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Post by Deleted on Feb 18, 2011 21:39:10 GMT
Can the sport really survive this? I'm not sure it can to be honest.......and if Trump is successful in getting the injunction he so clearly wants, and stops the EL running, that will certainly be the end of it.  |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 18, 2011 23:01:33 GMT
It won't take much for the wheels to start falling off - once you stop holding meetings for any length of time at a lot of venues it might be difficult to start them up again for so many reasons (fans finding other things to do, local residents compaints etc).
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Post by Deleted on Feb 19, 2011 13:28:47 GMT
From todays Peterborough ET
WHAT a fine mess.
The Elite League has moved on and Panthers, along with their fellow exiles and brothers-in-arms Coventry, have been left behind.
Left with them are many questions still to be answered after fighting a battle against the authorities which appears to have been lost.
The seemingly knockout blow from the British Speedway Promoters’ Association (BSPA) which arrived on Thursday did not come as the biggest surprise.
What it means is that a winter-long quest for a level playing field looks to have ended with Panthers and Coventry left without any sort of playing field whatsoever.
From the moment Panthers co-owners Rick Frost and Julie Mahoney strode out of the sport’s annual meeting in November, dismayed by proposed rule changes and soon to be followed by their Coventry counterparts, the club’s future has been on the line.
They’ve never gone into exact details over what really upset them but a new conversion rate of averages belonging to riders stepping up from the Premier League is certain to have been a bone of contention.
In the past Premier League riders have raced on half of their average at that level in the top-flight, but at the AGM it was voted in that from now on they would come in on 70 per cent of the figure instead.
Ahead of the annual meeting Panthers are thought to have splashed out in excess of £20,000 on Swedish hot-shot Linus Sundstrom of Rye House who was the best rider in the second tier last season. Coventry are said to have been in the same boat after moving for another young gun from the Premier League, Kenni Larsen of Newcastle.
Other things thought to have been stumbling blocks during a winter of much legal to-ing and fro-ing are a 12-month moratorium before new rules are introduced, the distribution of television money and, most notably, Panthers’ desire to see an independent commissioner or appeals panel introduced.
But are any of those thing really worth losing speedway over? Frost and Mahoney will undoubtedly answer ‘yes’. Many others will say ‘no’.
Surely Panthers could have fought from within, safeguarding their future in the first place before then launching a crusade for a cleaner, better, fairer sport.
Or could they? Frost and Mahoney claimed in their hard-hitting attack on the BSPA that they felt they were never really wanted at the inn. They felt cogs within the big BSPA wheel were working against them.
Whoever you believe, it is a sorry state of affairs. Let’s not forget that less than five years ago this proud club stood atop the speedway mountain.
The balmy night back in October 2006 when Hans Andersen lifted the Elite League trophy after quite possibly the greatest speedway comeback of all-time will never be forgotten.
But you wonder now whether such scenes will ever be repeated around here. You also wonder what is next for two owners who have done so much good since rescuing the club from the brink of oblivion in the summer of 2008.
Despite incurring six-figure losses in both their full seasons at the helm, they have ploughed money into Panthers.
Huge investment on and off the track made the Showground the place to be and Panthers a team to see.
In fact you sensed it was only a matter of time before major honours were brought back to Alwalton.
Not only is this a body blow to the city sporting scene to lose one of it’s big three ‘Ps’ from the Posh, Panthers and Phantoms stable, but world speedway will also be a worse place without a successful club and its terrifically entertaining track.
While few big cheeses within the BSPA would care to admit it right now, deep down they will realise that a major own goal has been scored here.
Failure to reach agreement with two of the most prominent teams in recent history has done no-one any favours, nor has the failure of all involved to keep the people that matter - the paying public - in the picture.
Least of all television giants Sky Sports who you would imagine now face the prospect of broadcasting and backing a league without it’s reigning champions and third best team from last season.
Love it or hate it, the growl of speedway engines is one of the summer sounds of the city.
For those who live and breathe Panthers, it is safe to say the silence will not be golden.
Copied from the BSF.
