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John Cook Talks A Lot Of Sense


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You have ridden a speedway bike ! wow they put you in charge of making the rules straight away :D Why would I need to come with idea's ? I understand at this present time there is no better idea than using guests . you on the other hand talk about squads without a clue on how they would work or how they would be paid for or how they would be used without effecting the size of the crowds

 

I

orion - do you actually go to Speedway and who do you support?

 

Genuine question.

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One of Birmingham's promotion team from a few years ago actually. Someone who knows the guy and would know what he's talking about.

Ah, a few years ago. He hasnt done it for some years, and as I said it's the responsibility of the MC anyway and Cook is no longer on the MC so he is certainly not responsibile for this years problems in any way. In any event whoever is doing the fixtures can only work to the availability dates each club provide so if they say they have a team available and half of them are riding elsewhere that's the fault of the club that provide the incorrect information not the person doing the list.

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I am sue Orion is as passionate a supporter as you and i are or at least were

 

what i found wearing was the poo-poohing of nearly all posts without a constructive alternative suggestion

Still be interested in his Reply though.................

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I went to Rye House today with their opponents Berwick had three guests plus RR and Rye one guest and RR. Guests and RR doesn't have any impact on the racing, in fact, it enhanced it today with Berwick booking Michael Palm-Toft who went through the card, 17+1. The racing and overtaking/re-overtaking in nearly every heat made it the best meeting I've seen this year.

True guests and R/R it may not affect the quality of the racing, but to go every week you need to support and feel some connection to a team of your own riders, a lot of matches now are no better than challenge matches and would you go each week for a challenge match?

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I am sue Orion is as passionate a supporter as you and i are or at least were

 

what i found wearing was the poo-poohing of nearly all posts without a constructive alternative suggestion

As I told you many times at the moment when it comes to guests no one has come up with anything better that includes myself ...When someone comes up with a alternative that is workable then let's us know .. so far 30 or 40 years on no one has hence why we still have guests .

Edited by orion
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Blatter now free to take on role of fat controller of speedway

 

 

I think you hit the nail on the head there, once Blatter got the call from the BSPA !!!!!!

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You just know it's gonna happen. You prepare to watch speedway, and you know something will only point you in the direction of your reasons why you stopped watching it.

 

It can't be all bad luck. I know there's the weather aspect... guest riders... the usually killers. But never before have I thought speedway needs a complete break. It is just exhausted right now, no zest, mo-jo, or whatever it's called.

 

Last night's events only add weight to my argument. I feel sick when I think of speedway right now.

 

Last night was further embarrassment.

 

I used to feel proud, a long time back, saying I watched speedway.

 

I could argue its cause.

 

But... how can you defend the current model?

 

Speedway is like that hot candle wax you used to let drip on your hand as a kid. You are self abusing in a way, but keep on doing it.

 

Speedway folk are a funny (not in the head kind of way) breed. They don't half put up with some tosh... but, beware speedway promoters, I am getting a deeper feeling, there's a big band out there that are willing to give it one more shot... just one more chance only.

 

People scoffed when I used to laugh at what they put up with. I grew fed up and stopped attending, even hardly watch it on TV even. Funny... the same people are now in a position I was in 10 years ago.

 

Fed up to the back teeth.

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As I told you many times at the moment when it comes to guests no one has come up with anything better that includes myself ...When someone comes up with a alternative that is workable then let's us know .. so far 30 or 40 years on no one has hence why we still have guests .

omg -Are you still at it?!! I dont get what journey you seem to be on,but before you say "until someone comes up with a better solution"" ill trundle out a few ideas.

1-Stop stupid double up riders in uk leagues if there is a clash of interests.

2-Like in Denmark have reduced number of riders per team

3-UK teams to have a maxium of 20 guests per season.If they cant run a full strenth team after that no match takes place.

4-Make riders commit to racing for just one team abroad.

So there you go im thinking outside the box in ways best to get a settled team i want to follow,pick holes in that!!

3

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omg -Are you still at it?!! I dont get what journey you seem to be on,but before you say "until someone comes up with a better solution"" ill trundle out a few ideas.

1-Stop stupid double up riders in uk leagues if there is a clash of interests.

2-Like in Denmark have reduced number of riders per team

3-UK teams to have a maxium of 20 guests per season.If they cant run a full strenth team after that no match takes place.

4-Make riders commit to racing for just one team abroad.

So there you go im thinking outside the box in ways best to get a settled team i want to follow,pick holes in that!!

3

1 - The problem here is a lack of riders. One old style league of 18 teams would pretty much use up all the riders who race here at the moment.

 

2 - Not good for me. I always thought the Danish league seemed poor for that very reason.

 

3 - So we'd have matches cancelled for teams being unable to put together a side. That would cause forum meltdown!!

 

4 - Restrict the leagues they can ride in, and guess which one they'll opt out of.

 

I don't know what the solution is, really, with so many guests. One would be to sort out the fixture list to minimise absences for riders in more than one team. Maybe use R/R more often for lower members of the side.

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I love the way Cook "talks a lot of sense" when his team is at the wrong end of the table.

