I KNOW that York City's sudden slump in form has been mainly attributed to the absence of Emmanuel Panther.

There is some truth in this, but I don't think it is a coincidence that the goal drought has come at the same time as the startling fall from grace of Bryan Stewart.

Stewart, arguably the most naturally talented player on City's books apart from Clayton Donaldson, cannot even make the subs' bench. Can someone explain that to me?

At this rate Stewart is going to follow Christian Fox, another neglected talent, into anonymity.

I also cannot understand why Billy McEwan is so keen to get so many loan players in, which is only disrupting the team. City's success at the beginning of the season was down to continuity of team selection, a concept that McEwan now seems to have abandoned.

Okay so City have a few injuries, but Mark Hotte, whose form was suspect anyway, is no loss and Nathan Peat has been admirably replaced by Dave Merris, who was named player of the month for November.

So why has Merris been dropped? And I am afraid that I still cannot forget, let alone forgive, the atrocious decision not to sign Jon Maloney when he was available this summer.

Yes, Billy McEwan has done well since he arrived. But his attempts to stop City's current slide into mid-table mediocrity smack of desperation, rather than any clear grasp of tactics or common sense.

Robert Beaumont

Minskip Lodge,

Minskip,

Nr Boroughbridge,

York.

Updated: 09:00 Saturday, December 03, 2005