Town boss Roy Keane says he feels Town might have been relegated last season but for the club’s loan signings. The Blues manager will again be looking to add loanees to his squad in the weeks to come with no new permanent additions expected before the closure of the transfer window on Tuesday.

Keane said: “We’ll look at the loan system in the next few weeks, particularly after the international break. We’ll see how our injured boys are coming back. Over the course of the Championship you need a little bit of strength in depth. We didn’t have it last year and we were very dependent on our loan players.

“I honestly feel we would have been relegated without the loan players coming in, the likes of Daryl Murphy, Jack Colback, David Healy and Asmir Begovic.

“They were important players for us,” Keane added, “and it looks like it might be the case for us again this year.”

Keane says the squad is weak in one or two positions: “We’re OK for numbers, it’s just the lack of strength in certain areas of the football club.

“We’ve got to bring players in who can help us go to another level, otherwise we’ll go with what we’ve got and the players we’ve got at the moment are all doing well.

“I’ll be very surprised if anyone comes or goes at this football club in the next few days. It should be a quiet Bank Holiday Monday.”

The Town boss has been pleased with his young squad so far but says it’s still some way off the sides who have won automatic promotion in recent seasons in terms of numbers and experience: “We’re pleased with the young players, but you compare the teams that have been promoted over the last year or two.

“We’ve got Luke Hyam in the midfield. Newcastle got promoted last year with people like Nicky Butt and Alan Smith, who have won Premier League medals and European Cups.

“The West Brom players had played at international level and had played in the Premiership before. It’s no coincidence that the teams that go up are the teams which have a bit more strength in depth.”

The Blues boss dismissed reports last weekend claiming that Town were amongst the clubs chasing new Bristol City striker Brett Pitman while he was still with Bournemouth and played down reports linking Town with Rotherham’s Adam Le Fondre, although he didn’t rule out his scouts having watched the former Rochdale man.

Keane says he has received no new bids for his players recently: “I’ve had some conversations with managers about who might or might not be available, but no offers.”

Photo: Action Images

Smithy added 12:34 - Aug 27 David Healy important???????
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DidcotBlue added 12:39 - Aug 27 Nice one Smithy!!
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superblues9 added 12:49 - Aug 27 Yet more rubbish I'm stunned he's not signed or signing a striker McCormack chopra ends up with no one and to let stead go for such a pitance unbelievable I'm amazed by the start dead chuffed with It don't get me wrong but lack of firepower will cost us
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arc added 12:52 - Aug 27 Colback please. Sunderland aren't using him.
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Frase1987 added 13:03 - Aug 27 if we have no striker targets then yes, letting stead go wasn't smart. looks like priskin's gonna have to become amazing overnight :)
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ChambersM added 13:08 - Aug 27 We have scouts? I hope clowno is joking about healy.
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themightybutch added 13:09 - Aug 27 superblues9 - out of curiosity, how old are you?
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TractorRoyNo1 added 13:11 - Aug 27 hello, wake up we have signed Scotland from a Premiership club or did you miss that one superblues9 added 12:49 - Aug 27 "ends up with no one"
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O2BITFC added 13:12 - Aug 27 I don't think this message is for the fans but rather a message to SC & ME just to emphasize that if they want promotion they will have to finance the loan deals
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muhrensleftfoot added 13:16 - Aug 27 We're OK for strikers. Perm any two from Scotland, Priskin, Wickham, Murray. Why do we need more? I reckon Scotland & Wickham are both potentially 20 goal a season men, and with Norris & Edwards weighing in with a few from midfield, we don't have a problem
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O2BITFC added 13:17 - Aug 27 I don't think this message is for the fans but rather a message to SC & ME just to emphasize that if they want promotion they will have to finance the loan deals
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MVBlue added 13:24 - Aug 27 Oh for the Burley years when there were interesting signings.. a Dutchman here, a lower league player having success there.. Things have changed, lets hope we can do a job
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PablosRightBoot added 13:27 - Aug 27 Of course Healy was important. Don't undervalue the importance of a scrappy goal away midweek at Scunthorpe
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ChambersM added 13:29 - Aug 27 Dont undervalue a superb chip at home to coventry to win town the game.
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BurleyForever added 13:31 - Aug 27 Maybe a mature loan striker as back up otherwise we should be ok elsewhere
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Raedwald_625 added 13:33 - Aug 27 SuperBlue9 In essence you are right: Steady should have stayed, bringing in more players or not selling so many wouldn't have created this lack of squad, which everyone is aware of. However, up to now we're doing fine - which is great. At the end of the day we're all Town fans and we want the same thing. It just seems so many things could have been done better.
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lawshallgirls added 13:37 - Aug 27 tractorroyno1 completley agree scotland was a great signing but yet the moaners on here are never happy
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Surco72 added 13:43 - Aug 27 TractorRoy... perhaps what some are concerned about is the fact that from last season we have lost Walters,Stead,Counago and the loans of Murphy and Colbaek who between them scored 30 goals and as you say have signed just one forward Scotland who could be great and score 20 plus, but he may be low on scoring confidence,could have been a one season wonder at this level like Lisbie,Priskin and then we are back to relying on two young kids and Wickham only scored 6 goals from 30 games he was involved in and is still learning . Loans will be very important as cover is poor throughout all positions in the side apart from goal and maybe centre back and left back

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andygizmo added 14:10 - Aug 27 Please god people stop thinking about how players are "the best". Its a business. Stead had less than 12 months on a contract.... he wants 3 more years on a contract where he is already the top paid player. Is he that good? no... last year people complained bitterly about him. we got 225K for a player who is a nice to have but not a regular goal scorer. We've got rid of someone who people love for his tricks but has never ever been a top class striker coz he has no pace... counago. Bruce cant get in the Leeds team... etc etc. Keane wants and appears to have a tight knit unit without the whingers and whiners (Walters ineed more money, counage play me or else i sulk). We will see some loans. Im happier than I was last year when i couldnt see a team pattern. Still I suppose the moaners will still be at it even if we continue to win coz they've seen their dream team go to crystal palace. Listen to the palace fans.. they dont want what we've cast off. it was good business. Well done Roy and don'y listen to the moaners.

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Raedwald_625 added 14:38 - Aug 27 Keane didn't want Stead to leave. For the sake a few quid we could have kept a very good player for THIS year. I would say that C + E are being found out rather than Keane. And Andy, stop moaning FFS
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Bergholtblue added 14:47 - Aug 27 andy gizmo - couldn't agree more. These players are only 'the best' after they leave the club, having been criticised most of the time they were here (Pablo excluded), but the players that have left us have not set the world alight. Add Schumy to your list - released by Preston having failed to make an impact there.
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Back_The_Boss added 14:55 - Aug 27 Credit to Colback and Murphy.
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zippyrainbow added 15:08 - Aug 27 Colback and Begovic were class. Murphy chipped in with goals but Healy?? I think Jason Scotland is the new David Healy. Couldn't score in a brothel !!!!
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Youth added 15:31 - Aug 27 wait till end of season when keane has us at the top of table and all these keane haters we will start saying they always had faith in him you would think this was a norwich forum the way some fans slate there own team, get behind us or jump ship ffs
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8ashblue added 15:31 - Aug 27 i guess zippy thats your real photo! Healy played his part but Scotland will do well at this level once players get used to him so patience and support is needed. Generally we've got rid of the right players and perhaps as the window closes RK will see more easily where the gaps are for loanees. If Wickham returns after break he could do weel with Scotland alongside. COYB

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