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Ipswich Witches 2026


TTT

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I've tried to remain positive this winter but I'm now very concerned to a point where the damage could be irreversable for Mayfield tbh.

Fans have hit boiling point before the season has even begun so they simply aren't going to put up with a poorly built 1-7 that gets hammered every week, Fans don't have any patience left and nobody can blame them.

I get options are limited but you can still put together a better side than the one that's rumoured which would put up a better fight to nick 3rd Place.

You've still got riders like Nicolai Klindt available who can score big points around King's Lynn and Leicester as well as Ipswich.

What's the point in having a No.6 on a GSA around the 4.50 mark unless it's a Rider who's going to put in Leon Flint 2025 type scores every week? It goes against everything what a strength in depth side should be.

It's not even a side built to win at Home if the No.6 isn't a Rider who'll score a minimum of 8-10 Points consistently around Foxhall.

The blame also lies with Chris Louis if the rumoured undercooked 1-7 becomes factual.....No free pass this time.

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5 minutes ago, mikebv said:

The vast majority of the fans can see that, yet, incredibly, it seems those running the sport cannot. 

Once again, if we go with six teams, at least one will be cannon fodder...

Just like when we had seven teams...

Just like when we had eight teams. ..

Just like when we had, etc etc etc, 

In fact, when the top tier reached eight and more, it usually meant at least two teams were cannon fodder....  

Yet. .

"We propose to do exactly the same this season" is the only plan....:rolleyes:

You can probably get away with a 6 team league, but no more than that. There’s a few that could come back in if they’ve been given enough notice namely Doyle, Becker, Ellis. But they would only help team five and Six be a bit more competitive rather then get a seventh or eighth team competing. 

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Scrap the Team.

Pile up the Top 5 and get a Rider like Mitch McDiarmid in @ No.6.

 

1. T. Brennan 7.05

2. D. King 6.50

3. R. Lawson 6.81

4. N. Klindt 6.46

5. T. Musielak 6.63

6. M. McDiarmid 3.45 (5.18 divided by 1.5)

7. J. Edwards (RS)

= 36.90

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2 hours ago, Aries said:

There is some decent solid riders in there don’t get me wrong, but the problem is they’re all riders that should be slotting in at 3 and 4, not heatleader positions where they’ve proven to struggle in the past. Musielak particularly.


Sheffield 2023.
Overall.
Jack Holder            9.40
Tobiasz Musielak    9.35
Tai Woffinden          9.12

Away
Tobiasz Musielak        8.50
Tai Woffinden              8.33
Jack Holder                8.00

That doesn't suggest if motivated and in a competitive team that Musielak will struggle to win heats home & away.

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All this reminds me of Hackney 1988.

Team wins the league in a class of their own. During the close season the team gets ripped apart ( funnily enough half of them go to Ipswich).

Three years late Hackney closed.

 

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55 minutes ago, TTT said:

I've tried to remain positive this winter but I'm now very concerned to a point where the damage could be irreversable for Mayfield tbh.

Fans have hit boiling point before the season has even begun so they simply aren't going to put up with a poorly built 1-7 that gets hammered every week, Fans don't have any patience left and nobody can blame them.

I get options are limited but you can still put together a better side than the one that's rumoured which would put up a better fight to nick 3rd Place.

You've still got riders like Nicolai Klindt available who can score big points around King's Lynn and Leicester as well as Ipswich.

What's the point in having a No.6 on a GSA around the 4.50 mark unless it's a Rider who's going to put in Leon Flint 2025 type scores every week? It goes against everything what a strength in depth side should be.

It's not even a side built to win at Home if the No.6 isn't a Rider who'll score a minimum of 8-10 Points consistently around Foxhall.

The blame also lies with Chris Louis if the rumoured undercooked 1-7 becomes factual.....No free pass this time.

I don’t buy that.

The vast majority of fans switch off at the end of the season & come back at the start of the new one. It’s only us on here that get our knickers in a twist, a small percentage of those who actually attend.

If the side ends up getting beaten week in week out then yes the attendance will drop, but the goings on this winter won’t make much difference to the attendance at the start of the season 

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5 minutes ago, mikebv said:

The vast majority of the fans can see that, yet, incredibly, it seems those running the sport cannot. 

Once again, if we go with six teams, at least one will be cannon fodder...

