ADMINISTRATION is a word which immediately sparks contrasting emotions.

Is it another nail in the coffin or the first significant step on the road to recovery?

I hope it proves to be the latter.

If the club really had no prospects of survival then why bother applying for an administration order in the first place?

Sir Seton Wills appears to have saved the day again but he does not seem likely to do a 'Jack Walker' and just pump endless money into the club.

Surely there is a longer-term survival plan? There has to be.

The problem for the directors is that the club is about as attractive as the wicked witch of the west in terms of investment at the moment.

Who wants to put money into a club, merely to pay for the mistakes of others?

You cannot point the finger at any one individual but the level of incompetence and mismanagement at this club over recent years has been staggering.

But enough of the negatives. We have to try and be positive.

If administration does provide the club with vital breathing space, then fantastic. If the debts can be cleared and we start with zero in the bank account, then potential investors might start to sniff around. Hopefully that will prove to be the case.

But I hope administration does not simply prove to be a stay of execution.

This great club of ours has been in administration before. It emerged only to mess things up in spectacular fashion.

We must make sure there is no repeat. Fingers and toes are firmly crossed.

At least we have the supporters' trust in place this time to swing into action should the worst happen.

I would love to finally rid myself of the constant feeling that something nasty is lurking around the next corner.

n THE County Ground's very own version of 'Survivor' is expected to get under way in the next few days.

A dozen players are out of contract but it would seem that at least eight will be shown the door at the end of the campaign.

So who stays and who goes? Only Andy King knows the answer but if you had to put your money on it, who would you expect to see in a Town shirt next season?

Unless someone comes in with a big money offer, the four 'certs' to stay in my opinion would be Bart Griemink, Sol Davis, Matt Hewlett and Paul Edwards. Adam Willis must also be in serious contention.

But as the manager said at the recent TrustSTFC meeting, some fans are bound to be upset if one of their favourite players is sold. That's football, Brian.