SteveLyric2 Posted October 1, 2015 Report Share Posted October 1, 2015 (edited) Mark Lemon has said both in articles and on Sky last night that 'Poole are the benchmark' for others to aim at. We certainly get a lot of aiming on here!! Following yet another Elite League title for Poole where does this place Matt Ford in terms of the great promoters in speedway history? For the purposes of this thread I am referring to the good brought to the promoters club, not the sport as a whole as that is another conversation altogether. As much as I dislike some of the stunts that Ford has pulled over the years nobody can argue against his level of success. Indeed you could put forward the argument that he has simply taken advantage of the sports governing bodies to push/bend/manipulate rules to his advantage and that it is his job to eek out as big an advantage for his team as he can. When interviewed on TV he appears intelligent, well dressed and comes across as being ultra professional.. something which is not always the case with speedway promoters. The Poole club is extremely well run, there rarely appears to be issues with riders not wanting to race for them. There's never a peep about riders not being paid on time and the whole club has a passionate 'family' atmosphere. As much as he has been ridiculed Middlo is very much part of that too. Year after year he puts together a team that challenges right at the top of the table... and of course isn't frightened to make changes where necessary. The up and down nature of most other teams shows that this is no easy task. So where do folks rank him? I'd list him as the No 1 promoter FOR HIS CLUB since I started going to speedway in 1984. Have you been on the Vinho Verde today BWitcher??? Edited October 1, 2015 by Skidder1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted October 1, 2015 Report Share Posted October 1, 2015 (edited) Historically Poole were your typical friendly family club promoted by the Foote family if I recall correctly Won the league in 1969 with a team of league of nations' riders but didn't do a lot for speedway in general as their record of producing their own local talent was poor - local boy John Davis lasted a year before he was rejected at 17 I think. Edited October 1, 2015 by Glenn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
van wolfswinkel Posted October 1, 2015 Report Share Posted October 1, 2015 (edited) John was from Oxford...I remember the old Pirates side of '69, always seemed to be loads of league/cup/challenge matches for Swindon against Poole...Smith, Mudge, Fossengen etc., Edited October 1, 2015 by haydon hat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
New Science Posted October 1, 2015 Report Share Posted October 1, 2015 Historically Poole were your typical friendly family club promoted by the Foote family if I recall correctly Won the league in 1969 with a team of league of nations' riders but didn't do a lot for speedway in general as their record of producing their own local talent was poor - local boy John Davis lasted a year before he was rejected at 17 I think. Matt Ford and Poole remind me of Don Revie and Leeds utd .Admired but never be loved. Good news for Poole is as champions they qualify for speedways champions league,if they can be arsed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fromafar Posted October 1, 2015 Report Share Posted October 1, 2015 Knows how to Promote and make money out of speedway how many modern day Promoters can say that.Must be doing something right. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
van wolfswinkel Posted October 1, 2015 Report Share Posted October 1, 2015 Matt Ford and Poole remind me of Don Revie and Leeds utd .Admired but never be loved. Good news for Poole is as champions they qualify for speedways champions league,if they can be arsed. Being a fan of The Arse I bloody hated that Leeds team...Bremner, Hunter, Giles, Charlton...dirty sods Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
customhouseregular Posted October 1, 2015 Report Share Posted October 1, 2015 I don't know about Matt Ford, but post-war at least Ronnie Greene has to be number 1. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heathen chemistry Posted October 2, 2015 Report Share Posted October 2, 2015 the only thing matt ford is the greatest of is in poole , he done nothing for speedway in general ,everything he done is for poole and if all promoters were like him speedway wouldnt last 5 minutes we'd have a season of in fighting,argueing ,fall outs, teams pulling out,all other teams trying to pull loophole stunts to win at any cost, a whole season of discontent..... there would be a scb/bspa hearing every day ! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 valve Posted October 2, 2015 Report Share Posted October 2, 2015 (edited) the only thing matt ford is the greatest of is in poole , he done nothing for speedway in general ,everything he done is for poole and if all promoters were like him speedway wouldnt last 5 minutes we'd have a season of in fighting,argueing ,fall outs, teams pulling out,all other teams trying to pull loophole stunts to win at any cost, a whole season of discontent..... there would be a scb/bspa hearing every day ! Poole and by association Matt Ford are indeed the benchmark by dint of being league champions for the past three years. competition is healthy and the other clubs should have ambitions to not only emulate but topple the Pirates from their lofty perch. However as I see it, many of the other promoters are occupied with surviving rather than growing and consistently fail to grasp the competitive concept that, the better/appealing you make your product the more of it you will sell. There is no doubt that Matt Ford has made his product appealing hence the success achieved, but he would benefit even more if other clubs adopted likewise approaches and all promoters worked together to make speedway more appealing across the UK starting with a "we" attitude rather than an "I" attitude. To draw a comparison, A car dealer is more than happy if he has no competition, the market is his, but any sporting club needs good competition to make their product appealing - the better the competition the better the product i.e. Poole v no body = no meeting. Poole v great competition = great meeting. Ford is the best promoter of the modern generation, I suspect David Helmsley at Leicester is equally ambitious and given time will be playing his part in positively developing UK speedway. I hope Ford & Helmsley can attract/influence others to work together in a like minded fashion. Edited October 2, 2015 by 1 valve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FAST GATER Posted October 2, 2015 Report Share Posted October 2, 2015 The man seems to know what it takes to run a speedway team could someone tell me how much they get for winning the league ? and off set this against the costs incurred in doing so or is just a matter of prestige . