Gresham Posted June 29, 2017 Report Share Posted June 29, 2017 ....only 16 Premiership meetings in 30 days. With 8 teams competing in the League, surely it should be double that amount of fixtures? I really can't understand the fixture planning by Clubs. June...our longest period of sunlight and generally one of the drier months. As for my local Club...one Premiership fixture at home during July. Three all together, and all in the space of a week. Anyone else think the fixtures need looking at? Preferably I'd like to see the Prem and Championship combine into one big league. Anyone else agree...or is it just me that feels this way? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starman2006 Posted June 29, 2017 Report Share Posted June 29, 2017 ....only 16 Premiership meetings in 30 days. With 8 teams competing in the League, surely it should be double that amount of fixtures? I really can't understand the fixture planning by Clubs. June...our longest period of sunlight and generally one of the drier months. As for my local Club...one Premiership fixture at home during July. Three all together, and all in the space of a week. Anyone else think the fixtures need looking at? Preferably I'd like to see the Prem and Championship combine into one big league. Anyone else agree...or is it just me that feels this way? And next month it will be July.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobMcCaffery Posted June 29, 2017 Report Share Posted June 29, 2017 (edited) British tracks generally run only when riders don't have more pressing (and profitable) engagements elsewhere, usually in Poland, or have to run with guests and r/r when there's no alternative. Edited June 29, 2017 by Rob McCaffery Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PHILIPRISING Posted June 29, 2017 Report Share Posted June 29, 2017 ....only 16 Premiership meetings in 30 days. With 8 teams competing in the League, surely it should be double that amount of fixtures? I really can't understand the fixture planning by Clubs. June...our longest period of sunlight and generally one of the drier months. As for my local Club...one Premiership fixture at home during July. Three all together, and all in the space of a week. Anyone else think the fixtures need looking at? Preferably I'd like to see the Prem and Championship combine into one big league. Anyone else agree...or is it just me that feels this way? BEGINNING to think that a combined league is inevitable. Tracks need more fixtures, simple as that. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulco Posted June 29, 2017 Report Share Posted June 29, 2017 BEGINNING to think that a combined league is inevitable. Tracks need more fixtures, simple as that. Seems to me that we're fitting fixtures in when they don't clash with anything more important on the continent . Have we really become that unimportant now ? Even in the Championship this is creeping in more and more , hard to see how this would change even if the leagues did amalgamate . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobMcCaffery Posted June 29, 2017 Report Share Posted June 29, 2017 (edited) Seems to me that we're fitting fixtures in when they don't clash with anything more important on the continent . Have we really become that unimportant now ? Even in the Championship this is creeping in more and more , hard to see how this would change even if the leagues did amalgamate . I was surprised to see the Worralls turning out for Rawicz in the third tier of Polish racing, considering both ride for weekend tracks. Currently Rawicz only use them when they're free but what happens if the lower Polish leagues start to behave like their top level? Robert Lambert also turns out for Lublin in the same league. Obviously it's good for these riders to get experience abroad but this could also develop into a problem in due course. Yes we have become that unimportant for many, except for picking up pin money and practice time. We don't pay enough because our crowds are far too low. I am afraid I can see a small SGBP and equally small SGBC running on one specific night each per week with tracks running 7-10 meeting home seasons plus play-offs fortnightly, just as in Sweden, with fans still wondering why the 'stars' haven't returned. The rest will be running at NL level whenever their riders can get time off work. Either that or we make a stand, refuse to be bullied by the Poles and BSI any further, and put a league format together that will use only riders who will fully commit to British racing, whatever shape that may take. Of course the use of foreign riders means compromise with their federations wanting them home for key events. We've been there before since that was exactly how we worked in the 'glory' years. Of course back then the World Championship was one final plus a handful of qualifiers, not 12 Saturdays a year plus 2 more for the SWC and we didn't have the Polish League juggernaut. Sadly we do We can't live with them so must live without them. Edited June 29, 2017 by Rob McCaffery 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigcatdiary Posted June 29, 2017 Report Share Posted June 29, 2017 BEGINNING to think that a combined league is inevitable. Tracks need more fixtures, simple as that. So where do all the extra riders come from 34 out of 56 of the 8 teams of the Premiership currently ride in the Championship. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
False dawn Posted June 29, 2017 Report Share Posted June 29, 2017 Seems to me that we're fitting fixtures in when they don't clash with anything more important on the continent..... And still we suffer endless guests and RRs. So that strategy isn't working. Anyone have any idea how many league and cup meetings have actually taken place with two full teams, 1-7? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SCB Posted June 29, 2017 Report Share Posted June 29, 2017 British tracks generally run only when riders don't have more pressing (and profitable) engagements elsewhere, usually in Poland, or have to run with guests and r/r when there's no alternative. Except that's not true. They often run meeting clashing with GP qualifiers, GP practice and GPs. Madness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The White Knight Posted June 29, 2017 Report Share Posted June 29, 2017 Except that's not true. They often run meeting clashing with GP qualifiers, GP practice and GPs. Madness. NO!!! Speedway. :sad: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gemini Posted June 29, 2017 Report Share Posted June 29, 2017 (edited) And still we suffer endless guests and RRs. So that strategy isn't working. Anyone have any idea how many league and cup meetings have actually taken place with two full teams, 1-7? No idea but the Championship match Peterborough v Glasgow last Sunday was quite a novelty as both teams had their full 1 - 7 with no guests and no rider replacements. Edited June 29, 2017 by Gemini 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
