Sports Mail

If all the platitudes in the recent media coverage are anything to go by, the FACT (the group opposed to York City chairman Douglas Craig) versus York City FC local derby will head for a goal-less draw. And other Evening Press Sports Mail.

FACT - or fiction?

It is time that FACT got their act together and put hard proposals on the table. Put up or shut up.

As a Liberal Democrat councillor, Greg Stone is clearly out of his depth. To resort to devious ghost writing in the official club programme and to seek dubious publicity off the back of it, is unimpressive.

Let's hope this is not representative of future methods and that FACT will pursue their campaign, if they have to, on a straightforward sensible basis. To be frank, they are a demoralised crew, with no direction.

No doubt in due course we will discover the true and accurate extent of FACT support, ambition and connections. It is a great pity that they seem to involve themselves in a campaign which only seems to discredit a great club, which in turn draws unwanted publicity to our great city.

Greg Stone would be better off leaving the professionals to run York City and return to his own city, hopefully never to return to ours ever again.

David Simmons,

Beckfield Lane,

York.

Stop all the abusive chants

I shall be on the terrace at Bootham Crescent this afternoon.

Life as a City supporter is not a bed of roses. But others have also suffered, the previous Archbishop of Canterbury was a lifelong Middlesbrough supporter!

As a small part of my hope for the new year I wish two things to happen for the City. Firstly for the team to play to their strengths, keep the ball on the grass and use the width of the pitch. Secondly for the woeful and foul mouthed chanting to be ended.

There is a crisis of confidence among the players. It is apparent as they group like sheep on the field, hiding in the herd. The quality of play is worsened by the constant barracking from a small minority section of our terrace.

Sometimes it pays to do the unexpected and the time to do that may be here.

If the team must stand together for self confidence, would the groundsman consider reducing the playing area to the minimum allowed under the regulations? Or given the impotence in front of goal offering to pay the wages of the out of favour Aston Villa striker Stan Collymore for three months and provide a playing opportunity and a shop window for that player? If a conversation between the respective chairmen took place it would be worth recording. Neither is noted for diplomacy.

Something needs to be done dramatically to enthuse the team and the fans. It cannot all be left to public relations no matter how well done.

Jim Begley,

Westminster Road,

Clifton,

York.

It's time to replace Thompson

A year ago York City drew 3-3 with Burnley and suffered a tight defeat 1-0 at the hands of Preston, both wealthy clubs in division two.

Just 12 months later there have been home defeats by Cheltenham and Mansfield, two clubs with little money.

We must not forget that City manager Neil Thompson has spent £300,000 in 10 months, which is more than most clubs in division three.

Only Chester give us some hope of avoiding the drop into the Nationwide Conference and they yet may respond to having a new manager in Ian Atkins.

This is the worst decline of any club in the Football League and it has been accelerated under Thompson.

He has to be replaced now.

Experience is needed and Denis Smith is available.

Patrick Blundy,

Groombridge Road,

London.

Bad examples

The Evening Press sports pages have recently carried reports of so-called professional sportsmen being unavailable for action with their clubs.

York Wasps have Andrew Lambert going to Australia for an indefinite period because his mother is ill, and Andy Precious occupied by 'work commitments' for six weeks. York City have had Martin Garratt not involved for two months due to 'personal problems'.

I'd like to think those players won't have their full salaries paid during their absences. If a player is suffering from injury, physical illness or bereavement then he is fully entitled to full pay, but the excuses of the players mentioned shows them to be amateurish in their approval to professional sport.

I suppose outfits like York Wasps and York City will attract such individuals. But even Premiership soccer clubs allow themselves to get lumbered with irresponsible types. Such as Stan Collymore, Paul Gascoigne and Paul Merson have hardly been ideal professional role-models in recent years.

Colin S Jeffrey,

East Mount Road,

York

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