be dragged along in the GP and could find another level in him self.

 

Would Ulamek , Walasek , Lindback or even Zager ? Win it ? No they wouldn't.

 

In fact all 4 have had there chance in the Grand Prix with a mixed level of success.

 

So why not pick riders with the potential to improve and learn the series and in time make it a more open competition , because at this moment it is between 3 or 4 riders.

 

As I said in my post , if they are going to have Wild Cards, which I can and cant see the point of having , they are as well using them for a logistical reason and I can see the logic behind the selection of the riders they have picked , Andersen being the exception.

 

Not one rider can put forward a logical argument and say Woffy and Kennet have there GP place, because they don't, they all had there chance to qualify and like I said they couldn't even beat Mango to do it.

Edited October 27, 2009 by wjm

[Old Saint]

........

 

As I explained in my post the reason I think Woffy and Kennet have been selected is to learn to be GP riders.

 

........

 

The influence of Sky would not have a bearing on the former's possible inclusion, I suppose?

 

Certainly in the case of Woffendin he has the potential but I think it a year too early for him. As for Edward Kennet, with the utmost respect to him, I can see no logical reason for him to be selected.

[wjm]

The influence of Sky would not have a bearing on the former's possible inclusion, I suppose?

 

Certainly in the case of Woffendin he has the potential but I think it a year too early for him. As for Edward Kennet, with the utmost respect to him, I can see no logical reason for him to be selected.

 

 

Possibly and more than likely yes.

 

But would you have given it to Nicholls, Harris or Richardson ?

 

How many chances do the three of them get before enough is enough.

 

You could possibly make a logical argument for it going to some one like Joonas Davidson that might have been a bit adventurous but again the guy had a chance to qualify and didn't.

 

I can see as much logic in Kennet getting it as I can Hans Andersen.

[Ron Butler]

Nicholls and Harris?

 

 

Sorry, I seem to be devoloping a rather quirky sense of humour!

 

 

[norbold]

Suggest that when you pillage other peoples (sic) posts, at least have the decency to acredit (sic) them.

Which post was that then?

[srbramble]

Which post was that then?

 

Post 13.

[JT]

I can see as much logic in Kennet getting it as I can Hans Andersen.

 

What a load of rubbish! Andersen is a proven GP and World Cup winner and is young enough to make a serious fight for the World Title in the next few years. He's a top rider in all three leagues, exciting, at times controversial and widely recognised as one of the top 10, maybe even top 5 riders in the world.

 

Kennett has done bugger all. He's never been an Elite League number 1 and is rubbish outside of Britain. He's been pathetic in the World Cup, mediocre to useless in his wild card showings and hasn't even won the British Championship.

 

The issue here isn't giving young riders a shot, it's the rumour that they have given a full time slot to a rider who should never have been considered, simply because he's British and has a big sponsor.

 

Does anyone outside of Britain recognise Kennett as a world class rider?

 

JT.

Edited October 27, 2009 by JT

[orion]

No place for wildcards ...you should have earn the right not weather you can sell tickets for someone to make money ....the same as the World cup final ...Poland Then Denmark then Poland all the time what is that all about ?

 

Don't get me wrong ive been a massive fan of the Gp's and The world cup but they are gone way to to far to the commercial side of things rather than running a fair and equal event what you have to do if you want class it as World championship .

 

 

 

 

[wjm]

What a load of rubbish! Andersen is a proven GP and World Cup winner and is young enough to make a serious fight for the World Title in the next few years. He's a top rider in all three leagues, exciting, at times controversial and widely recognised as one of the top 10, maybe even top 5 riders in the world.

 

Kennett has done bugger all. He's never been an Elite League number 1 and is rubbish outside of Britain. He's been pathetic in the World Cup, mediocre to useless in his wild card showings and hasn't even won the British Championship.

 

The issue here isn't giving young riders a shot, it's the rumour that they have given a full time slot to a rider who should never have been considered, simply because he's British and has a big sponsor.

 

Does anyone outside of Britain recognise Kennett as a world class rider?

 

JT.

 

 

Andersen is a rider that has now on more than one occasion failed to meet the requirements in place for him.