Poole 2020

[E I Addio]

50 minutes ago, Steve Shovlar said:

As I asked earlier, how did Matt Ford screw over Coventry and Peterbough. He didn’t Coventry were Screwed over by their portion. Trump caused many of the issues and was righty banned from the sport for life. 

If Frost thought he was being screwed over, why was he a friend of Matts and sponsored the Pirates over the following seasons?
 

 

 

 

Not often I agree with Steve , but yes, I agree with that . One might also ask, if Frost thought he was being screwed over why did he let Lakeside sign Piotr Swiderski while it was all going on ? He spent a lot of time behind the scenes with Jon Cook trying to resolve it, and those two remain friends.

Its just a shame Rick Frost got caught up in something he didn’t have enough experience to foresee at the time. 

[Dornier]

7 hours ago, Dave Jones said:

I had it in my mind that it was more about the conversion rate for riders moving up a league which was agreed prior to the AGM at a meeting that Coventry weren't invited to.Consequently that screwed up the bees plans as they had got deals to take two riders from the lower division Kenni Larsen being one (can't recall the other ).

Yes you`re right it was that.  the two over eight rule was another year when the bees were penalised.

[Steve Shovlar]

2 hours ago, E I Addio said:

Not often I agree with Steve , but yes, I agree with that . One might also ask, if Frost thought he was being screwed over why did he let Lakeside sign Piotr Swiderski while it was all going on ? He spent a lot of time behind the scenes with Jon Cook trying to resolve it, and those two remain friends.

Its just a shame Rick Frost got caught up in something he didn’t have enough experience to foresee at the time. 

The winter of discontent was not caused by Coventry winning in 2010. It was caused by a couple of clubs jumping the gun with team building before the AGM. Some clubs in the top flight were struggling financially and didn’t want a higher points limit at the time. Matt Ford, devil incarnate for some and a promoter who could afford to put together a team in the higher points bracket, realised it would turn the EL into a have a have not League, which was basically half the haves and half the have nots. 

Whilst it is not good to pander to the lowest denominator, it is no good having a league of 4 clubs, with a further 4 or 5 making up the numbers. The idea of a points limit is so that clubs can all start on a fairly level playing field to give the sport some credibility. Matt Ford backed this idea. I am sure if Eastbourne and another club had been able to afford a higher points limit he would have gone along with that as well.

Alan Trump stormed out of the AGM, and was naively followed at the time by Rick Frost, who regretted it later. Trump, a property millionaire, backed by Sandhu, could afford the best. So a high points limit was no issue. Same goes for Rick Frost. Take that against Eastbourne for example should couldn’t and wouldn’t afford the top stars. What’s the point of whipping boys? We see this current season what that’s like in the Polish leagues.

Matt Ford said at the time that he was very disappointed in the outcome of the 2010 playoff finals. The bending of the rules by Coventry left a foul taste in the mouth but that had nothing to do with what happened that winter. It was all to do with keeping the EL to the maximum amount of teams and to keep it competitive for Sky. 

Matt Ford can be an easy target but if the sport had other promoters with the same brains and drive then it would be in a much better place than it currently finds itself.

My opinion and many of course will disagree.

[wealdstone]

IMO Rick Frost  was allowed to contribute by others a pot of money which was used  as revolving back scratch . They allowed him to do it knowing that the team that he had in mind would not be allowed.  He did not understand that Speedway even then was in the hands of Spivs and wideboys, and run under a totally different set of rules ,decency and morality  than the business  world he was used to.

[JamesHarris]

I realise that some people will not like Poole. As a Coventry fan I understand that. In football depending on who you support you may not like Man Utd or Liverpool. But I will say this, I have been disgusted by the comments I have read on here and social media from so called fans who seem to be gloating at the fact Poole may close. Poole have been the best team for years. Love em' or hate em' hats off to Matt Ford. If Poole go under any true speedway fan should take heed. 

