Aries

Not particularly no, but it kind of depends how competitive and I mean equally competitive, those five teams are. I’d rather watch four teams visit three times each if they look attractive, than several teams visit for “variety” where you’ll know the result before the tapes go up in heat one. We had that even in a seven team league this year. Our poorest attendances at Foxhall this year were unsurprisingly when Birmingham and Oxford came to visit. Is it really a positive thing to get more teams involved for the sake of variety, if those extra teams end up as cannon fodder like Birmingham were this year? The reality is there’s such a small pool of top class riders that want to ride over here, that our top division doesn’t suit a league with large numbers.

Thank you Alex. Well that puts that rumour to bed!

Isn’t he an active poster on here? Or was it someone just using his Name?

Another issue, I wonder whether we’d also need to find a new track man? Bob has been an incredible servant to the club over many years but you’d have to wonder whether he’d also call time with Louis no longer there.

He’s an eccentric no doubt about that, but he’s obviously a successful businessman. As has been said, I wouldn’t pay much attention to what happened at Birmingham. You’re comparing apples with oranges to what he’d walk in to here at Ipswich. Anyway, he may or may not be one of the two parties. We’ve just got to continue playing the waiting game unfortunately.

What makes you so sure of that?

I don’t either! Ah ok. Hadn’t seen or heard anything on their plans if and when they come back. Think we all might be in the Championship by that time anyway!

Nobody wants a five team league but although others seem to disagree, I personally think it’s vital to keep a top league in place. If that means running with a five team league in the short term, then so be it. But there simply HAS to be some kind of plan in place for 2027 and beyond to go with it because a five team league for years to come won’t cut it. If they came out and said Peterborough will be back in business in time for the 2027 season and will be in the top flight along with another club whether that be a club coming up, another resurrected club, or a new club, to make a seven team league again in 27, then I think people would be a little more tolerant of a “sticking plaster” five team league for a season. Maybe.

They will, although you’d think that would start from 2027 IF the sport is still going in this Country. a lot of the preparation for 2026 would have already been mostly done and you’d expect Louis to help with the transitional phase of the handover.

Louis “reasonably” confident Witches will come to tapes in 26. Two interested parties he’s currently in discussions with. Couldn’t elaborate on the full reasons why he’s stepping away but pretty much gave it away actually. Looks like a 5 team league that he has no interest in. Edit: they weren’t exactly his words that he wasn’t interested in a 5 team league btw, but that was pretty obvious to me anyway that that was a strong factor along with the dire way things are run here. Hopefully someone more clever than me can upload his radio piece from a website somewhere. Badge is usually good with that stuff. Was around 9.50 on Gen X radio Suffolk.

Buster falling out with someone? Surely not?? 😁

I see absolutely clueless planks such as @therefused laughing at someone’s post without having a clue who he’s laughing at. That in itself is hilarious!

Those world class riders can produce moments of absolute quality at times though Phil where they literally leave your jaw on the floor and you just know you’re watching the sports Elite. Emil at Leicester a few weeks ago for example, Fricke at the same venue earlier in the season when he made a terrible gate, etc etc. the last few years at Foxhall seeing Emil and Doyle in 13 and 15 was just magical. I’m sorry, you just don’t get that same buzz seeing King and Charles Wright in the same heats. You just don’t I’m afraid. As I say though, there are die hard fans of the sport who will go regardless, and good luck to them. But let’s not pretend a watered down product won’t majorly affect attendances. The attendances at Championship level generally, is pathetic bar one or two obvious exceptions.

I’m in the same boat and agree with every single word you’ve written here. Some will still go whatever level it is, each to their own of course and good luck to them.

It’ll be a mixed bag. Some of those riders will stay loyal, some will back out of those deals and be off quicker than a rat up a drainpipe. None of the championship clubs will feel confident about the signings they’ve already made IF as you say, and that’s the pivotal word, IF, there ends up being one league.

Well it definitely won’t be guy.

There’s no speedway, it’s the off season and I get people are bored. But we’re just going to have to wait and see what develops. Go and do some Christmas shopping ffs! 🙄

But you can’t criticise when you don’t have a clue as to the reasons why he’s put the club up for sale. Nobody on here knows it’s just pure speculation. Louis has said further explanations are coming so he’s obviously restricted by what he can, and can’t reveal at the moment. We’re all going to just have to be a bit more patient and wait and see what develops over the coming weeks.

It was literally three or so weeks ago that Chris Louis and Ritchie Hawkins were on local radio stating the hard work was already underway to build another top challenging team for next year. So this isn’t something that has been brewing for a while, something has happened at the BSPL meetings very recently that has made him throw in the towel. Fans of other clubs have been very quick to stick the boot in on the bloke. But in Louis’ defence, he has stated quite clearly that he’ll be working “tirelessly” over the coming weeks and months to make sure the club is left in safe hands. After everything he’s done, he deserves that time, and the benefit of the doubt to see what exactly these “safe hands” the club has been left in, are. If we end up with no speedway at Foxhall in 2026 and the club left in limbo, then he’ll have tarnished the whole Louis legacy and I’ll be the first to criticise.

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.