Wednesday 26th April 2000 : Eustace keen for deal as Roy warns about wages

Scott Eustace described it as "disappointing" that a new deal has not been agreed to extend his current contract, when answering a question for the Cambridge Evening News recently. Midfielder Neil Mustoe also has yet to agree a new contract, and on Friday Roy McFarland warned that the club will need to review the wages structure in order to compete in Division Two.

Defender Eustace joined the U's on trial last winter and played on a monthly contract until the end of the season. Supporters were surprised that he was not offered a permanent deal last summer but after returning on a trial basis he earned a one year deal earlier this season.

Speaking to the CEN, Eustace said, "I know the situation. It's disappointing not to have something sorted out, but I just have to get on with it. I have a lot of friends who are out of football now, working as painters or plasterers, getting up at 6.00am. I wouldn't want to swap places, but they do have a lot more job security than footballers. I've no idea at the moment what I'll be doing this time next year."

The 24-year-old added, "I'm only talking about this, though, because I've been asked. I'm not knocking on the manager's door complaining. Things have gone well for the team and me lately, and I want to keep it that way. I started the season in the team, but I got an ankle injury, and after Andy Duncan broke his leg it looked for a while as though Martin McNeil and Marc Joseph would be the centre-half partnership. I got back in, and things have worked out pretty well."

Eustace has ended the season in towering form and was recently described as "a colossus" by the manager, and his presence at the back was missed when he sat out the defeat at Colchester through a suspension.

Mustoe has not spoken publicly about his situation, but when McFarland answered a fan's question for "On The Spot" recently, he confirmed that the combative midfielder had rejected the club's initial offer to extend his contract, and that talks were ongoing.

However on Friday, responding to the newly published survey of footballers' wages, the manager warned that Cambridge United will not be able to compete for players at Division Two level in the near future unless the club brings the wages structure nearer to those of rival clubs.

The research was carried out on behalf of The Independent newspaper, involved over 600 confidential replies from players, and showed that the average annual pay for a senior Division Two player is £52,000. Whilst United do not disclose individual players' wages, the CEN estimates that the vast majority are on a basic rate which amounts to less than half of that national average.

Although the current U's side was assembled on a shoestring budget and has just about retained Division Two status for next season - an achievement that must rank above that of actually earning promotion last season - McFarland warned of the dangers that lie ahead.

"We are going to have to address the pay issue. We are not just competing on the pitch, but every time we try to sign a player," he told the News. "At the start of this season we identified the centre of the defence as probably our biggest problem on going up from Division Three. But we haven't been able to bring in a centre-back with any experience, and it's not for want of trying.

"The one we wanted, and had lined-up (thought to be Efe Sodje, who moved from Macclesfield to Luton), decided not to come on financial grounds. There was nothing we could do about it.

"In fairness to our directors, they are well aware of the situation. They go into other board rooms at matches and they are told what kind of money other clubs are paying. We have had to have a wage ceiling, which is lower than most because our income falls quite a way below our costs (the weekly deficit varies between £5,000 and £8,000). But these figures confirm the gap between what we can pay and what most of the clubs in our division can manage is getting wider.

"The immediate aim after this season is to establish the football club in the top half of the second division, but we will have to take a close look at our hopes and ambitions."

McFarland has always acknowledged the need for the planned £4 million redevelopment of the Abbey Stadium, which should boost off-field earnings, but understandably he is concerned that the team should not be a lower priority than spending on the stadium.

"We believe better surroundings will attract bigger crowds, and we've been very encouraged by the way our attendances have stood up during a difficult season. The supporters have stood by us, and we have to make sure the team always has a high priority. It is not much use having a super stadium if you are playing in the Conference."

Finally, the CEN underlines the widening gap between divisions by pointing out that with the average pay in Division One recorded at £2,461.54, McFarland faces an almost impossible task to strengthen his squad with a player from that level.