[orion]

5 hours ago, E I Addio said:

Lakeside were the club that asked the SCB to investigate the claims of Poole cheating in 2009. No other club . So much for rolling over to Poole. Not that it did any good because the investigation was a stitch up, but that’s a different story, not under discussion now. Quite apart from Lakeside, how did he pander to Eastbourne to buy their vote ? 

What rule changes were agreed, and which clubs did they benefit ? When were these rule changes agreed ?

All the rule changes quite clearly had a direct  effect on cov ...the rule changes had little do with saving money (as Ford   care about that  at the time ) he was bitter and  got a little gang together to teach Cov a lesson .a   million ways someone like Ford could get Eastie on board 

You got to be really naive to think that those rules that destroyed the 1 to 7 that cov could have tracked were just a concidence and had to do with the final defeat , What is even more  amazing even  after  the stunts and cheating he did somehow he would  never been involved in any of the above and was  working for the good of the sport ..

 

.

Edited August 9, 2020 by orion

[E I Addio]

5 minutes ago, orion said:

All the rule changes quite clearly had a direct  effect on cov ...the rule changes had little do with saving money (as Ford   care about that  at the time ) he was bitter and  got a little gang together to teach Cov a lesson .a   million ways someone like Ford could get Eastie on board 

You got to be really naive to think that those rules that destroyed the 1 to 7 that cov could have tracked were just a concidence and had to do with the final defeat 

 

.

The AGM was in November. The season didn’t start till March. Its the same every year. The team building rules are agreed at the AGM and then everyone has a level playing field to build a team within the rules set. 
Ford didn’t get a “little gang “ together. Every promoter left in the room after Cov and Peterborough walked out voted unanimously for the team building rules, including Ronnie Russell.

[orion]

Just now, E I Addio said:

The AGM was in November. The season didn’t start till March. Its the same every year. The team building rules are agreed at the AGM and then everyone has a level playing field to build a team within the rules set. 
Ford didn’t get a “little gang “ together. Every promoter left in the room after Cov and Peterborough walked out voted unanimously for the team building rules, including Ronnie Russell.

Correct they are . sadly the rules were spoken about  and sorted some time before by the little gang  that was the whole point  . not for the good of the sport but for Ford to make sure that had  the max effect on cov likely 1 to 7 .. as i asked you before are  you trying to tell  us the rules changes  were just a massive concidence ?

I would hardly say setting your own rules up by doing favs for each other is a level playing field or plotting with others while leaving other clubs  out in the dark .

 

 

 

[Steve Shovlar]

59 minutes ago, wealdstone said:

He did not understand that Speedway even then was in the hands of Spivs and wideboys, and run under a totally different set of rules ,decency and morality  than the business  world he was used to.

You telling me normal business is not full of spivs and wideboys? I have been in business for 40 years and that’s what most business is made up of! Speedway is no different from the real world. 

[orion]

1 hour ago, Steve Shovlar said:

 

Matt Ford can be an easy target but if the sport had other promoters with the same brains and drive then it would be in a much better place than it currently finds itself.

My opinion and many of course will disagree.

i would hardly say driving most of your crowd away and having to end up in Div 2 takes much drive and brains  ..He started off ok but then started to cheat before running it into the ground the last few years .

 

[E I Addio]

26 minutes ago, orion said:

Correct they are . sadly the rules were spoken about  and sorted some time before by the little gang  that was the whole point  . not for the good of the sport but for Ford to make sure that had  the max effect on cov likely 1 to 7 .. as i asked you before are  you trying to tell  us the rules changes  were just a massive concidence ?

I would hardly say setting your own rules up by doing favs for each other is a level playing field or plotting with others while leaving other clubs  out in the dark .

 

 

 

The rules are changed every year. It’s what the fans are always moaning about. Nothing new there. If everyone knows in November what the team building rules are they all have the same ability to build a team within those rules, but as Steve said in his previous post there is no point in having a league with a few favourites and the rest also rans. 
 

