Ipswich Witches 2027

[Aries]

31 minutes ago, 89buttons said:

Are you convinced Woryna would be an upgrade on Tobi? I like him absolutely would to see him over here and clearly he’s reached a higher level on the continent but that doesn’t guarantee being a better level in uk - tobi knows all the tracks and has proven to be committed to riding here, would be a great no.5 for Ipswich and a shame for me he’s not back when he clearly wanted to be

Kinda depends on Woryna’s average. SHOULD be 7.50 which would give you half a point more than Musielak’s GSA therefore could get you a better fifth member of the top 5 which could make a big difference. 
 

Tobi can be good to watch on his day, but Woryna is on a different level when it comes to unpredictability and entertainment so for that alone I’d plump for Woryna. 
 

We’ll have to wait and see on Woryna. @Lion tamer hasn’t posted on here for years but any older forum members will know that he’s never wrong when he posts about signing. He popped up yesterday after three or four years to say Ipswich have signed Woryna. 
 

BUT, someone else on here also very reliable, has told me that the Woryna deal fell through and that was as recent as Thursday just gone so it’s 50/50 for me. 
 

Just have to wait and see. Nothing is going to be announced until after the end of season dinner out of respect to the riders that will be attending so we’ll have to wait a few weeks. 

[Aries]

13 minutes ago, TTT said:

I agree.

I'm pretty sure that Wroclaw will help Ipswich out with a foreign U21 if the Club miss out on Cairns whether it's Kowolik, Mikolajczyk or Siatek.

But yes it's a problem for the Clubs, But it's great for the U21's as Christmas has come early for them ££££.

Not sure that’s as bad a thing as some seem to think to be honest. The younger riders lack the revenue through sponsors that the seasoned riders have (in fairness, earned) so any extra income for them to invest in their equipment to help them along is welcome. 

[CTRSports]

I am pretty sure Coleman said during the season the team is too old

so surprised to see King back especially on his current average

Most think Doyle and King plus Tom so a team could be

1. Doyle 
2. Jeppesen/Rushen
3. King
4. Brennan 
5. Bewley 
6. Cairns U21
7.  RS

[Steve Irving]

Musielak is a good rider when he’s on it, but what about when he isn’t? He’s flaky. His average goes up and down more often than Katie Price’s knickers. 

[mikebv]

3 minutes ago, Aries said:

Kinda depends on Woryna’s average. SHOULD be 7.50 which would give you half a point more than Musielak’s GSA therefore could get you a better fifth member of the top 5 which could make a big difference. 
 

Tobi can be good to watch on his day, but Woryna is on a different level when it comes to unpredictability and entertainment so for that alone I’d plump for Woryna. 
 

We’ll have to wait and see on Woryna. @Lion tamer hasn’t posted on here for years but any older forum members will know that he’s never wrong when he posts about signing. He popped up yesterday after three or four years to say Ipswich have signed Woryna. 
 

BUT, someone else on here also very reliable, has told me that the Woryna deal fell through and that was as recent as Thursday just gone so it’s 50/50 for me. 
 

Just have to wait and see. Nothing is going to be announced until after the end of season dinner out of respect to the riders that will be attending so we’ll have to wait a few weeks. 

Matt Ford in a Speedway Star interview a while back said something like it would help UK Speedway if Poland paid less to their riders, (and also help Poland I would presume), as their expectations would be much lower when speaking with them to come over...

Unfortunately, they do get those huge salaries and also expect the same level of infrastructure around them kit wise, mechanic wise, transport wise etc, that they have in Poland...

Phil Morris also alluded to the logistical challenges in riding over here re visas, flights, etc. 

Where once riders needed to ride in several leagues to make themselves "wealthy", with a "have bike, will travel" mentality, it is no longer the case...

[TTT]

11 minutes ago, Aries said:

Kinda depends on Woryna’s average. SHOULD be 7.50 which would give you half a point more than Musielak’s GSA therefore could get you a better fifth member of the top 5 which could make a big difference. 
 

Tobi can be good to watch on his day, but Woryna is on a different level when it comes to unpredictability and entertainment so for that alone I’d plump for Woryna. 
 

