By Roger Clarke- Birmingham Post
January 26 2006

"GIVE me a player budget of £750,000 and we will be more than a nuisance to everyone in this division," says Pertemps Bees director of rugby Phil Maynard. That is the sort of figure he believes is necessary to find salvation, or at least top-half comfort, in what is becoming a more and more competitive National One with a dwindling number of part-time teams such as Bees.

Nottingham are the latest club to announce a move to professional status which will leave Bees in the company of teams such as Otley, London Welsh, Sedgeley Park and Newbury.

That covers four of the current bottom five teams with only Newbury, who went pro-am after being promoted last season, struggling to mid-table.

Doncaster, who won National Two in style last season, are fourth bottom.

Maynard sees Moseley, one of the likely promoted teams, as pro-am, a structure he is hoping to introduce next season.

Bees are the highest placed Birmingham club and Maynard is acutely aware if they want to maintain their position they have to move with the times in a division he believes will be fully professional within four years. Not that that worries him.

Professionalism is is a fact of life and Maynard believes full-time rugby all round will improve National One to the benefit of the game.

But he does not want Bees to be left behind. He said: "We have huge plans on the horizon to make changes. Otherwise we will always be under pressure.

"You can go down in this division on 30 points and that is a lot of points. Traditionally, since the league existed there have always been whipping boys, Orrell or Henley or whoever.

"For whatever reason they stood out at the beginning of the season but if you look now we are at the bottom on 23 points - last season 29 points would have kept you in the league.

"To finish in the top half of the table with a certain amount of comfort you would need in the region of £750,000 player budget."

Transport, coaching and running costs adds another £150,000 or so to give a playing budget of £900,000 to £1 million - about double the current spend.

"Give me a playing budget of £750,000 and we would be more than a nuisance in this division. Nobody could guarantee a win against us, home or away," said Maynard.

"That is what we are looking towards. A couple of years ago you could have spent £2million and come second but it has settled down now."