Just like when we had seven teams...

Just like when we had eight teams. ..

Just like when we had, etc etc etc, 

In fact, when the top tier reached eight and more, it usually meant at least two teams were cannon fodder....  

Yet. .

"We propose to do exactly the same this season" is the only plan....:rolleyes:

You can probably get away with a 6 team league, but no more than that. There’s a few that could come back in if they’ve been given enough notice namely Doyle, Becker, Ellis. But they would only help team five and Six be a bit more competitive rather then get a seventh or eighth team competing. 

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12 minutes ago, cowboy cookie returns? said:

I don’t buy that.

The vast majority of fans switch off at the end of the season & come back at the start of the new one. It’s only us on here that get our knickers in a twist, a small percentage of those who actually attend.

If the side ends up getting beaten week in week out then yes the attendance will drop, but the goings on this winter won’t make much difference to the attendance at the start of the season 

Every season, fans start off enthusiastically after a long winter of no Speedway....

Often, by the end of May, for too many, that enthusiasm has worn off...

Let's hope this season, more than ever, each team can keep its "opening night crowd" numbers for most of the season..

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12 hours ago, mikebv said:

On what average?

I presume it will be assessed down to the exact decimal point that fits under the allowed team average total...:D

 

Not again. “Reduce Crumps average or I’ll sell the club” No problem Chris.

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53 minutes ago, Tapewrecker said:

Need they  bother. No one wants to see a pathetic looking team just to make the numbers up. Even if it’s six teams, it’s a pathetic state of affairs.

Ipswich were more than happy to take Tom off Birmingham and see them “make up the numbers”. Tom had ridden part of their season at number 1 after we released him. When you consider the top two the witches had in place, tapping up Tom seemed unnecessary if looking at the bigger picture. It did however achieve what Louis wanted with his league win, and that’s all that mattered to him. 

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On 2/24/2026 at 10:50 AM, TTT said:

Scrap the Team.

Pile up the Top 5 and get a Rider like Mitch McDiarmid in @ No.6.

 

1. T. Brennan 7.05

2. D. King 6.50

3. R. Lawson 6.81

4. N. Klindt 6.46

5. T. Musielak 6.63

6. M. McDiarmid 3.45 (5.18 divided by 1.5)

7. J. Edwards (RS)

= 36.90

Edit, mistake made. Home wins team

Edited by hasta la vista
Mistake
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5 hours ago, Aries said:

“Week and a half” is the likely timescale for a sale confirmation. So we’re looking at middle of next week, not this week. 

 

5 hours ago, PhilTheAce said:

Thorsell not happening now apparently, not sure why, his GF diddnt want him doing 4 leagues so maybe that was something to do with it, or maybe he was just sick of waiting 

Which shows how quickly any agreement can change/disappear

Until the announcement nothing is guaranteed 

Whilst I expect it to happen I'm almost of a mind that it may be best that it doesn't so that the whole house of cards collapses and forces a real reset

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The longer this goes on the more worrying this becomes.

Maybe certain riders are wanted by Ipswich but they are being held back for Northampton or wherever.   Ipswich are then threatening to pull out if they are not being allowed to sign riders, which would be understandable.

Edited by KevtheRev
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38 minutes ago, KevtheRev said:

The longer this goes on the more worrying this becomes.

Maybe certain riders are wanted by Ipswich but they are being held back for Northampton or wherever.   Ipswich are then threatening to pull out if they are not being allowed to sign riders, which would be understandable.

I dread to think what both Clubs will look like if they're both after the same Riders.

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I'm sure if the delay was just contained within Ipswich, then the club could/would make some announcements as to riders etc. 

The fact that nothing has been broadcast means that the issue is due to a wider issue within the premiership.

Edited by KevtheRev
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18 minutes ago, KevtheRev said:

I'm sure if the delay was just contained within Ipswich, then the club could/would make some announcements as to riders etc. 

The fact that nothing has been broadcast means that the issue is due to a wider issue within the premiership.

Bspl Brewery staff p1ss up lol!

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1 hour ago, Hawk127 said:

Could that add a new dimension to doubling up?

Would that be classed as "Doubling sideways"?

I can see the powers that be spinning that into a marketing ploy to try desperately to make it seem appealing

"Doubling Sideways, switching pits mid-skid"

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