Charlton manager Alan Pardew expects to learn this week the size of his playing budget for the 2008-09 campaign.

The signs point to a drastic reduction in the estimated £18 million placed at his disposal this season by the club’s board of directors who pushed out the boat seeking an immediate return on their investment.

As a consequence, Charlton were installed as pre-season title favourites.

Failure to regain Premier League status at the first time of asking coupled with yet another end-of-season decline, in which the side registered three wins in the last 14 games, left board members exasperated.

In his programme notes for the visit of leaders’ West Bromwich Albion on March 31, chief executive Peter Varney wrote pointedly: “It is remarkable that Stoke City and Bristol City are leading the way when you consider their relatively small wage bills compared to Watford, Sheffield United, West Bromwich Albion and ourselves.”

After Saturday’s 1-0 defeat by Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road, which snapped the already slender thread linking Charlton with the play-off positions, Pardew hinted the wage bill would be slashed when he disclosed: “The club’s youngsters will play a bigger role next season than some envisage.”

Though Football Club chairman Richard Murray remains Pardew’s link with the board, it is new Charlton plc chairman Derek Chapple whom the manager must persuade over funding.

With one £8 million parachute payment remaining following relegation from the Premier League, Pardew knows he not dare not fail next season.

Loan players Sam Sodje, Greg Halford and Lee Cook look certain to return to their respective clubs.

Pardew conceded that the learning curve for some of the club’s established Premier League players had been too steep in adapting to the Championship.

He added: “Because we’re not in the play-offs we must use the extra-time to make sure we steal a march on other clubs and get players who are out of contract and devise a plan of how we’re going to attack next season.

“We need to use this season’s experience because the learning curve has been steep. We’ve fallen down in terms of not having enough strength and steel and that was evident against Queens Park Rangers on Saturday.”

Pardew’s priority is to recruit a midfield player of Andy Reid’s high calibre, capable of translating possession into penetrative purpose.

“We’ve only won five since Andy left for Sunderland. Prior to him going we won 11 which speaks volumes about his influence.

“The decision to accept Sunderland’s offer was made for financial reasons.”