We’ll have to wait and see on Woryna. @Lion tamer hasn’t posted on here for years but any older forum members will know that he’s never wrong when he posts about signing. He popped up yesterday after three or four years to say Ipswich have signed Woryna. 
 

BUT, someone else on here also very reliable, has told me that the Woryna deal fell through and that was as recent as Thursday just gone so it’s 50/50 for me. 
 

Just have to wait and see. Nothing is going to be announced until after the end of season dinner out of respect to the riders that will be attending so we’ll have to wait a few weeks. 

Keeping the faith in the Woryna deal, Has to be some logic attached to Tobi's departure rather than GSA related because King won't be able to cut the mustard @ No.5.

Letting Musielak go for an extra 0.50 to use in the engine room wouldn't make much sense tbh because Doyle would effectively be in 2 v 1 races when it comes to Heats 13 & 15.

I'd be shocked if the Top 4 isn't Doyle, Woryna, King and Brennan at this point.

[Aries]

3 minutes ago, mikebv said:

Matt Ford in a Speedway Star interview a while back said something like it would help UK Speedway if Poland paid less to their riders, (and also help Poland I would presume), as their expectations would be much lower when speaking with them to come over...

Unfortunately, they do get those huge salaries and also expect the same level of infrastructure around them kit wise, mechanic wise, transport wise etc, that they have in Poland...

Phil Morris also alluded to the logistical challenges in riding over here re visas, flights, etc. 

Where once riders needed to ride in several leagues to make themselves "wealthy", with a "have bike, will travel" mentality, it is no longer the case...

100%. When they find out what they’re earning here compared to Poland and the hassle involved to do it, you can understand them not being enthralled by the idea!

I can’t for the life of me remember where I saw it and it was only yesterday, but there was a worrying article about the finances in Poland currently, with many clubs getting bank loans to pay for riders and putting their clubs in huge debt so maybe just maybe, the days of riders getting ridiculous sums of money in Poland is coming to an end. 

[Aries]

6 minutes ago, TTT said:

Keeping the faith in the Woryna deal, Has to be some logic attached to Tobi's departure rather than GSA related because King won't be able to cut the mustard @ No.5.

Letting Musielak go for an extra 0.50 to use in the engine room wouldn't make much sense tbh because Doyle would effectively be in 2 v 1 races when it comes to Heats 13 & 15.

I'd be shocked if the Top 4 isn't Doyle, Woryna, King and Brennan at this point.

Brennan is a must and I’ll be disappointed if he goes elsewhere. Some clubs would have dropped him this year with his struggles but Coleman stood by him. Hopefully that loyalty works in our favour. 
 

5.7 odd after British reduction is way too good to refuse especially when he’ll be getting regular track time in the Championship. He suffered this year with a severe lack of meetings when rides abroad dried up and he’s one of those riders that benefit from being busy. 

[szkocjasid]

1 hour ago, mikebv said:

Matt Ford in a Speedway Star interview a while back said something like it would help UK Speedway if Poland paid less to their riders, (and also help Poland I would presume), as their expectations would be much lower when speaking with them to come over...

Unfortunately, they do get those huge salaries and also expect the same level of infrastructure around them kit wise, mechanic wise, transport wise etc, that they have in Poland...

Phil Morris also alluded to the logistical challenges in riding over here re visas, flights, etc. 

Where once riders needed to ride in several leagues to make themselves "wealthy", with a "have bike, will travel" mentality, it is no longer the case...

 

1 hour ago, Aries said:

100%. When they find out what they’re earning here compared to Poland and the hassle involved to do it, you can understand them not being enthralled by the idea!

I can’t for the life of me remember where I saw it and it was only yesterday, but there was a worrying article about the finances in Poland currently, with many clubs getting bank loans to pay for riders and putting their clubs in huge debt so maybe just maybe, the days of riders getting ridiculous sums of money in Poland is coming to an end. 

If Poland wants riders to give them priority over Britain / Sweden / Denmark, they'd only have to pay them 2 or 3 times the amount.

It appears they pay them 10 times the amount, which seems a waste of money to me.

Obviously they are trying to outbid their fellow Polish clubs to be successful.

If the Prem wants to limit doubling up, look to the lower end riders who maybe don't ride every week?

