IainB

1,000,000% this 👆 Spot on!

As an out and out Ipswich legend it'd be unthinkable stain for him to be the one to close the club down. Goodness knows what's actually going on and as has proven with the rest of the Premiership he must be losing a lot of goodwill with his radio silence and lack of explanation to the fans. Whether there's genuinely a sale going on or this is all a game of brinksmanship, who knows, but if Ipswich are to run next year, they're leaving themselves in a pickle if/when trying to assemble a competitive team, as Jason Doyle has already shown, with any uncertainty riders will ultimately look after their own interests and sign on elsewhere. You can have Drew Kemp at No 1, he's a local lad... consider it a Christmas present from Leicester 😁

Yes! I'm afraid, whether you like it or not, that is the responsibility you have when you take on a sporting club, especially a historic, well supported and successful one like Ipswich.

Mr Doyle maybe doesn't seem to think so or surely he would have signed on for another season?

Were all of their fans really chuffed about it and praising the owner for having the right to do it? Or were they posting 🐕💩's through his letterbox? 😂

IF they run 🤷‍♂️

Have there been any football clubs that have voluntarily closed? (Recently, as league champions and that have been well supported and well run... with good sponsors)

... and how much of that was knowing the tv cameras were pointing at him, like when Super Nicki blows a gasket... it's a bit like John McEnroe when he plays a "senior" match, the tantrums are part of the act and are expected and in McEnroe's case probably written into his contract... new balls please 🎾 😂

Yes all that but to counter... easier rides in the UK, more race wins available, confidence higher, less pressure, more familiar surroundings. With many saying that a lot about being successful in sport is what's going on in your head, these things can't be ignored.

Nope, not to the fans.

Must be something in the water down Ipswich way... all these people praising Mr Louis for potentially closing a perfectly viable speedway club down because he couldn't get his way... quite unfathomable.

They were all during the free to air tv era, boxing has generally disappeared behind a pay wall now and at £25 a pop to watch something that could be over in seconds, unless you're a die hard boxing fan and like to watch all of the undercard, it's quite a stretch. One of the best fights I've seen in recent years was the Eubank Jnr v Benn Jnr, the first one was epic!

Add the usual What ifs of how many more would Laguta have won, Emil? IF Darcy Ward hadn't got injured? BZ has been fortunate to be relatively unchallenged in recent years.

That's fast approaching, especially with Christmas in between

Seems like a lot of spin put on that statement, the actuality is more like they couldn't sell it, like many clubs before them. Doesn't bode well for Ippo. Maybe the deadline for the declaration of intent to run its fast approaching?

https://www.gbspeedway.com/2025/fixturelist.php?mc1=x&mc2=l&mc3=x&mc4=x&team=Leicester Lions&comp=CMA&league=A https://www.gbspeedway.com/2025/teamstats.php?mc1=x&mc2=l&mc3=av&mc4=x&team=Leicester Lions&league=A&comp=CMA&avtype=av

More likely than not, yes

His stats as a "number 1" make quite interesting reading. Of the 34 matches that Leicester rode last season Dougy didn't appear in any heat 13's but did appear in 19 heat 15's. If it was at home he generally won it or came 2nd to his team mate, if it was away he struggled. 1 a 0 a 3 h 3 h 3 h 1 a 0 a 2+1 h 0 a 3 h 3 h 3 h 1 a 0 a 3 h 0 h 1 a 2+1 h 0 a Not and "out and out number 1" for me

I am a Leicester fan and I never want to see quitter Kemp or sniffer Morris in a Lions race jacket again, they've both let the club down badly in the past!

Dougy has been a bit of a slow burner, although he's shown year on year improvement he's never really stood out to me as a number 1, more of a Masters type who has maybe reached his level, which would be okay in a league with no "number 1's". His average last season was achieved from the number 3 spot and he didn't appear in any heat 13, so his average maybe a bit artificially high... for a number 1. Hope he proves me wrong though.

Testimonials are now given to any rider who has put 10 years into British Speedway and that's not even 10 consecutive years... or even full seasons!

I agree to an extent, but I was specifically addressing the point about a Polish only GP series, I don't think it'd ever happen And a Merry Christmas to you too 🎅

The FIM would never allow it even if the likes of Max Perry (choose your own rider) were allocated a GP spot, much like a decent percentage of spots were allocated to the "lesser" Speedway nations in days gone by. And if you look at the international calendar, those "lesser" nations still get allocated a decent amount of events

It's surely the other way around... all these riders have been signed up to CL clubs for weeks

That remains to be seen if any of the top lads stay, if they do, Leicester will be sunk without a number 1. I'd like to see Tom Brennan in the team sheet his KO Cup performances for us