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Post by zonkers on Feb 19, 2011 16:58:16 GMT
While few big cheeses within the BSPA would care to admit it right now, deep down they will realise that a major own goal has been scored here. "A major own goal".....??!! Well, that's one way of putting it..... |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 19, 2011 17:57:11 GMT
Couldn't agree more. Right now I want nothing to with the sport. I am really hoping my enthusiasm will return once the season starts but I've already toyed with the idea not going to any meetings this year to see if I miss it Once upon a time I'd have broken my back to go on a Friday night but other things may well seem more attractive this year  Pip |
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Post by zonkers on Feb 19, 2011 20:27:40 GMT
ROSCO'S TITLE CURSE Coventry co-promoter Alun Rossiter wishes he had not won last year’s Elite League title as he faces up to a season without a job. The former Swindon team manager took the Bees from the depths of the table to fourth place, before leading them to a famous win over table-topping Poole in the play-off final. But things turned sour for Coventry at the BSPA’s annual meeting in November, when they joined Peterborough in walking out in protest at a number of controversial rule changes proposed by rival clubs. Despite lengthy attempts to resolve the dispute, the BSPA confirmed in a statement on Thursday that the Elite League would run without last term’s champions and the Panthers. Coventry are set to take legal action in a bid to secure their future. The Bees believe other clubs were jealous of the stars they had lined up to fill their 2011 side, including Polish prospect Przemyslaw Pawlicki and Danish hotshot Kenni Larsen. The rule changes made would have forced both men to join the side on much higher averages than they would have received under last season’s regulations. And Rossiter believes the Bees were victimised at the BSPA AGM to ensure they did not win back-to-back titles. He told the Swindon Advertiser: “I wish I’d never won the league last season. If we hadn’t won the league then half of this wouldn’t have happened. Speedway in general is the loser in all this. “It’s a sport I love very, very much but unfortunately we’ve just got too many stubborn people, and it’s sad really because it’s a great sport. A lot of clubs were looking at the demise of Coventry and seeing what they could gain. “They decided they were going to clamp down on us and it has probably cost me my job.” Coventry and Peterborough had planned to announce their return to the Elite League on Friday, February 11, but Rossiter says the deal collapsed at the 11th hour. He added: “As far as we were concerned on Friday we were running, I had riders’ contracts in place and I was about to go and see Przemyslaw (Pawlicki) in Poland. All of a sudden the goalposts moved. “We’ve got a great sport but I just think this could possibly be the downfall of speedway. It could be the demise.” speedwaygp.com/en/newsdetail/a2425 |
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Post by zonkers on Feb 21, 2011 22:38:36 GMT
BIG TURNOUT FOR MIDLANDS TODAY MONDAY 21 FEBRUARY 2011 Over 200 Coventry supporters turned out at very short notice at Brandon Stadium last Friday when BBC TV Midlands cameras were on hand to film a lively meeting as Coventry co-promoter Allen Trump gave full details of the reasons behind the actions of Coventry and Peterborough in their ongoing dispute with the BSPA. For over an hour Trump told the assembled fans that the BSPA were effectively excluding both clubs from the Elite League because they, the BSPA, were refusing the appointment of an independent body to ensure fairness for all clubs. Afterwards Trump said "I was amazed at the turnout at such short notice. Over two hundred fans at just a few hours notice is incredible and very humbling. I was very pleased when it was clear that there was total unanimity in support of our action even if it means no speedway in 2011 at Brandon. These fans deserve justice and the BSPA certainly don't deserve them. "Once again two calls were made by BBC Midlands to the BSPA for their side of the story but once again, as I expected, no one could be found at the BSPA to present their side of the dispute! Again I challenge them to a debate in public at a fans forum or anywhere even on the radio - what have they got to hide? Whether we're in the league or not this isn't going to go away." www.coventrybees.co/news.php?extend.1454 |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 21, 2011 23:28:05 GMT
Hmmm interesting stuff. The problem is, that he has made so many promises to so many people over the years that you have to wonder if this is going to pan out the same way that all the others have done  |
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Post by zonkers on Feb 21, 2011 23:32:28 GMT
Panthers fans plan another plea for sanity
By Mark Plummer
PANTHERS fans are to descend on the East of England Showground home to show their support for the club.
A ‘Panthers Plea for Sanity 2’ rally is to be staged in the main grandstand at the Alwalton venue on Sunday (10am start).
Organiser Kev Austin was also behind the first ‘Panthers Plea for Sanity’ event back in December which attracted around 50 supporters.
But he is hopeful of a much larger turnout this time around after the club’s exile from the Elite League - along with reigning champions Coventry - following a winter-long battle against the British Speedway Promoters’ Association (BSPA).
Austin said: “We have probably already gone beyond the 11th hour but there is still some hope among the supporters that this can be sorted to allow speedway to continue here.
“The sport is a big part of a lot of peoples’ lives and we do not want to sit back and watch it disappear. We need to keep the club as high-profile as possible by showing that we care.
“The lack of information throughout the winter has not been helpful but we have to understand the legal restrictions the clubs have been under.
“Some fans are of the opinion that the clubs have been barking up the wrong tree while others believe the BSPA are to blame for this situation, but whatever their view we want to see as many supporters as possible turn out on Sunday.
“It might be pie in the sky but I am hoping that we can get somewhere in the region of 300 people along.
“I’ve had contact with a number of Coventry fans who hope to come over.”
Bosses of both clubs and a number of former Panthers riders have also been invited to attend.
