MUCH like Ipswich Town's Premiership status the future of the club's Tractor Boy image is hanging in the balance.An online poll at The Evening Star website – www.

MUCH like Ipswich Town's Premiership status the future of the club's Tractor Boy image is hanging in the balance.

An online poll at The Evening Star website – www.eveningstar.co.uk – shows fans have mixed feeling as to whether the club should officially adopt the Tractor Boy image.

The Star launched the poll after the club sent a survey to 50,000 Ipswich supporters seeking their opinion on a range of issues. One of the questions asked if the club should officially adopt the image.

The response to our internet poll has been phenomenal with more people responding than ever before to one of our online votes.

So far 55 per cent of those voting say the club should NOT adopt the image with 45 p.c. saying they should.

It's a close call and to make the issue clearer we have launched another poll on the site.

This time we are simply asking if you actually like the Tractor Boy image. This is to make it evident if fans are voting no to the Tractor Boy theme because they enjoy the freedom of the image's current status and do not want to see it controlled by Ipswich Town or if they simply do not like the representation.

So to vote on both topics visit the website at www.eveningstar.co.uk.

Fans have clearly taken to the image and the song '1-0 to the Tractor Boys' has become a familiar chant – when the team are on song at least.

The Evening Star's Tractor Boy stickers have proved a great hit with fans and can be seen on a range of vehicles, not just those used for agricultural purposes, across the region.

Even the national media have adopted the phrase and refer to the club as the Tractor Boys.

However whether the club officially take the image on board remains to be seen.

The survey sent to the 50,000 fans is designed to give supporters the chance to have a say in the running of the club.

Topics covered in the survey range from views on the matchday programme, pre-match entertainment and attitude of club staff.

Although the forms were only sent out at the start of the week 5,000 completed surveys have already been returned.

Ipswich chairman David Sheepshanks said: "The high response rate is clear proof of how much Ipswich Town supporters care about their Club.

"I am very encouraged by the early response rate and hope that lots more supporters will take a few minutes and fill in and return the survey, if they haven't already done so.

"Only from hearing fans' views can we go on shaping and improving the Club in a manner that meets their expectations."

WEBLINKS: www.eveningstar.co.uk

Visit Ipswich Town's official site at www.itfc.co.uk