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Craig Cook Signs For Peterboro' In Prem League (double Downer)


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Bloody furious.

 

Sadly nothing surprises me anymore when it comes to the BSPA. They wouldn't know the best interests of speedway if it came up and hit them on the head.

 

No doubt within a week we will find out Davey Watt has signed for a PL team! (Nothing personal against him before Poole fans start bleating he simply isn't British)

 

Edit

 

The Peterborough statement says BSPA say Belle Vue did not have the right to allow Borough to talk to Cook. If they have paid a loan fee why the hell not?

Edited by Star Lady
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Okay, I won't hijack the thread. People are walking away from the sport and I firmly believe this is one of the many reasons why speedway looks stupid and people don't go.

 

It's basically a self depleting prophecy and will reduce the sport to just a few riders while there are no vacancies to fill.

Could i just ask you with the way the sport in Britain is at the moment do they have a choice.Including the FTR riders there are 24 Doubleing up riders in the Elite league.If they said no more doubleing up for 2017 i would think that most of the riders would stay in the Prem league mainly because there are more meetings so potentialy more earnings.Now the big Question is with more and more European riders at all leavels plus our own world champion not wanting to ride in Britain anymore where do you find the riders to replace these riders in the Elite league.

Re Cookie there reasons seem crazy(ie he will miss three meetings)Cookie has doubled up for Belle vue for a good few seasons now and has missed at least three meetings for belle vue every year so whats the difference in him missing three meetings for the Panthers.All doubleing up riders miss meetings for one of there teams so whats the difference with this case.Madness.

Edited by B.V 72
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Lets go back to the reasons it was first introduced.

 

It was introduced to give a select promising few riders from the Premier League, the opportunity to race against the best in the Elite League.

 

We had plenty of riders to go around, with a few National League riders knocking on the door of the Premier League reserve berths.

 

It's now being used to fill team berths, at the same time still being sold to us as a "development" opportunity.

 

Do the maths, doubling up is everywhere now, riders numbers are reducing. As one retires a current rider doubles up and there is no replacement.

 

Give it another ten years and triple up will be very common. Some were pushing for merging the leagues and going North/South split then a competition to find the winner? How will that work now with riders doubling up across the North and South Leagues. Oh, there is the guest facility... which in itself creates a "conflict of interests" which is another thorn..

 

"And in goal for England is Hart, very popular with the Man City crowds and also popular with the Birmingham City folks to keep match fit, for development he's signing for non league bla bla....."

 

 

The football comparison is completely ridiculous for 101 reasons, the main one being football has a pool of players to pick from in the millions whereas British Speedway teams are lucky if they have a pool of hundreds to pick from.

 

However, the maths show me that every league is now heavily weighted in favour of riders who want to regularly race speedway meetings in this country, and that’s a good thing, that is what the majority of fans want. It is a trend that will continue as the rule is a seed that needs to be grown and progressed correctly.

 

There is a far clearer pathway for British riders and that has now evolved into a way to enhance the number of meetings British based riders can race (good it is a British league after all) which in theory will see them progress, get better and enable them to become “EL riders” or “PL riders” rather than the collection of riders over the years from the continent who were mediocre and selective in their appearances here.

 

To my mind the DU/D down rule is in place to increase the number of riders who are committed to racing in this country (and is in the process of achieving that) and to fill the void left from top stars who have chosen to walk away. The trend re the number of Young British riders continues today with the majority of reserve spots in the EL and PL being packed with British kids, many of whom are progressing and will become regulars in this country, some would have anyway but this rule has increased the chances of more riders doing it.

 

The FTR/Double Up system is one of the few long term plans that is currently in place, when it comes to fruition it will reduce the number of meetings featuring R/R and guests (in theory) as there will be a far larger number of home grown riders racing here. If it continues as it has and riders progress as a result of it and become EL second strings/PL second strings it further increase the chances of other young Brits stepping into the EL reserve spots and PL reserve spots.

