SPEEDY69 Posted June 22, 2017 Report Share Posted June 22, 2017 I mainly follow team speedway in the top league in the UK. I was thinking of one thing I don't enjoy and that is the unforced changes in line-ups. Now I realise this is controversial and I may be on my own but I used to like following a team and its ups and downs over a season and the anticipation over who signed who in the off season. Now that's almost irrelevant as teams replace riders all through the season. We've seen teams win the title by changing riders right at the end - this for me makes many of the early encounters rather meaningless and devalues it. Would Wolves be where they are now with the same team they started with? No, but Leicester and Somerset may be nearer to them. Is there really much evidence to suggest this constant search for better riders improves crowd levels? Or is it the way of things these days? Sedgeman must feel a little hard done by right now. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The White Knight Posted June 22, 2017 Report Share Posted June 22, 2017 I mainly follow team speedway in the top league in the UK. I was thinking of one thing I don't enjoy and that is the unforced changes in line-ups. Now I realise this is controversial and I may be on my own but I used to like following a team and its ups and downs over a season and the anticipation over who signed who in the off season. Now that's almost irrelevant as teams replace riders all through the season. We've seen teams win the title by changing riders right at the end - this for me makes many of the early encounters rather meaningless and devalues it. Would Wolves be where they are now with the same team they started with? No, but Leicester and Somerset may be nearer to them. Is there really much evidence to suggest this constant search for better riders improves crowd levels? Or is it the way of things these days? Sedgeman must feel a little hard done by right now. Sometimes it makes you wonder if there is any such thing as a Speedway 'Team'. Your Town, City or whatever nowadays is represented by a group of journeyman Riders and not by a Team as we used to understand the word. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulco Posted June 22, 2017 Report Share Posted June 22, 2017 Sometimes it makes you wonder if there is any such thing as a Speedway 'Team'. Your Town, City or whatever nowadays is represented by a group of journeyman Riders and not by a Team as we used to understand the word. They're self employed speedway riders , they ride for as many teams as possible , whether it's their one , two or three clubs or as a guest booking . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SPEEDY69 Posted June 22, 2017 Author Report Share Posted June 22, 2017 They're self employed speedway riders , they ride for as many teams as possible , whether it's their one , two or three clubs or as a guest booking . I know but I'm talking about the teams who start the year where the riders sign a contract for the season - they are not the ones deciding to step down in this case, the club makes that decision for them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The White Knight Posted June 22, 2017 Report Share Posted June 22, 2017 They're self employed speedway riders , they ride for as many teams as possible , whether it's their one , two or three clubs or as a guest booking . Very true - but what happened to the old Team ethic. You know - the days when our Riders were just that - our Riders. Riders who we got to know and socialised with. All gone now sadly. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanF Posted June 22, 2017 Report Share Posted June 22, 2017 (edited) I know but I'm talking about the teams who start the year where the riders sign a contract for the season - they are not the ones deciding to step down in this case, the club makes that decision for them. Everybody says they want the team to stay the same so they can identify with the riders. As soon as they lose a home match, everybody wants changes made. Promoters can't win on this one. Edited June 22, 2017 by AlanF 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulco Posted June 22, 2017 Report Share Posted June 22, 2017 I know but I'm talking about the teams who start the year where the riders sign a contract for the season - they are not the ones deciding to step down in this case, the club makes that decision for them. It happens , maybe more now than before , but it happens . 25 years ago I remember the shock at Glasgow when Kenny McKinna got dropped and replaced by Mark Courtney . If a rider underperforms , then he gets replaced . That's sport , not just speedway . 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The White Knight Posted June 22, 2017 Report Share Posted June 22, 2017 Everybody says they want the team to stay the same so they can identify with the riders. As soon as they lose a home match, everybody wants changes made. Promoters can't win on this one. NOT everybody. My Team through thick or thin used to be my motto. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SPEEDY69 Posted June 23, 2017 Author Report Share Posted June 23, 2017 Everybody says they want the team to stay the same so they can identify with the riders. As soon as they lose a home match, everybody wants changes made. Promoters can't win on this one. Were all the Aces fans calling for JS to go - and I don't mean armchair fans? (this is just an example and I'm not a JS or Aces fan) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speedibee Posted June 23, 2017 Report Share Posted June 23, 2017 NOT everybody. My Team through thick or thin used to be my motto. nor me . In the National League there's a couple of team managers , who are desperate to find the next big thing , convinced they know better even than the rider themselves ,they make promises such as no pressure just enjoy yourself and improve as you go .