Town chairman David Sheepshanks has written about the general financial crisis which has hit football in an article in the Daily Telegraph.

In the piece Sheepshanks reiterated that the clubs relegated from the Premiership last season are in the worst position of any clubs previously relegated.

With fellow demoted clubs Leicester and Derby both in the news at present due to their financial problems, Sheepshanks has been outlining the major differences between the First Division and the Premiership: "Any relegated Premiership club will lose around £15 million of their revenue, some up to £20 million. There is a parachute payment of approximately £5.5 million but that still leaves a large gap.

"Without a benefactor or an extraordinary depth of financial resources, the only way most clubs can administer that difference is by selling players, and that has long been the case.

"European football is in recession and English football is feeling the pinch the most. We also have to cope, for the first time, with the transfer deadline compressing and depressing the market. We could not have been relegated at a worse time."

Player wages inevitable also comes into the equation with Sheepshanks citing the massive difference in pay between the two divisions these days: "The average Premiership wage for a regular first-team player is, I venture to say, about £500,000 to £700,000.

"The average rate in the First Division is now between £100,000 and £200,000 and in most cases closer to the lower figure. If you are relegated you are carrying the legacy of Premiership wages."

He feels that the structure of wages in football will change over the next few years: "Over the next couple of years the game will suffer intense pain but eventually clubs will have a much stronger hand in negotiations with players and agents.

"Inevitably, status payments will be introduced, along with a much higher proportion based on performance.

"This means adding clauses which will affect wages if clubs are relegated. Some would say we should have already been inserting such clauses, but until now agents and players have had the upper hand."

Sheepshanks says Town must come out of this difficult season having learnt from the experience: "At Ipswich, we must ensure that we come through our year of pain all the stronger and the salutary experience will, hopefully, help other clubs to do likewise."

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