|
Post by miltonkeynescats on Sept 17, 2016 20:50:39 GMT
Make your postings here please!
Ta muchly.
|
|
|
Post by sheffielddons on Sept 19, 2016 14:30:14 GMT
Tough job ahead for ROW U21s!
New manager Andy Dixon has stated how delighted he is at being back on the international scene but warned that taking on the Rest of the World Under 21s will be his toughest job yet.
Speaking at a press conference Andy said, "when I look at the squad I think we have the riders capable of winning the Under 21 competition but I don't think any other side will be as affected as we will be by the seniors. Fillippe Chong is probably the best 'junior' rider in the world right now but he's a GP rider and our outstanding performer at the moment so I can't see that the seniors won't call on him and take him away from us. I think Bart Williamson could be similarly taken away and for me Leo McFarlane could be in the running for their final side too so we could end up losing out 3 best riders! We also have Jonnie Eleno in the senior squad although I'd hope we will at least be able to call on his services once the World Cup meetings start as I don't think he's at the standard to displace people like Shuter, Agnew, Castles or Aldington just yet.
When I look at the senior side Te-Huna and Moore jump out as obvious names along with Chong and then we'll have to wait and see what direction the boss wants to take the rest of the team but I'd expect Bart to be involved too, sadly for us! Leo is there or thereabouts but hopefully they will decide that he is better placed riding in the Under 21s rather than being a reserve in the senior side once we get to the crunch meetings.
Looking at the rest of our side we've got some promising lads coming through but if we lose our top 2 or 3 I'm not sure they're at the standard of the other sides. Hopefully we can have Leo and Jonnie to lead the way at least and there are soe other good young lads from New Zealand in Laing and Lonie who will be in my thinking. Jacques from South Africa looks to have good potential too and then we have a group of South American riders coming through who will be keen to be involved - for me Alvarez, Camargo, Goycochea, Quilez and Onega are all promising for the future but the big question is can they compete now. Zayne Malik is another on the periphary, riding under the Pakistani flag in this competition and we have Armstrong, Bellini and Stephenson in the squad too.
Assuming the senior side go with the team I'd expect we may be lucky as get Leo and Jonnie in our team and then if we can ride out of our skins my aim is to stay involved in the competition past the first round. If we can do that perhaps we'll have a bit of luck and be able to use our full squad depending on how the senior side gets on although we're all one big team and I would love nothing more than to see them also extending their participation in the World Cup.
We'll now turn out attention to picking our sides for the test matches. I don't see our senior riders being particularly involved - we're not even going to try and pick Fillippe, but we'll use this as a chance to see how the other lads go and then we can see how things stand once the big boys have picked their team and bring in our strongest 5 for the World Cup.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 23, 2016 5:47:07 GMT
East Europe manager Steve Morgan was quoted outside Gym's Cafe "East Europe are stronger than England!! Why did I make a fuss of staying in that job for as long as I did I will never know!!"
|
|
|
Post by sheffielddons on Sept 23, 2016 9:45:18 GMT
REST OF WORLD U21 TEST SIDES ANNOUNCED
Rest of the World Under 21s have named their test match sides and Andy Dixon says there are no real surprises that fans won't be seeing much of their top 4 stars!
"I said before the sides had been named that I thought we'd be the hardest hit of all the U21 sides by call ups to the Seniors. Fillippe Chong and Bart Williamson are not available for any of the test matches and I doubt we'll see them in our side as long as the Seniors are involved in the competition. It's frustrating but I'm not complaining, the ROW side have traditionally been a small nation but we're only going to get better by bringing through young riders and those riders are going to progress more quickly riding against the very best and learning from it."
"We've only got Leo (McFarlane) and Jonnie (Eleno) available for one meeting each and we'll be using them at number 1 when we can to make sure we're as competitive as possible, although these matches are primarily about looking at all the riders in our squad. I'd love to have the pair of them in for the World Cup meetings but we'll have to wait and see if they are available, as with the other lads I would never bedrudge a rider having a chance to compete at the highest level. The Seniors have used a couple of our U21 lads at reserve for the tests which will be a little frustrating if they end up not getting a ride. I've got no complaints about it during the tests - I'd love to see them get a chance to come in and make an impression - but during the World Cup I hope we don't find ourselves unable to use a rider who ends up not even getting on to the track elsewhere!"
