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Post by Deleted on May 27, 2009 16:58:16 GMT
Strong words from Young Stanley and Cookie on the Lakeside website, basically saying what the fans of the sport have been saying for years!!
This statement will send shivers throughout the sport, of that I have no doubt. They have now stood up to be counted and there will be a few from within who will go hell for leather to silence them.
Personally I am sure they would have sought and gained support from other BSPA members before taking this action and have no doubt assessed the response before taking this action.
It's make or break time, and hopefully integrity will win the day, but make no mistake, today is a pivotal day for the future of domestic speedway in this country!!!
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Post by admin on May 27, 2009 17:03:34 GMT
And here are the strong words: Promoters call for overhaul of British Speedway
Lakeside Speedway Promoters Stuart Douglas and Jon Cook have called for a complete overhaul in the way Speedway is run plus an independent inquiry into the controversy surrounding allegations of race fixing during Poole’s visit to Swindon earlier this month. The pair have issued a joint statement in an attempt to save the Sport from all the infighting that is in danger of undoing much of the stability winter changes have brought to the Elite League.
Their Statement reads as follows: “Over the last three years we have put considerable efforts into re establishing our Speedway for the enjoyment of our fans and to become a solid member of both the Elite League and the British Speedway Promoters Association (BSPA). It has become obvious during that time that the continued move towards total self governance by the BSPA through the continued weakening of the Speedway Control Bureau (SCB) is not in the best interests of the Sport and presents an opportunity for individual promoters to stretch the rule book to the extreme to gain advantage.
“The time has come to return back to the old values of being overseen by an independent body and for rule making to be taken out of the hands of the promoters, who will naturally vote for what they want, as opposed to what is often best for the Sport.
“We share the concerns of many supporters with what is alleged to have gone on at Swindon when Poole visited and a public wall of silence from the SCB and BSPA does nothing but fan the flames. For that reason we have contacted the SCB and requested an independent inquiry in to the match, so the matter can be put to rest, such is the unprecedented furore surrounding it.
“Whether Poole are exonerated of blame, averages on both sides are disallowed or other action taken, an inquiry has to address this matter with urgency.
“We make public our actions with a heavy heart but to stay silent would suggest we do not care about the situation and the fans of Speedway. Both our own supporters, and those in opposition, deserve clarity as without them we have no Sport and Speedway cannot retain its integrity until the stigma of allegations of race fixing are addressed.”Taken from: www.lakesidehammers.com/ |
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Post by schumi on May 27, 2009 17:19:01 GMT
Have to say I wholeheartedly agree with them, and not purely because of the Poole/Coventry debacles, but because it's clear to see things have been sliding down a slippery slope for a long time, picking up more and more waste and debris as they go.
Whilst I applaud the BSPA for acknowledging we, as a sport, need to make vast changes, and for trying to tinker with the rules to make things more interesting for the spectator, it's become obvious to the average person how much is going on behind closed doors which is detrimental.
I appreciate each club is run as a business, and realise it must be difficult to get the balance between making that business successful and doing what is right for the good of the sport in the long term, and think that, on the whole, there are some decent promoters. But it seems the sum of all its parts just doesn't work. No-one is naive enough to think that everything in the sport is absolutely above board one hundred percent of the time, but there has been so much dirty washing aired in public lately it can no longer be ignored.
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Post by Deleted on May 27, 2009 23:41:58 GMT
And here are the strong words: Promoters call for overhaul of British Speedway
Lakeside Speedway Promoters Stuart Douglas and Jon Cook have called for a complete overhaul in the way Speedway is run plus an independent inquiry into the controversy surrounding allegations of race fixing during Poole’s visit to Swindon earlier this month. The pair have issued a joint statement in an attempt to save the Sport from all the infighting that is in danger of undoing much of the stability winter changes have brought to the Elite League.
Their Statement reads as follows: “Over the last three years we have put considerable efforts into re establishing our Speedway for the enjoyment of our fans and to become a solid member of both the Elite League and the British Speedway Promoters Association (BSPA). It has become obvious during that time that the continued move towards total self governance by the BSPA through the continued weakening of the Speedway Control Bureau (SCB) is not in the best interests of the Sport and presents an opportunity for individual promoters to stretch the rule book to the extreme to gain advantage.
“The time has come to return back to the old values of being overseen by an independent body and for rule making to be taken out of the hands of the promoters, who will naturally vote for what they want, as opposed to what is often best for the Sport.
“We share the concerns of many supporters with what is alleged to have gone on at Swindon when Poole visited and a public wall of silence from the SCB and BSPA does nothing but fan the flames. For that reason we have contacted the SCB and requested an independent inquiry in to the match, so the matter can be put to rest, such is the unprecedented furore surrounding it.
