Town manager Roy Keane says he is no nearer to adding any new players to his squad, despite targeting two new signings by midweek after Saturday’s 3-1 win at Middlesbrough. In addition to the permanent additions, the Blues boss is also looking at bringing in some loan players with Town currently in the midst of an injury crisis.

Keane said: “We’re negotiating with clubs and we’re negotiating with players and agents, but I don’t think we’re any nearer to signing any more players than we were last week. It’s tough.

“There’s no progress at the moment, but I’m paid to focus on being a football manager and we’ve got a game tomorrow night and I’m working with the players available and not on potential targets.

“We’ve got an owner and a chief executive and I have to step back and please God let them negotiate and try and get the players into the club that we badly need. We need support because we’re short of numbers.”

The Blues boss wouldn’t be drawn on specific targets with Wigan’s Jason Scotland and Cardiff’s Ross McCormack believed to be in his sights: “We’ve spoken to a number of clubs about different players, different options. You get feedback on transfer fees and wages and you just want the opportunity to meet these players. We’ve interest in a number of players.

“We’re also waiting for one or two clubs to get back regarding loan players and we just have to take it a day at a time because, particularly with the injuries during the game on Saturday, I was hoping to have some positive news today, but it’s been fairly quiet.

“But I understand as well — and I know everyone thinks I’m very, very impatient — that we can’t be held to ransom as much as we need support. There are wage structures in place and we’ve got to negotiate like everyone else in football and at the moment these deals don’t look too close to being done. I hope they will be closer before the weekend.”

Keane, who says a midfielder and a defender, probably a full-back, are also on his wish-list in addition to attacking players, confirmed that he is likely to play a very young side at Exeter on Tuesday with Gareth McAuley set to be rested having been withdrawn from the Northern Ireland squad with a back injury. David Norris and Grant Leadbitter also complained of stiff backs after Saturday’s game but are expected to play some part against the Grecians.

Carlos Edwards and Mark Kennedy are to undergo scans this afternoon on groin and hamstring injuries respectively. Edwards is likely to be out for a month, but Kennedy will probably be back in a fortnight.

Shane O'Connor had a virus over the weekend but is expected to be fine to make the trip to the West Country after training yesterday.

Tamás Priskin has reported for international duty with Hungary but was complaining of an ankle problem late on at Middlesbrough and may well be withdrawn from the squad facing England at Wembley.

Photo: Action Images

bluelady added 17:45 - Aug 9 thanks Huck like the fact he is in ipswich today less so that Stead is part of deal..... gives us no more depth in numbers.
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Karlosfandangal added 17:45 - Aug 9 Seasonticketsteve Good point you are correct my mistake
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ITFCKeano added 17:56 - Aug 9 Some of you really need to get a grip on your melodramatic over reactions. You must lead incredibly stressful lives.
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corshamblue added 18:09 - Aug 9 Pants, not Keano's fault - negotiations are Cleggy's ball game.
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blrmy added 18:18 - Aug 9 There are one, sometimes two press conferences a day. Every word analysed to death. Rumour mills on the internet. Journo's filling space in newspapers. Copied to the net. Forums. Talksport. The Mail. The list goes on.... Then people argue the toss over every detail, when it will all get repeated anyway at the next press conference/rumour/story/interview/etc... I long for the days (not that long ago) pre-internet, when you heard when something had happened, not might, should, would, will, won't, could, etc!!! I'm going to start a new website for ITFC called www.ITFCnoRumoursJustFacts.com ....

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blrmy added 18:22 - Aug 9 No, that's too long, www.itfcnews.com !!!
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Ipswich24 added 18:35 - Aug 9 Can someone please tell me what is wrong with Stead he has done nothing wrong. A really good striker and team player at this level and he scores all types of goals i really rate him and to give him away for peanuts is pathetic why sell someone for that price when you cant bring in someone as good for the price pointless forget the grudge you have with him Keane give him a proper chance

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bluelady added 18:39 - Aug 9 has anyone seen championship team of the week? Jamie Peters got in :-)
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jas0999 added 18:57 - Aug 9 Some of you on here should really decide whether you support this club. The same people who are moaning today, moaned when Roy DIDN'T provide an update on signings. Whatsmore, I can not see how Roy is to blame for any of this? If you really want to moan and point the finger, suggest you look at Clegg and ME who are clearly responsible for the deals. Personally I blame these guys. It's simple. Roy has identified the players he wants, and the club (i.e. CLEGG and ME) have failed to do the deals. End of story. It's not Roy's or the players fault, so get behind them. I don't recall some of the moaners on here posting a comment after the excellent victory on Saturday. Very interesting.