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest wolfhound Posted October 2, 2015 Report Share Posted October 2, 2015 (edited) I'm with BWitcher on this one. Matt Ford IS the greatest promoter of the modern day! Now you can argue about Ford's tactics when it comes to team building, employing riders on false averages or whatever BUT he is Poole through and through and that is what matters when it comes to his team. I have read a comment that Ford is bad for speedway. Well maybe that's true but he is damn good for Poole and he is Poole's promoter so my opinion is... if many promoters were as dedicated and enthusiastic as Ford then their teams would be challenging for trophies instead of just existing and being fodder for Poole! Poole it must be said have little competition when it comes to sport in their area. Yes they now have AFC Bournemouth in the Premier League as a competitor but little else and which means there is pressure on Poole to be successful and Ford has to be commended for achieving just that! To many Matt Ford - and I don't personally know the man - may seem and probably is somewhat of a showman, a manipulator and as many often say, is a bender of the rules BUT the speedway authorities have the powers to clamp down on such tactics but choose to do nothing and if they let that sort of thing go then Ford is hardly to blame for taking advantage. That other promoters don't copy him is their problem. Perhaps if they did their teams would also be successful or of course, the authorities would finally do their job and run the sport in the way it should be run and not like a fairground sideshow! So to end, my congratulations to Matt Ford and his Poole team on yet another successful season. Now if only my team Wolves, their promoter, team manager and riders would find the same enthusiasm and will to be successful instead of just going through the motions to put it politely then maybe Poole would have a fight on their hands but seeing how messrs CVS and PA operate these days knowing that having a speedway team at all is good enough to pacify most supporters, I won't be holding my breath! No doubt another uninspiring, lack lustre and trophyless season will be in prospect for 2016 but as Wolves fans, we are used to it now, it has become our destiny! Edited October 2, 2015 by wolfhound Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trees Posted October 2, 2015 Report Share Posted October 2, 2015 I didn't think him so great when I was down for a Lynn match which was holed off, I stood watching one of the women counting her takings for ages while we were asking to have our entrance money back. Matt's mate, Giles, told us we couldn't have the money back for some vague reason, unfair and ridiculous in the circumstances, it was totally the promoters fault why the meeting wasn't on and they should have treated us right! So I had to send a stamped, addressed envelope to them with my ticket to get MY MONEY back! If that is great promotion then I eat my hat! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaColette Posted October 2, 2015 Report Share Posted October 2, 2015 (edited) I didn't think him so great when I was down for a Lynn match which was holed off, I stood watching one of the women counting her takings for ages while we were asking to have our entrance money back. Matt's mate, Giles, told us we couldn't have the money back for some vague reason, unfair and ridiculous in the circumstances, it was totally the promoters fault why the meeting wasn't on and they should have treated us right! So I had to send a stamped, addressed envelope to them with my ticket to get MY MONEY back! If that is great promotion then I eat my hat! Tbh they did give money back on the night once, think it was for a KOC meeting. But it was absolutely chaotic took nearly on hour and I wasn't even half way back in the queue! I think a lot of people just queued to get money back even though they probably could go to the replay of the meeting, it's probably why they haven't done it since. Edited October 2, 2015 by lisa-colette Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ouch Posted October 2, 2015 Report Share Posted October 2, 2015 I think it will be 10 to 15 years after he's gone before we will fully appreciate Fords "achievements".. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Skid Posted October 2, 2015 Report Share Posted October 2, 2015 Ford is very fortunate to have Poole, with it's location and captive audience, would love to see him run Berwick or Redcar and see how he got on. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trees Posted October 2, 2015 Report Share Posted October 2, 2015 Tbh they did give money back on the night once, think it was for a KOC meeting. But it was absolutely chaotic took nearly on hour and I wasn't even half way back in the queue! I think a lot of people just queued to get money back even though they probably could go to the replay of the meeting, it's probably why they haven't done it since. There were only Lynn fans wanting their money back on the night, the worst thing was the woman counting the money in front of us, all they had to do was take our tickets and give us the money, and the fact that it was their incompetence why the hole was there in the track with nothing to remedy it with, joke! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E I Addio Posted October 2, 2015 Report Share Posted October 2, 2015 (edited) Ford is very fortunate to have Poole, with it's location and captive audience, would love to see him run Berwick or Redcar and see how he got on.I think that is excacrly the point. He is undoubtedly the most successful. I don't think you can apply an objective test to "great". He has. a number of built in advantages at Poole, and of course he makes the best of them, which is fair enough. I don't think you can compare him on a like for like basis with promoters who managed to keep their clubs afloat financially in difficult circumstances with stadiums in remote locations with poor facilities. If for example , you were to put Rick Frost as main promoter at Poole and Ford as promoter ar Peterborough would we see Boro winning the EL play offs in front of healthy crowds and Poole dropping to PL with diminishing support ? I doubt it Nor coukd you equate what Ford has done at Poole with what David Gordon has done at Belle Vue. All you can say is Ford knows his job and does it well, as his championship record Edited October 2, 2015 by E I Addio 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grachan Posted October 2, 2015 Report Share Posted October 2, 2015 What advantages does he have at Poole? Poole have dropped to PL under previous promotions. They never had more success or larger crowds than, say, Swindon under previous promotions. I think you have to give credit where it is due. As for the money back thing, it's always a frustation but it's standard practice in speedway. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaColette Posted October 2, 2015 Report Share Posted October 2, 2015 Yep agreed. Average crowd at Poole was 800 before he came and now it's 2000. Maybe a bit higher in the Summer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Voice Of Reason Posted October 2, 2015 Report Share Posted October 2, 2015 My opinion? Biggest cheat I've ever known in this sport - which to my mind, overshadows any of his success. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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