As a life-long City supporter, now exiled in Manchester, I was shell-shocked

and angry at hearing last week's news. I would like to raise the following

points.

Firstly, how could the board have been so naive in 1999 as to, effectively,

sell City's ground to Douglas Craig and his cronies for £200,000, knowing

that these people could then sell it on to a property developer at any time

at a vast profit (two thousand per cent, as it turns out)? Why were no legal

safeguards built into the agreement? Or did they, in effect, sell it to

themselves? If so, how can it be legal?

Secondly, it seems that Mr. Craig and his fellow majority shareholders have

finally made clear what their true priorities have always been, i.e.

obscene profit first, club second (a long way behind) and sense of community

third (even further behind).

I can't imagine York without York City FC and I can't imagine York City FC

without Bootham Crescent. I travelled across for the Torquay game and it was

obvious that a few thousand other fans feel the same way, so let's give the

Supporters' Trust the help they need to lead City into a successful and

Craig-less new era.

Alan Hudson,

High Barn Road

Middleton

Updated: 12:58 Monday, January 14, 2002