Boss Roy Keane says new loan signing Stern John can score the goals to turn Town’s many draws into wins. The Town manager was hugely impressed with the 33-year-old Trinidadian during his eight months playing under him at Sunderland and yesterday brought him in on a month's loan from Crystal Palace.

Keane said: “I know Stern well, he’s a good experienced striker, not a youngster but he’ll give us something different. He’s a good character and he’s a good man. I’m glad to get him.

“He was probably one of my best signings at Sunderland in terms of what he brought to the club, he just got on with the job and he’s a big, strong man.

“Even when I let him go to Southampton when I got Kenwyne Jones, he took it really well and I remember thinking ‘he’s a good man’, and I’m looking forward to working with him again.”

The Blues boss says his side have been creating chances and that John is the man to convert them: “He’s not the type of striker who’ll get behind teams, but he’ll certainly hold it up. Basically, I believe he’ll get goals for us.

“I think we get some good balls in the box and sometimes we’ve not had that person attacking it and I think Stern will do that. As much as we’ve praised the players, particularly the strikers, for their workrate and so on, we need someone who can put the ball in the back of the net, as that’s what’s been costing us.”

Asked if the move could be extended beyond the current month, Keane says that goals will be the key: “If he scores 10 goals in the next few games he’ll have a hell of a chance!

“If Stern scores goals it benefits everyone. It’ll benefit Ipswich, it’ll benefit Stern, he might go back to Palace, or if not it might get a fee for Palace.”

Keane says the Eagles might not have been willing to allow the much-travelled frontman to join Town but for the Blues' current position: “I don’t think Palace would have loaned him if we were top of the table or in the play-offs, in competition with them, but they might look at us at the moment and let Stern come and score some goals for us as we’re not a threat to them. Hopefully we will be in a few months.”

Loan players aren’t required to pass medicals and the Irishman says John, like other players in their thirties, has an injury history, although that doesn’t mean he’s constantly sidelined: “Stern would probably never pass a medical in his life because of his body and his knees, but he doesn’t miss many games and I don’t think he missed a training session when he was at Sunderland.”

Keane considered bringing in a loan keeper after Asmir Begovic's return to Portsmouth and says he made a number of enquiries about further loans before yesterday’s deadline: “We looked at a few different players, a few options and made plenty of phonecalls yesterday, but we couldn’t get there for one reason or another, be it the finances or the player.”

Carlisle left-back Ian Harte was reported to be a target, but his former Republic of Ireland team-mate refused to confirm moving for him: “Ian’s been linked, along with how many other players? We’ve been linked with lots of players and I think it’s unfair of me to comment on that.

“We had a number of targets, we’ve got Stern and I think we’ve got 21 players training today, so I’m OK for numbers, let me tell you.”

John will go straight into the squad for Sunday's game at Cardiff, although Keane is yet to decide whether he will start.

Central defender Alex Bruce is out for two or three weeks with a recurrence of the groin injury which sidelined him earlier in the season.

Photo: Action Images

byebyesheepshanks added 12:31 - Nov 27 I think Lee Chapman is available
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Jambo added 12:31 - Nov 27 You hope Roy. You hope. I remember when we signed Gerry Creaney on loan. God he was awful.
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ITFC1985 added 12:31 - Nov 27 Lets hope that Keane is right and he turns out to be a good deal for us, he's only got 6 or so games will it be enough to make a major impact, lets hope so COYB
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WeWereZombies added 12:36 - Nov 27 So, he'll score five goals during the loan period- everyone will think well that's halfway to the target of ten, not bad and he gets signed on a two year contract and never score again. Or maybe not, there were some very realistic comments about his fitness in there.
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MickeyMills added 12:39 - Nov 27 I am personally not impressed by this signing. However, you never know, so fingers crossed!
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ITFC1985 added 12:40 - Nov 27 WeWereZombies you have raised a good point, i said something similar yesterday that he would probably score a few goals which would result in a panic buy in January and then he would either get injured or not score again all season, ive read that his fitness has never been great and his record of 26 goals in 4 seasons doesnt sound great, but still he might be another Alan Lee or could be a Sam Parkin time will tell....

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SeriouslyDelusional added 12:43 - Nov 27 Whether he's fit enough is the main concern, but I totally agree with the need for a physical presence in the box as we haven't had this for far too long. Really hope this works out.
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byebyesheepshanks added 12:46 - Nov 27 Martin & Priskin have got to be asking themselves questions. We spent over 3.5mil on that pair & 6 weeks before Christmas we're panicked into getting a non prolific, injury prone old journeyman to lead the line! Why is it whenever you are at the bottom of the table every dodgy manager resorts to ' the big, strong (slow) presence up front'. It never actually works. Desperation.

