Crump99

It was Panthers in name only though which is probably why nobody gives a stuff. It's all turned into a farce at the business end of the season that should have finished a couple of weeks ago.

Credit where it's due

Seems logical in the circumstances. Won the 1st leg away and 20 points up just past halfway in the second. It was only going one way so just put everyone out of their misery and call it!

If you want to sell though you're not going to say anything else really. Having said that, everyone else got out on the back of reported losses so what he said is probably accurate.

Get involved in a sport that often couldn't organise a drinking competition in a brewery then I'm afraid that it comes with the territory.

It's Oct 15 and the priority is to get it done asap. What's gone is unfortunately irrelevant at this time of year.

And it was only qualification. You haven't won anything. He was replying to post asking for such a response so you perhaps need to read that again! Victory parades are for meeting on the night winners. Panthers are consistent on that so still potentially best runners up don't qualify.

Of course it is. Never engaged brain on that one. Rather straightforward so will hide my previous

Given the circumstances I suspect that the effort was to just get the meeting out of the way. If it was in their power then I'm sure that the promotion would prefer the option of Fridays and dirt but it isn't. Riders at this level can't ride a consistent track. Only the other week it was reported that they wanted more dirt but we were then told that they couldn't ride it

Of course if you didn't go you'll remember the former although over the last 5 years they seemed a million miles away anyway.

As much as I'm unhappy with the timing and some of the explanation I think that that's a fair summing up. Initial enthusiasm wanes, reality sets in , priorities and circumstances change over time. The work done over 4 years should not be underestimated and without that we wouldn't be here now anyway. Neil doesn't come out unless he's sure of his ground and I doubt that he is at the moment

Shame that you didn't meet the Panthers team that finished top of the league table instead of gloating about beating a patched up select side. For accuracy though, for a team that finished 9th of 11, that Scorpion in the graphic should have its tail/sting removed - couldn't let that pass irrespective

To be fair though he didn't mention crowd and I'm sure that most would agree with the general observation. You and I both know that most Panther fans would prefer that, even if a pipedream, but Sundays and the sustainable, allegedly, lower league hasn't drawn the punters in when it mattered although there are other reasons for that.

We've been saying the same at Peterborough for 15+ years though and here we are in crisis, possibly terminal this time, and what has changed? Not a lot and the product has got worse although I think that I saw somewhere that Chapman wrote in the Kings Lynn prog that the product is fine. We'll agree to disagree on that then which brings us back to presentation (inc effective running of the meeting), communication before and during the meeting and general promotion. After balancing the books and putting the team on track, those are the bits that often seem to get lip service. Probably Bratley was the best at that but he lives local and is born and bred but was ignored by Frost and Rathbone who couldn't do it from a distance, and if it was delegated then whoever was charged with the task didn't do a good enough job. Hopefully if we survive to 2019 then we get someone who appreciates what's needed.

You can't expect people to turn up given the circumstances. Anyone interested in purchasing the club will realise the situation, have done their homework and will ignore Saturday.

That's true, thinking about it, such an animal wouldn't look out of place at the EWR so they'd probably dress it up as a scorpion and enlist it as a mascot to work for its Whiskas!

Nicholls might be fit by the time it takes place

At least they could have got an adult to do the graphic. Funniest looking Panther I've ever seen, more like the resident stray moggy that lives at the EWR!

That's life at the EoES now though. It tends to break promoters after a few years due to lack of control and the drain on the finances. Due to the latter I said that it was a disaster for the club when Frost left and the chickens are coming home to roost. Rathbone doesn't cite either as a reason for selling up but I'd say that it was a significant factor.

Don't want to put a downer on things as we're looking for a new owner/sugar daddy but Bratley's final Panthers blog in 2010 listed what he'd done to attract new fans to little effect so I'd say it needs a much better Showground experience on a consistent basis rather than short term incentives (not to say that there aren't some good ideas there). It certainly hasn't been a good (IMO only I hasten to add) for 5 years. Partly promotionally but probably more due to the landlords. The fanbase took a serious knock in 2013 and I'm not sure about a strong fanbase. I think inflated Sunday attendances by visitors and occasional locals paints a rosier picture than actual strength. I just see lots of spaces where regulars once sat and those spaces not being filled by what's on offer. Social media around the club never really recovered from Frost/Oakes who lost the forum and went via FB & Twitter, probably to avoid the public slanging matches on the forum that had been a problem for many years.

Sponsors would be under the Rathbone administration so would need to strike a new deal if they wished to continue, but that's gettimg ahead of ourselves Rodders

One of life's great mysteries. Great gate from Andersen to take Kołodziej out of the race so probably Hancock feared the same although you'd think that he'd at least gate with Andersen. Probably Hancock thought that he could take care of Sullivan? Whatever the reason it all went pear shaped for the grin, or Hancock as he was called at that time

Rathbone said last year that the EoES would only deal with him due to previous issues (not moneybags Rick so it's not rocket science to work out who else) so you'd assume that it'd need to be someone new and reliable. As Horton said: “This club needs another Rick Frost and Julie Mahoney, people with the finances to make it work.”

They've given no indication of not wanting speedway that we've been told about anyway. Logically if Rathbone doesn't get a buyer then Saturday (or last Sunday in my case) will be the last speedway at the EoES, so for old times sake: Peterborough Panthers 2006

Didn't Neil Watson say that if more dates were needed then he was confident that they could be found but we didn't need to ask for them in 2018.