(" I know you are the next big thing even if you don't" ) 2 or 3 matches and there's no sign of a Dan Bewley and it's , sorry but we have to win matches and we have to let you go . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryce Posted June 23, 2017 Report Share Posted June 23, 2017 Does anybody know the last time a team rode a whole season with the same 7 riders all year? Must be a while ago I reckon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ch958 Posted June 23, 2017 Report Share Posted June 23, 2017 Leicester - 68 or 69 i think made one single change in a single match Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cj69 Posted June 23, 2017 Report Share Posted June 23, 2017 Does anybody know the last time a team rode a whole season with the same 7 riders all year? Must be a while ago I reckon. Can only speak for my team but Edinburgh started and finished with the same 7 in 2015 and in 2014 (both league winning teams) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Cheese Posted June 23, 2017 Report Share Posted June 23, 2017 Belle Vue, Swindon, Somerset, Workington, Birmingham and Kent all kept the same declared side last year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryce Posted June 23, 2017 Report Share Posted June 23, 2017 Wow, that's surprisingly more teams than I imagined; though it's still only a small percentage of all the teams racing overall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanF Posted June 23, 2017 Report Share Posted June 23, 2017 Were all the Aces fans calling for JS to go - and I don't mean armchair fans? (this is just an example and I'm not a JS or Aces fan) Clearly not every single person wants change. I didn't realize saying "everybody" would be taken so literally. This forum is dominated by threads calling for changes to teams. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tigerowl Posted June 23, 2017 Report Share Posted June 23, 2017 The White Knight is correct. The sport has become a band of mercenaries with no loyalty to a team who zig-zag all over the country, pulling on different race jackets every night and then zoom off into the sunset to do it all again tomorrow. The situation is made worse by the promoters who want to chop and change every week looking for an extra half point per match from someone and SOME fans who aren't happy unless the 'team' is winning every week at home. The rest of the fans who actually want to see a team representing their town or city with loyalty shown by both the promotion to the riders and riders to the fans, either have to pay up and shut up, watching a disparate group of kevlar clad strangers riding round every week, or in some cases (mine included), stop going altogether because they are sick of watching the stupid circus week after week. All the time, the hard core fans are being alienated and the new fans, if there are any, soon lose interest when they realise what a farce the system is. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The White Knight Posted June 23, 2017 Report Share Posted June 23, 2017 The White Knight is correct. The sport has become a band of mercenaries with no loyalty to a team who zig-zag all over the country, pulling on different race jackets every night and then zoom off into the sunset to do it all again tomorrow. The situation is made worse by the promoters who want to chop and change every week looking for an extra half point per match from someone and SOME fans who aren't happy unless the 'team' is winning every week at home. The rest of the fans who actually want to see a team representing their town or city with loyalty shown by both the promotion to the riders and riders to the fans, either have to pay up and shut up, watching a disparate group of kevlar clad strangers riding round every week, or in some cases (mine included), stop going altogether because they are sick of watching the stupid circus week after week. All the time, the hard core fans are being alienated and the new fans, if there are any, soon lose interest when they realise what a farce the system is. Absolutely SPOT ON!!!! :approve: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppetman Posted June 24, 2017 Report Share Posted June 24, 2017 Does anybody know the last time a team rode a whole season with the same 7 riders all year? Must be a while ago I reckon. It was Leicester 1969 who used the same seven riders in every match for the entire season. As far as I'm aware the only occasion this has happened. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ch958 Posted June 24, 2017 Report Share Posted June 24, 2017 It was Leicester 1969 who used the same seven riders in every match for the entire season. As far as I'm aware the only occasion this has happened. I mentioned this team earlier - they had Storer, Brown and Keeter all struggling from time to time yet stuck with them. I'm sure the fans were behind them and formed a bond. DD/DU simply has to go if the sport wants credibility - if it doesn't - fine, carry on and I do not believe there aren't enough riders - they said that in 1969 when bl2 expanded but they found riders ok 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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