"From the rest of the side Alvarez, Camargo, Goycochea, Jacques, Laing, Lonie and Quilez each get 2 meetings to make an impression. Everyone on that list has a great chance of being in our side for the World Cup so it's up to them to got out and make an impression now. Malik and Onega will also get look to see if they can push their names forwards so they will need a big meeting if they want me to take a chance on them. We'll rotate Armstrong, Bellini and Stephenson around in the reserve positions. Barring injuries or exclusions I'm not sure they'll get a ride but we want everyone to feel a part of the squad and I want them to be ready to come in and contribute if called up. Armstrong and Bellini are both only 16, along with Carmago and we have a couple of promising 17 year olds in too. In fact only Lonie and Goycochea will not be available to us next season so let's see produce a positive display this time around and set ourselves a marker for the lads to come back and progress from next season."
"I think the weird thing for us is that we go from rank outsiders to leading contenders if we can outlast our senior side and get all our lads back and available. We are all one nation though so let's hope we never find out and our 'older' lads can go all the way to the final at least!"
|
|
|
Post by kingslynnlightning on Sept 25, 2016 19:33:10 GMT
Nice to be dipping my toe back into the international arena after a couple of years out. I will be taking the young Celtic Nations under 21s under my wing for the upcoming test matches and WTC. I know most of the riders from my dealings with the JJ where they have come through from. We had a get together before I announced the test teams giving nearly all the riders a starting spot. Only Boyd Beaton missed out but he is first reserve for the matches and hopefully will get a ride or two. Brett Harkins will lead the side into battle and I am looking forward to seeing hoe the lads handle themselves before I have to name the WTC side.
|
|
|
Post by Admin on Sept 27, 2016 19:51:52 GMT
Good to see my new number 1 Craig Caffrey showing what he's all about,now if I could just get the other 6 to get in the act this could be our season
|
|
|
Post by sheffielddons on Sept 29, 2016 10:45:55 GMT
ROW U21s in flying form
Manager Andy Dixon was delighted with the ROW U21s test match results but warned that the World Cup is a bigger challenge.
"You can't really do much better than winning 3 out of 3 so there are no complaints over the performances so far. In the first match we have Denmark a bit of a kicking. Nobody is tracking their strongest side at this stage but given their quality in depth it was simply outstanding. We managed to track one of our 'big boys' and Leo (McFarlane) didn't let us down as he lead from the front. Laing and Alvarez were in top form too and everyone contributed. Ian Jacques was the standout performer in the next as we beat East Europe but again we had no weak links and everyone is making my World Cup decision a tough one with displays like that! Then to top 70 against the Celts was another awesome display. Everyone hit double figures with Jacques and Lonie the standout performers for me.
We now move on to the World Cup and as expected we've been hit with out riders being called in to the Senior side. I didn't expect to see Chong or Williamson in our colours whilst the seniors are involved in the World Cup and I've been proved right on that. I'm a little surprised that Jonnie (Eleno) has made the side, and very shocked to see Te-Huna left out, but I'm delighted to have Leo available to us. I think there must have been a temptation to have Leo at reserve so I can only thank the senior manager for his understanding in allowing him to lead our U21s. Of course if he's called on at a later date we will understand and support that decisions, as we do with Jonnie for this round. To be honest I'm just delighted to see Jon get a chance on the biggest stage and I wish him all the best with that.
We've obviously gone with Leo to lead us and he will be joined by Jacques, Lonie and Laing. Jorge Alvarez did brilliantly in the tests and he's deserved his place at reserve. I've got no questions he can step in and do a job if called upon.
