Town are losing £30,000 a week according to their annual accounts and ended the last financial year with an overdraft of over £3 million. Since then of course, Kieron Dyer has been sold for £6 million stabilising the situation and allowing George Burley to bring in John McGreal, Gary Croft and Jermaine Wright.

The news however is worrying, as it shows that Town's major expense, wages, went up by £1 million to £6 million in just one year.

It has been the case that Town have had to sell one player for a million or so per year every year since relegation, however last season saw Alex Mathie and Mauricio Taricco depart for substantial fees and yet the club still lost £161,000. This year we are likely to lose £1.5 million (excluding transfers), which should be covered by the Dyer money, however the increased wages throughout football points to a future where Town may have to find £3-£4 million per year just to cover their running deficit.

Promotion, and quickly, looks ever more important for a club the size of ours.

The David Johnson 'I'm English, oops I'm Welsh, Oh I appear to be Scottish after all saga' continues with Johnson off to sample the atmosphere of a big Scottish match tomorrow. He's off to watch Rangers play PSV and see whether he likes the sound of Scotsman singing and to see how much orange he can take from the massed ranks of Scots and Dutch.

The Town striker has already expressed a worry about racism within Scotish football something former Celtic man Paul Elliott knows all about. Elliot said of Johnson's worries "He is right to give the issue of racism every consideration. There have been problems in the past. But I would like to feel that the collective hard work of the SFA, the clubs themselves and a lot of other agencies has put the problem into decline."

Stories are also circulating that Johnson has been told he will not be considered for England honours whilst Kevin Keengan is manager, whilst Welsh manager Mark Hughes has yet to make any comment, just a week after Johnson 'committed' himself to the Welsh. I suppose he'll make up his mind eventually.

Town have a full strength (if that's the right word to use after Saturday) squad for tonight's game with Charlton, with the exception of Gary Croft, who is suffering from a gashed shin. Even so the man on bail may still make the right back spot. There is speculation that Player/Coach Tony Mowbray could be called in to shore up Town's shaky defence whilst Jonas Axeldal's ten goals in five games in the reserves might give George Burley a few things to think about when bringing on substitute strikers. Town squad: R Wright, Salmon, Croft, Clapham, Wilnis, Venus, McGreal, Thetis, Brown, Holland, Magilton, Stockwell, J Wright, Johnson, Scowcroft, Naylor, Axeldal, Holster and Mowbray.

Photo: Action Images

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