Greed and alleged Corruption means the death of York City - (2025)

Updated: 24/01/2025

by Doug Martin

For 27 years I have followed and watched My Football team. I now fear that is about to end. York City have ironically reached Wembley in the FA Trophy but are staring relegation in the face after losing at Gray’s Athletic one nil last Saturday (4th April) with a pathetic performance even by recent standards. They followed that up with a much improved performance against playoff contenders Oxford United (there are other United’s apart from Manchester) drawing nil nil but they missed a first half penalty. They have not scored for five league games now and find themselves one point adrift of safety in 21st place.

The fact we are in the Conference (Blue Square Premier) is depressing enough but fighting for our lives with the worst side I have seen in 27 years (and probably our history) is just the icing on the cake so to speak. Make no bones about it, if we go down then we will die as a club. The club will not be able to survive the loss of revenue from relegation. The club are hard up as it is following relegation from the football league five years ago which can be firmly blamed on two people. Step forward “Douglas Craig” and “John Batchelor”. What these two men did to my club has been well documented elsewhere but suffice to say they started the decline and despite valiant attempts by the supporters the end is coming. You could argue that the present board have made some bad decisions especially in management appointments but the decisions were taken with the best interests of the football club at heart. What really depresses me is the lack of morals by Craig and Batchelor in what they did for a few bucks and the complete lack of help from the football authorities. The local council have been unhelpful as well. Could it be that because Craig used to work with them that they are helping him by not helping York City out? Only my opinion of course.

Craig was one of the three men on a committee that decided that Wimbledon AFC Should be allowed to move from South London to Milton Keynes and be renamed MK Dons. How Craig was allowed to sit in on judgement on the FA’s own rules when he had broken them at York City in order to feather his own pocket is beyond me. I can only smell the swift but deadly smell of Corruption and I am tired of it. These people have no moral’s, there only love is money and they are prepared to shit on anybody to get as much of it as possible. If you stand up and dare say what I have just said then are ridiculous libel laws which defend their right to not be constructively criticised. You only have to look at the way Robert Maxwell used these laws to such great effect and it was only when he died that it become apparent what a dreadful human being he was. I am fed up with the corruption and lack of compassion in football for others. I suppose this mirrors life in general as you only have to look at Banks, Lawyers, Big insurance companies, supermarkets, etc to see where this trend in football has come from. As men in suits are often prone to say “It’s not personal but just business”. Well it is Personal you little shits and what you mean is that you don’t care, at least be honest about it.

One of the greatest small clubs in the history of the league for cup giant killing is about to die. We are not a Halifax, Scarborough or Newport as we have a better history than those clubs and that is no disrespect to them. We knocked Manchester United out of the League cup in 1995 over two legs and Everton the following season not to mention Arsenal in the 4th round of the FA Cup in 1985 before drawing at home with mighty Liverpool. There are loads more examples of our proud cup history I could mention but it will just depress me as the people who can help us don’t give a shit.

Oh well, looks like Wembley will be the last time I will see my club play. Nice way to go out I suppose but at present that isn’t much consolation.

York City R.I.P 1922-2009

Douglas Martin

April 2009

 

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