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Craig Cook: what next?


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Please keep this level-headed, which includes not indulging in attacks of a personal nature against Craig Cook.

He has seemingly left Peterborough for contractual reasons on the eve of the season and Glasgow in the CL is now his sole UK team. I do not know if he has team places in Sweden or Poland, but I'm doubtful. Does he have other income to replace his Peterborough job, will he secure a team place at another PL club, or has he burned his boats with respect to his career as a top level speedway rider?

 

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He has set fire to his "boats" and though they are not yet burnt below the water level he does need to be more prudent in future. Being outspoken / plain speaking is all very well if it is carefully thought out as to it's likely reception. It's not what you say but what other people hear that counts. 

The main point in his favour is that he can cut the mustard on track ( in the UK ) and so likely will get a PL place within a couple of months. The sponsor's logo issue was just a smokescreen and we will never know what really happened in the world of masonic-like dealings.

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On 4/5/2019 at 7:08 AM, waytogo28 said:

He has set fire to his "boats" and though they are not yet burnt below the water level he does need to be more prudent in future. Being outspoken / plain speaking is all very well if it is carefully thought out as to it's likely reception. It's not what you say but what other people hear that counts. 

The main point in his favour is that he can cut the mustard on track ( in the UK ) and so likely will get a PL place within a couple of months. The sponsor's logo issue was just a smokescreen and we will never know what really happened in the world of masonic-like dealings.

Decent heatleader in GB that’s about it,Promoters will wise up and not pay over the odds,Buster owns 3 off the Premiership Clubs so limits his options  in GB .IMO 

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3 hours ago, Fromafar said:

Decent heatleader in GB that’s about it,Promoters will wise up and not pay over the odds,Buster owns 3 off the Premiership Clubs so limits his options  in GB .IMO 

There did need to be some 'balancing'  and it looks like Buster is the man who has taken it on himself to do it...

Read Craig's comments in the SS and understand his view completely...

However, bottom line is, you work for someone under their terms and conditions....

Or you don't...

I am sure Craig will get a team place given the nature of the sport..

And who knows, maybe some team in a difficult position will offer him even more money than he would have got at PBoro....?

 

Edited by mikebv
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10 minutes ago, mikebv said:

There did need to be some 'balancing'  and it looks like Buster is the man who has taken it on himself to do it...

Read Craig's comments in the SS and understand his view completely...

However, bottom line is, you work for someone under their terms and conditions....

Or you don't...

 

It was reported that Belle Vue released Craig for similar. GP rider demands for a bang average rider. He also publicly slated Belle Vue's management. 

So Craig has pretty much left himself with Championship Glasgow or Premiership's Swindon and Wolverhampton. Neither of the Premiership clubs management teams would be stupid enough to pay what his "Speedway Superstar" wages.

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Cook will make a reasonably healthy living from Glasgow and being one of the top riders in the Championship, Craig himself says he still has the ambition to make it back into SGP, without any top level racing in either Poland or Sweden and now without a Premiership club he`s further away from the GP`s than ever.

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Looks like Cookie has lost a number of sponsors, must be due to the lack of top level Speedway. Most notable is I think his biggest sponsor CFS are missing.

Edited by Daniel Smith
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7 hours ago, Daniel Smith said:

Looks like Cookie has lost a number of sponsors, must be due to the lack of top level Speedway. Most notable is I think his biggest sponsor CFS are missing.

And will he be riding in the SON? 

Would Rosco pick a rider not competing at any where near the highest level when many other Brits are in the top league? 

Also he wouldn't be as 'match fit' as less meetings will have been ridden..

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13 minutes ago, mikebv said:

And will he be riding in the SON? 

Would Rosco pick a rider not competing at any where near the highest level when many other Brits are in the top league? 

Also he wouldn't be as 'match fit' as less meetings will have been ridden..

Highly unlikely he’ll be picked for the SoN I’d suggest. Depends on who else is in what kind of form though of course. 

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On 4/10/2019 at 12:13 AM, Daniel Smith said:

It was reported that Belle Vue released Craig for similar. GP rider demands for a bang average rider. He also publicly slated Belle Vue's management. 