In recent years the ROW teams have all but been New Zealand so it's good to see some other nations coming through and South Africa and Argentina represented in our side. There are some other lads impressing from South America too so hopefully we will see the teams become a genuine 'rest of the worls' side in future meetings and years.
Now we have to face off against East Europe, Finland/Norway and North America which will be incredibly tough. The latter two have a great history at this level and East Europe are a nation who have become a real force in the sport in recent years. With the rise of speedway in more countries in that group I wouldn't be stunned to see them split up in some sort of way in future - when you look at their rider base they've certainly got a lot more resources than we have.
We can go with confidence though on the back of those test results and with Leo leading us as he's a top rider at this level. The other lads have shown they can perform so we'll give it 100% and hope that's enough. We need to at least stay in the competition. The seniors have a tough round and whilst we desperately want them to go as far as they can if we stay in and they go out I think we become serious contenders for the title or at least a medal with riders like Chong and Williamson at U21 level.
For now we ride with what we've got and they've just proved over 3 meetings that they can do the job well enough to keep us involved so we can't wait for the racing to start now and show the world we are not to be taken lightly."
|
|
|
Post by wantagekings on Sept 30, 2016 19:02:30 GMT
Czechs ready to go
For the first time I am back with the same team in the international season! After a successful series last year with a 3rd place for the seniors and a win for the under 21s it's great to be back again, and full of confidence.
Once again we have some very strong squads and are looking to compete for the titles again. This year might be too early for the Czechs to think about the WTC title but we are certainly looking for the final again. The test series was a bit up and down but it was all about looking for some form in the riders and giving everyone a chance.
The WTC side we've chosen is a very solid one - the experienced Ales Fortes has to settle for a reserve spot and Josef Gavenda and Milan Stajner couldn't even make the side. Hopefully the lads can find their way directly to the final.
For the under 21s there's a lot to live up to after last years success but we have a lot of faith in the squad. The test series was very positive but gave us more questions than answers! Dusan Galuska joins us from the senior test side and leads the side - in Ruzucha, Parizek and Cervenka we've got a very talented set of lads who can't wait to get out on the track.
Lets hope for a successful week!
|
|
|
Post by aberavongems on Oct 2, 2016 19:35:04 GMT
Stunning Stunning, my Celtic Nations never fail to impress, it's a pleasure to manage this group of riders.
well done to the under 21 great result Rob.
|
|
|
Post by kingslynnlightning on Oct 2, 2016 20:09:01 GMT
All is looking good for the Celtic Nations as they sailed through to the final in both the senior and the under 21 WTC. Congrats to John who always does a great job with the senior side.
As for my under 21 side they shaped up well in the test matches and have now shown their full potential by racing to the final. All four were superb in event 1 and are now looking forward to the final. We will relax and watch the race-off before preparing for the final. Once there we will be aiming for top spot. All the riders are well up for it as am I.
|
|
|
Post by miltonkeynescats on Oct 3, 2016 19:26:44 GMT
Honourable mention must go to Allan Hughes of the Australian Under 21s, who top scored for his side with 11 from 5 rides from reserve, covering for poor performances from 2 of his teammates.
|
|
|
Post by sheffielddons on Oct 4, 2016 7:58:11 GMT
ROW U21s into the final
The Rest of the World Under 21s impressed as they not only kept themselves in the competition but avoided the Race Off by winning their Round 1 meeting. Manager Andy Dixon spoke to us about the achievement, what it means to his squad and what's next for the camp.
"I knew this was going to be tough and it was. Leo McFarlane was the one top rider the Seniors hadn't called on and he won his first race but after one round of rides we have 5 points and were joint bottom. If I'm being honest then winning the meeting didn't feel like a target at that stage. I was just trying to buzz around the pits and keep heads up telling the lads they were all capable of scoring point. What came next exceeded expectations though as Paul Laing bounced back from last place in heat 4 to win heat 5. We then won the next 3 too and found ourselves 6 points clear of the other sides. The job as manager then changes from keeping heads up to keeping feet on the ground and minds focused.
