By Kevin Howells BBC Sport

This could be the weekend that finally seals the fate of Yorkshire in the County Championship.

With at least 11 points needed to maintain any chance of avoiding the drop, a depleted attack was unable to prevent Warwickshire piling up 601 for nine declared at Edgbaston.

Relegation will dent the pride of last year's champions but according to sources at Headingley, it will make very little difference to the finances of the club.

In truth, the players have held out little hope of saving themselves for some weeks and secretly admit it's what they collectively deserve after failing to win a match until mid-August.

Yorkshire's bowlers were on the receiving end

We are told that there was little difference in the preparations made at the start of the season, so now players must ask themselves some difficult questions.

Were their minds right? Were they too complacent after winning the Championship with some comfort last summer?

Coach Wayne Clark began the season demanding another 10% from the players but what he received was 50% less.

Contracts dilemma

The Australian has won himself many friends in the Yorkshire dressing room and that was clear when the side won the C&G Trophy final at Lord's.

Such is the loyalty he showed the players they rightly felt embarrassed when the coach took the brunt of criticism and tried their best to turn around an appalling start to the season.

How much Richard Blakey has had to do with the change in results isn't easy to pinpoint.

Blakey (right) has done his best in trying circumstances

As captain, he leads in a very quiet but effective manner, and has played as well as anyone this season.

To date, he has made a total of 772 runs in the Championship at an average of 42.88 - second only to Darren Lehmann.

Blakey's future at the club will be discussed next Monday.

Many Yorkshire members will remind you that the county lost Steven Rhodes when '80s hero David Bairstow held on to his place too long.

And with plenty of interest in Yorkshire's current reserve keeper Simon Guy the club can't afford to make the same error again.

Blakey is not on his own when it comes to delicate negotiations next week. Darren Gough, Craig White and Anthony McGrath are all at the end of their present deals.

Yorkshire won't have to pay the wages for Michael Vaughan or Matthew Hoggard for the next 12 months as they have been awarded contracts by England but that doesn't apply to Gough or White.

So now chairman Geoff Cope and the other members of the 'Gang of Four' must sit down and work out how many players will have to go.

Speculated figures differ from a none to several.

Chances are they will have to release some second team members who have not yet made the grade and even those who are still under contract maybe involved.

That could include the former England all-rounder Gavin Hamilton who this year had to take a break from first team cricket this season with a crisis of confidence.

Yorkshire Uncovered can be heard on Thursdays on BBC Radio Five Live's Ian Payne Show (7.00-10.00pm). Next instalment: 19 September.