I do wonder whether the majority of supporters really do appreciate the financial position the Club faces particularly when we are now in a league competing against many other Clubs who are as big or even bigger some of whom now having considerable extra financial backing. At least half of the Clubs in the Championship have as much chance of promotion next year as we have. The Board have had to look beyond the parachute payments and plan accordingly and that is the rationale behind the new structure. Last season the budget forecast a loss of £12m - I expect it will end up nearer £15m. That cannot go on so straight away the player budget given to SW will be at least £15m less than last season and that is only the beginning. If we got £40m last year in parachute payments then quite clearly the Player budget available when the parachute payments end will be £55m less than spent last season - one hell of a decrease!! Parachute payments are short term but contracts are long term so any contracts given now will have that in mind which quite clearly means that we can no longer be one of the highest wage payers in the League and need to get the high earners off the books whether it be a Player the fans like or one they don't . Easier said than done. Rangers allegedly want Dorrans and Naismith but will they pay them anywhere near what they are earning here. If not what will the players do? They are both over 30 with only a few years of playing and earning time left. If you were approaching retirement and somebody approached you with an offer of a more satisfying job for 3 years until you retire but your salary will be cut by half, what would you do? Some will query why we paid Naismith £50k a week but at that time we were trying to remain in the Premiership and £50k a week is what a squad player at a mid table Premiership Club earns. To get such a player you have to pay the money and in fact I seem to recall that Naismith took a small cut in salary to come here.We now have to deal with the problems that caused.
No doubt our new maximum wage for new contracts is considerably reduced - probably halved - and I suspect that any existing player earning more than that will be sold if the right offer is received. As I have said it may be difficult to move a lot of the players on because of wages and age - Jarvis is another one who is 31 for example- but until we create space in the squad - which will also be reduced in number from previous seasons - and the space in the budget we cannot move on with replacements which will be, in my opinion, loans, youngsters and cheap buys from lower leagues or abroad. As well as looking into this I am certain that SW is taking a long and hard look at how our Academy is functioning as this will have to be the major source of future talent. Some will say that this is an acceptance of mediocrity - it isn't . It is an acceptance of the financial reality and the fact that we have got to find a new approach to achieve our aim of Promotion
No doubt our new maximum wage for new contracts is considerably reduced - probably halved - and I suspect that any existing player earning more than that will be sold if the right offer is received. As I have said it may be difficult to move a lot of the players on because of wages and age - Jarvis is another one who is 31 for example- but until we create space in the squad - which will also be reduced in number from previous seasons - and the space in the budget we cannot move on with replacements which will be, in my opinion, loans, youngsters and cheap buys from lower leagues or abroad. As well as looking into this I am certain that SW is taking a long and hard look at how our Academy is functioning as this will have to be the major source of future talent. Some will say that this is an acceptance of mediocrity - it isn't . It is an acceptance of the financial reality and the fact that we have got to find a new approach to achieve our aim of Promotion
