DESPITE a week when a pre-tax loss of £6.4m was posted and the prospect of being bereft of a parachute payment next season, Tony Pulis insists Middlesbrough will still be able to handle another campaign in the Championship if goals are not achieved come May.

Boro head into today’s visit of Queens Park Rangers sitting seven points shy of an automatic promotion spot. That is the target having endured the frustration of losing a play-off battle to Aston Villa last season.

Despite being in the midst of a promotion battle, Middlesbrough didn’t overspend on a gamble in January when Pulis didn’t get in the extra quality he had hoped – mainly because he was unable to move other players on first.

That has very much been the message coming out of the Riverside Stadium because, having had to realign themselves financially in the past after failing to seal Premier League returns, Middlesbrough’s decision makers don’t want to be caught out again.

The aim remains very much sealing a place in the Premier League next season, particularly when they have already received a second parachute payment so the club’s income is set to revert to basic revenue figures.

Middlesbrough are certainly not paupers of the division and still have one of the biggest wage bills, which is why, for example, there has been a reluctance to hand Stewart Downing the solitary start required to trigger a contract extension.

But Pulis is adamant Middlesbrough have worked diligently to ensure that finances will be a suitable regardless of what division they play in next season.

He said: “I think we’ve addressed that as the season has gone along. I don’t think you have to be a brain surgeon to look at what’s going on. That is being addressed as we’re going along. This is not a league where you can say we’re guaranteed to get promoted.