The impression being given by the local media is that we won't have much of a budget and I think there is a feeling among some that the "miracle" which worked when we signed one of the division's best keepers for nothing on what I presume are low wages, signed a winger for nothing on similar wages who started and ended the season playing very well in a promotion team, signed an injured Scottish full back for nothing who ended up as our top league goalscorer and a French midfielder for nothing on the lowest wages for a senior player at the club, yet provided good cover and, occasionally, excellent performances, can be repeated.

I don't think it can and if we are going to only have the reported £20 million for transfers, then we are going to need there to be some really ropey teams in the Premier League if we are to stay up. £30 million doesn't buy you a great deal in the modern Premier League, while a £40 million budget is seen as quite modest. We can't say too much if Vincent Tan has decided that he wants to pocket all of the promotion money, because the man has kept the club afloat virtually single handedly throughout virtually all of this decade, but, if as I suspect, he's not going to do that, then I see no reason why we can't spend somewhere between those two figures to give us a reasonable chance of surviving - there'll still be more than £40 million left and that's before we even start thinking about parachute payments.