NEW manager Terry Butcher has cut short his holiday to start work at Newport County AFC today, with player contracts the first item on his to-do list.

Butcher has left his wife Rita poolside in Florida to get down to business at Rodney Parade and he will begin talking to players today.

The former England international says his phone has been red hot with agents calls since he took the job on May 1 and he was in contact with County staff while away last week.

But he took the decision this weekend to return ahead of schedule, so eager was he to start the task of plotting what he hopes will be a promotion push next season.

“My wife booked the holiday for May 3 a while ago, when I was out of work, but I thought it was imperative I got back and got to work,” Butcher told the Argus.

“I’ve left her out there in Florida but it’s got to be done because the players’ contracts need to be sorted out as soon as possible.

“They need to know whether they need to start looking for a new club and the club needs to know because we need to start getting a squad together and planning for pre-season.

“I will speak to every player this week, either face to face or on the phone, and tell them the good news or the bad news.

“It’s inevitable that some players will be moving on and it’s not a pleasant time for any manager but everyone knows that the budget has been reduced and sometimes you have to make cold, hard decisions.”

Football League rules state that all clubs have to submit their retain list by this Saturday.

Butcher says he will talk to his current squad before looking to bring in any new signings, although he admits that he has made a few enquiries about players elsewhere.

“I’ve spoken to others and I’ve watched DVDs of the games so I’ve got my own ideas about who I want to keep,” said the Exiles boss.

“But I’ve got new ideas and fresh ideas and my phone has been busy with agents calling so we have made a few enquiries.

“This is the time of year when deals get done so you have to make enquiries.

“But what do you get for your money these days? I’m looking for experienced players who are solid and strong and ready to buy into the concept and the way we want to move this club forward.”

As well as player retention and recruitment, Butcher is also busy planning for pre-season.

And, once the players return to training on June 29, County fans can expect a more testing programme of friendly matches than last summer.

“We want to do better than last season, get the squad together early and be more competitive at the start of the season,” he said.

“It’ll be a hard and physical pre-season and the friendly matches will get tougher as we go along so that we hopefully hit the ground running.”