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Millsey added 18:59 - Aug 9 Lets just pay the transfer fees the other club wants, lets not negotiate, lets pay the player's wages which are higher than the other players wages, lets see the club get further into debt. You lot moaning are cretins!!!!! Negotiation is the word?
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stinkiusminkius added 19:10 - Aug 9 Why is it necesarily the fault of anyone to do with our club? Maybe its the players or the selling clubs that are to blame. Or maybe all of these factors will come into it. Eg Chopra - Keane identifies he wants him but are Cardiff at fault for wanting too much, ME and SC at fault for not coughing up no matter what, Keane at fault for identifiying a player whose price was likely to be beyond us? And re Scotland - again Keane identified him and the price seems more realistic (but is it a silly target as a Prem player will be on silly wages so Keanes fault for not being realistic), or Scotlands fault for not dropping wages, or ME and SC for not stumping up no matter what? Theres so many variables in every transfer that its not easy to apportion blame to one party. Probably the only manager who can have a realistic wishlist is Mancini at Man City.

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kerryblue added 19:13 - Aug 9 callmeted,what Im saying is why mention were going to have players by certain days etc and all Summer it is the same old story and looking very foolish at this stage.Wouldnt he be better off shutting his mouth instead of making yet more empty promises.If this makes me a doom merchant I think you need to read posts properly before you pass silly comments like you do.
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bluelady added 19:20 - Aug 9 kerryblue agree totally! you get your hopes raised only for them to be dashed again!!!! also speculation surely helps to inflat prices and makes other teams interested in a player thay may not have previously considered?
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mightytown added 19:59 - Aug 9 good to see some sense being put into pay y those asking for patience to do with signings.every club in every division s trying to sign the players that they think will make the difference. not only do you have to identify a target, persuade him to join, agree a price, agree personal terms, see off interest from other clubs and even after that, the player has to pass a medical. add agents into the equation and the players family and desire to relocate plus finding a club that matches their ambition and ability! signing players is difficult and we are not at the front of the queue for the most desirable places to play your footy! i think keane has done what has been asked of him and now needs to be backed by the club. WE WILL SIGN SOME PLAYERS BUT IT MIGHT NOT BE THE ONES YOU EXPECT AND IT WILL TAKE TIME. NO SENSE PAYING OVER THE ODDS AND LEAVING THE CLUB IN FINANCIAL TROUBLE JUST TRY AND BE PATIENT BECAUSE YES, IT IS VERY FRUSTRATING!!!

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bluelady added 20:30 - Aug 9 mighty town agree you make a lot of sense, i think the point is though why raise fans expectations on friday with a player on the brink of signing only to say today we are no further forward and its likely to be end of week at least (having at weekend said signings by tuesday). my point is its so confusing surely better to say nothing until paper is signed then nobody feels let down?

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Upbeat~ added 20:34 - Aug 9 Come on Clegg! Can we sign someone? YES WE CAN and hopefully a couple on top of that. Keep plugging away and I'm sure players and clubs will eventually bite. Having said that if it's only 50k here or there that we're arguing about I reckon we (by 'we' of course I mean Marcus Evans) should just stomach it.
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tractordamage added 21:26 - Aug 9 To Jas0999: "I don't recall some of the moaners on here posting a comment on here after the excellent victory on Saturday. Very interesting." Well, why would they? They're the ones who express their case logically (usually). And no...there was one calm fan - wisely not judging a whole football club on just ONE game -who correctly pointed out how weak our bench was on Saturday. He's the only one who agreed with...er...Keane's similar assessment (drowned out by our over-excitement). But it IS interesting that YOU wrote the day before Saturday's game..... "I am actually very concerned now. Not with Martin leaving - not a great player and possibly the worst of Roy's to date. But if McAuley and Walters go, along with Pablo and Stead - then who on earth is going to play?? Does anyone else worry that actually we have financial worries?" As you said Jas0999: 'Some of you on here should really decide whether you support this club' ;) But even you were becoming 'open-minded'... [I only remember it because it was your first post in months where you DIDN'T show your paranoid obsession with the imaginary 'anti-Keane brigade' - those people you slag off for having the SAME (logical) opinion of our club...as all neutral sports journalists and bookies: i.e. people who rely on football expertise for a living] Why the need to antagonise people so much? This isn't an audition for Big Brother, although your apparent lack of social skills would get you in. And what's with the 'I-know-it-all' 'No-other-opinion-is-allowed' mindset too?! Jeez, this ain't the registration desk for the Hitler Youth either. What part of the word 'discussion' don't you get, fella?! Come on man...Take that cork out your ass and lighten up. Do you really want to be labelled as childish, antagonistic, fascist, insecure, foolish, ignorant, fickle, etc...and all the other bad adjectives your attitude attracts? Change your language to something more mature....for your sake, no one else's. Change the record. PS I won a tenner betting with my girlfriend whether you'd write ten posts in-a-row antagonising the fans (who disagree with your blind loyalty to Keane). I won easily. Thank god you're that predictable. I'll send you a cut for your efforts....how 'bout a quid? By the way, my uncle reckons Keane's unsubtle comments are 'divisive to the club', as he pins the blame on his employers in public. Anyone agree? [Jas0999 - I'll give you his address, so you can shout obscenities through the letterbox]