After heat 14, when Jacques and Laing had scored a maximum 9 in 3 races, our lead was 8 and I think we all started to really believe we could do it. We had ups and downs over the remaining races but nobody closed us down and we sealed it through Laing's second place in heat 18 and eventually won by a 9 point gap.
It was a wonderful display, I couldn't have asked for any more from the boys and I don't think they could have done any better. McFarlane, Jacques and Laing were outstanding and Lonie scored us vital points at crucial times too. I also have to mention Jorge Alvarez at reserve who was a big part of this success as he buzzed around the pits and he was arguably the busiest of all of us as he kept everyone on their toes and fired up.
For me the Race Off is the hardest meeting of the tournament as only 1st place matters so to avoid that is fantastic. Our Seniors were in good form too and they head to the Race Off after keeping ahead of Denmark and Australia. We will obviously now have an eye on their progress as no senior and U21 duo are as closely linked with so many shared riders in our squads. I hope they make it all the way but there is still the chance of us having Chong, Williamson and Eleno to use for the final which would be great for us. Chong and Williamson are a big part of the seniors but Eleno and McFarlane could be available to us whatever. I was surprised they left Te-Huna out of the first meeting but I'd be shocked if he didn't come in for them now.
Looking ahead the side we have have proved they can compete for a medal now but if we have our full squad available we could really do something big. I think our lads and the Celts have proved the smaller nations can really raise their games when representing their countries so we'll wait to see what the next week brings for the senior side and make our World Cup Final pick after that. It's certainly a nice position to be in but we won't be having a holiday - we'll get out on the track and make sure we're 100% ready for the big one whichever 5 we send out to do the job."
|
|
|
Post by sheffielddons on Oct 10, 2016 20:26:53 GMT
Game On Says Dixon!
Rest of the World Under 21 Manager Andy Dixon spoke briefly to us after the Race Off meetings and said he was disappointed, delighted and sad!
"Now we know that we will face Sweden, the Celtic Nations and the Czech Republic in the World Cup final next weekend. Oddly though the main focus in our camp was on the Senior Race Off which involved 3 of our U21 squad.
I was desperately disappointed for the lads that they just missed out in the end but delighted that they are now available to us for our final. We've been unbeaten in the tests and won our group meeting so to be able to bring in 3 riders who've been part of a side that finished just 6 behind Poland in qualifying for the senior World Cup final is a great additional boost. The trio all won a heat in the Race Off beating riders like Tercjak, Irzyk, Isaksen, Thoresen and Bergestol! I think with Fillippe we've got the best junior in the world available to us now and I think Bart is one of the best around too; I wouldn't be surprised to see the pair battling it out for the individual world title next season.
If we bring those 3 in I think we go from plucky outsiders to being serious contenders but we're going to get the squad together in the morning and discuss among us all what we want to do before declaring our lineup. I do feel sad that the riders who got us through the tests and to the final, such as Jacques, Laing and Lonie, could miss the big one but we will discuss that. It's not their fault they might miss out but by the same measure it's not Fillippe's, Bart's or Jonnie's fault that they've been good enough to be involved with the seniors up until this point.
The harsh truth is that if you want to make it to the top you have to ride to win but we'll get together tomorrow and pick what we think is the side best equipped to do that."
|
|
|
Post by sheffielddons on Oct 11, 2016 10:46:25 GMT
ROW Under 21s "Go For It"
Manager Andy Dixon has today confirmed, after a meeting of the whole squad, the Rest of the World Under 21 side for the World Cup Final.
"We discussed what we wanted to do with respect to having the riders available who have up until now been involved with the senior squad. It seems tough on the lads who have got us to the final to replace them with riders coming back from the senior side so we began by asking them how they felt about it. The response was unanimous in that they wanted to be a part of a team that could win the World Cup and we should pick the best side available to do that. Riders like Ian (Jacques), Jordan (Lonie) and Paul (Laing) have been amazing in getting us here but when you look at the opposition they would be battling for a medal and not for the win. Everyone wants to be remembered as part of the squad which won the competition, not the four or five riders who won a bronze medal.
