weatherwatcher Posted January 12, 2015 Report Share Posted January 12, 2015 Oh my looking back at the make up of the riders in this years Elite League and it makes a rather sorriful tale. I have been looking at the teams for the early 80's and it was a League to be proud of with nearly all the worlds top riders coming over here. You only have to look at Poole, Swindon and most of the teams and they are made up of anything you could call world class, they are very lucky indead if they can manage on top rider per team now. I will not even mention my team as they seem to be stck in the doldrums teying to get the last 2 team members, with no mention on the club site site of any names. Most of this years teams would struggle in the Premier League. What has happened to our speedway and where have they gone wrong. If things don't change very soon and I mean 1 or 2 years we will have no Elite League, with the teams they are fielding this season, I would think you would be far better going to see a Premier League club as the racing and the quality of the riders will be faqr better. I think we are seeing the deathe sentance of our countries top League. Or is there some way that they can get the worlds top riders back but at a price that dosen't become the ruin of the clubs. Yes they can race here but with earnings that are a lot lower than they are asking, if not close the League down and have a re-thing on the way to go forward with the sport in this country. Take a look back and see what the teams used to be and what they are now it is quite disturbing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post BWitcher Posted January 12, 2015 Popular Post Report Share Posted January 12, 2015 (edited) None of the teams would struggle in the Premier League. They would all likely win the Premier League. The teams will also be stronger than last year. Edited January 12, 2015 by BWitcher 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenga Posted January 12, 2015 Report Share Posted January 12, 2015 but where would they get the riders from to fill an elite league team.. riddle me that.. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BWitcher Posted January 12, 2015 Report Share Posted January 12, 2015 but where would they get the riders from to fill an elite league team.. riddle me that.. What has that got to do with either the opening post or what I said? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grachan Posted January 12, 2015 Report Share Posted January 12, 2015 We may well have had the World's top riders here in the early 80s but only one of them was at Swindon. Or at least in 1983. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike.Butler Posted January 13, 2015 Report Share Posted January 13, 2015 (edited) The fall in quality of entertainment is more to do with the riders machines becoming less suitable for the tracks rather than the top riders not being here. Edited January 13, 2015 by Mike.Butler 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattK Posted January 13, 2015 Report Share Posted January 13, 2015 The fall in quality of entertainment is more to do with the riders machines becoming less suitable for the tracks rather than the top riders not being here. I'd say the GPs and SWC are as entertaining as ever, therefore machinery is not a factor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waiheke1 Posted January 13, 2015 Report Share Posted January 13, 2015 83 swindon team: crump, b andersson, herne, holloway, busk, mastrup, sorensen. hardly crammed with world class talent?!? (Crump excepted). There were plenty of awful teams in those days as well as some awrsome ones. Actually the 83 eastborne team deserves a mention: Woods, eskildsten, lanham, l johansson, a erikkson, geer, righetto. You cant tell me any current el team is worse than that one? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grachan Posted January 13, 2015 Report Share Posted January 13, 2015 I think most of the talent was at Cradley Heath in 1983! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveLyric2 Posted January 13, 2015 Report Share Posted January 13, 2015 I'd say the GPs and SWC are as entertaining as ever, therefore machinery is not a factor. I'd say there is just as much 'gate and go' in the GPs and SWC as there is in any EL meeting. Some of the GP tracks are worse than many British tracks with their preparation and shape.! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grachan Posted January 13, 2015 Report Share Posted January 13, 2015 Most of this years teams would struggle in the Premier League. Do you mean this year's Premier League? Perhaps you could clarify that. Do you really think this: 1. Scott Nicholls 2. Matej Zagar. 3. Simon Stead. 4. Craig Cook. 5. Max Fricke 6. Steve Worrall 7. Stefan Nielsen Would struggle against this: 1. Craig Cook 2. Sam Masters 3. Justin Sedgmen 4. Kevin Wolbert 5. Erik Riss 6. Robert Branford 7. Max Clegg (Just taking the first 2 completed teams from each league alphabetically. Cook v Cook would be pretty close. Belle Vue's number 4 vs Edinbugh's number one!) 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B.V 72 Posted January 13, 2015 Report Share Posted January 13, 2015 (edited) Always makes me smile when people say Elite teams would struggle against Premier teams.I always think back to when Belle vue went to league champs Edinburgh with an awful Elite league team(far worse than any line up i have seen this year P Hougaard(5.64 and J Wright(4.99)rode as our 2nd and 3rd heatleaders.) in the so called promotion/relegation play offs and the score was Edin 21 B/vue 68. Edited January 13, 2015 by B.V 72 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SCB Posted January 13, 2015 Report Share Posted January 13, 2015 Always makes me smile when people say Elite teams would struggle against Premier teams.I always think back to when Belle vue went to league champs Edinburgh with an awful Elite league team(far worse than any line up i have seen this year P Hougaard(5.64 and J Wright(4.99)rode as our 2nd and 3rd heatleaders.) in the so called promotion/relegation play offs and the score was Edin 21 B/vue 68. I think PL fans are massively deluded where EL racing is concerned. Wolves did similar to an Edinburgh team too. Only a brilliant meeting from Andy Tully prevented them being embarrassed at Wolves. As show above with the Edinbugh/BV teams, BVs top 4 would barely drop a points and then the BV 5th rider would be Edinburghs 2nd rider, as would BVs 6th rider. Theres a massive gulf. But these are the same people who often tell us the EL is not Elite and it's a scam and the EL fans pay too much. Forgetting the PL has never been and cannot be using any definition you like the Premier League and they pay only £1 less on average. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BWitcher Posted January 13, 2015 Report Share Posted January 13, 2015 I think PL fans are massively deluded where EL racing is concerned. Wolves did similar to an Edinburgh team too. Only a brilliant meeting from Andy Tully prevented them being embarrassed at Wolves. As show above with the Edinbugh/BV teams, BVs top 4 would barely drop a points and then the BV 5th rider would be Edinburghs 2nd rider, as would BVs 6th rider. Theres a massive gulf. But these are the same people who often tell us the EL is not Elite and it's a scam and the EL fans pay too much. Forgetting the PL has never been and cannot be using any definition you like the Premier League and they pay only £1 less on average. Just brings us back to the average speedway fan again...