The man fronting the Bradford City steering committee said the club was "gradually going in the right direction" after another long day of talks at Valley Parade.

Jim Brown, who is a member of the five-strong board which has offered to help run the crisis-torn club, said last night that he hoped the future of the club would become much clearer in the next seven days.

He spent much of yesterday locked in meetings with the club's administrators and the remaining staff, who have now agreed to defer their wages for a week as efforts are made to resolve the crisis.

Mr Brown said: "It has been a very positive day and it has been good to see a few smiling faces around the ground again. There is still an awful lot of hard work to be done, but I think we are pulling in the right direction. I am hopeful that, by some time next week, we might be in a position to start planning ahead."

Mr Brown, the former Halifax Town chairman who is on the committee along with Steve Longbottom, Alan Biggin, Bobby Ham and a fifth unnamed member, is now keen to open a dialogue with all those interested in the club's future.

He has approached the Bradford City Supporters' Trust chairman Mark Boocock and plans to write to all of the club's 25-year season ticket holders within the week regarding their positions.

He is also keen to improve the amount of communication out of the club to keep the fans better informed of developments.

"This club has survived through the good will of a lot of people," he said. "We are keen to hear particularly from any business people who have got expertise or a bit of money that they may be able to lend us."

He said the next crunch deadline was likely to come on Thursday, which is also the date of the next Football League board meeting.

"Within the week, we have got to get the administrators in a position where they feel comfortable to run the club in the short term," he said.

Mr Brown also confirmed he had held talks with manager Colin Todd regarding the playing situation and how the squad could be strengthened with pre-season training now underway.

l Valley Parade safety officer Roger Holmes yesterday announced he was retiring from his role at the club. City managing director Shaun Harvey also left for his new role with Leeds United this week.