He might be turning 61 in December - and he just had a hip replacement - but Crystal Palace manager Neil Warnock still has the stomach for another Championship battle.

And it is just as well too, for this season could be the toughest in his 28 years as a manager.

The club's chairman Simon Jordan has already spoken about the 'brutal' financial climate which has seen him dig deeper into his pockets just to keep the club afloat.

A figure of £5million has been suggested and shows exactly why there have been only three new recruits at Selhurst Park this summer.

Stern John and Darren Ambrose have arrived on free transfers from Southampton and Charlton, while West Ham striker Freddie Sears joined on a season-long loan deal.

The chances of there being any further new faces have now been ended after the Football League placed a transfer embargo on Palace because of claims from some players who left the club, understood to include Shefki Kuqi and Paul Ifill, that they have not been paid severance fees and bonus owed from last season.

It means the Eagles have a paper-thin squad and will once again be relying on their talented crop of youngsters and a few experienced heads.

Pre-season defeats to Gillingham and Norwich may have failed to convince supporters, but this year's ambitious challenge - to win promotion - is one which excites Warnock.

He said: "The start of any new season doesn't get any easier and the challenge is always there.

"The circumstances are a little bit difficult at the moment, but you have to deal with it. We are in it for the buzz of doing the best with the players we have got.

"The bookies have put us in the bottom six and they are usually not too far wrong, so the players are all going to have to step up.

"I want to go up this season. I only have a couple of years left.

"If we have no injuries whatsoever and people are scoring goals it is possible. The squad know we can be competitive in this league, we have to stick together as a group."

Despite his ambitious hopes, Warnock is still aware the priority is to stay in the Championship and not follow Charlton, Southampton and Norwich into League One.

And he is under no illusions of the task ahead of him, given the calibre of teams he will be coming up against this season.

He added: "It will be tough. West Brom are a very strong club. They haven't got to sell anybody and are well-off financially.

"Middlesbrough, we will have to see how they go. Newcastle will be the toss of a coin.

"No one knows how they will do - their wage bill is about 17 times what ours is, so they should have some decent players.

"You also have Ipswich who will spend money. QPR still have money, Cardiff are still throwing it around and Sheffield United are paying £3m for a striker. So there will be a lot of teams fancying their chances, it will be a great challenge for us."

Warnock's enthusiasm is heartening, especially seeing as he was offered the opportunity to join another Championship club over the summer.

He remains coy on who the potential employers were but says he never considered leave Palace in the first place.

He said: "I have never been accepted by a group of fans like I have here. They realise the situation is not like it has been over the years and that I'm perhaps their best chance.

"Also it was because of the chairman's support. I know he would love to have given me the millions he's given to other managers but we have to get on with it.

"He is in the trenches with me and will do a lot more this year.

"He's made it clear he will be coming to some away games with us and will come to the training ground a little bit more.

"I am looking forward to seeing him too because he's had a lot on his plate over the past few months."