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foreverblue Posted January 13, 2015 Report Share Posted January 13, 2015 I think PL fans are massively deluded where EL racing is concerned. Wolves did similar to an Edinburgh team too. Only a brilliant meeting from Andy Tully prevented them being embarrassed at Wolves. As show above with the Edinbugh/BV teams, BVs top 4 would barely drop a points and then the BV 5th rider would be Edinburghs 2nd rider, as would BVs 6th rider. Theres a massive gulf. But these are the same people who often tell us the EL is not Elite and it's a scam and the EL fans pay too much. Forgetting the PL has never been and cannot be using any definition you like the Premier League and they pay only £1 less on average. Which in my view makes EL better value. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weatherwatcher Posted January 13, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 13, 2015 Most of the Elite Leage riders are now getting very long in the tooth, you only have to look at at teams from the 1980's and you will find that the same riders are still making up most of the top riders places in the Elite League now. One of the main problems with this is that over the last 30 years this country has failed and failed terribly in bring on a supporting our own young riders. They are trying or trying sort of with the FTr scheme, but they will get nowhere with these riders if they are going to hold them back and keep them in the reserve berth, when around 5 of them should have been given a full team ride this year. It is the same story of all the British talent thet has come along over the years, not enough has been done for them to come to their full potential. We have only to look at Cooke, he is just going nowhere riding in the EL and PL when he should be riding abroud to get a better understanding of riding against some of the worlds top riders. Has far as I can see with him he will just end up as most of the others have the Barkers, etc who never managed to get to the tops of the sport. The SCB AND BPSA should be making sure that it is our own riders that get a better chance of getting into the top flight of the sport, we have now riders in most of the European or world meetings, what we need are to set up meetings over here against the worlds top teams to give all these guys what they need, so we can have a respectable selection of our own riders to make up miost of the places in what we call our top league. As things stand now we are the top of nothing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christopher Bcmma Cook Posted January 13, 2015 Report Share Posted January 13, 2015 BSPA haven't replied to my proposal for the future of British speedway lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waiheke1 Posted January 13, 2015 Report Share Posted January 13, 2015 Most of the Elite Leage riders are now getting very long in the tooth, you only have to look at at teams from the 1980's and you will find that the same riders are still making up most of the top riders places in the Elite League now. . ??? Of today's top riders only hancock was racing in the el in the 80s, and he doesnt race el now? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BWitcher Posted January 13, 2015 Report Share Posted January 13, 2015 Most of the Elite Leage riders are now getting very long in the tooth, you only have to look at at teams from the 1980's and you will find that the same riders are still making up most of the top riders places in the Elite League now. One of the main problems with this is that over the last 30 years this country has failed and failed terribly in bring on a supporting our own young riders. They are trying or trying sort of with the FTr scheme, but they will get nowhere with these riders if they are going to hold them back and keep them in the reserve berth, when around 5 of them should have been given a full team ride this year. It is the same story of all the British talent thet has come along over the years, not enough has been done for them to come to their full potential. We have only to look at Cooke, he is just going nowhere riding in the EL and PL when he should be riding abroud to get a better understanding of riding against some of the worlds top riders. Has far as I can see with him he will just end up as most of the others have the Barkers, etc who never managed to get to the tops of the sport. The SCB AND BPSA should be making sure that it is our own riders that get a better chance of getting into the top flight of the sport, we have now riders in most of the European or world meetings, what we need are to set up meetings over here against the worlds top teams to give all these guys what they need, so we can have a respectable selection of our own riders to make up miost of the places in what we call our top league. As things stand now we are the top of nothing. We have an excellent National League for riders starting out. The Elite League has a fast track system in place for younger riders.. Now there appears to be a level missing there, I'll let you work out what it is.. but many of the teams at that level prefer to employ useless foreign riders rather than young Brits. 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foreverblue Posted January 13, 2015 Report Share Posted January 13, 2015 Most of the Elite Leage riders are now getting very long in the tooth, you only have to look at at teams from the 1980's and you will find that the same riders are still making up most of the top riders places in the Elite League now. One of the main problems with this is that over the last 30 years this country has failed and failed terribly in bring on a supporting our own young riders. They are trying or trying sort of with the FTr scheme, but they will get nowhere with these riders if they are going to hold them back and keep them in the reserve berth, when around 5 of them should have been given a full team ride this year. It is the same story of all the British talent thet has come along over the years, not enough has been done for them to come to their full potential. We have only to look at Cooke, he is just going nowhere riding in the EL and PL when he should be riding abroud to get a better understanding of riding against some of the worlds top riders. Has far as I can see with him he will just end up as most of the others have the Barkers, etc who never managed to get to the tops of the sport. The SCB AND BPSA should be making sure that it is our own riders that get a better chance of getting into the top flight of the sport, we have now riders in most of the European or world meetings, what we need are to set up meetings over here against the worlds top teams to give all these guys what they need, so we can have a respectable selection of our own riders to make up miost of the places in what we call our top league. As things stand now we are the top of nothing. Cook not riding abroad has nothing to do with the bspa he should go and get a ride abroad if he wants to progress but too many riders like the easy life of PL racing and doubling up 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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