Day 51

The board decreed that our match against Gateshead in a week will be a "fan day." Adults can bring children at half the usual price. Considering that our previous two home games saw attendances of only a few thousand—roughly one-third of our stadium's capacity—you can't blame them for trying.

The club is losing money. Last month brought a loss just shy of £62,000; this month looks to be only slightly better. If crowds at our home games don't increase, we'll be relying on award money—for success in the league and cup competitions—to keep our balance in the black. Cutting the wage bill would help, but it won't fix the problem unless we gut our squad—the current wage expenditure is £900 a week over budget.

I renewed my efforts to sell off several players anyway. I offered transfer-listed men Taylor, Sheridan, and Pacquette, plus fringe players Platt, Nicolau, Russell, and Sinclair, and youngsters Rodney, Wilson, Robinson, McGoldrick, and Cunningham to any clubs willing to listen.

We didn't get a single offer or expression of interest—what a sad lot. The main problem seems to be that most of the unwanted players were new arrivals just prior to my taking over. Oh, how I wish I could turn back the clock on those terrible moves.

We did, however, unsettle Nialle Rodney, whose concerns I sated immediately. Of course he can stay. I just thought there might be another club keen to pony up some money for the talented young striker.