I really don't envy King his job at the moment.

The club's atrocious financial state and the board's superbly handled public announcement about new contracts has left King in an absolutely awful position from which to build / rebuild the squad for next season.

It's well known that Swindon are right down near the bottom of the big payers league. At the same time it's also well documented that they're right at the top of the late payers league.

Bearing in mind that the players out of contract in the summer haven't been or won't be offered even a cost of living increase to their contracts then what we're looking at is a drop in wages for them if they accept new contracts.

I'm sure some people think most of the players don't deserve paying at all.

Notwithstanding that, the fact is that nearly all of the players out of contract can and probably will get more money and longer contracts elsewhere. If you can avoid a drop in earnings and guarantee that you get paid EVERY month why would you want to stay at Swindon.

Even those players forced to drop down a division will almost inevitably get a better deal than Swindon are willing to offer.

Those players who are more sought after will significantly increase their money and will get attractive contract terms.

The only players wanting to stay will be the ones who nobody else wants.

King has already admitted that the players' agents are already busy getting them moves away and that he may be forced to offer contracts to players he would originally have intended to release.

When it comes to attracting new players King has exactly the same problems. The club's reputation as a wage defaulter is very well known, as is it's pitiful wage structure.

The only players he's going to get to sign up are going to be those who really can't find anything better. You can just imagine the sales pitch - "The money's not very good and I can't say that you'll get paid every month but at least you'll get to play in front of big crowds, as many as 4000 on a good day".

In short, the squad is going to be filled with youngsters and old lags who have nowhere else to go. They won't come to Swindon because they desparately want to "Wear the shirt". They'll come because nobody else offered anything better.

When you consider that the money from Sam's move will most certainly ALL disappear down the £900,000 CVA blackhole it hardly forms the basis for optimism.