Aries

Stop digging a bloody hole ffs Iain! It’s there in black and white, you literally said as owner, he can make guarantees, then denied you mentioned guarantees! Just own it 🙄

It isn’t a bluff unfortunately. He’s has an absolute gutful of pi$$ing in the wind. He’s done.

Wind ya neck in 🙄

Count me out as well.

Was it the losses? Fair enough if that’s the case. I thought it was more to do with their other businesses and having the time to run the club.

Why not? This isn’t an us and them, this is British speedway as a whole so I wish people wouldn’t see this as some big competition between the Premiership and the Championship. British speedway needs a top tier, and a second tier, and everyone should be working together. We should all be singing from the same hymn sheet. If things need to be put in place to minimise any risk for a Championship team to be ambitious and give it a go, then so be it. Make sure that club (or clubs) have a top rider to spearhead their team. Ipswich have already lost Emil, but maybe retain only one of Doyle or Brennan, Belle Vue retain only one of Kurtz or Bewley, and then the current top flight clubs help subsidise the financial outlay for that club to help them pay for them for the season until that club can look at their end of season accounts to see whether it is financially viable for them to continue running in the top flight. If it is, then that club(s) goes it alone in 2027 and beyond. It’s short term thinking, but that’s where we currently are. As I said previously, both Leicester and Sheffield made the jump not too long ago and have managed to stay in place and not only make up the numbers, but actually be very competitive and winning silverware. It CAN be done.

They pretty much were in effect! Louis was unsure it was viable so to help save the top flight, agreed to sell the club to Chapman but stay on as promoter. He could have easily taken the easy option and ran Ipswich comfortably in the second tier, but done what he thought was right to help the top flight and British Speedway as a whole. Chapman then backed out of that deal a mere weeks later (thank god) but by that time rules and structures were in place and Louis had no choice but to go through with it. It’s almost as if he’d been conned in to taking Ipswich up isn’t it?… But he got his head down, hired people to canvass around all the local businesses around the town and surrounding areas to bring in as many sponsors as he possibly could. He worked his @rse off to build the club up to make it financially viable to run a Premiership team to the point where we are today. He must have had his doubts like others probably do currently, but he’s proven to all the Championship promoters that with hard work, dedication and commitment you CAN make it work. Let’s not forget your club Leicester and Sheffield were also Championship clubs not too long ago, and both have made a good fist of running in the Premiership. Sadly, SOME in the Championship simply don’t want to bother even trying to make the same effort (I’m talking about a small minority that have the set up already in place to make a good fist of it), or in probably the majority of cases, just don’t want to take the risk and are happily plodding along where they are under their safety blanket. Is it THAT too much to ask for one, or two Championship clubs to give it a go for a solitary season to help the top flight be viable in the very short term, with the agreement that if their fears are realised and it doesn’t work, they can move back to the Championship in 2027? Just one season to help keep things moving in both divisions whilst a longer term plan for the sport on the whole can be put in place.

Jesus H Christ. See you in January ffs 🙄

To be fair Iain, I’ve argued against it to death on here to the point I can’t be bothered with it anymore. I’ll bow out of this one now and let you lot crack on with your doomsday scenarios. I’m not in denial because there’s clearly issues here, but let’s wait for the AGM when issues will hopefully be resolved.

No, it isn’t.

Today’s Star says they’ll be represented at the AGM in January with the intention to run in any scenario. No sale yet, but plenty of interest. They’ve lost Tru7 as a backer though which obviously isn’t helpful so fingers crossed they can get another suitable sponsor on board to replace them.

Noticed in today’s Speedway Star that Tru7’s recent two year deal with Sheffield has expired and Guy won’t be renewing it. He’s now focusing solely on the Witches.

Godfrey saying they should have a better idea on league structures in a couple of weeks, but yeah January 6th for the AGM to rubber stamp everything.

Tiring isn’t it 🙄

He was quite open about his struggles at Foxhall and his body language wasn’t particularly great either towards the end. This was on the cards and as I said on another thread, a move away is the best for all parties here. He’s been a great signing and done very well since he was recruited as rising star.

Personally I think this is the best move for all parties. He rides Leicester far better than Foxhall so I think it’s a much better signing for Leicester, then it would have been for Ipswich to retain him on his current average. Good luck to him he’s been great for us.

If that’s the case then perhaps it would better all around if he went there?

That’s the one 👍🏻

There’s just not enough of this going on in the sport here unfortunately, and that’s the problem.

Heard a little whisper a week or so ago that Louis was looking closely at the SGP 2 talent for recruitment. The Norwegian lad who’s name escapes me was one we are apparently looking at.

It’s such a shame others don’t have that same attitude and drive. There’s a lot out there that will do the absolute bare minimum to get by each year. People don’t realise that Louis also paid out of his own pocket, for someone to go canvassing across local areas to every local business big and small, to garner any interest in sponsoring the club. That eventually bore fruit. People inaccurately claim Ipswich are “lucky” because they have a “rich” sponsor who does all the leg work but that simply isn’t true. It’s the hard work of Chris Louis bringing in several partner sponsors, along with the title sponsor, that enables the club to be run efficiently. The consistently healthy crowds (by today’s standards) also obviously help. They’re all contributing factors combined.

And not for long either. Sorry Mick, dreadful idea.