Chief executive Simon Clegg says there are no tensions between himself and manager Roy Keane over the summer’s transfer dealings. Keane has appeared frustrated regarding the club’s failure to land his targets during the close season.

Speaking after introducing new signing Jason Scotland yesterday, Clegg says too much has been made of frustrations which he shares: “People can read into it what they like. Roy and myself are having discussions at least daily, two, three, four times a day sometimes.

“In terms of what we’re doing we have a very open close relationship and there are frustrations all round.

“I was hugely frustrated that having done the deal with Wigan Athletic and done the deal with Jason, he wasn’t available to us. But as I’m finding out, that’s football.”

Clegg says that despite having Marcus Evans’s money backing the club, he is careful with the purse strings: “We’re looking to try and run this on the right sort of economic model. We can only go back to the owner so many times, he’s only prepared to commit so far on a seasonal basis.

“I’m delighted he’s agreed to commit to the signing of Jason Scotland and this is a massive plus for the club.

“We will continue to review the squad - Roy, the owner and myself - in terms of if and where we would look to reinforce between now and the end of the window, and also taking into account loan signings.”

The chief executive is very pleased with progress in the first few weeks: “It’s been a fantastic start to the season. I think if you’d have offered us seven points before the start of the season we would have bitten your hand off. As it is, there’s a bit of disappointment that we haven’t got nine points.”

Clegg says the club’s aim remains the Premier League and that signings such as Scotland illustrate that intention: “We need to look at the long-term. We’re very clear that this is a highly ambitious club with aspirations to be playing in the Premier League at the earliest opportunity, exactly as I said when I arrived here 15 months ago.

“By investing in players like Jason, it demonstrates that ambition and it will take us in the right direction.”

Keane says his frustration regarding the delay over Scotland was nothing too serious: “I was frustrated, yes, but I have different levels of frustration, but this was a low-key one.

“With the players we have at the moment doing ever so well, it’s OK. But even though we’ve got the one player in, we will need to have a lucky few months coming up in terms of injuries because we’ve struggled so far with injuries.

“We’ll have a look through the next few weeks, make plenty of phonecalls and enquiries trying to get the loan players in. We’ll see how that pans out.”

Keane is after two or three more additions to his squad and Clegg says the club will continue to look for new signings, both before and after the closure of the transfer window: “There’s still the best part of a week left of the transfer window and the loan window will open up shortly thereafter.

“I’m not going to make any predictions in terms of what’s going to happen between now and the end of the week.”

Photo: Action Images

BseaBlue added 08:57 - Aug 24 I read something very similar to this in the Irish Examiner this morning ;-)
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Karlosfandangal added 08:57 - Aug 24 I wonder what the budget was for this season. With 15 players leaving the club and 6 coming in and the transfer fee paid and received. We must be in credit.
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mickeyjb added 09:02 - Aug 24 Why is I don't think much of clegg? After he's pulled his head from ME's @rsehole perhaps he could answer: how in reality, when we've spent nothing this season when outs are ballenced with ins and reduced the wage bill, has ME had to dip into his pocket to fund Scotland. Hardly the 4mil we thought we were paying for Chopra is it!
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oldbluestu added 09:12 - Aug 24 The £4m was paper talk, the club never mentioned £4m for Chopra, you shouldn't believe what you read. Every business has to be run as a business, if a few more fans (less than 20,000 for Burnley was a disgrace) put their hands in the pocket and actually watched a game a PR it would help.
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Harwich_Blue added 09:19 - Aug 24 Mickeyjb - if you read carefully he states that "I'm delighted he's agreed to commit to the signing of Jason Scotland and this is a massive plus for the club" - its not just about the transfer fee , its salaries and add ons etc - RK himself also stated he wanted to trim teh squad which I am all in favour off as this will mean less unhappy players and a more close knit tighter team ready for a promotion push. I agree we need perhaps another midfield player but do not forget that we have signed Hourihan/Kennedy/Foulop/Odea prior to Scotland !!!

