Raith Rovers chairman Turnbull Hutton has stressed that, while the board of directors are looking to give boss Grant Murray the best playing budget they can, they are also determined not to put the club into financial jeopardy,.
The Stark’s Park supremo admitted the manager’s squad was stretched at times last season and he would have liked to have given Murray greater resources.
Raith have, however, made big inroads into reducing their debt and Hutton is not willing to throw money they do not have to bring added strength in depth on the playing front.
He used the example of Hearts, Dunfermline and Rangers as a warning about what happens when financial prudence goes out the window.
Speaking on the club website, Hutton said: “The board set a playing budget for Grant (last season), which was the right thing to do for the club. Had we given Grant a bigger budget, we could have had more strength in depth.
“During the season with the amount of injuries we had and the timing of them, we found ourselves short of quality and experience in certain positions. So blame the board for not having additional players in there.
“Equally, we recorded a profit last year and a profit this year. We are taking debt out and the club is on a much better financial footing than it has been.
“So collectively, all these decisions were taken for the good of the club.
“A bit of bad luck, the odd injury, etc, etc and suddenly there is an issue but we are not going to throw money we don’t have at a problem we might not have if all goes well.
“We took what we thought was an eminently sensible decision for the good of the club. That’s how we are going to run the club.
He added: “You can look at other teams with strength in depth, you can look at what their players are getting paid, whether their creditors are being paid.
“Just look at what’s happened with Scottish football in the last couple of years. We have turned this club round and that’s a collective effort.
“The profits that we accrue resulted in the main from the success Grant has had on the field and in the cups. So this year, we are in a better position than we were last year. There is progression.
“I was looking at papers from a board meeting from a couple of years and there was a list of creditors we were effectively owing £500,000.
“I look at where we are now and we have made huge inroads into that.
“The budget this year . . . we will give as much to the playing side as we possibly can without putting the future of the club into jeopardy.
“That’s the best we can do. Other clubs are now modelling themselves on that strategy. Look at Hearts today, look at Dunfermline, Livingston are in trouble.
“They are all having to face up to it and I haven’t even mentioned our defeated opponents in the Ramsdens Cup.”