Arch Stanton

If we can’t find (or being prevented from) a replacement, we should be on the blower to Freddie and asking if he fancies two cup final meetings and either 2 or 4 play off meetings in September. Providing his then established average allows of course.

You’re not alone Badge. I was of the opinion we had until Thursday next week when we face Lynn on the 1st at Foxhall to sign a replacement for Doyle, that’s what I was told. But you’re right, tomorrow’s meeting takes us to the 75% cut off so now I’m unsure. I personally think this is a daft “rule” anyway. There’s more than one club that’s tried to get in a heatleader without success. It’s not for the want of trying, it’s just proving impossible at the moment. I can accept a 75% rule for strategic changes, i.e dropping a fit rider for another to try and strengthen, but you should be able to sign a replacement for an injured rider whenever one becomes available. Doesn’t that make more sense? So after tomorrow, (or next Thursday), a GP rider or a non GP rider come to that, of sufficient quality makes themselves available to us, we can’t sign him? We have to plod on for the rest of the season handpicking guests on a meeting by meeting basis instead? That to me is nonsensical. Edit: Tobi wouldn’t be able to “guest” in any scenario Badge. Lynn will either still be using a watered down facility for him as he’ll still be declared part of their septet, or they’ve replaced him and released him but we can’t use him as a guest if he’s not part of someone’s declared 1-7.

After a few years in the doldrums, Heeps has had a bit of a resurgence this year. Been riding very well and entertaining too by all accounts. He’s a good lad is Cam so it’s nice to see.

It’s irrelevant how well Blodorn did. The point is we were missing 4 riders, probably more than enough justification to ask for a postponement. Both Blodorn and Nicholls had lower averages than those they were replacing by the way. Nicholls almost 2 points lower than King at the time of the meeting, Blodorn half a point lower than Ellis. Hodder was only ever scoring zero with all due respect to him and rider replacement for Doyle speaks for itself. I accept Lynn will have even less options next week but there’s still options from Birmingham and the Championship to put out a side for the meeting. Zach Cook possibly? He must come in to consideration now surely.

We went to Birmingham with Nicholls and Blodorn for King and Ellis, Freddy Hodder for Thompson and rider replacement for the best rider in the league Jason Doyle. And still won. For a few weeks early June Louis was working overtime trying to arrange guests, it was a massive headache for him.

Not everything is at it seems. He may well have very valid reasons who knows.

I’m not overly convinced Iversen had many options tbf.

He simply can’t ride elsewhere until Lynn sign a replacement. You can’t have a facility for a rider in any form whilst letting the rider you’re granting that facility for ride for someone else. As for the others in your team who knows? Still earning aren’t they. Maybe principals are not as important to them.

Glad you’ve done it. I did, but quickly deleted I’m 50/50 on this now. I totally understand where you’re coming from and I was of the same opinion as you a few weeks ago. I believe I said as much on here. But after hearing a little more I’ve changed my mind a bit. Forget all the local rivalry stuff I’m too long in the tooth for all that, I genuinely feel sorry for the loyal Lynn fans you’re all the innocent parties here, but your club is being run appallingly. Sheffield might not be giving up as easily as Ipswich. Let’s see what happens.

Absolutely. Was always gonna be a non starter for me though.

R/R for Dan Thompson. Not quite ready so not being risked. Sensible.

He’s not guaranteed to ride for Ipswich Thursday either. They’re waiting until the very “last minute” to make a decision on the day.

So nothing imminent on the replacing Doyle front. In todays preview for Thursdays meeting Hawkins says “Scott will carry on at number one, when he is available, he will be in the team, we have made no secret of that, and Leicester is a place I know he will go well around. He will carry on in the role until we can find a replacement for Jason but that is looking a long way off at the moment.” The 75% rule is reached on August the 1st at Home to Lynn so not sure how that can be “a long way off”. Does anyone know if the rule means tactical changes after 75% of fixtures and it’s different when replacing an injured rider?