To be honest I wasn't surprised by the response. When you look at our resources compared to most, if not all, of the other nations we really are underdogs but these lads ride above themselves and with a real pride when they pull on their national racejacket. The seniors (including three 'junior' riders don't forget) reached the Race Off and we have been unbeaten in the tests and World Cup so far to prove we ride with a pride that is unparalleled.
The final promises to be a tough one, particularly with the defending champions the Czech Republic qualifying through the Race Off. It looks like three of the side that won the title last year will be involved again this time so they are possibly the side to beat - despite needing the Race Off to make it to the final - and have a fine number 1 in Dusan Galuska. All their side hit double figures in the Race Off and that proves they are back as serious contenders for a second consecutive title.
Sweden are a huge speedway nation who have won the World Cup at Senior and Junior level before - they have finished in the top 3 of four straight U21 Cups between 2012/13 and 2014/15 and have a great pedigree at this level. Hasse Blomqvist is one of the top U21 riders in the world at the moment and I fancy him to have a good run at the individual title next season and he has good support down the order too as they proved in winning their group with everyone scoring 8 or 9.
Our other opponents will be the Celtic Nations who seem to be like ourselves in that they really raise their game when they wear their national colours. Their win in the 2014/15 Senior World Cup was an amazing achievement coming against much more highly thought of nations and that they are back in the final this season once again shows the pride they ride with. They haven't finished in the top 3 of an Under 21 Final yet but any side that has done that in the last 4 senior cup finals is clearly not a nation to underestimate. They are possibly the underdogs but they seem to revel in that and beat the Czechs in their group with Harkins and Caffrey both recording double figures.
The thing is that we now welcome back Chong, Williamson and Eleno so we need fear nobody. Fillippe is the World Under 21 Champion and a full time GP rider so it would be hard to argue that he is the best rider at this level just now. Bart also reached the World Under 21 Final and rode in the Australasian Final and I think he will be a serious contender for the individual title next season. Jonnie has just performed very well for the senior side and I'm sure he can translate that form to the Under 21s and score well for us too. Leo McFarlane will complete the side and he top scored as we reached the final and is another rider with experience of a national final after he finished 8th in last season's Australasian Championship. I seriously think we have the strongest side on paper but of course speedway is decided on the track so we'll ride with pride, give it 100% and see if that's enough. We finished 3rd at this level in 2014/15 with a side which included Fillippe and Bart so with those two a couple of years further on in their development then why can we not go further and take a silver medal, or even win the whole thing, this time?
At reserve we've gone with Ian Jacques who has been tremendous so far and scored a fine 11 point total in helping us reach the final. If called on I'm sure he will do a great job once more for us so we can go with real confidence that we have strength in depth to back up the leading lads who are a match for everyone they'll be coming up against.
All you can do in sport is give your all and I don't think any of our supporters can question that we have done that through the internationals. We still have the New Zealand core that the ROW side has traditionally had but we can now see lads progressing from South Africa, Brazil and Argentina too. We are a very tight knit unit despite our geographical differences and I think the future looks very bright. Hopefully we can prove that to be the case this weekend by improving on our previous best finish of 3rd and claiming a first World Title for a Rest of the World side."
|
|
|
Post by wantagekings on Oct 12, 2016 9:50:39 GMT
Czechs look to defend title
The Czech under 21s are back to defend the title they won last year. Once again the route is via the play-offs but once again we will go in full of confidence.
It certainly promises to be a very competitive fixture, and with the Rest of the World picking 3 riders from the seniors they will probably start as favourites. They are led by Fillippe Chong, a world class rider who will be the man to beat.
But as a team we have nothing to fear and our performance in the play-offs was fantastic. Every rider contributed and earnt themselves a place in the final team. Its hard on Adam Usamek who has been kicking his heels as a reserve and was very close to selection - but he knows the other lads have made themselves undroppable.
So the Czech stars of tomorrow once again have an opportunity to make themselves stars of today and bring home a world trophy!
|
|