Week 2 - Woffy, Woffy, Plymouth

After the initial disappointment of week 1 I was really hoping this blog may be a bit more positive, but with so many ridiculous goings on between then and now it's actually going to be a struggle to fit all the poor news in, let alone attempt to fit in any good news but I'll do my best!

Woffy, Woffy, Woffy

Those who know me will know in every sport I watch I will always try and back the Brits ahead of any others, whether that's in a team or individual sport. Those same people will also know my personal feelings on Tai Woffinden. He's selfish, arrogant and holds British Speedway to ransom.

He's now managed to endear himself even more to me and others by pulling out of the British Final due to the possibility of him 'burning out'. He also states it gives 'someone else a chance to win it'.

For years Woffinden has come up with threats to British Speedway whenever something is happening he doesn't like he threatens to throw the world cup towel in, or change his allegiance back to Australia. For a British rider, being British champion is one of the main aims during a season. For many of the current crop it's still a huge meeting, hence the many many re-runs in the semis and finals in recent years as people refuse to give an inch. And therein lies the issue. Woffinden isn't a British rider.

There are so many issues with everything Woffinden does. He bitched and moaned about the lack of a Team GB training programme including fitness, diets, bike set-ups etc including one very public rant on camera during the world cup itself. Thanks to the Poultec academy, which looks like a fabulous set up, this is now being addressed at source, however there were still (correct) calls for existing GB riders to have the same conditioning. Team GB finally took a step in the right direction and set up a camp in Croatia, where Woffinden's concerns were to be addressed. And who better to learn from than a 2 time world champion, who after his earlier outbursts would definitely be there to offer help and advice? Nope. Didn't bother to go.

He states about how fitness has been such a massively important issue in turning him into the rider he is today. He's constantly in the gym to get himself in shape and weighs about the same as 1 of my limbs. Fair play. However is it just me that finds this fitness a bit fake? Rickardsson, Crump, Pedersen, Holder and Loram (5 of the last 7 World Champions) all rode in 3 major leagues, (including the British league when it included the KOC and craven shield) and competed in Grand Prix series without any complaints of fatigue. And certainly not at the age Woffinden is at now. How can someone that fit struggle to make it through the season without burn out? I smell cow excrement.

The British final is 2 extra meetings (possibly even 1 if they'd reached an agreement to offer a wildcard to the final, which whilst still showing massive favouritism would have offered a potential solution and ensure the world champion rode in one of our show piece events (I still don't see the point in 2 British semi finals, 1 maybe but definitely not 2).) and yet the man can't find the stamina to ride his speedway bike for a maximum of 12 minutes in his home country for fear of burning out. It's nothing short of pathetic and those defending him really need to have a word with themselves.

Woffinden states that this gives an opportunity for someone else to win it. Laughably arrogant. Cook had it won last year prior to the rerun. And after Cook, Nicholls, Lambert and Harris have all had meetings at the new Belle Vue there's no reason they couldn't have taken the crown with him there. It's as if whoever wins it now will have had the crown tainted by Woffinden's refusal to ride. Perhaps Tai's titles should be tainted by the fact he hasn't had to compete against Emil to win them? Maybe he should give up riding in the world championship to offer an opportunity for someone else to win them?

Champman and Rosco need to have a serious word with themselves too. Rosco's statement is laughable, using the fact Aussie riders often don't ride in the Aussie championship as justification for Woffinden's decision. The top Aussie riders are based in Europe and to send kit half way around the world for 3 or 4 meetings is ridiculous when often these riders aren't going back to Australia anyway. I understand he wants to use Woffinden to get the results he so desperately needs but how long will it be before Woffinden is threatening to quit Team GB again if things go wrong? Chapman was meant to be the straight talking BSPA man who wouldn't stand for all the rubbish previous chairman have put up with. Since taking over Chapman has achieved nothing and if anything the season so far is even more farcical than usual. With Chapman refusing to stand up to our 'prized possession' and instead rolling over and having his belly tickled it seems like Woffinden will be able to dictate to British Speedway for the foreseeable future.

The fact is, if there was a bigger prize on offer, Woffinden would be there. Burn out or no burn out.

Woffy, Woffy, Woffy? Aussie Aussie Aussie more like.

Call Offs

Bad weather over Easter (and some convenient electrical problems at the East of England showground) has lead to many rain offs over the period. The manor in which these call offs occurred has been nothing short of shambolic.

As a Coventry fan, my personal interest in these rain offs was Leciester Vs Coventry. A meeting that looking at every available rain radar was never going to happen. Hours before start time Josh Bates and Kacper Woryna had posted pictures and videos quite clearly showing a track completely underwater and a meeting that was never going to be happen. With a lot more rain due surely the sensible thing would be to call the meeting off at that point? No. They put out a press release stating the rain had stopped (for about 5 minutes according to those already at the track) and the meeting would go ahead at 8PM. The rain started again, as forecast, fans set off expecting a drying Leicester track for the meeting to be called off just 45 minutes before the originally scheduled start time with the track still completely underwater. And the promoters wonder why crowds are dwindling and why we don't trust promoters?!

Other ridiculously handled call offs include the Belle Vue Vs Wolves and Belle Vue Vs Cradley saga (don't let George Lucas get his hands on it - it'll be another 12 hours of your life wasted!). Why didn't Belle Vue just cancel these meetings knowing the amount of track work required and the forecast for the weekend would make these meetings very difficult to run it? Instead they left fans hanging on all week before the inevitable call off. Fans screwed again who couldn't make other plans after being strung along by the Belle Vue promotion.

Updated: Originally I wrote about my disappointment concerning Peterborough Vs Ipswich and their electrical fault with 5 riders who were in the meeting having their Polish teams riding that day. It seems there are in fact clear works going on at the show ground and the 2 things are a genuine coincidence. My apologies to anyone involved at Peterborough for the original comments and fingers crossed it's sorted asap. Given the bank holiday weather the meeting likely wouldn't have happened regardless so hopefully they get a big crowd when Ipswich return as part of a bank holiday double header.
Plymouth

What a strange turn of events there! Plymouth run 1 home meeting, a pointless individual with a poor line up, and use the crowd from that meeting as an indication of how many Plymouth fans would turn up for other meetings during the year.

There are so many unanswered questions for the Plymouth promotion.

Why base your potential crowd figures for the season on a pointless meeting in March?
How could you sign a team of riders knowing your existence was based on 1 meeting?
Why were you expecting your crowd to double over the Winter?
What did you do over the Winter to improve the crowd levels for the new season?

It's been disgustingly handled. I hope the promoters involved get their comeuppance for the difficulties they have caused the riders they signed, and for costing me the chance of seeing one of my teenage idols, Charlie Gjedde, this season.

I hope the Plymouth crowd funding efforts go well and help keep Plymouth on track but looking at the debt figures reported it seems that the money being raised is a drop in the Ocean. Good luck to the Plymouth side, especially the ambitious (despite what Havelock might like to claim) Kyle Newman and Stefan Nielsen, in getting fixed up. It's not nice to see the young Brits without a team place.


NB - as an update on last weeks blog - Woryna was brilliant to watch against Leicester on Friday. He's edging his way towards my like column, however my views still stand regarding riders I do/don't like!