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nobrain added 12:55 - Nov 27 Did somebody mention Sam Parkin? (shudder)
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finidigeorge88 added 13:08 - Nov 27 Just seen Sammassi Abou is avaliable!!
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BurleyForever added 13:11 - Nov 27 I wonder what odds the bookies would give to Stern John scoring on Sunday?
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FormerlyCGS added 13:13 - Nov 27 Keane - “I don't think Palace would have loaned him if we were top of the table or in the play-offs, in competition with them, but they might look at us at the moment and let Stern come and score some goals for us as we're not a threat to them. Hopefully we will be in a few months.” WHO@S FAUKLT IS IT THAT WE ARE NOT CMOPETING WITH THEM, WE DID LAST YEAR< AND THE EYAR BEFORE THAT< AND THE YEAR BEFORE THAT - YOUR A TOSSER KEANE

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muhrensleftfoot added 13:19 - Nov 27 There are no free scoring super strikers in the loan market for bottom of the table championship clubs, so we shouldn't be too disappointed. I reckon John will do OK for us in the short term. Like someone above said - Martin & Priskin should be embarrassed at this. I do still think Priskin has a chance as he shows some good touches but is really down on confidence. Martin shows nothing, can't pass, can't score, can't dribble, can't defend - totally pointless signing.

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mugsykets added 13:21 - Nov 27 I admit to being disappointed with this signing. I would have hoped, by now, to perhaps be attracting bigger names but we are where we are and I doubt there's many Premier League strikers that would be wanting to join us at the moment. Having said that - my message to you people is this - This fella will pulling on a Town shirt so therefore we should back him, get behind him and support him. As we should with ANYONE who wears the blue. The players, with our support, can get us out of this mess so let's all stick together and get behind the lads!!

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naa added 13:27 - Nov 27 Not impressed with this signing, but hey, if he scores I'm happy. But I do like the headline and thrust of this story. Which basically reads as "Keane signs striker to score goals". Well, duurrrrr.
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SeriouslyDelusional added 13:32 - Nov 27 Duurrr it may be naa, but u got to admit if he does score goals for us it will be a bit of a novelty compared with the other strikers lol
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naa added 13:35 - Nov 27 Only too true, sadly. Not sure what's gone wrong this year. We already have the players there to score us enough goals for upper-mid table or play-offs. But they're certainly not doing it. No threat for midfield either though, which is as much of a worry in my eyes. Man Utd have never really had a big goal-scorer (other than Ruud) they score plenty from midfield instead.
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randomblue added 13:40 - Nov 27 callumgarryskeemer - you are such an idiot! Pipe down and get behind the team. Call yourself a supporter! All I ever see on here from you is negativity! This is rubbish, Keane out... blah blah blah blah! Getting boring! If your not happy with the signings, the manager, whatever, then jog on and pop back when you've got something positive to say!
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byebyesheepshanks added 13:48 - Nov 27 All you seem to sat Random is 'shutup Callum'. Why do you bother coming on this site if you don't have an opinion of your own? What's your point then? 'Very well done Roy, Healy & Martin are marvelos purchases, your press interviews are brilliant & I do like the prospect of playing Orient next year!!'
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naa added 13:53 - Nov 27 byebyesheepshanks: I agreew (to an extent) this site is now getting full of posts that just tell others to shut-up without actually adding anything themselves. If that person has a positive slant to put about the story then please add it, don;'t just slag others off. Eg. randomblue you could have slagged cgs off and then added a paragraph why you think he is wrong.
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FormerlyCGS added 13:54 - Nov 27 Sorry peeps yes i'm always on here moaning and shouting (caps locking) but seeing our manager openly admit that we cannot compete with Crystal effin Palace is one of the most depressing things ive heard in a while, or at least since I saw we had signed john!
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byebyesheepshanks added 13:58 - Nov 27 CGS - give him him a chance. Can't you see that the 33 yr old Stern is one for the future. He's the last part in the Jigsaw. The key to Keano's masterplan. Anyway, they've painted in his disabled space in at the training ground now & he's had his own bed moved into the treatment room!
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MACKEMYANK added 14:01 - Nov 27 I think Stern John may surprise a few of you lads. Obviously, he is slightly older now but he has to be given a fair chance. I am also impressed that Keane brought in McParland as well. Although, what are the chances that McParland is a yes man and will just be another Keane puppet like Tony Loughlin? Anyway, I do think that Ipswich have made a step in the right direction albeit a small step. Let us just wait and see.

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FormerlyCGS added 14:07 - Nov 27 I dont think he will do well. He has been uinjured for the majority of the season so will need some intense training, and at least 2/3 games to get match fit so we will get 2 games uot of him then he will go back to 'superior palace' BAD TIMES FOR TOWN
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byebyesheepshanks added 14:14 - Nov 27 I've just seen the recruitment ad we've got on the PFA website. 'Sunderland Old Boys Rest Home. If you've got a pair of boots, have had any connection with Sunderland in the last 10 years & you don't mind working with a maniacal dictator, with gobshi*e tendancies, please get yourself down to Suffolk. Excellent wages paid. Playing or trying totally optional. ding ding, all aboard'

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