When John Batchelor took over the club, When Satuday Comes, contacted New Frontiers (September 2002) for an article on the man. We made a start, but never finished it as it was overtaken by events. He’s what we nearly said.

He tends not to play on his background but he's a member of the Batchelor's soup family and a former Burnley season ticket holder. He's head of a in the British Touring Cars Championship back of the grid motor racing team. His own racing has been curtailed this season (2002) as a result of a televised crash at the start of the season. Meanwhile he's expanded his motor sport empire by signing up a lady driver and a motor biker. I suspect somewhere in his past lurks a failed business adventure or two (Ed – these came to light a bit later and included waste paper).

As a complete outsider and the first to become chairman of the club, his appointment was welcomed after years of Douglas Craig (some (me) would say 11 years of tyranny, others, 8 years prudent financial management rewarded with Wembley and Old Trafford success followed by 3 years of over spending). JB offered a future where there was no future and a chance for supporters to help shape that future with a pledge to put 2 supporters onto the board.

I'm no financial expert, but JB won't have had to pay much for a football team losing £24,000 a week. The difficult bit will be securing a home for the club. £4.5m to buy the city centre Bootham Crescent from the previous board or considerably more to build an out of town stadium cum leisure attraction featuring the usual hotels, shops and casino. With plans already drawn up to build something like £18m worth of houses on Bootham Crescent, securing our future home should be top of his to do list. Although several potential sites have been identified, council backing is as yet not forthcoming.

Undoubtedly he's got us more publicity than a Division 3 side can expect. Regular appearances on Radio 5 Live have been coupled with an approach to buy ITV Digital and a plan for a 74 club (Celtic & Rangers included) successor to the Nationwide League with 50% of gate receipts going to a central pot to fund player wages. (Ed – an adventure into ladies knickers also followed shortly afterwards).

Closer to home, the club has received a make over. Be prepared to be stunned by his garrish shirts (Ed – I thought I spotted Austin Powers at the ground last week , on closer inspection it turned out to be JB). He's often to be seen watching games from the terraces and has publicly stated that he prefers away games as he can watch from the terraces rather than home games where he's expected to entertain the visiting directors.

The team has reverted to the Y fronted shirt, albeit with a chequered flag emblazoned on one shoulder. The chequered flag also features on the new club badge and we're now known as York City Soccer Club

Most of his actions and utterances have been received with mixed feelings. You might have thought an offer of half price 2003/4 season tickets made in September 2002 would go down a treat. The doubters couldn't decide whether JB (and YCFC) were short of cash or whether JB would cut and run. However, around 1,000 tickets were snapped up within a week (Ed – before he cut and ran).

His mouth a quote philosophy has also attracted comment, especially his words on the americasation of football.

Throughout history, not many football club chairman have won universal acceptance their club's fans. JB has joined that list (Ed – but not few long). Whatever, he's got people talking, created interest and brought in new ideas.

The dialogue between JB and the Supporters Trust, set up when Craig announced his exit plans, has not always been all sweetness and light. A longer than expected handover from Craig is the underlying cause. The same frosty relationship exists between the Trust and the wider body of supporters who feel things are happening more slowly than expected. Amongst the reasons cited are the unresolved ground issue, lack of supporter representation on the board and some Trust money being given to local sporting organisations rather than YCFC.

There's no doubt that he's looking to get the finances under control. Although some senior (costly) players were already under long contracts, others were released and our new signings tend to be younger and or foreign players. We’ve already seen a Nigerian, a Brazilian and an Argentinean pull on City shirts this season. A bid for another Argentinean midfielder by the name of Veron came to nothing. Apparently, he liked it too much where he came from and went back. It remains to be seen whether a half size, same price programme stripped of various fooballing content but with pin up models and motor racing featuring in the early issues is a success or not.

On the pitch, our fine run at the end of last season has, so far, continued. The squad is largely the same as last season, but the introduction of a new fitness coach and Luther Blissett (previously know to JB from motor sport) seems to have added something. The real test will come in November as last season we started well, finished well and did well in the FA Cup. All with the white ball, when the Nationwide changed to the yellow ball for the winter months our league form plummeted.

Since his appointment, about the only thing JB has done to universal acclaim is when he signed City up to the racism campaign, the last Football League club to do so.

Many have still to be convinced about the synergy Batchelor sees between football and motor racing.

Some of his ideas and statements come across as naïve at times. It seems that everything he does divides opinion, be it ladies lingerie, the badge the new shirt. Our new YCSC logo is meant to make us more marketable in the USA, a country whose views on offside, no draws and bigger goals are endorsed by JB. Even his decision to make a very brief appearance as a sub in a home pre season friendly against Bracknell (don't ask how a struggling Ryman side find their way up to York on Friday night and definitely don't ask how come they beat us!) split the supporters.

To win over the fans, JB will need to succeed on the pitch. That is always assuming he's found us a pitch.