John revs up at York

Speaking at yesterday's Bootham Crescent press conference, Batchelor revealed the world of motor-sport will provide much of the blueprint for how he plans to run City and raise the club's profile.

On the subject of club-fan relationships, the motor-racing boss said: "One of the things we have to learn to do in football generally is communicate with the fans in the way motor-sport does.

"Motor sport doesn't always get it right but I think we have to learn to engage with the fans more and we can do that in a number of different ways and make it more fun.

On managing the purse strings, he added: "I am approaching York objectively and applying the same principles we use in motor sport to football and that is to work within a budget.

"If we don't do that then the long-term future of the club is as it has been - it's destined to hang around the lower leagues and struggle for money."

And on his quest for pole position for City, he said: "It is pointless being involved in sport unless you are ambitious.

"We took a club racing team from nowhere to what is in effectively the Premier League in this country in four years.

"We will probably use that as a business model to do that with York."

BATCHELOR revealed he will soon be clocking up the miles as part of his plans for a new stadium for York City.

City's new supremo said over the next few weeks he intends to tour the country to cast his eye over many of the country's new football stadiums

"There are certain features that we see as key to the new stadium and I want to find out how it is working for other clubs with similar facilities and how we can learn from it," he said.

Batchelor was unable to divulge just where he wants to build the new ground but said his on-going discussions with the council centred around "two very specific" sites.

"Traffic management issues are being looked at as we speak," he said.

"We will show designs and point to where the money is coming from and where the site will be as soon as we can."

He confirmed wherever the new stadium is built his British Touring Car Championship racing team, now called Team B&Q York City Racing, will be based at the ground once it is completed.

BATCHELOR'S take-over has been heralded as a new dawn for York City.

The fact then outgoing chairman Douglas Craig was expected to be taking his seat in the directors' box at this afternoon's clash with Darlington will have left many puzzled.

Many supporters were no doubt hoping Craig would be gone from Bootham Crescent once the deal had been done.

Asked to clarify his position at yesterday's press conference, Craig said: "I remain on the board as a director and so do all the other directors of the football club. There is no specific end point at the current time."

It is certainly a confusing situation.

But as explained in the Evening Press yesterday, the legal complexities of the deal mean Craig and the rest of his board are to remain, if only in the short term.

Batchelor has said they will stay on in "non-executive capacities" during the transitional period of the take-over.

He reconfirmed that at the press conference and tried to explain the reasoning behind the need for a "transitional period."

"The reason is to facilitate my sponsorship deals for the club," he said.

"It was the quickest way to circumvent details during the negotiations.

"It was vital really that I was in post to secure the sponsorship announcement we will be making next week."

Paul Rawnsley, of the Supporters' Trust, said: "We have been reassured Craig and the rest of board will remain as directors during the transitional period only for a short time because of legal complexities.

"They will not be involved in the day to day running and management of the club."

In any case, Craig, who has said he will continue coming to games, made clear his desire to 'retire'.

"I have reached the age where I have had enough and I have reached the age where I can afford to accept I should spend more time doing things that I want to do without being obliged to do."

Bootham Crescent's table toppers

YORK City missed out on national glory, falling at the final hurdle to derby rivals Scarborough.

Fortunately for Minstermen fans, the battle of North Yorkshire took place in miniature.

Bootham Crescent and City's Football In the Community officer Paul Olsson played host to the Smoby Table Football Championships north-east area finals in midweek.

Representing City was 11-year-old Stephen Clarke, who was crowned City's table-topper during a recent half-term soccer fun week.

He was up against 12 other youngsters all representing teams from the north-east, including the likes of Hull, Middlesbrough, Leeds and Bradford.

Amid fierce competition, Stephen won through to the final where he lost narrowly to his Scarborough counterpart Neil Forsyth 10-9.

Neil, who is aged just eight, now goes through to the national finals in April, which will be staged at Anfield, the home of Liverpool.

Salary cap may not be the answer

ALTHOUGH Batchelor insisted the problem of excessive wages had to be addressed at all football clubs, he cooled on the suggestion that he may be looking to introduce a salary cap at York City.

"I don't know if salary capping is something that can be enforced because there are a number of ways around it and I doubt you will get 72 chairmen in the Football League who would agree to abide by the rules. Somebody will bend it," he said.

It is rumoured that a number of Third Division clubs, including the likes of Rushden & Diamonds and Southend United, have already sealed wages at no more than £700 per week for their players.

Batchelor said: "That is still an enormously good salary when you think it is a young man doing something he loves doing. We would all love to be getting paid that sort of money for that sort of profession."

Nor is the new City chairman in favour of regional football to help reduce travel costs for lower league teams.

"I think that would be bad. Whilst we would save money in terms of travel I think we would also lose elements of the game that are perhaps very attractive to the fans."

THE second leg of the David Longhurst Memorial Quiz, which sees City fans putting their brains to the test against their Scarborough counterparts, will be staged this Thursday, March 21, starting at 8pm in the social club at Bootham Crescent.

Canny City supporters won the first leg, 193-175.5.

YORK City's Football in the Community programme is staging an Easter Funweek for youngsters wanting to brush up on their footballing skills.

The course will be run at Askham Bryan College from Monday March 25 to Thursday, March 28, from 10am to 3pm.

For further details, contact Paul Olsson on 01904 613017 or mobile 07710 258636.

DEFENDING champion Alan Fettis has moved into pole position in the Evening Press player of the year rankings.

The City shot-stopper ace picked up the man of the match award at Cheltenham and has moved two points clear of Michael Proctor.

New-signing Jon Parkin continued his record with a two-point haul at Whaddon Road.

Matt Hocking picked up the remaining point to move level with Chris Brass and Darren Edmondson.

Latest standings: Fettis 44pts, Proctor 42, Nogan 30, Bullock 26, Basham 17, Edmondson 16, Brass 16, Hocking 16, Fielding 12, Parkin 8, Duffield 7, Smith 7, Cooper 6, Hobson 4, Potter 4, Richardson 4, Howarth 3, Fox 1.

Updated: 11:45 Saturday, March 16, 2002