Barnet director Paul Fairclough believes a decision on Edgar Davids’ future at Barnet will be made in the next week

Davids has yet to decide whether to remain Barnet’s head coach following the Bees’ relegation from the Football League last month.

Speaking on Tuesday Fairclough explained that there had “been a lot of deliberation” between the Dutchman and the club.

“It is not a case of what Edgar Davids decides, it is a case of what we decide together with Edgar,” Fairclough said.

“Edgar has had a personal problem so has been out of the country for a week. That has slowed things down a bit because we expected this week to have concluded who is taking us forward.

“However, I am sure it will be sorted in the next week.”

But what do the Bees have planned should Davids decide to leave the club? Fairclough answered: “If Edgar is not going to be available then we obviously have another plan that goes into action.

“Barnet is still a big club even though we have dropped to the Conference. Lots of managers have already thrown their hat into the ring should it arise that there is a vacant manager’s job.”

Fairclough was the Bees manager the last time they won promotion from the conference but said “it would not be right” for him to take charge of the first team should Davids move on.

Barnet announced this week that Graham Stack, David Stephens, Harry Crawford, Luke Gambin and Mauro Vilhete are contracted to the club for next season but John Oster, Liam O’Brien and Chiro N’Toko will leave this summer.

The likes of Stephens (pictured left) and Stack could still leave should the Bees accept a transfer bid but Fairclough said Barnet are under no pressure to sell players.

“We have got a lot of players we will be retaining because they have got long-term contracts,” he said.

“As with the majority of clubs, the players have contracts which have reductions in their salaries if the club is relegated.

“That can be difficult. Some players and others will have a lifestyle that will all of a sudden be shattered.

“We are in talks with players in regards how we can alleviate the situation or how we can take it forward.

“I think between now and the end of the season there could be changes but we know the players we want to take us forward. Nobody is leaving unless we say so.”

Barnet will lose more than £1m in revenue following relegation and Fairclough accepts the club will suffer because of that.

However, the Bees do not have any debt that would hinder their attempt to make an instant return to the Football League.

Fairclough said: “We have The Hive and that is undoubtedly going to help things but not to the point that we can live like we did last season.

“But there is normally a real demise for clubs when they are relegated, that isn’t the case for Barnet.

“By the time the club went down, I believe we were a mid-table side or possibly a little bit above that.

“Obviously the table had us as the second bottom team but in terms of how we were performing we weren’t, there is no doubt about that.

“However, being a middle team in League Two is not going to be good enough to win or be promoted from the Conference.

“So we are hoping the building that has taken place is going to continue.”

Fairclough is adamant the Bees will not scrap the passing football philosophy implemented this season despite relegation.

The Conference is a notoriously difficult league to secure promotion from and teams such as Luton Town have struggled to regain their Football League status.

Fairclough said: “I do not think the Conference is any better than when we won it but it is a very hard division to get out of.

“I have watched a lot of games and the quality is not fantastic but it is going to be difficult. Every team is tough.

“You look at Braintree and their players are on very low salaries. But then they have finished in the top nine. That is a testament to how tough the league is.”