Panthers co-owners Rick Frost and Julie Mahoney are understood to have given their blessing to the event taking place.
From Peterborough ET
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Post by zonkers on Feb 21, 2011 23:33:51 GMT
Iversen is saddened by Panthers’ Elite League exit
By Mark Plummer
THE last captain of Panthers hopes the club’s exit from British speedway is temporary rather than permanent.
Danish international star Niels Kristian Iversen, who was skipper of the city club for the last two years, believes the exit of Panthers and reigning champions Coventry from Elite League competition will come as a big blow to the sport.
The two clubs failed to find a resolution in their winter-long battle against the British Speedway Promoters’ Association and will now sit out the 2011 season while pursuing a legal case against the authorities.
While that happens Hampton-based Iversen (right) and his former Panthers pal Kenneth Bjerre will race on this year with top-flight newcomers King’s Lynn – a team who jumped up into a new-look Elite League from the second-tier Premier League.
Iversen said: “It is really sad that Peterborough won’t be taking part and the same applies to Coventry.
“We have lost two of the biggest clubs in the country and that will be a big blow for speedway. We have also lost two superb tracks that riders always look forward to racing on.
“I hope that both clubs can come back in the future because I think a lot of what they were doing was trying to make the sport better in this country.
“One of the things they didn’t want was for the league to be weaker again and I think they are right because you don’t want to keep seeing top riders disappear.
“I had four seasons with Peterborough that I enjoyed a lot. Winning the league in my first year at the club was obviously a really good time.”
Iversen’s new club have also found themselves dragged into the sorry Panthers saga.
Coventry co-promoter Allen Trump suggested in a recent radio interview in the Midlands that Lynn’s business model was based on taking riders from Panthers and thus attracting Peterborough supporters along the A47 to the Norfolk Arena.
Those claims have been strongly refuted by Lynn chief Keith ‘Buster’ Chapman who insists he was in favour of Panthers and Coventry both returning to top-flight action.
Chapman said: “We have been supporters of both Coventry and Peterborough returning to the Elite League and we actually voted in favour of two resolutions. That is documented and can be called upon in a court of law.
“We are therefore disgusted by these allegations which are completely fictional and in all honesty totally unprofessional.
“Our business plan clearly shows that with the addition of television rights money and the extra sponsorship we have managed to attract we can sustain the costs of Elite League racing with just our regular fan-base.
“It is also worth mentioning that we only signed two of the former Peterborough riders and there was clearly no issue with this as their promotion were fully aware of it at the time.”
From Peterborough ET
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Post by Deleted on Feb 21, 2011 23:49:17 GMT
Coventry co-promoter Allen Trump suggested in a recent radio interview in the Midlands that Lynn’s business model was based on taking riders from Panthers and thus attracting Peterborough supporters along the A47 to the Norfolk Arena. Those claims have been strongly refuted by Lynn chief Keith ‘Buster’ Chapman who insists he was in favour of Panthers and Coventry both returning to top-flight action. Chapman said: “We have been supporters of both Coventry and Peterborough returning to the Elite League and we actually voted in favour of two resolutions. That is documented and can be called upon in a court of law. “We are therefore disgusted by these allegations which are completely fictional and in all honesty totally unprofessional. Hmmmm, even more interesting......it's that name again. How does that old saying about protesteth too much go ? If Buster Chapman is confident that he can support his statement in a court of law, you have to ask the question.......can the other party ? |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 22, 2011 23:28:24 GMT
Bosses of both clubs and a number of former Panthers riders have also been invited to attend. Panthers co-owners Rick Frost and Julie Mahoney are understood to have given their blessing to the event taking place.From Peterborough ET I'm sorry but that statement I have underlined reads to me that they will not be attending, but do give their blessing , although I understand Peter Oakes and Trevor Swales will be there.  |
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Post by zonkers on Feb 22, 2011 23:38:12 GMT
Bosses of both clubs and a number of former Panthers riders have also been invited to attend. Panthers co-owners Rick Frost and Julie Mahoney are understood to have given their blessing to the event taking place.From Peterborough ET I'm sorry but that statement I have underlined reads to me that they will not be attending, but do give their blessing , although I understand Peter Oakes and Trevor Swales will be there. Indeed, they unfortunately cannot make it. But yes, Oakes, Swales, and Trump are proposing to be in attendance ! |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 22, 2011 23:52:28 GMT
I'm sorry but that statement I have underlined reads to me that they will not be attending, but do give their blessing , although I understand Peter Oakes and Trevor Swales will be there. Indeed, they unfortunately cannot make it. But yes, Oakes, Swales, and Trump are proposing to be in attendance ! Where, no doubt, Trump will outline his new business venture |
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Post by zonkers on Feb 23, 2011 9:20:44 GMT
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