We have a great record there, Doyle has been pivotal to that though. Been a very heavy scorer. Nicholls has big boots to fill! Reading the preview, I’m not sure it’s wise risking Thompson either. He’s so important to our chances of winning silverware because he’s irreplaceable as a rising star. If he’s touch and go and this week might “be too soon” according to Hawkins, then it would be madness risking him.

https://ipswichwitches.co/raceday-preview-leicester-rowe-motor-oil-premiership-r2-a/ Nicholls in for Doyle no surprises there, but what IS a surprise and a good one from an Ipswich point of view, Dan Thompson isn’t yet ruled out which means the injury isn’t as bad as first feared. That is absolutely massive for our chances at the business end of the season.

Guy Nicholls pays less per season than Sackers recycling did before him. Despite popular belief, once he’s paid his sponsorship money at the start of the season, that’s his involvement over. He doesn’t get involved in team matters and doesn’t put “extra” money in to sign GP riders. Chris Louis does that. Ipswich also have some very loyal and very good partner sponsors at the club.

An incredible amount of planning needs to be done around fixtures, based on availability of stadiums at other clubs, restricted race nights, and the congested racing calendar of the riders you have signed or want to sign. It’s far far more complicated these days than it was “back in the good old days”. We all know why we now run fixtures on Monday’s and Thursday’s in the top flight. Those that never used to run on those nights such as Lynn as you mentioned, have no choice unless they run in the lower league. The break in July due to the SON is part of the reason there was only to be one home fixture. If it wasn’t July with just one fixture then it would have been June or August, don’t really see what difference it makes. We had four home meetings in June, and one scheduled in July, swings and roundabouts.

Because we don’t have any available Thursdays left up until the play offs.

No and none forecast now until after midnight.

You’re right, we’ve run meetings this year with dodgy forecasts that haven’t quite managed to get to heat 15 because of deteriorating conditions. The decision today wouldn’t have been taken lightly and as you say, the first forecast early this morning was awful for this afternoon and evening. Those forecasts quickly changed (as they often do) but of course by then the decision was already made and it’s too late. If Discovery weren’t involved then possibly they’d have left it as another wait and see but that’s just speculation.

They at least waited until the morning of the meeting to get a more accurate forecast, which is the sensible thing to do.

They’re changing the forecast frequently. It seems they’re not entirely sure, to the surprise of nobody.

https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/forecast/u12b4ht3f#?date=2024-07-15 This is exactly my point about unreliable weather forecasts. The Met Office this morning for Ipswich had heavy rain from around 3. That’s now changed within a couple of hours on the actual day! Now saying a shower at 3, and the heavy stuff not due until between 9 and 10. It’ll no doubt change again by this afternoon. Edit: It’s literally changed AGAIN since I was typing out the post. LOL.

I’m sorry but I will never agree with you and Bagpuss on this. Despite all the technology, forecasts are still pretty unreliable, especially more than 24 hours before an event. We’ve had rain forecast that never came this year, and also forecasts for a completely dry day, which turned out to be completely untrue as it drizzled from early afternoon and in to the evening which caused the postponement of our fixture against Sheffield. I mentioned last night on the Ipswich Belle Vue thread that we need to keep an eye on the forecast as it wasn’t promising. The forecasts for Ipswich and King’s Lynn were identical. Not a washout by any means, but light rain from mid afternoon onwards. Ipswich made the more sensible approach here and this isn’t club bias. I’ve said this many times already this year, you get a far more accurate forecast (not perfect) on the day of a meeting. This morning the forecast hasn’t changed and if anything is slightly worse, so Ipswich have now postponed the meeting. I’m not a fan of postponing meetings more than 24 hours before a meeting. If every club starts doing that then it will cause havoc with the fixture lists up and down the country. You have to give it every chance. On the costs, if you’re a promoter and you’re concerned about the costs of flying in foreign based riders with a dodgy looking weather forecast, then don’t sign them. Sign a team of British based riders and leave the international riders to those willing to take the chance. Wait until you’ve a clearer idea of the weather on the morning of a meeting, and you can then still make the call before anyone starts travelling. How many times does a forecast change from the evening before a meeting, to the following morning? It happens frequently we all know it does because we all pay attention to them when a fixture is on the horizon.

Postponed.