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Glasgow v Poole/Poole v Glasgow. Playoff Final 2/4th Nov 2021.


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49 minutes ago, crescent girl said:

Yes, the latter part of October has been exceptionally wet.

However, there is too much hysteria over the clogged-up Championship play-off schedule.

In any normal season, Championship clubs would all have been running matches from around the fourth week in March.

Because of Covid, the first Championship matches were not run (at Glasgow and Scunthorpe) until May 21st.

This means these clubs lost around eight dates on which league matches could have been presented -- two-thirds of their home schedule!

Worse, Plymouth, Kent, Birmingham, Poole and Newcastle did not stage a home league match until June -- losing another two or three race nights.

All of this was down to Covid.    Not the BSPL, not clubs being guilty of calling off matches too soon (although this may have happened) and not because of any poor scheduling.

As most understand, the need for a play-off schedule remains a necessary part of speedway promotion, with profitable crowds the norm (look at the Premiership finals) and any efforts to return to the old, sadly-sometimes-boring "first past the post" system wouldn't be a good idea in a time the sport needs every big attendance it can attract.

The Covid pandemic has been the worst, most-disruptive and world-changing influence of our lifetime.    To blame any other factor for this unseemly struggle to run off the last few meetings isn't, in this truly exceptional year, is a senseless knee-jerk reaction.   

IMO

i find that an excellent comments on how this season has panned out 

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2 hours ago, iainb said:

That's just simply wrong about the late start of the season... as you have then gone on to point out in your next sentence. And it wasn't a couple of clubs, it has become widespread throughout the sport and each time a match is cancelled because of THE THREAT of rain it has a knock on effect meaning that the 2 most important matches of the season are now being run in November! It all should have been done and dusted by the end of September, you know it, I know it, everybody except the people running the sport knows it.

I had no idea Leicester fans were still so bitter?! (Are you Stewart Dickson in disguise?):rofl::rofl::rofl::party:

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2 hours ago, JanAndersen said:

And they wonder why we find Poole fans irritating……

We don’t find Poole fans irritating in the slightest it’s only Edinburgh fans that find Poole fans irritating that we find irritating.

That should narrow it down for you.

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4 minutes ago, topaz325 said:

Otters pocket, luxury, here in Cumbria it’s wetter than a very wet thing.

Pretty similar think it's same band of rain..yellow weather warnings n all that. Any speedway tonight would've required, goggles, flippers, outboard motors and propellors :rofl:

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4 hours ago, Steve Shovlar said:

Love haggis. Have it regularly. Not very healthy though.

Haggis......I've had Shaggi , u can choose from  small, medium, large or all out extra large which can knock u out! 

I don't have it regular enuff these days too much time polishing the Trophy! :rofl:

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29 minutes ago, speedwaysliders said:

Just out of interest whats the weather like in Glasgow at the moment?

Wet very wet maybe even wetter than that.

Pity there’s not more people named Noah in Glasgow they would get around quicker.

Edited by Gazc
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2 hours ago, crescent girl said:

Yes, the latter part of October has been exceptionally wet.

However, there is too much hysteria over the clogged-up Championship play-off schedule.

In any normal season, Championship clubs would all have been running matches from around the fourth week in March.

Because of Covid, the first Championship matches were not run (at Glasgow and Scunthorpe) until May 21st.

This means these clubs lost around eight dates on which league matches could have been presented -- two-thirds of their home schedule!

Worse, Plymouth, Kent, Birmingham, Poole and Newcastle did not stage a home league match until June -- losing another two or three race nights.

All of this was down to Covid.    Not the BSPL, not clubs being guilty of calling off matches too soon (although this may have happened) and not because of any poor scheduling.

As most understand, the need for a play-off schedule remains a necessary part of speedway promotion, with profitable crowds the norm (look at the Premiership finals) and any efforts to return to the old, sadly-sometimes-boring "first past the post" system wouldn't be a good idea in a time the sport needs every big attendance it can attract.

The Covid pandemic has been the worst, most-disruptive and world-changing influence of our lifetime.    To blame any other factor for this unseemly struggle to run off the last few meetings isn't, in this truly exceptional year, is a senseless knee-jerk reaction.   

IMO

Well said.

I thought this year was extremely encouraging. Like many others, I was worried by the effect that Covid could have on British speedway. But I've since some really encouraging crowds around this season - IMO the general trend has been up rather than down.

And finishing the season in such an exceptional year on November 4th (looking at the forecast, both legs should be OK next week) is hardly the end of the world. 

I also find it strange that some are criticising the growing practice of calling off meetings earlier rather than later. It used to be extremely bad business to call off a meeting as the last possible minute, when everyone knew that the decision could have been made earlier in the day.  While less susceptible to the weather, football has always chosen to postpone earlier rather than later when faced with forecasts of extreme weather.  I don't think there's more postponements in speedway now, they're just done earlier and therefore save fans, riders and promotions wasted money. It's simply better business practice. Again, some just take it as another reason to moan, but the genuine supporters who go to meetings appreciate not having their time and money wasted in the way it once was.

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1 hour ago, lucifer sam said:

I don't think there's more postponements in speedway now, they're just done earlier and therefore save fans, riders and promotions wasted money.

Tell that to the Edinburgh fans who were sat in a Leicester hotel room looking at a perfect evening for speedway earlier this summer

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5 hours ago, crescent girl said:

Yes, the latter part of October has been exceptionally wet.

However, there is too much hysteria over the clogged-up Championship play-off schedule.

In any normal season, Championship clubs would all have been running matches from around the fourth week in March.

Because of Covid, the first Championship matches were not run (at Glasgow and Scunthorpe) until May 21st.

This means these clubs lost around eight dates on which league matches could have been presented -- two-thirds of their home schedule!

Worse, Plymouth, Kent, Birmingham, Poole and Newcastle did not stage a home league match until June -- losing another two or three race nights.

All of this was down to Covid.    Not the BSPL, not clubs being guilty of calling off matches too soon (although this may have happened) and not because of any poor scheduling.

As most understand, the need for a play-off schedule remains a necessary part of speedway promotion, with profitable crowds the norm (look at the Premiership finals) and any efforts to return to the old, sadly-sometimes-boring "first past the post" system wouldn't be a good idea in a time the sport needs every big attendance it can attract.

The Covid pandemic has been the worst, most-disruptive and world-changing influence of our lifetime.    To blame any other factor for this unseemly struggle to run off the last few meetings isn't, in this truly exceptional year, is a senseless knee-jerk reaction.   

IMO

All the more reason why a decision could have been taken, and some would say should have been taken, to amend the play-offs to 4 teams.

IMO

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