Derby County boss Billy Davies has been warned he won't get any money for the January market should results not improve.
Davies is desperate to bring in fresh faces in the transfer window - but new supremo Adam Pearson said: "Our spending plans are not always what the fans want to hear. We have to be pragmatic.
"The younger element of supporters want to just spend the money and get the big stars in.
"But fans who have been here a while at what is a very traditional club with a good heritage, they remember how close the club was to the abyss and are rather more realistic.
"We are working very hard on getting some investment in the club as we really need to provide decent funds for Billy to strengthen the squad and compete on a level footing in January."