[dontforgetthefueltapsbruv]

52 minutes ago, E I Addio said:

The rules are changed every year. It’s what the fans are always moaning about. Nothing new there. If everyone knows in November what the team building rules are they all have the same ability to build a team within those rules, but as Steve said in his previous post there is no point in having a league with a few favourites and the rest also rans. 
 

Every year the basis for the next season is effectively agreed at pre meetings by August to then be ratified in November - a simple box tick in most cases

If those decisions were subsequently altered it would be perfectly 'legal' but unusual and arguably immoral if certain teams had started in good faith

Would be a typical example of not breaking the rules but being against the spirit

[orion]

28 minutes ago, E I Addio said:

The rules are changed every year. It’s what the fans are always moaning about. Nothing new there. If everyone knows in November what the team building rules are they all have the same ability to build a team within those rules, but as Steve said in his previous post there is no point in having a league with a few favourites and the rest also rans. 
 

Of course the rules are new every year but that has zero to do with what when on .. Making rules up that fav you in any sport does not give others the same  ability to build a team a within those rules ...thats just common sense 

 

[E I Addio]

1 hour ago, orion said:

Of course the rules are new every year but that has zero to do with what when on .. Making rules up that fav you in any sport does not give others the same  ability to build a team a within those rules ...thats just common sense 

 

Which specific rule favoured Matt Ford ?

[orion]

48 minutes ago, E I Addio said:

Which specific rule favoured Matt Ford ?

Making Cov weaker quite suited Ford and of course that was the main point . Ward being under 8 was also  perfect once the one rider over 8 was brought in, a point made by many at the time . We all know that rule would never seen the light of day if Ward and Holder were both over 8   . it also allowed  bjane to go to Eastbourne if i remember what of course is very handy when you want  another club to vote for the same rules as you . 

 

 

 

 

[LagutaRacingFan]

The PL conversion change was a typical Ford move. He used it to his benefit for Chris Holder and Darcy Ward.

After missing out on Kenni Larsen and Sundstrom, he was bitter and the conversion rate was moved to 60 percent.

 

 

Edited August 9, 2020 by KeirStarmerFan

[bigcatdiary]

14 hours ago, E I Addio said:

The AGM was in November. The season didn’t start till March. Its the same every year. The team building rules are agreed at the AGM and then everyone has a level playing field to build a team within the rules set. 
Ford didn’t get a “little gang “ together. Every promoter left in the room after Cov and Peterborough walked out voted unanimously for the team building rules, including Ronnie Russell.

Ford was a major player in what was decided at AGM,s because he had the rider assets that a lot of clubs wanted for the next years Speedway, you would have to be incredible naive to think otherwise.

i can also remember a certain Poole match at Swindon and another involving Poole at Peterborough when averages were manipulated, both incidents were investigated by the SCB at the time.

I certainly have no wish to see Poole or any other speedway close but to paint Matt Ford as some kind of UK speedway saviour is a bit rich and just insults peoples intelligence.

As I said before Matt Ford just cared about Winning Titles and Making money at Poole.

[dabbsjoe]

and this is the issue with having the people who have a stake in the teams set the rules for the competition.

 

[mikebv]

Imagine being a major company who wanted to get involved sponsoring the league and gaining access to this thread and reading about the way the sport self governs...

Fred Karno's circus would be a better bet for them..

Did Matt Ford manipulate the situation? Well, if he did, (and who will ever know?), it was because he could...

And that is the biggest nonsense in all of this..

A local Darts and Crib league would be embarrassed to run itself the same way.. 

[lisa-colette]

22 hours ago, one of clubs said:

Matt Fraud is one of the reasons British Speedway is in terminal decline, even before Covid. Whilst being brilliant for Poole, British Speedway has been decimated. Now he reaps what he has sewn. 

Wow, I wonder if he realises he has this much power! This thread is brilliant for entertainment value. I wonder if you all believe what you say. Worrying if you do!