False dawn Posted June 29, 2017 Report Share Posted June 29, 2017 Peterborough v Glasgow last Sunday was quite a noveltyYour description supports my conjecture.I can be a nerd at times, I admit. And I would be truly interested to know the (small) percentage of meetings that meet my criteria. But I can't think of an easy way to determine the exact number and I have a life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SCB Posted June 29, 2017 Report Share Posted June 29, 2017 (edited) Your description supports my conjecture. I can be a nerd at times, I admit. And I would be truly interested to know the (small) percentage of meetings that meet my criteria. But I can't think of an easy way to determine the exact number and I have a life. Out of 187 meetings, 108 had 14 riders take part. But some of them could have been a number 8. I've only included meeting that got to heat 10 and all meeting up to 19th June. But throw in guests and well.... :/ Ill try and work that out now 37 meetings without guests or r/r out of 187 meetings. Obviously, number 8s would be "guests" so not relevant. Edited June 29, 2017 by SCB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveallan81 Posted June 29, 2017 Report Share Posted June 29, 2017 Your description supports my conjecture. I can be a nerd at times, I admit. And I would be truly interested to know the (small) percentage of meetings that meet my criteria. But I can't think of an easy way to determine the exact number and I have a life. I too have a life but I also have an excel spreadsheet running for the season so... There have been 209 official matches so far this year. 55 have gone ahead with neither team using guests or r/r. Note that I'm not counting unattached riders as guests. For example Birmingham v Plymouth on Tuesday, both teams used an unattached rider but I count that match as 'no guests'. No R/R either, so it goes in the books as a 'full 1-7' match. I had naively thought these type of replacements were clubs promoting a junior but as the season has gone on it has become clear that there are a small group of unattached hired guns filling in anywhere they can and I should probably have included them from the start. Under the same criteria, the current overall guest figure is 188. R/R has been rolled out on 112 occasions. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SCB Posted June 29, 2017 Report Share Posted June 29, 2017 Looks like our figures are about the same. I consider "unattached" riders as guests, so a difference of about 20 where an "unattached" rider has replaced another. I will admit I could be a couple out in the NL too as trying to keep up with some of the team changes and what is/isn't a guest can be bloody difficult, it's especially confusing where a rider doesn't appear to be in a teams declared 1-7 according to greensheets and clubs websites for a few meetings and then after a few meetings appear in the declared team on the 1-7, I don't know if thats a delay with the BSPA or they rode as unattached riders for a few meetings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobMcCaffery Posted June 30, 2017 Report Share Posted June 30, 2017 Except that's not true. They often run meeting clashing with GP qualifiers, GP practice and GPs. Madness. It is true, given I clearly qualified my comment with "when there's no alternative" - principally the need to stage a meeting, especially to plug a huge gap in the fixtures in order to salvage some cash flow. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveallan81 Posted June 30, 2017 Report Share Posted June 30, 2017 (edited) Looks like our figures are about the same. I consider "unattached" riders as guests, so a difference of about 20 where an "unattached" rider has replaced another. I will admit I could be a couple out in the NL too as trying to keep up with some of the team changes and what is/isn't a guest can be bloody difficult, it's especially confusing where a rider doesn't appear to be in a teams declared 1-7 according to greensheets and clubs websites for a few meetings and then after a few meetings appear in the declared team on the 1-7, I don't know if thats a delay with the BSPA or they rode as unattached riders for a few meetings. I've used the NL averages on the SGB site to help root out the unattached guests. Adjusting my figures to incorporate them (and the Redcar v Glasgow match that I'd missed) lowers the total to 48 of 210 matches where both teams started with their declared 1-7. I make it 37 extra u/a guests. Overall total now 227. Edited June 30, 2017 by daveallan81 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waiheke1 Posted June 30, 2017 Report Share Posted June 30, 2017 (edited) Do U have a gut feel (or stats) on how many are injury facilities and how many due to "other absences." The latter category I would assume could be army least 90% eliminated by better fixture planning Edited June 30, 2017 by waihekeaces1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveallan81 Posted June 30, 2017 Report Share Posted June 30, 2017 Do U have a gut feel (or stats) on how many are injury facilities and how many due to "other absences." The latter category I would assume could be army least 90% eliminated by better fixture planning I thought about tracking that at the start of the season but decided it would probably descend into chaos. Maybe worth a look at some point. I don't think it'll be as high as 90% though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gresham Posted June 30, 2017 Author Report Share Posted June 30, 2017 I too have a life but I also have an excel spreadsheet running for the season so... There have been 209 official matches so far this year. 55 have gone ahead with neither team using guests or r/r. Note that I'm not counting unattached riders as guests. For example Birmingham v Plymouth on Tuesday, both teams used an unattached rider but I count that match as 'no guests'. No R/R either, so it goes in the books as a 'full 1-7' match. I had naively thought these type of replacements were clubs promoting a junior but as the season has gone on it has become clear that there are a small group of unattached hired guns filling in anywhere they can and I should probably have included them from the start. Under the same criteria, the current overall guest figure is 188. R/R has been rolled out on 112 occasions. So only approx. 25% of meetings this season have gone ahead with a full 7 in each team? If so that's complete madness. May as well merge both leagues and run 6 man teams...as it's pretty much that now anyway. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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