AS with all things involving the Co-op, it always starts in the north-west, doesn't it?

It was interesting to read this week that six Football League clubs have realised the co-operative approach, which I was advocating in the Evening Press some months ago, could reap dividends.

Crewe, Macclesfield, Port Vale, Stockport, Stoke and Wrexham have formed British football's first co-operative.

According to reports, it involves no formal organisational or financial changes, nor have the clubs lost their independence.

But they have retained one commercial company to act on their behalf to find commercial opportunities which would benefit all or any of the six.

Six can talk louder than one and it is a sensible move.

But I would like to see it on a League-wide basis where we use our combined buying power to really make economies.

When you look at the amount of stationery clubs go through, if we had just one deal for stationery involving all 72 League clubs we would be bound to save money.

As part of the restructuring proposals for the League that are currently being considered, it is proposed we act as a League and not as 72 individuals.

Strength in anything we do is as a single entity and not as disparate organisations.

But the League is quite rudderless at the moment. In fact, I found it quite depressing to be at the meeting of chairmen last week when the restructuring proposals were up for discussion.

The problem is you have 50 per cent of the people who know something is wrong and want to do something about it.

The remaining 50 per cent have their heads in the sand and think the financial problems surrounding football will just go away.

But there are some clubs in dire, dire straits and I really don't think the wider world knows how really serious the situation is.

At the meeting, I was able to put forward my own plan to restructure the League and I must say I have had a lot of support for it, from inside and outside this division.

Much of the meeting centred around a report carried out by accountants KPMG which was commissioned by the First Division clubs.

As a document, it is the most simplistic, pointless, nave piece of writing I have ever seen.

I suspect it cost £50,000 to have it done and yet has obviously been compiled by someone who has no inside knowledge of football whatsoever.

I believe the First Division knows it is in trouble in the biggest possible way and would like to see itself more closely allied to the Premier League.

At the end of the day, you can't fool the fans and the fans know we have divisions one, two, three and four.

The top division may now be called the Premiership but the product remains the same.

We want to get York City to the top division, but until we get there we must not sell ourselves as something we are not.

In light of the game's problems, for the game's governing body to spend £750million on a new national stadium when there is £450million of debt in the Football League is perverse.

In my opinion, they would have been better off building a slightly more modest stadium and bailing the Football League out and saving every club.

Ticket sales are 'monster'

Finally, the half-price season-ticket offer has been a massive success, the sales have been absolutely monster.

I think we have sold at least 1,000 and we are still counting.

Obviously, some current season ticket-holders have not renewed but we may write to them and offer them another opportunity.

Thank you all for your continued support.

Updated: 10:03 Thursday, October 03, 2002