FRUSTRATED manager Andy Preece will tell Bury FC directors they must speculate to accumulate at a board meeting on Friday writes Chris Hall

The Shakers supremo is sick of constant battles with the club's purse holders over which players he can keep in his high-flying squad.

With key players Liam George and Steve Redmond both wanting new contracts, he wants a definitive answer from Gigg Lane's top brass so he can put all his efforts into the management of the team.

And he claims Bury are in line for enough possible windfalls, from televised matches and sell-on clauses, to warrant a minor gamble on squad investment.

"It's a difficult situation I find myself in because I know the club's survival is more important than anything else," he said.

"But there are one or two areas where money might come in. We could get £100,000 from a Sky televised game if we beat Carlisle in the next round of the LDV Vans Trophy and we could benefit from one or two sell-ons that look likely.

"Oldham are in a bit of financial trouble so might look to sell Chris Armstrong, Jason Jarrett is going strong at Wigan and Paddy Kenny has been outstanding for Sheffield United. So they could get picked up by bigger clubs soon.

"Unfortunately, the directors don't look at the ifs and maybes. They deal with the definites. In football, you sometimes need to take a little gamble."

Whatever the outcome, Preece claimed it was vital the board made their stance clear over the club's finances this week as the burden threatens to detract from his work with the squad.

"We need to make a decision over which direction we are going because it's a real headache for me to have to keep stopping what I'm doing to concentrate on balancing the books," he said.

"We are in sixth place in the league and in the semi-finals of the LDV Vans Trophy, so I should be enjoying the job. But this is a cloud constantly hanging over me. Hopefully we can sort this out at the board meeting.

"I have to say the board have been great so far and have backed me all the way, particularly over the Terry Dunfield signing, and I think I have repaid that faith with our results.

"But it's not fair to have things going on in the background which could make us drift down the league. I feel we have to keep as many players as we can and I'm fighting my corner all the time.

"At the moment, I'm being told we are not able to renew Liam's contract but I was told that two months ago and he's still here. So we will wait and see what happens on Friday."