“Whether Poole are exonerated of blame, averages on both sides are disallowed or other action taken, an inquiry has to address this matter with urgency.
“We make public our actions with a heavy heart but to stay silent would suggest we do not care about the situation and the fans of Speedway. Both our own supporters, and those in opposition, deserve clarity as without them we have no Sport and Speedway cannot retain its integrity until the stigma of allegations of race fixing are addressed.”Taken from: www.lakesidehammers.com/I certainly would advocate the appointment of an independent body to run speedway and it would be nice to have some clarity, but i fail to see how west ham and Swindon(as mentioned on skysports) actions can do speedway any good whatsoever, how can anyone retrospectively prove Poole were cheating ? i think the actions of the Robins and hammers are self-serving and badly thought out, it sounds to me like a case of sour grapes. There are stupid 'average' rules in place, the system allows those averages to differ throughout the season and changes to be made, thats what Poole have done, whether their actions are/were in the spirit of fair play and totally above board is not something i could comment on, but unless someone confesses to some skullduggery how can anything possibly be proved. I've said it before and i'll say it again, a league cannot be run on the basis of reducing the 'talent' to the level of the lowest poorest sides. Is this a case of west ham and Swindon seeing Poole as an unwanted threat to their title ambitions, and putting their own wants ahead of the good of the sport ? I think so, and whether Poole are culpable or not, speedway's reputation will be tarnished for a long time. Anyone with half a brain could forsee all the problems the rules could create, and that is something to be addressed during the close-season. The promotion at west ham maybe highly thought of and have the best interests of the sport on the agenda, but over this they are being VERY SELFISH, and could end up doing the sport serious harm. |
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Post by admin on May 28, 2009 0:12:03 GMT
The Augean stables need to be cleaned. That isn't going to happen so long as the "old boy network" at the BSPA remains inviolate. By breaking ranks, Lakeside and Swindon are doing the sport a great service.
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Post by Deleted on May 28, 2009 8:03:42 GMT
The Augean stables need to be cleaned. That isn't going to happen so long as the "old boy network" at the BSPA remains inviolate. By breaking ranks, Lakeside and Swindon are doing the sport a great service. If west ham and Swindon had conclusive proof of 'cheating' i might be tempted to agree, but merely casting aspersions can be of no use to the sport whatsoever. It seems to me that if Poole have been up to no-good, and thats a big IF, they have done so in an attempt to maintain their support, so ultimately they would have my support, even though i wouldn't approve of the method. |
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Post by Deleted on May 28, 2009 9:19:24 GMT
By breaking ranks, Lakeside and Swindon are doing the sport a great service. Maybe you could explain how? |
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Post by Genghis on May 28, 2009 11:22:36 GMT
Hatcham, so you think it's best to try and sweep the whole sorry affair under the carpet. Nonsense, they needs to be an enquiry, with the findings made public. The supporters have the right to know what is going on within the sport.
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Post by Deleted on May 28, 2009 11:31:46 GMT
Hatcham, so you think it's best to try and sweep the whole sorry affair under the carpet. Nonsense, they needs to be an enquiry, with the findings made public. The supporters have the right to know what is going on within the sport. Dont be so perverse Genghis, if there was any possible proof of cheating, corruption, drug taking etc i would be all for an inquiry and the findings to be made public, but this is just a case of sour grapes. In almost every match the accusation of some sort of skullduggery could be levelled, at Coventry on monday the Witches failed to win a single contested heat and lost by the EXACT handicap mark, was something amiss ? should we have an inquiry ? do the supporters not have a right to know ? |
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Post by schumi on May 28, 2009 14:25:38 GMT
But this is bigger than one or two meetings. Lakeside are calling for a complete overhaul in the way Speedway is run PLUS an independent inquiry into the controversy surrounding allegations of race fixing during Poole’s visit to Swindon earlier this month.
It's more than the recent controversy - it's once again looking at the bigger picture, but using this latest cock-up as an example of why the promoters should not be able to self govern, and why the sport needs an independent board. I thought you were all for that, hatcham?
The Poole issue seems to be an aside, to me, but an accelerant - or even the straw that broke the camel's back.