 

Fans ask for long term, this plan is long term, not ideals but still the entire premise of the rule is completely missed by some, go through the league, do the actual math, take away riders who DU/Double Down and work out where the 20+ riders who are going to fill that void are coming from, or where the money is coming from to fill the cash vacuum left behind due to the demand left to sign riders to fill a 1-7 let alone compete.

 

I do need to ask again, what riders have been left out of a job, or retired as a result of the system? Without tangible evidence that just feels like a complete and utter false opposition, as the only riders I can see who have been left on the side line are guys like Bager, Palovaraa, Rasmus Jensen etc, guys being signed as replacements, who with the best will in the world are hardly going to define the future of British Speedway.

Re your 10 years’ time point, in 10 years’ time British Speedway will have removed the majority of dead wood from the continent and replaced them with home grown local riders who will likely be representing their region in the North/South league if it was to split in two, that league would then be supplemented with selected talent from the continent who want to commit to Britain in the way the likes of Holder, Pijper, Lindgren or Summers have.. but hey it is 10 years you can right whatever narrative you like, there is so much water to pass under the bridge anything could happen, they might be going round the tracks on vespa hybrids for all I know.

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Good luck Cookie, should be getting more overseas opportunities, superb rider.

You are right Cookie is good enougth to ride in Europe and on talent alone should be getting rides.There are a lot of european riders that are nowhere near as good as Cook that get regular rides in Polands 2nd division. It makes you think that they have got a problem with British riders and if Cookie can't get a team place over there what chance have other up and coming British riders got.

Yet on the other hand his own country are now doing the same to him,as the BSPA seem to have a problem with Peterbourgh dropping two European riders(who could drop British speedway at the drop of a hat) to bring in two brits go figure ???.

Edited by B.V 72
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Bloody furious.

 

Sadly nothing surprises me anymore when it comes to the BSPA. They wouldn't know the best interests of speedway if it came up and hit them on the head.

 

No doubt within a week we will find out Davey Watt has signed for a PL team! (Nothing personal against him before Poole fans start bleating he simply isn't British)

 

Edit

 

The Peterborough statement says BSPA say Belle Vue did not have the right to allow Borough to talk to Cook. If they have paid a loan fee why the hell not?

Just as a matter of interest - Davey Watt tweeted yesterday questioning why a rider with a higher EL average than him is allowed to double-down when he isn't??! (and he hasn't even got an EL spot at the moment).

 

 

Wasn't there a rule that stopped EL riders with an average above 6 points from doubling down - or have I imagined that?!

Edited by Skidder1
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'.........The decision by the sport's bosses to reject the move was made in line with rule 16.3.5 of the 2016 Speedway Regulations, which states that the BSPA management committee monitors all proposed moves and has the sole responsibility to approve all (re-)declared team line-ups having been satisfied that they are in the best interests of the sport.'

 

In that case why bother with team building rules at all. So now anyone can use this rule and say 'that's not in the best interests of the sport' and block moves that are perfectly ok and comply with the other rules. It's absolute lunacy. :nono:

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Just as a matter of interest - Davey Watt tweeted yesterday questioning why a rider with a higher EL average than him is allowed to double-down when he isn't??!

 

 

Wasn't there a rule that stopped EL riders with an average above 6 points from doubling down - or have I imagined that?!

 

That's for EL riders without a PL average, i.e. those on the way down.

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Just as a matter of interest - Davey Watt tweeted yesterday questioning why a rider with a higher EL average than him is allowed to double-down when he isn't??! (and he hasn't even got an EL spot at the moment).

 

 

Wasn't there a rule that stopped EL riders with an average above 6 points from doubling down - or have I imagined that?!

thats right, but the loophole is having an established PL average.... So the likes of screeny and danny king got thier averages below 6 for a period.
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Just as a matter of interest - Davey Watt tweeted yesterday questioning why a rider with a higher EL average than him is allowed to double-down when he isn't??! (and he hasn't even got an EL spot at the moment).

 

 

Wasn't there a rule that stopped EL riders with an average above 6 points from doubling down - or have I imagined that?!

who gives a sh!t about an Aussi?

Edited by Flyin Panther
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