Sports Mail: Hostile attack unwarranted

While I accept that not all York City fans support FACT, it is increasingly clear to all fans that the current situation is dire and that change is needed if the club is to succeed. FACT has provided an outlet for fans' discontent which would otherwise have been ignored by the club, and is proving to be a catalyst for much needed reform.

As Mr Simmons would know if he had actually met us, FACT organisers are currently demoralised only by our team's continued poor performances.

Leaving aside Mr Simmons' unwarranted jibe about my political allegiance - something which I have never sought to

publicise - he concludes by expressing the opinion that I and FACT should leave the running of the club to the professionals, and that I should "return to my own city, never to return to ours again!".

It is precisely because the so-called "professionals" are making such a shambles out of running our "great club" that FACT are protesting. As long as the incompetence and arrogance of those in charge persists, FACT will continue our campaign for change.

And finally, although I currently live in Newcastle, I was born and raised in York - which remains my city, and I have no intention of surrendering my allegiance to it and its football club.

Greg Stone,

FACT spokesman,

Marie Curie Drive,

Newcastle.

Keep politics out of football

In response to David Simmons' wholly unfounded claims in the Evening Press (Saturday, January 15), I am saddened that people are so willing to make judgements without having checked, or in Mr Simmons' case being remotely familiar with, their facts.

Not only was the letter written in an offensive manner but his comments appear to suggest some kind of personal prejudice against Greg Stone, purely on the grounds that he is a Liberal Democrat councillor.

Would this mean that if Mr Stone were indeed to represent the Labour Party or the Conservative Party that Mr Simmons would not be so quick to presume that he is allegedly out of his depth?

As it is plainly obvious that Mr Simmons has never even come face to face with Greg Stone, it seems highly offensive to suggest that Mr Stone is incapable of spearheading the FACT campaign.

Mr Simmons lost any credibility he may have held when he cited that FACT were against York City FC which is almost laughable. Does he know what FACT stands for?

Mr Simmons overlooks the fact that the group are currently actively seeking to bring about change at the helm by entering into negotiations with certain key individual businessmen in the area.

Mr Simmons says Mr Stone should return to his own city. York is Greg Stone's city and has supported York City now for the best part of 20 years. Even if Mr Stone was not from York, would this make any difference to the fact that he is a York supporter?

Keep politics separate from football.

Will Thornton,

Maclagan Road,

Bishopthorpe

Hard proposals

As a member of FACT, I feel I should respond to the letter by David Simmons in the Press on Saturday (January 15).

His completely unprovoked attack on our group, and Greg Stone in particular, was inaccurate at best, and deeply offensive at worst.

If Mr Simmons had followed the Evening Press earlier in the week, he would have seen the story describing how we are travelling to London to attend a conference on Supporter Involvement in Football Clubs. Through this and other contacts, we hope to build ideas on how to constructively take York City FC forward into the new century.

When we have thought them through, hard proposals will be put on the table.

We have been asked to put up or shut up, and we will.

My advice to Mr Simmons would be that if you don't have anything constructive to say, don't say anything at all.

Joe Haining,

Station Road,

Poppleton.

It's time to go

In September I pleaded with my fellow York City supporters to give manager Neil Thompson a sporting chance to improve the playing quality of our football team.

It has transpired that over the last few months that the quality of play, if anything, has deteriorated.

I am pleading to Neil to resign his services has manager. As much as he has tried to reverse our fortunes, I'm afraid as the league tables show that he has failed to do so.

Looking back, over the last six years or so, club chairman Douglas Craig has promoted from within his own staff. Ever since then we have struggled with relegation battles, including now. We need a new manager, somebody from the outside looking in.

I think, as Neil's term of management has proved, that you can be too close to the situation, i.e. he was the senior player before taking over the managerial reigns from Alan Little. Maybe his vision could have been blinkered by already knowing the players personally.

Simon Birch,

Roche Avenue,

York

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.