[PersonalResponsibility]

1 hour ago, Aries said:

100%. When they find out what they’re earning here compared to Poland and the hassle involved to do it, you can understand them not being enthralled by the idea!

I can’t for the life of me remember where I saw it and it was only yesterday, but there was a worrying article about the finances in Poland currently, with many clubs getting bank loans to pay for riders and putting their clubs in huge debt so maybe just maybe, the days of riders getting ridiculous sums of money in Poland is coming to an end. 

Was it this one?

https://przegladsportowy.onet.pl/zuzel/ekstraliga/jan-krzystyniak-nazwal-prezesow-frajerami-o-finansach-polskiego-zuzla/rlyyjp2

I'm not sure how much credibility you can give the contributor after this quote:

"In Poland, simply setting limits doesn't make much sense. We know what these gentlemen are capable of. They'll officially offer a player a thousand złoty, but then hand over a million under the table. That's how it works in Poland. If people from Sweden or England were allowed to manage these clubs, they might be able to establish such rules in a day or two. No one would break the law, because there, words are worth more than money," 😁

In all seriousness, it does make you wonder why they pay 10-15x the going rate that a rider could get anywhere else in the world. If they halved their wages, they would still dominate world speedway.

Edited 8 hours ago by PersonalResponsibility

[mikebv]

4 minutes ago, szkocjasid said:

 

If Poland wants riders to give them priority over Britain / Sweden / Denmark, they'd only have to pay them 2 or 3 times the amount.

It appears they pay them 10 times the amount, which seems a waste of money to me.

Obviously they are trying to outbid their fellow Polish clubs to be successful.

If the Prem wants to limit doubling up, look to the lower end riders who maybe don't ride every week?

It is strange that they pay so much when other leagues pay nowhere near the same..

As you say, it must be to outbid other Polish teams..

You would think they would just get together and agree on a maximum figure, meaning a more stable financial footing for the sport..

Lublin's new stadium is costing £48.2m which is being covered by the city council...

You need to ensure TV and major sponsors remain interested to keep paying out what they do, and, of course, the fans to keep attending in the numbers they do..

[Aries]

9 minutes ago, mikebv said:

It is strange that they pay so much when other leagues pay nowhere near the same..

As you say, it must be to outbid other Polish teams..

You would think they would just get together and agree on a maximum figure, meaning a more stable financial footing for the sport..

Lublin's new stadium is costing £48.2m which is being covered by the city council...

You need to ensure TV and major sponsors remain interested to keep paying out what they do, and, of course, the fans to keep attending in the numbers they do..

They get far bigger crowds than us, but isn’t their entrance fee cheap as chips compared to ours?

I honestly don’t know I’ve never seen a meeting in Poland, but I seem to remember reading it was cheap to attend there. So a crowd two/three/four times as big as ours may not be as lucrative as you might think. 

[Aries]

26 minutes ago, PersonalResponsibility said:

Was it this one?

https://przegladsportowy.onet.pl/zuzel/ekstraliga/jan-krzystyniak-nazwal-prezesow-frajerami-o-finansach-polskiego-zuzla/rlyyjp2

I'm not sure how much credibility you can give the contributor after this quote:

"In Poland, simply setting limits doesn't make much sense. We know what these gentlemen are capable of. They'll officially offer a player a thousand złoty, but then hand over a million under the table. That's how it works in Poland. If people from Sweden or England were allowed to manage these clubs, they might be able to establish such rules in a day or two. No one would break the law, because there, words are worth more than money," 😁

In all seriousness, it does make you wonder why they pay 10-15x the going rate that a rider could get anywhere else in the world. If they halved their wages, they would still dominate world speedway.

That’s the one 👍🏻

[PersonalResponsibility]

2 hours ago, Aries said:

They get far bigger crowds than us, but isn’t their entrance fee cheap as chips compared to ours?

I honestly don’t know I’ve never seen a meeting in Poland, but I seem to remember reading it was cheap to attend there. So a crowd two/three/four times as big as ours may not be as lucrative as you might think. 

There was an article a while back claiming that Bydgoszcz fans weren't best pleased about the 'expensive' season ticket prices for 2027 (bearing in mind this is the Ekstraliga...). Rough figures below.

