Boss Roy Keane says he is happy with his striking options after signing Daryl Murphy and David Healy on loan from Sunderland in the transfer window and having allowed Jon Stead to move to Coventry earlier today on a similar basis.

Keane told the club site that Stead was given the option whether or not to make the move to the Ricoh Arena: "Coventry have made enquiries about Jon for the last week or so and I think the clubs agreed a financial deal last Thursday. I gave Steady permission to speak to Coventry and he's been up there today.

"When I put these opportunities to a player, it's up to the player whether he stays or goes. He might be looking to get a run of games - which I can't guarantee here - and go, or prefer to stay and fight for his place here. The player controls what he wants to do.

"We have a lot of strikers here, particularly with the two new lads coming in. I haven't brought them here to sit on the bench. They've come here to play games, so I don't think I need to bring in anyone else.

"Jon Walters can play up front. We've got Pablo. Connor Wickham is fit now, so we're not too bad on numbers. I'm happy with what I've got but things can change very quickly at a football club."

Photo: Action Images

Lightningboy added 16:59 - Feb 15 Keane,just decide on 2 and give them a run in the team cos chopping & changing the front 2 EVERY game hasn't done us any favours,has it?!
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Rozz added 17:19 - Feb 15 I think Healy and Murphy will be the two that he sticks with. And when players are given a run and still dont perform, people complain that run should be longer. Don't think this will cause us any problems this season, but I don't know what the plan is for when the loanee's leave.
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bleedblue added 17:20 - Feb 15 Counago and Murphy will get us goals, Healy off the bench, done!
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jas0999 added 17:39 - Feb 15 'things can change quickly' i.e. now Stead is off the wage bill it paves the way for a replacement or a left back. I think we have ample cover. I personally rate Murphy and Heaaly above Stead.
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VemundBrekkeSkard added 17:42 - Feb 15 Translation: "I've spent a lot of money and have been told to cut back. Unfortunately I don't have a bottomless pit full of money to delve into to solve all our problems. Healy and Murphy are great players but are expensive loans. I will also have to play them every week to justify signing them, which means anyone currently at the club is automatically available for a transfer for any amount to anyone who's interested as we desperately need to lower the club's astronomically high wage bill. Stead happened to be the only striker other clubs were interested in so out he goes. He knows he won't get a look in here so decides to move into temporary accomodation away from his home despite having a heavily pregnant wife. This was absolutely his own decision." All the best Steady. I suppose whether we'll see you again might be down to whether a permanent deal for the new boys can be arranged. I wonder if they will up for staying with us past the end of the season? Would be great if Keane can convince them to stay, and can strike a relatively cheap deal for them.

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blueblood66 added 17:42 - Feb 15 Counago will get goals?? How many so far this season? Mistake to to let Stead go, IMO,would rather had seen CounaGO, pity, good luck Jon.
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jamie22 added 18:26 - Feb 15 Healy, won't get goals yet, he is too unfit! He was useless off the bench at QPR, I'm not knocking him, the lad obviously has goals in him but he is off the pace atm which is understandable considering how games he has played recently!
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tractorboybig added 18:37 - Feb 15 Pablo is the boy, but with no one to play along side and a mid field that cant pass, o and not to mention a bit manager he aint gonna shine.
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Tractorog added 19:09 - Feb 15 At the moment we have the strikers, but Murphy is here to get the match practice and confidence to back to the prem with Sunderland... I don't see him staying in the summer. Having said that ... in the summer does Stead make you think we don't need to get a new striker? No? Then getting rid now is fine.
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bedsitfc added 19:55 - Feb 15 i think we already have an agreement on murp and healy. stead is a good player but how many chances do we give players to find the net regularly. we cant afford to pay high wages for players that will be bit part players we dont want to go down the portsmouth route do we.
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ChambersM added 19:57 - Feb 15 Its all good having numbers Roy 'blind' Keane, but the numbers need to get you goals, has wickham scored yet....ohhh errr no i dont think so. Has Stead scored? Oh i do believe he is our top scorer, clever one that! Murphy is the only striker that can score us goals atm, KEANE OUT.
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Daleyitfc added 20:16 - Feb 15 Fat-bottomed boy has never contributed many goals and his lazy, no, make that 'bone-idle', approach to the game has never been good enough. And Wickham? Hopeless. Saw him play in the FA Youth Cup last year and he was unimpressive even at that level. I suspect we'll see Dean Windass here on loan soon ....
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Karlosfandangal added 20:48 - Feb 15 In reading pass comment from Keane, Murphy and Healy,It sound to me that they will be leaving Sunderland in the Summer, Would not be surprised if we have an agreement in place similar to Stead going to Covntry? Sunderland was going to off load Murphy last summer to us and then Hull, so he is not in their plans 2 in 2 better then Stead at the mo!!!!!!
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blue added 21:03 - Feb 15 Barrett long kick to the left wing,YAO YAO YAO sprints down the left with a perfect cross,murphy tucks it away!!! yao yao yao
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MightyPaz added 21:15 - Feb 15 Murphy is looking the real deal, I'd go with BleedBlue - start with Pabs and Murph and then chuck Healy on to pounce on a tired defence. But lets be patient and stick with it for a while, all this rotation settles no one. Don't just change it if you don't score in any one particular game.
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BlueinBrum added 23:23 - Feb 15 I think Murphy and Healy will cover us and Counago is more than happy to sit on the bench... however, I wish Keane would stop talking about Wickham - a great prospect for the future of course but he is not ready for championship football yet!
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Johnny_Boy added 00:21 - Feb 16 Massive mistake. Sorry Roy, this just highlights another clanger concerning your mangerial reign.
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matt_the_blue added 08:57 - Feb 16 Everyone's shocked and appalled now about Stead going out on loan but how many of you were laying in to him before Christmas? Let's face facts - yes he is joint top scorer but that's only with 6 goals. 6 goals in 22 league appearances. Murphy has scored a third of that total in 2 league appearances. I'm not saying he's an awful player but I think while we have better strike options available to us he's not going to get much of a look-in and it's best for him to be on loan somewhere where he can get regular starts and maybe come back and start scoring consistently consistently, which we'll need if Murphy and Healy go back to Sunderland at the end of the season.

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matt_the_blue added 08:59 - Feb 16 And I've no idea how I managed to type the word consistently twice...
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wiggymcbigalow added 09:25 - Feb 16 'a midfield that cant pass'!? Come and watch sunshine. Stead is our top score as lee was when he went. Time to go though. Freshen up. Cant wait for the terraces tonight. Shut up haters. Come on you blues.
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RRanger added 10:55 - Feb 16 Stead scored some good and sometimes spectacular goals but I never felt he integrated into the team very well - a bit too individual plus his first touch was not always the best.I think Murphy and Healy will stay if offered the chance - I cannot see Murphy being anywhere near the top of the pecking order as a striker at Sunderland as he doesn't appear to have a right foot (except to stand on!) and Prem defenders would soon sort that out. But as he has said he considers himself a striker I would think if he becomes a regular first choice here as a striker he would be happy to stay.

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