So Craig has pretty much left himself with Championship Glasgow or Premiership's Swindon and Wolverhampton. Neither of the Premiership clubs management teams would be stupid enough to pay what his "Speedway Superstar" wages.

Reported?

 Source please. 

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9 hours ago, Daniel Smith said:

Looks like Cookie has lost a number of sponsors, must be due to the lack of top level Speedway. Most notable is I think his biggest sponsor CFS are missing.

A number, please elaborate. 

 

Craig’s already mentioned about losing out when “they pulled out when I could no longer provide them with the key advertising areas”.

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On 4/12/2019 at 6:41 AM, mikebv said:

And will he be riding in the SON? 

Would Rosco pick a rider not competing at any where near the highest level when many other Brits are in the top league? 

Also he wouldn't be as 'match fit' as less meetings will have been ridden..

CORRECT me if I am wrong, but believe the third rider in the squad has to be under 21. Lambert was 21 earlier this month and is assured of a pick with Woffinden.

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6 minutes ago, PHILIPRISING said:

CORRECT me if I am wrong, but believe the third rider in the squad has to be under 21. Lambert was 21 earlier this month and is assured of a pick with Woffinden.

Isn't Lambert riding U21 this year?

Thought he was, doesn't it depend on your age at the start of the year or season?

If not then Dan Bewley would be a great U21 'third' rider, particularly at the NSS..

Would make sense crowd and PR wise too. Bring a lot of local fans in who may be undecided abut going, and give BT a positive narrative about the 'future of British Speedway' etc..

Edited by mikebv
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2 hours ago, mikebv said:

Isn't Lambert riding U21 this year?

Thought he was, doesn't it depend on your age at the start of the year or season?

If not then Dan Bewley would be a great U21 'third' rider, particularly at the NSS..

Would make sense crowd and PR wise too. Bring a lot of local fans in who may be undecided abut going, and give BT a positive narrative about the 'future of British Speedway' etc..

Have Lambert as the U21 Rider with Bewley at No.2 to Woffinden.

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On 4/10/2019 at 12:13 AM, Daniel Smith said:

It was reported that Belle Vue released Craig for similar. GP rider demands for a bang average rider. He also publicly slated Belle Vue's management. 

So Craig has pretty much left himself with Championship Glasgow or Premiership's Swindon and Wolverhampton. Neither of the Premiership clubs management teams would be stupid enough to pay what his "Speedway Superstar" wages.

Why Swindon? Are you talking down the line if someone struggles, totally unfeasible  would only fit if Doyle or Batch were dropped and that's totally unlikely

Edited by hagonshocker
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3 hours ago, hagonshocker said:

Why Swindon? Are you talking down the line if someone struggles, totally unfeasible  would only fit if Doyle or Batch were dropped and that's totally unlikely

Cook has 3 spots in the Champ. 

1.Swindon (CFS connection surely pulls the weight) 2. Wolves doubt it 3. Poole well it would be funny considering Ford hates him. 

I know he had problems in Rybnik and has a very tarnished reputation in Poland due to him being a GP rider and being one of the worse riders in league 1. 

Needs to come out get a spot and keep his head down and out of the way. 

 

And he will look in the champ this year due to how weak it is. When you are riding against 17 year olds and you were a Gp rider you should go rather well. 

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9 hours ago, hagonshocker said:

Why Swindon? Are you talking down the line if someone struggles, totally unfeasible  would only fit if Doyle or Batch were dropped and that's totally unlikely

 I think that merely serves to show just how difficult it will be for him to get a top flight place here - injury seems the only way to me, and even then I suspect other options will be considered first. 

I'm a Cook fan - and he's anything but an average rider - but he was stupid with Peterborough. True, he had a point. But in sticking to it he halved his speedway earnings overnight  and  massively lost out as a result. Instead of thinking it through he behaved petulantly and he will be counting the cost all season. 

I really don't know where he goes from here but suggestions that he shuts his mouth and just gets on with it seem pretty good advice to me.

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