NEW BOHEMIANS manager Aaron Callaghan gave the first firm indication of the extent to which the club’s fans will have to further revise their expectations downwards this season when he described his policy for the coming season as being to build a squad around “17- to 23-year-olds who I feel we can improve”.

Callaghan, who was appointed two weeks ago to succeed Pat Fenlon, declined to say what budget he has been given to work with but the figure is believed to be a fraction of what the club was spending just two years ago when it last won the league.

Since then the club, which has just agreed a new sponsorship deal with Ford, has become embroiled in a financial crisis that continues to threaten its long-term existence and with every senior player gone bar Owen Heary, who will assist Callaghan, there are rumours the weekly wage bill this season will be little more than €2,000.

Callaghan expressed the hope he might yet be able to sign a small number of more experienced players in order to help the development of what will be a very young squad but asked if he had the resources to compete with top-flight rivals for a couple of the players he would really like to land, he replied: “No, not with the wages that are being paid at the moment.”

It’s a stark admission given the market is terribly depressed just about everywhere and large numbers of players with experience have found themselves being marginalised by the absence of any opportunity to play reserve-team football because of the emphasis on the new under-19 league.

Despite the hugely reduced resources, Callaghan insisted Bohemians can be “competitive” this year and he pointed to the fact he and Heary have managed to keep seven of last year’s promising crop of youngsters on board as evidence the supporters still have some basis for optimism.

He said he hopes to start pre-season training next week but that the finishing touches would not be put to the squad until close to the club’s first game in the Setanta Cup next month.

Heary, who will also manage the under-19s, said he was hopeful several members of that team could come through and play for the first team this year.

Shamrock Rovers, meanwhile, continued to re-sign the pick of last year’s championship winning side, with Craig Sives the latest player to agree a new deal.