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lunatic38 added 22:27 - Aug 9 i have finally registered to this site to write something after checking twtd for a while just to see if we have new signings etc etc.. But after reading many posts about many Ipswich subjects, i read a lot of frustration coming from fans. Frustration at a very poor season last season (some fans were convinced we were relegated last year at one point) frustration because Roy Keane joined this club and expectation was high and now frustration at the lack of signings. But i look back at what has happened, when Keane joined us he inherited a squad he did not like, over payed to big and probably in todays economical climate too expsensive. He has methodically got rid of players one way or another some say "too cheap" or "he is a player we need" and not too many players have come in YET! Fulop was never going too happen said some but he is here now (international duty this week but we have good cover). i for one am very excited by what i see at this club now, i dont want to get carried away about saturday beating (quite comfortably) the favourites for this title, seeing the team reaction when we scored and more importantly the word used "energy". Keane is building a very hungry, hard to beat side which (i hope) looks to be a squad which is not busting the bank and leaving this club in financial strife.When new signings join us it looks like we are not gonna sign dogends and get in more players suited to what he wants rather than desperation hence the delays, when we get these signings i am very confident this is going to be a very good season and it will raise eyebrows in football at what Roy Keane has done. After watching our midfield on saturday i think there was no problem letting Garvan go but i do see some frustration from keane at the lack of signings. lets hope keane and the owners dont fall out because i think if this stays the course that has been set by keane we have premeirship football to look foward to next year! COYB

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suffolksam added 22:35 - Aug 9 i never bother listening to what keane says because he will contradict himself in a couple of days time anyhow.
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thebeat added 23:04 - Aug 9 Has anybody stopped to think that maybe so many players are identified and then dont end up coming to the club because they dont want to or are scared to play for Keane? i like Keane and want him to succeed but it does concern me that his reputation scares some players away, i hope its not the case but it could be a reason. todays players very much rule the roost and perhaps dont fancy being actually being managed by someone who takes no crap

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GinjaBumBum added 23:05 - Aug 9 Ross Mccormack in the next 48 hours?
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tractordamage added 23:37 - Aug 9 Agree Lunatic38. Let's hope Team SPIRIT overrides an impresssive Team SHEET. We did that on Saturday. There's a benefit in Keane sticking to a circle of players he knows well.
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sixtouchfootball added 23:38 - Aug 9 Through no fault of anyone at itfc, manager, chief exec or chairman, we're not going to see any new signing for at least a week, until the first round of premiership games. Once their first squads are announced the rest will have a better idea what scraps there will be to fight over for cheap signings and loans! With the new 25 squad rule its how its going to be. Sit tight all, the transfer market will go beserk after the weekend.

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steve01777 added 00:52 - Aug 10 This is getting crazy guys (this aint championship manager 201 or whatever it is now) Footy seems to be the most annoying threads to tie down, what with all the greedy players negotiating public right images etc / dick head agents squeezing all they can get out of the deal (WTF do we need agents for!!!!) and clubs waiting for over sized fees to come along. The only sane thing to come out of all these deals of the past 10 years or so to me is are mega star that is Connor and his agent dig up to you both sirs you have certainly done me proud by not running off and getting stupid money for nothing. Give the guys that do the deals a break, as it aint that simple no more in this footy roundabout.

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bluearmy4life added 07:41 - Aug 10 You have to feel for Roy at the moment. Managers do walk if they feel they are not getting the backing from the board. It's really pi**ing me off that CLEGG has no idea runing are club. Pull your fingers out of your flippin arse CLEGG and EVANS. Roy is trying really hard to make up for last season with a play off chasing side for this season. Quality players are priceless for any team.

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