'Don't tell me how to do my job', says York City manager

York have made a tremendous start to life back in the Vanarama National League since winning promotion through the National League North play-offs last season, currently sitting 11th and only four points adrift of the play-offs.

However, City find themselves on a four-match winless run in the league, their longest sequence without a league victory since Askey took charge almost 12 months ago.

Taking part in a question-and-answer session on BBC Radio York on Tuesday evening, Henderson detailed a recent conversation with Askey.

Henderson said: "I’ve suggested in comments, as we’ve not won in four, ‘Is it this that we need to change? Is it that that we need to change? Is it this?'

“The answer back (from Askey) was ‘Don’t tell me how to do my job. I’ll do my job and I’ll get them to play’.

“His job is to get them to play. If it doesn’t work out, it doesn’t work out.

“This is the way John has it, where results are his and he needs to get results.”

When earlier asked whether he was meddling in on-field business, the chairman replied: “I don’t think it’s meddling with team matters.

"Everyone understands their job at the football club. A manager is the cauldron of the football club. You pay the manager to do the job.

“He’s got his own players, he has his squad and he’s doing his job."

Askey has proven to be an immensely popular figure among York supporters, having led the club from mid-table mediocrity in regional football to the top-flight of non-league last term, as well as delivering a run to the Isuzu FA Trophy semi-finals.

His reputation was further enhanced when, less than two months ago, he turned down an approach from Sky Bet League Two club Rochdale and signed a contract extension at City until the end of the 2023/24 season.

On the likely backlash to potentially sacking Askey, Henderson responded: “But if we’re not getting results, we’re back down in the National League North. It’s a results business.

“Yes, you need to be given time. But you’ve got your players, you’ve got everything, you’ve had 16 games. Hopefully it doesn’t get to that.”

When asked if there was a better manager available to York than Askey at present, the York chief replied: “I don’t know. This is football.

“John has done an amazing job getting us promoted and done an amazing job so far.

"Results (recently) haven’t been going our way and hopefully we can turn them around.”

Henderson went on to add: “If results aren’t going the way of a manager and change is not happening, then you have to change things up.

“You don’t know what’s on the other side. You have to find the right guy, who you think is good enough.

“At the end of the day, I’m going to have some supporters in agreement and others that aren’t.

“I’m not here to make friends, but I’m friendly with everybody and I love the supporters.

“At the end of the day, the club comes first. If that decision has to be made, it has to be made. You’re never going to make everyone happy.”

On multiple occasions during the Q&A, Henderson referenced that he and Askey had had "spats" since the former's takeover of the club alongside the York City Supporters' Trust in July.

"We’ve had our spats, like anyone," said the South African-raised businessman.

"He thinks he’s got a mid-table budget. I think we’ve got a better budget than that because there’s certain things that weren’t factored into the budget that he was given, like player housing and bonuses.

“As far as the manager (relationship) goes, we’ve had our spats. The manager knows he’s in charge, they’re his players and they’ll play the way he wants to play.

“It’s a results-based business and if the results don’t happen, football is football.

"We talk about football and he tells me that it’s his job to sort it out. That is his job.”

Askey has repeatedly spoken of his desire to bring in a new striker this season and last week revealed that the club did not have the ability to pay a fee for recruits.

“He’s always known that he had the money from (Scott) Boden to get a (new) player," Henderson said, referring to Boden's transfer to Buxton in September.

“We’re struggling to find a loan player. He (Askey) brought me a player with a fee that we couldn’t afford unfortunately.

“So I put the club first and I said no. We’ve got to put the club first.

“He knew that that was the money that was available."

Henderson added: “We only have the money available that we have. The key for me is that nothing is bigger than the club.

"The club has to do what it can to survive. The way it stands right now, it’s a player in, a player out.”

Henderson also said that Askey was aware of the club's financial position when he extended his contract and insisted that he would not gamble on a expensive player whose performances could earn the club cash down the line.