SO, Douglas Craig has kindly clarified the situation regarding the power of veto of any new directors of York City Football Club.

This illustrates the problems that John Batchelor or any other prospective buyer faced. Call me cynical (please discuss this in a democratic manner) but did Mr Craig want anyone to buy the club and be in a position to put the club on a sound financial footing?

Why would he, sorry, Bootham Crescent Holdings, want anyone else to have the opportunity to cash in to the tune of £4,500,000? After all, did he not turn down Robert Gibb's offer of a cash injection just a few years ago?

If John Batchelor had been successful in bringing in someone else with much needed cash, you can bet your seat in the directors' box that the power of veto would have been used to prevent such a thing happening.

One can only wonder how the plan to create BCH was discussed at board level. Here was a chance to safeguard the future of the club for the city of York and its supporters, or here was a perfectly legal way of making a killing for the board members?

Allowing wages to outstrip income in such an astronomical manner over the last couple of years, is a sure-fire way of ensuring that the club lurched towards financial ruin.

It must cause great pain to BCH to see Terry Dolan building a successful side and thus galvanising public support. It would be so much easier if we just slipped into the Conference!

I wonder what the next revelation will be - perhaps that Douglas Craig was never in favour of setting up BCH, but he was democratically outvoted!

Finally, may I congratulate Mr Craig on his award from The Football Supporters Association. How thoroughly well deserved.

Robert Long,

The Garlands,

Rawcliffe Lane,

Clifton, York.

I AM a 14-year-old loyal York City fan and I have supported them for eight years.

Every week in the sun, rain, thunder, snow or fog or for a midweek match I travel to watch my favourite team, the Minstermen.

If I can travel in any conditions, why can't the people who actually live in York?

I have even travelled to the match in rain, got wet, only to find it was called off. If anyone hasn't realised, my favourite club needs you.

If York City goes out of business I will never go to a football match again.

As for Douglas Craig and his gang they have played a nasty trick on our club. How can you let our ground be turned into houses and not have a care in the world about anyone else that truly love a great football club Mr Craig?

Do you want to destroy our club and the ground that is rightly ours?

We are the real owners of the ground, the club, and some of us have already bought our tickets for next season.

So Mr Craig do you want to be a hated man forever? If not, do the right thing for once, give us our ground back.

Finally I would like to thank Terry (Dolan) and the players who have been brilliant and if my mum or dad won the Lottery I would tell them to buy the club and the ground.

Please people of York show your support. Don't let our club fold.

David Harkness,

Ashfield Close,

Leeds.

I acknowledge that it's easy to be critical from the outside but I'm baffled why York City are in this predicament.

It seems that self centred and poor management has led to this decline.

York is a wealthy city which derserves a professional league football club.

The problems used to be on the pitch now it's off. I hope that new people can be persauded to come in and not be afraid to take risks and spend some money to turn things around and keep York City FC afloat.

Nick Fletcher,

Langton Road,

Norton

North Yorkshire.

DURING the Millennium year of 2000, the Evening Press organised a Millennium Hero competition which enabled York City supporters and all readers to vote for their all time hero from former players. Barry Swallow was given the honour.

On behalf of York City supporters everywhere and in view of the events surrounding Bootham Crescent Holdings, of which Barry Swallow is a major shareholder, I ask to rescind this honour and launch a new competition to allow us to bestow it on a worthier winner.

Millennium heroes do not switch assets from a football club to a holding company and look to sell to a property developer - Persimmon Homes, York - for vast personal profit.

Janet Thornton,

Madagan Road,

Bishopthorpe,

York.

Updated: 11:48 Friday, January 03, 2003