I first started watching York City on a regular basis in August 1992, having been dragged to Bootham Crescent against my will by my friend Rob. 'York City are bollocks', I told him, 'Why do you waste your money watching that crap?'. Yet I had never seen Paul Barnes or Jon McCarthy or Dean Kiely before, and had never really been conscious of a York side that could actually play - and so I became hooked. So hooked that I when I recall my words to Rob I can't help feeling some pangs of outright silliness. 

As I found out more about the club, I learned who was who, and what was what, and who had been here and who had been there. And, of course, the man at the top is the first man you want to know about - and here he was Mr Douglas Craig. 

As a new 'proper' York fan, I was aware that not much seemed to be said about Douglas. A few dissenting voices, but not really outspoken. Over a pint or two, when I was young and could drink far more without getting a hangover than I can now, the name of Douglas Craig was never held in reverence, but the general consensus of my alehouse co-conspirators was that, while Douglas was Scottish and not from York (and being Scottish is never acceptable!) he knew how to manage the money and knew how to run a tight ship. In fact, some would even secretly confess gratitude to Mr Craig for York City's reputation of being 'one of the best run clubs in the lower divisions'. 

Looking back, this sentiment seems strange to remember. Yet most people reading this article will remember it even if you wouldn't like to admit it. Some people were grateful to Douglas Craig! 

Of course, as the 90s drew on and Alan Little's men stopped playing football and starting playing Sunday league standard dross, dissent grew. And I felt in a difficult position - I still hadn't made my mind up about Douglas. On the one hand he was an obnoxious individual always rubbing people up the wrong way, on the other he seemed to be running my now beloved football club rather well. It wasn't HIS fault that Little had lost the plot! 

But then the day came when my relationship with Douglas Craig soured. Was it when he told the fans 'don't come back if you don't like it'? Was it because I was energised by the views of FACT and what they stood for? Was it because we were failing dismally on the pitch week after week? Was it because it was rumoured that he didn't want the club to gain promotion to the first division because it would cost too much? 

No. It was because Douglas Craig slated Paul Barnes. 

From that day forward my relationship with our Chairman was one of hostility. To slag off Paul Barnes is like going into a church and urinating on the altar. It is like burning a sacred book of deep meaning. It is like spitting on a golden statuette. It is, quite simply, so offensive that it is impossible to accurately express. 

The fact that Barnesy took the incident in his stride and continued to be a City hero and a true professional until finally being sold made matters worse. And I suspect that, in the dark hours of the night, there may have been times when Douglas, unable to sleep, secretly regretted his outburst against City's star striker. But it was too late. The 'Craig Out' campaign was irreversible. 

For the seasons after that, the majority of people wanted Craig out. Relegation to the 3rd division was painful, but inevitable. A procession of expensive, and absolutely terrible, players came in and bled the club dry. And we still haven't recovered to this day, however much us fans put our head in the clouds and greet one false dawn after another. Almost as a response to his unpopularity, Craig's sensible stewardship also started to fall apart - some now claim this was deliberate, I am not so sure. 

We all know what happened next, his famous announcement, the Batchelor debacle and off Mr Craig went. Off to his position on the sidelines where he still chips in the two penneth thanks to the fawning hacks at the York Evening Press. 

My relationship with Craig as it stands now, in 2003, after all that has gone on at City over the past couple of years, is utterly confused. Of course I feel the same contempt for him as everyone else. Of course I hate the underhand way he has taken away the club's main asset for his own gain. Of course I will, with so many others, do my best to stop him getting his money from the development of Bootham Crescent, our spiritual home. 

But one thing I will say about Douglas is that he intrigues me. 

In all this a question has been nagging me. A question that has been nagging a large number of City fans all over the country. And that question is 'How can a man who has invested so much of his life into something, want to destroy it?'. 

I can't answer this question. Perhaps he's greedy. Perhaps he's spiteful. Perhaps he just wants to go and live in Barbados. But there is something not quite right here somewhere. 

At the end of this season, Douglas Craig, our former chairman, will stand at the most important crossroads both for himself and for us. If he throws us out of the Crescent we are caput. He could let us continue playing for a bit longer but no-one really knows how he will act. 

What do you think he'll do? 

In my changing relationship with Douglas Craig I honestly couldn't tell you. But he is a man full of surprises, so you never know..........