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SURVIVAL ON THE PITCH COMES FIRST - BIRCH
Leeds are expected to put back the self-imposed January 19 deadline for administration.
In an exclusive interview with Sky Sports News, chief executive Trevor Birch admitted that a standstill agreement with their "principle creditors", will give the Elland Road outfit until the end of the month.
They need £5million to see them through until the end of the season, but although Birch rubbished Sunday newspaper reports that they were about to sell their ground as "nonsense" and admitted that would-be buyer Sheikh Abdulrahman Bin Mubarak Al Khalifa had failed to show them "the colour of his money", he is confident they can get that - without selling players.
And Birch also piled the pressure on Eddie Gray's depleted squad, making no bones about what awaits should they get relegated from the Premiership - less than 24 hours after the defeat at Southampton left them rock-bottom. And that is simple: administation.
"It would be extremely likely I would have to say," Birch said. "It depends on how you restructure and what you can do with players' contracts.
"You can't say it's an absolute certainty but it would be on the cards. We are very close to the precipice. We are over £80million in debt and we wouldn't have the income to support that in the First Division.
"We are trading at the moment with the support of our principle creditors. We are trying to put the club in the right shape to be attractive for someone to invest."
But Birch was adamant on one piece of good news for long-suffering supporters - no-one will be sold.
Alan Smith's future was again plunged into doubt as he bid an emotional farewell to the travelling support at Southampton after the 2-1 defeat, and with Mark Viduka still away on compassionate leave, the majority of observers expected them to cash in on their few remaining assets.
But Birch denies that will happen and instead insisted that for all the talk of buyers, the Leeds players are the ones that hold the key to the club's future - by winning points on the pitch and perhaps deferring some pounds from the pay packets.
"The number one option is to survive in the Premiership, if we can do that at the end of the season we have a different proposition to put to people," he said. "It's all about survival, that's what we need to secure our future, survival in the Premiership.
"Selling players is the least welcome option and probably most unlikely. We are trying to keep the squad to have a chance to survive in the Premiership. Whatever we can do to avoid selling a player will be done.
"Wage deferrals is one of the options, the players have a very open mind and are looking at it in a positive manner. If it were needed I think it would be received very positively by them."
SURVIVAL ON THE PITCH COMES FIRST - BIRCH
Leeds are expected to put back the self-imposed January 19 deadline for administration.
In an exclusive interview with Sky Sports News, chief executive Trevor Birch admitted that a standstill agreement with their "principle creditors", will give the Elland Road outfit until the end of the month.
They need £5million to see them through until the end of the season, but although Birch rubbished Sunday newspaper reports that they were about to sell their ground as "nonsense" and admitted that would-be buyer Sheikh Abdulrahman Bin Mubarak Al Khalifa had failed to show them "the colour of his money", he is confident they can get that - without selling players.
And Birch also piled the pressure on Eddie Gray's depleted squad, making no bones about what awaits should they get relegated from the Premiership - less than 24 hours after the defeat at Southampton left them rock-bottom. And that is simple: administation.
"It would be extremely likely I would have to say," Birch said. "It depends on how you restructure and what you can do with players' contracts.
"You can't say it's an absolute certainty but it would be on the cards. We are very close to the precipice. We are over £80million in debt and we wouldn't have the income to support that in the First Division.
"We are trading at the moment with the support of our principle creditors. We are trying to put the club in the right shape to be attractive for someone to invest."
But Birch was adamant on one piece of good news for long-suffering supporters - no-one will be sold.
Alan Smith's future was again plunged into doubt as he bid an emotional farewell to the travelling support at Southampton after the 2-1 defeat, and with Mark Viduka still away on compassionate leave, the majority of observers expected them to cash in on their few remaining assets.
But Birch denies that will happen and instead insisted that for all the talk of buyers, the Leeds players are the ones that hold the key to the club's future - by winning points on the pitch and perhaps deferring some pounds from the pay packets.
"The number one option is to survive in the Premiership, if we can do that at the end of the season we have a different proposition to put to people," he said. "It's all about survival, that's what we need to secure our future, survival in the Premiership.
"Selling players is the least welcome option and probably most unlikely. We are trying to keep the squad to have a chance to survive in the Premiership. Whatever we can do to avoid selling a player will be done.
"Wage deferrals is one of the options, the players have a very open mind and are looking at it in a positive manner. If it were needed I think it would be received very positively by them."