Arch Stanton

I’d have Nico at reserve all day long. Was a trump card there for Somerset this year.

I still keep going to the Championship section by mistake Going to take a little while to get used to.

Well Louis also confirms Drew can’t ride

Things are a little different now though. Nowhere near the amount of fixtures compared to when he last rode here, and no GP’s either. I take Taps’ point, but he’d still be one of the better number ones in the league. Hes still levels above the likes of Andersen and Nicholls imo. Sure id rather someone like Jason Doyle, but if he opts to go elsewhere who can we get in to spearhead the side? We should be asking Guy Nicholls for extra help in persuading Doyle to pitch in at Foxhall. Loves his Speedway does Guy and he might be willing..

Wonder if Jarek might fancy another stint over here? In the Autumn of his career, no GP’s and less fixtures than he rode in the past. Still a very capable rider and was riding superbly again at the end of this season after his injury troubles

Don’t think it really matter too much either way. As you rightly said earlier, a season too early for the Premiership. Let him ride the Championship for the next step of his progression, and watch his progress closely. Then maybe later in the season or a team spot in 2020. Unless of course Buster has other plans for him...

There’s more than meets the eye here and we’ll probably never know what has happened behind the scenes. There was certainly no inkling recently when Louis gave that interview to Mike Bacon only a few weeks ago, that anything like this was in the pipeline. It’s all a bit strange and I honestly don’t know how I feel about it. The move up I wanted and I’m pleased from that point of view, but the sale is not something I was expecting Louis to even contemplate and it’s made me very nervous. We all know Louis lives and breathes Ipswich Speedway, just like us supporters. But it’s now not his club, not his important decisions to make, and not his decisions to make on our future. That’s all now in the hands of a fella from Norfolk

https://www.eadt.co.uk/sport/louis-reaction-to-sale-1-5780288

Now that’s more like it

I’m genuinely a bit baffled by today’s events and I’m struggling to understand what’s what and who calls the shots. Does Chapman now call all the shots as to who we can and can’t sign? Or Does Louis still do what he’s done in previous years and “control” the running of the club just not “own” it? cant help but feel a little uneasy at the minute. One thing I’ve always felt with the Louis’ in full control, was safe. Anyway, I hope we don’t go down the same route as Rye when they moved up and sign a “dads army” team of yesteryear and riders who have clearly seen better days such as Nicholls and Harris. We cant get excited and sign a bunch of names thinking they’re still top riders, Andersen another one. Things have changed since we were last in the division and we have to be smarter than that. We should also avoid taking the easy option of signing up riders that regularly rode for us in the Championship and thinking they could do a job for us. Heeps for example, being a 3rd heatleader (or thereabouts) in the Championship, you’d think would do well in a top flight reserve berth, but he was disastrous for Wolves at reserve. Very interesting weeks and months ahead.

Right, where were we

Why so salty? Geographically The Championship has NEVER suited Ipswich. It has, in the main, been an enjoyable time though IMO but the time is definitely right for the move back up. Dont particularly like the idea of a 38 point championship limit and the aim to reduce the strength/quality of the division either. The timing is spot on.

We get that tripe EVERY single year. It wasn’t funny when the first biscuits “gag” surfaced years ago, now it’s just downright cringeworthy.

So the Premiership wins on this particular poll. If they reduce the strength of the Championship by as much as rumoured, then I’ll be bitterly disappointed if we decide to remain in it. With Peterborough also seemingly moving up, its time for a change IMO. We need some local derbies and I’ve personally missed the Lynn clashes terribly for too many years now. A home and away Good Friday double header would be just what the doctor ordered.

98. A season I’ll never forget as an Ipswich fan

It’s the 12-14th November so not a weekend strangely enough.

Or glass half full, someone comes in and takes Panthers back in to the top division. Wouldn’t rule anything in or out at this stage.

Reading that, King is far too big a risk for me for next season unfortunately. Your number 1 is so so important, and for that reason I wouldn’t even consider him. We’ve seen what happened to our season as soon as he was out, it completely collapsed. We struggled to replace him with riders of sufficient quality, and it cost us. When Schlein joined him and we also failed to adequately replace him too, it killed us off completely. If we gamble on King, the man you NEED to be leading from the front and scoring double points everywhere, and he struggles badly, then that could literally be a season wasted right from the get go. We found it impossible to replace him this year, so you’d think that would also be the case next year. We surely can’t be making that kind of gamble?

You forgot Harvey Wallbanger. Another plus point..

3 points for King’s R/R rides tells you everything you need to know. I appreciate it can at times be difficult to get suitable guests, but that can’t be used as an excuse by the promotion for the lack of quality replacements for so long. You can’t be without 2 of the best riders in the league in King and Schlein, and replace them with average (cheap) riders and expect to win meetings. We’ve even gone in to numerous meetings with R/R for said riders when it’s abundantly clear that won’t anywhere near cover their loss. That’s extremely disappointing.

Can you give any more details Tsunami? Is the rumour of 2 leagues, the top being akin to this years Championship, accurate?