Place	Normal Pass (PLN)	Normal Pass (GBP)	Reduced Fare Pass (PLN)	Reduced Fare Pass (GBP)
Main Stand	1300 PLN	£247.43	—	—
New Stand	750 PLN	£142.75	650 PLN	£123.71
Sector A	500 PLN	£95.17	400 PLN	£76.13
Sector B	400 PLN	£76.13	350 PLN	£66.62

Place	Regular Ticket (PLN)	Regular Ticket (GBP)	Reduced Price Ticket (PLN)	Reduced Price Ticket (GBP)
Main Stand	220 PLN	£41.88	—	—
New Stand	120 PLN	£22.84	110 PLN	£20.94
Sector A	80 PLN	£15.23	70 PLN	£13.33
Sector B	70 PLN	£13.33	60 PLN	£11.42

Some of the tickets are fairly pricey, especially given you're only getting 7 home meetings a season in your ST, but most of them seem like excellent value.

 

 

[YeOldPitGate]

4 hours ago, Aries said:

100%. When they find out what they’re earning here compared to Poland and the hassle involved to do it, you can understand them not being enthralled by the idea!

I can’t for the life of me remember where I saw it and it was only yesterday, but there was a worrying article about the finances in Poland currently, with many clubs getting bank loans to pay for riders and putting their clubs in huge debt so maybe just maybe, the days of riders getting ridiculous sums of money in Poland is coming to an end. 

I seem to remember a few years back wasn't it Hancock got paid a massive sum to sign for the Polish equivalent of Wrexham Town FC, I'm not sure if he ever saw any of the money but can remember the headlines and thinking this is bonkers must have been ten plus years ago.

[YeOldPitGate]

3 hours ago, szkocjasid said:

 

If Poland wants riders to give them priority over Britain / Sweden / Denmark, they'd only have to pay them 2 or 3 times the amount.

It appears they pay them 10 times the amount, which seems a waste of money to me.

Obviously they are trying to outbid their fellow Polish clubs to be successful.

If the Prem wants to limit doubling up, look to the lower end riders who maybe don't ride every week?

Agreed from a Polish point of view if the wheels are coming off if the top 8 clubs got together and said its max 3 x UK rates the riders would still sign up.

[WookieboyDon]

What about the possibility of another GP rider...Rohan Tungate? Wants to come back to the UK and seems he will be on a decent average.

[TTT]

59 minutes ago, WookieboyDon said:

What about the possibility of another GP rider...Rohan Tungate? Wants to come back to the UK and seems he will be on a decent average.

Ellis for me all day long when it comes to riders on high 5 GSA's after factoring in the 2.5% British Reductions for eligble riders.

Rohan will be a good signing for someone though.

[Arthur73]

What is the consensus with the new U21 system do they count towards the averages or not? Also, is the international U21 rider still happening?

[Aries]

9 hours ago, Witches1998 said:

Just correcting myself as doing sums again Ellis or Andersen wouldn't fit in the below 

Doyle

?

King

Brennan

Woryna

Cairns 

R/S

However kemp would! And I did hear that on the last meeting but wasnt sure if it was a rumour or what someone wanted! 

 

9 hours ago, TTT said:

5.00 Newcomer like Kowolik or Siatek would fit, Howarth, Kemp and Rushen also fit.

I'm not against running with Kemp @ No.2 just as long as the No.6 is Cairns because some Clubs are going to be toothless at reserve to a point where Drew should be able to score well against them considering the experience he'll have over 2027 reserves whether they're young flaky foreign riders or out of depth new rising stars to the league.

Unless I’ve ballsed my maths up a 5 pointer wouldn’t fit either T. I make it 4.95 left if it’s 37 for top 6.

So Kemp, Rushen or Howarth.

Just goes to show how tight it is and that’s IF we could get Cairns as a 3 pointer at number 6! 
 

If Woryna doesn’t happen on 7.50, it’s almost impossible to get another heatleader in to support Doyle. Even if we retained Musielak to back up Doyle, that would leave 4.37 which also rules out Kemp, Howarth and Rushen! 
 

Really nobody out there on that figure.

Edited 1 hour ago by Aries