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Norwichbeater added 09:20 - Aug 24 what the hell is he talking about. One big signing after selling or getting rid of 15 players. This is not a club that can be expecting promotion.....
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Back_The_Boss added 09:21 - Aug 24 Thats not what it sounded like on Radio Suffolk!
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Harwich_Blue added 09:29 - Aug 24 Norwichbeater ???? sure you're not a budgie - so much negativity on this forum its incredible - for the first time in I beleive 10 years we have a team and manager who might actually have something about them , our defense is sorted also, yet still we have radio listening fans that bleat like sheep......
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ITFC_93 added 09:29 - Aug 24 Anyone buy the daily mail today? first picture ever of marcus evans in the press ...
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dirtydingusmagee added 09:36 - Aug 24 is he wearing a mask ?
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stiffshorts added 09:37 - Aug 24 No tensions? He is having a laugh??? Keane was steaming at the press conference last week when he intimated he'd done all he could to strengthen the squad and it was up to the owners to show their commitment????????????? ME is not the messiah. Clegg is just a "yes" man. Scotland is ok but no more, I hope I'm proved wrong but colleagues who've watched him play for the past two seasons were'nt too unhappy to see him go. Says it all really, nearly every player we've been linked with over the past 3-4 years has gone somewhere else, tells you a story eh??????????

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rikksow added 09:42 - Aug 24 Pablo looks like he don't have much respect for him http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/article-1305535/CHARLES-SALE-Newcastle-stars-bo
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suffolksam added 09:43 - Aug 24 i dont think so
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Norwichbeater added 09:50 - Aug 24 Harwich Blue until u actually start going to games shut the f**k up. Keane is frustated like us fans because he wants to strenghen the side as much as he can but is being restricted.He kept his side of the bargain by reducing the wage bill and off loading players.However at present we have not got a strong enough side for promotion. Hopefully that will change this week.Harwich Blue have u salad cream in your prawn sandwich????

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jas0999 added 10:05 - Aug 24 Interesting comparison between Clegg and Roy here. Listening to Roy it would sound as though we are only after loan players now. Listening to Clegg, it would seem anything could happen. Will be interesting, but not holding my breath!
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mickeyjb added 10:11 - Aug 24 If clegg spoke more then we might understand which way the club is going and not have to rely on media ramblings
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GoodLuckSmallpiece added 10:22 - Aug 24 Reminder of earlier prediction. Keano will walk around October time, citing lack of resources and differences with the owner. The Ticket Tout is skint and being chased by a pack of lawyers and will be exposed as being unfit to own a club. The General is an irrelevant yesman and will....well, who cares what he does? This nasty little trio are soiling the reputation of a great and hitherto widely-respected club.

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JayITFC added 10:42 - Aug 24 @ITFC_93 Thanks for that, sh*t will hit the fan over this. Can't see ITFC having much to do with Daily Mail going forward...
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bluepeter added 11:05 - Aug 24 I can't understand how a single person (Evans) could be spotted so easily amoungst 30,000 people in a crowded football stadium and yet in the same stadiums, on a pitch of only 22 (players), Lisbie used go missing for hours!
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_Mhs_ added 11:25 - Aug 24 the transfer window isnt shut yet, people are acting as if it is. I know clegg has had all summer to bring these players in, but most of the players we are looking at are very good players, so are therefore needed by their own team, so therefore wont come to us easily. The only way to solve this problem maybe would be to look to lower leagues. Now the prem teams have picked their 25 man squads it should free up a few players for us. If we were doing rubbish in the league i would be a moaner, but we're doing brilliant so we need to get behind them and have a bit of faith in clegg atleast until the end of the window!

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breedalot added 12:18 - Aug 24 @bluepeter comment of the day! rolfl!
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imalwayswrong added 13:12 - Aug 24 "But as I'm finding out, that's football.” FINDING OUT!!!!!!! F*cking stupid, I'm amazed more supporters do not realise we have Mr Clegg "learning" his trade and proving unable to complete transfers, unless we throw lots of £££ at it. Laughable.
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chapmanp added 14:00 - Aug 24 Marcus Evans et al are highly successful businessmen. If they fail, they won't be the first to fail in the world of football. However, the way they are handling the club seems to be far more sensibly than previous Boards. Although Marcus Evans now owns 'our club' this doesn't give us as fans the divine right to demand crazy spending on players that gets us into a bad financial position. Stability breeds success and I for one hope that Evans is invested in Town for the long term. Jason Scotland is a very decent signing - I was disappointed he went to Wigan last close season as I thought he would fit well with us. He scores goals regularly (unlike Chopra who seems to go in bursts) and hopefully will end up with partnerships with Wickham and Priskin that will be the envy of the Championship. If we get anymore players in before the window closes all well and good, but with a couple of back ups for the squad as loan players I genuinely believe we have a good chance of promotion this season. COYB!

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Dolly2.0 added 14:03 - Aug 24 Crickey, for a team with 2 away wins and a draw from their opening 3 games, there are a lot of half-witted moaners on here. You people want the moon on a stick.
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h32 added 17:22 - Aug 24 Norwichbeater - what we are being fed is called bullsh-t, Clegg must be having a right laugh because it's all being taken in by the normal crew ......
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