It's not about winning and losing as a team though tbf. It's about "winning" as a sport - maybe his ideas won't win Lakeside meetings but will win Lakeside (and Poole, Swindon, Coventry.....) fans. It would be nice if for once promoters stepped back, stopped trying to screw over each other and helped each other, built each other up and made the league stronger. Once that was done, back to war and trying to beat each other.

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I'm in total agreement with that, if fact I would,like the Aces management, have liked to have ridden at Lakeside without four of our team missing. We knew we had a better chance of winning with horses for courses but for the good of the sport we asked if it could be rearranged. We were refused.

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I'm in total agreement with that, if fact I would,like the Aces management, have liked to have ridden at Lakeside without four of our team missing. We knew we had a better chance of winning with horses for courses but for the good of the sport we asked if it could be rearranged. We were refused.

Why was it refused ? Perhaps due to the fact that Belle Vue have two D/U riders already committed to PL clubs with a Friday race night so they are likely to missing whenever you re-arrange it . Then you have. GP rider on each side so you would have to avoid GP weekends, and the SWC week is out anyway. On top of that you have Fricke still contesting the World U21's and Nilsson still in the GP qualifiers, so there are dates when they won't be available. Then you have to fit the whole thing around the existing fixtures for both clubs. So the reality is that the effects of the continental fixtures plus the amount of D/u riders means there are very few , if any convenient dates when the match could, be re-arranged without guests. and if you do postpone it you have the risk of rain offs on the restored date.

 

It's all very well for Belle Vue to put out this propaganda about "not our fault guv, we offered a postponement" but unless they can say we offered x date when both sides had a full squad you are still stuck with guests.

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Ah, a few years ago. He hasnt done it for some years, and as I said it's the responsibility of the MC anyway and Cook is no longer on the MC so he is certainly not responsibile for this years problems in any way. In any event whoever is doing the fixtures can only work to the availability dates each club provide so if they say they have a team available and half of them are riding elsewhere that's the fault of the club that provide the incorrect information not the person doing the list.

I was told by the PL fixtures compiler (John Campbell) when I had a query with the EL fixtures to email the EL fixtures compiler Jon Cook, so my information is he did this years EL fixtures.

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I was told by the PL fixtures compiler (John Campbell) when I had a query with the EL fixtures to email the EL fixtures compiler Jon Cook, so my information is he did this years EL fixtures.

And theres why you'll get double up rider clashes! one man (woman, or child) should compile the fixtures.

 

on that note, I know someone who has quite a nifty fixture compiler that could be tweaked fairly easily to work!

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We offered several dates but two were refused as other teams didn't want to move and the offer of a Monday with a likely Sky broadcast never got off the table. Gov!

Therein lies the problem. When you look at the EL fixture list there seem to be plenty of dates and it all seems so simple but when you factor in the GP's and the Continental programme , and PL D/U availability it is extremely difficult to find dates when a full side can be put out. The Lakeside fixture list has a few Friday's reserved for rain offs but they obviously did not suit Belle Vue.

 

I don't know where we go from here . The continental fixtures combined with excessive double uppers are ruining the domestic fixture list . In theory I suppose one answer might be dome sort of amalgamation between the two leagues but I don't know whether the finances would work out for that arrangement.

Edited by E I Addio
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Ok for what its worth here are my thoughts....

 

I,m sure there are some promoters out there who work very hard and try to promote the sport but whatever they are not doing or doing its clearly not working when even the hardcore supporters are becoming dissilusioned with the sport.

 

My main bugbears are:

1. TR rule, i hate it (but i still attend)

2. Fans being ripped off when meetings are rained off either when meetings have started or fans are let into grounds and only to be told its off and no monies returned!!

3. Dissjointed fixture list, going for two to three weeks without a home meeting.

4. Hypocritical decisions on rider safety, ok during the season to cancel a meeting but at the end of the season its "get the meet over with regardless of conditions".

5. Teams made up of r/r , guests etc due to injuries , riding for teams abroad, riding in the EL........etc.

6. Meetings that drag on for hours.....

7. Poor presentation and music.

 

I have been attending Speedway meets since i was 15yrs old and its only this year that i have started to become less passionate about the sport, i think i sometimes go because its a habit.....wonder if there is a cure to kick it!!

 

Oh i forgot to add start times....sometimes 15-20 mins after the advertised start time!

Edited by topaz325
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I was told by the PL fixtures compiler (John Campbell) when I had a query with the EL fixtures to email the EL fixtures compiler Jon Cook, so my information is he did this years EL fixtures.

 

 

Jon Cook was not the person who physically compiled the fixtures this years or last. He might have had some sort of oversight/supervisory/front man/contact point role but I don't know whether that's the case or not.

 

The fact is that whoever compiles the fixtures doesn't sit plucking dates out of the air. They can only work to the availability dates the clubs submit. The bottom line though is that ultimately the fixture list is the responsibility of the MC to approve just as its their responsibility to confirm averages and everything else. The clue is in the name - Management Committee, although management does not always seem to be their strong point. Nevertheless the buck should stop with them

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