THE one director of York City Football Club who is not a director of Bootham Crescent Holdings today appealed for ideas to help safeguard the Minstermen's future.

Josh Easby, who was appointed to the board of the football club last year, called-on supporters to focus their efforts on saving the club rather than protesting.

Easby, who is also editor of the There's Only One Arthur Bottom electronic newsletter, accepted the uncertainty surrounding the club had generated "anger, distress and much passion" and the need for fans to vent their frustration through protest.

"The emotional response has brought people together and united them - of that, there's no doubt," he said.

"However, this feeling of unity will be wasted unless everyone's efforts are clearly focused on a single goal."

Easby believes those supporters who, feeling a sense of injustice, are contemplating some form of retribution against the board of BCH could push the club closer to extinction.

"Why would any potential owner, or local business investor, want to get involved with a group of supporters who can't control their emotions?

"If the focus remains too long on venting anger and seeking mainly to bring attention to a perceived injustice, there's a risk that the only achievement will be to convince many people to feel sorry for us when the club closes its doors."

Easby is now calling on supporters to channel their "energy and enthusiasm" into saving the club, in particular coming up with suggestions how costs can be reduced while more income is generated.

"Forming a Supporters Trust, in itself, does not save the club. It's what the Trust, or any other potential owner, does with the club that will save it.

"So where are our ideas? Where are the suggestions on how we can make the club viable for the future?" he said.

Easby is asking supporters to e-mail their ideas to him at yorkcity@soccermail.com , to City-related websites, or by writing to the Evening Press which could then be picked-up by the Save City committee.

"Don't be shy. Some ideas will be gems. It's likely that other ideas will not work," said Easby.

"But by sharing and discussing them, supporters will collectively get a better understanding of the problems that need to be resolved to keep the club in existence."

Easby meanwhile has pledged to raise the issue of bucket-collections in support of the Save City campaign being staged at Bootham Crescent on match-days at a board meeting next week.

Updated: 11:38 Tuesday, January 15, 2002