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Post by Deleted on May 28, 2009 14:47:45 GMT
But this is bigger than one or two meetings. Lakeside are calling for a complete overhaul in the way Speedway is run PLUS an independent inquiry into the controversy surrounding allegations of race fixing during Poole’s visit to Swindon earlier this month. It's more than the recent controversy - it's once again looking at the bigger picture, but using this latest cock-up as an example of why the promoters should not be able to self govern, and why the sport needs an independent board. I thought you were all for that, hatcham? The Poole issue seems to be an aside, to me, but an accelerant - or even the straw that broke the camel's back. I am certainly 'all for that' as you say Schumster, i have always advocated an independent body to run speedway, and have always strongly argued against points limits and averages as the whole system actively encourages corruption, and that is where the problem lies. My disappointment with the west ham and Coventry promotions are that they have implied Poole have cheated the system but will find themselves unable to offer any proof, how can you accuse someone of purposely breaking the tapes ? did Nicholls purposely break them in the GP final ? how can we ever know unless someone breaks their silence. I looked today at the updates site for the match in question, Poole have an abundance of facts they could throw up to completely discredit any cheating claims, and the whole saga will look even more farcical than it already is. I also ask myself why are west ham SO aggrieved, their certainly not doing it for the good of all rank and file speedway fans, and if anyone thinks they are their sadly deluded. |
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Post by schumi on May 28, 2009 15:07:50 GMT
My disappointment with the west ham and Coventry promotions are that they have implied Poole have cheated the system but will find themselves unable to offer any proof, how can you accuse someone of purposely breaking the tapes ? did Nicholls purposely break them in the GP final ? how can we ever know unless someone breaks their silence. I looked today at the updates site for the match in question, Poole have an abundance of facts they could throw up to completely discredit any cheating claims, and the whole saga will look even more farcical than it already is. I also ask myself why are west ham SO aggrieved, their certainly not doing it for the good of all rank and file speedway fans, and if anyone thinks they are their sadly deluded. I choose to read it that, due to the lack of official comment (seems the BSPA are very tight-lipped on many subjects at the moment) on that particular meeting, they would like an enquiry to be made so we can put the issue to rest and move on, rather than branding teams "cheats" and bringing the sport into disrepute on public forums. If nothing else, I imagine it's not good for the Sky deal. Perhaps there is evidence one way or another - who knows? However, as I said, it's not the main issue - what they ultimately want (in my eyes) is a governing body who are open, fair and transparent. We, as fans, have been calling for it for a long time, but it was never going to happen unless some of the promoters agreed, and were willing to stand apart from the safety of the collective to ensure those who are supposed to be in charge of the sport aren't ultimately responsible for its collapse. Yesterday, that began to happen. |
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Post by Deleted on May 28, 2009 15:21:08 GMT
My disappointment with the west ham and Coventry promotions are that they have implied Poole have cheated the system but will find themselves unable to offer any proof, how can you accuse someone of purposely breaking the tapes ? did Nicholls purposely break them in the GP final ? how can we ever know unless someone breaks their silence. I looked today at the updates site for the match in question, Poole have an abundance of facts they could throw up to completely discredit any cheating claims, and the whole saga will look even more farcical than it already is. I also ask myself why are west ham SO aggrieved, their certainly not doing it for the good of all rank and file speedway fans, and if anyone thinks they are their sadly deluded. I choose to read it that, due to the lack of official comment (seems the BSPA are very tight-lipped on many subjects at the moment) on that particular meeting, they would like an enquiry to be made so we can put the issue to rest and move on, rather than branding teams "cheats" and bringing the sport into disrepute on public forums. If nothing else, I imagine it's not good for the Sky deal. Perhaps there is evidence one way or another - who knows? However, as I said, it's not the main issue - what they ultimately want (in my eyes) is a governing body who are open, fair and transparent. We, as fans, have been calling for it for a long time, but it was never going to happen unless some of the promoters agreed, and were willing to stand apart from the safety of the collective to ensure those who are supposed to be in charge of the sport aren't ultimately responsible for its collapse. Yesterday, that began to happen. Whilst i am 100% for the sentiment of your post, i still fail to see why the Swindon Poole match has been brought into it. It is very interesting that(apparently) a six man lower reaches of the table Pirates side travelled to Swindon threw away point after point on a massive average reduction mission and still only lost by 17 points. and tonight the all conquering hammers team travel west and are expected by the bookies to lose by 13, surely as they are far better than the pre Andersen Pirates, at full strength and actually trying, they'll do much better than that..........Or will they ? |
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Post by schumi on May 28, 2009 15:40:54 GMT
I'll start a thread for the meeting and answer that there so as not to take this one off topic.  |
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Post by admin on May 28, 2009 15:45:08 GMT
Ever hear about the boy who cried wolf, hatcham? Imagine the speedway promoter who manipulated averages (although they have all done it at one stage or another, probably). Curiously, the most massive average drops have been seen in the North West and not along the South Coast. But because people see Matt Ford as some treacherous, sinister genius, they refuse to accept any poor Poole result as being down to Ford having built a poor team, it has to be some cunning plan.
However, there is a simple and effective way of straightening this whole mess out. Withdraw the Supplementary Regulation upping the points limit from 39.90 to 42.00 and that is more or less the end of the affair. It's fair to all.
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