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Peterborough Panthers 2015


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How much is Swales putting in money wise ? He has always seemed good at spending other peoples money, so if he is now putting some of his own money on the line, fair play to him.

Say what you like about Trevor Swales but his dedication and commitment to Panthers cannot be doubted.

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He wasn't doubting it. That's a different subject!

I did not think he was doubting it but Trevor comes in for a lot of stick some deserved and some not. He always has Panthers best interests at heart though.

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I'm a fan who has had a season ticket 7 years out of the last 8, & have followed the Panthers away on a regular basis. Anybody who is interested in keeping us afloat will always be very highly regarded by me.

Same here!!!!

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I'm a fan who has had a season ticket 7 years out of the last 8, & have followed the Panthers away on a regular basis. Anybody who is interested in keeping us afloat will always be very highly regarded by me.

Horton kept panthers alive , is he highly regarded by you , panthers should have been the best club in the country by a country mile why the frosts where here (won everything with there money) what did they win nothing , who has been there all that time

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Let's hope that the Showground will help the club out with lower rent too .....

 

It's consistent fixtures on a regular popular evening that are more of a problem, That's the primary reason Panthers are in this mess IMO, That started when Horton was here first time in 2003 (and wasn't his fault that time around I hasten to add). Being valued and not charged an arm and a leg is helpful though I agree!

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TREVOR SWALES has done almost every job possible during a long association with Peterborough - now he tells MARK PLUMMER about his biggest-ever task . . .

 

Peterborough Panthers is more than just a speedway club to Trevor Swales. Its been a huge part of his life four more than forty years.

 

Swales has probably spent as much time at the East of England Showground over the years as he has done in the marital home.

 

Just as well then that most of the family share his passion for racing and have been at Alwalton alongside him.

 

His father, his wife, two of his sons, his brother, his sister-in-law and his niece have also been involved at a club currently which has been a permanent fixture in the sport since 1970.

 

I was thinking the other day and flag marshal is just about the only job I could come up with that I havent done at one point or another, said Swales.

 

I was first involved as a rider in the clubs second season in 1971 and have done so many things since.

 

Ive been on the gate, Ive been in the bar, Ive done the track, Ive ridden, Ive managed the team and Im currently a promoter.

 

But I would never have been able to justify putting in the sort of hours that Ive done were it not for the family also loving speedway and being involved.

 

After dabbling as a rider in the early days before moving onto moto-cross, Swales returned as a sponsor and official in the 1980s even purchasing a rider for the club.

 

I bought Wayne Bridgeford from Rye House, added Swales. He came in as a number eight for us in one meeting and won both his rides.

 

Rye House were playing hard-ball at the time so I decided I would buy him. Im not going to say what it cost me, but it was a not insignificant sum.

 

In the 1990s he continued to fill a variety of roles off-track before departing at the end of the Peter Oakes promotion.

 

He returned early in the current century and became team manager ahead of the 2004 campaign an appointment made by currently outgoing supremo Mick Horton.

 

It was a reign which featured an unforgettable Elite League title triumph and continued until the arrival of former World Cup-winning boss Jan Staechmann in 2012.

 

Swales settled into a supporting role with the former Danish chief and his replacement, club legend Ryan Sullivan, while becoming a co-promoter a role he still occupies today at the end of a difficult campaign back at Premier League level for the first time since Panthers dominated the second tier in 1998.

 

There have been some great times down there years, continued Swales. The racing at Peterborough is always second to none and I'll never forget the successes down the years.

 

"Ive had offers to go to other clubs, but Ive never even really considered them. Peterborough always has been my club and always will be even when times are tough.

 

Theres no denying that it has been tough lately. I described the current season as the most trying of my time at Peterborough in an interview the other day.

 

Nothing went right for us on or off the track. We had injury problems that ripped our team apart and, combined with the other issues, probably stopped us winning trophies.

 

It would have been brilliant to end the season on a high by winning the League Cup, but Edinburgh are an awfully strong team and we were relying on guests.

 

Now Swales is taking on arguably his biggest challenge yet as he plots Peterboroughs survival.

 

Swales has joined forces with Ged Rathbone (the mechanic of skipper Ulrich Ostergaard and a man who joined the clubs management team during this year) to front a rescue package for the club after current supremo Mick Horton pulled out halfway through a two-year leasehold deal.

 

Swales and Rathbone, a businessman in the North-East, are currently finalising the date and details of a major fans event expected to be staged before the end of the month as they explore all avenues in a bid to ensure Panthers race on into a 45th year.

 

Swales admitted: The problems Mick has encountered this year have been well documented.

 

People shouldn't be too critical as he stepped in last winter to keep speedway going in Peterborough and it has clearly cost him a lot of money to do so.

 

Mick has made it clear he wont be around next year, but we need to everything we possibly can to ensure the club is still around.

 

We cant change the past, but we can influence the future and myself and Ged have some ideas.

 

"If successful we will avoid racing on Tuesday nights like the plague as they just havent taken off.

 

We need to look at running on weekend dates Friday nights, Saturdays and Sundays to make ourselves as accessible as possible to families.

 

But we will need as much backing and expertise as possible to help us. Weve already had some promises of financial backing through sponsorship and we will need plenty more as we are well aware the club cannot operate on admission money alone.

 

Commercial revenue is vital and I would urge anyone who is in a position to help us in any way to get along to our big fans event once weve got the date finalised.

 

It is going to be a huge night in the history of the club.

 

Source http://speedwaygb.co/news.php?extend.27599

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Well I wish Swales well.

 

If I can't watch my team, the Panthers are the only other ones I enjoy watching and don't automatically feel like cheering for the away team like I do at Ippo and Rye!!

 

Such a shame the original team was decimated by injury - it would have been a helluva team had they ridden to form.

Remember it was Fisher, Bjerre, Ostergaard, Dryml, Blackbird, Jacobs, Greenwood.

Top 3 team if ever I saw one.

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As far as I am concerned Panthers will not be Panthers unless we are at the highest level whatever that may be. Seemingly even if Panthers run in 2015 it will not be in the higher echelons.

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Well at least I am happy to go and watch Panthers even though they are not my team.

I go to every meeting and hold a season ticket but still wish Panthers were at the top. Make do and mend, stick a patch on it and hope for the best is the attitude that has got Speedway to the precarious state it is in.

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Based on what I've read - and on what I've heard :wink: - I'm looking at next season with optimism. because I'm confident that Panthers will be running again.

 

Ok,ok.... make that "cautious optimism" - but it's much better than the scenario we all feared.

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