BLUES boss Jim Magilton will today try and secure Middlesbrough winger Adam Johnson on a loan deal and sign a new striker.

Derek Davis

BLUES boss Jim Magilton will today try and secure Middlesbrough winger Adam Johnson on a loan deal and sign a new striker.

The Blues boss is also hoping to hold on to his key players but admitted he could lose Jon Walters within the next 18 hours.

Although Town bosses deny Stoke City have made a £3m offer for the forward, Magilton was not convinced Walters will still be at Portman Road tomorrow.

He said: “I hope so - he is a very valuable member of our squad. I can't honestly say he will be here or he won't be. If someone offers us £10m then he might not be.”

Once the transfer business is done, and the chance to loan players does not open until next week, Magilton plans to get his players into a more positive frame of mind.

He said: “We've got to look at the positives. When we have played well this season, we've kept things nice and simple by moving the ball well.

"We've got to sit down and see those clips and try to accentuate the positives and get people on a high.

"We've got enough character in the dressing room to see it through but we can't keep conceding goals in the manner in which we are conceding them."

“We should never have lost but we were sloppy. You can't give away goals the way we have been and expect to win.

“We gave them an unbelievable goal for the equaliser and then the lad was in the right place to capitalise and we lose.

“We should have won it in the first half and if Kevin (Lisbie) has put away his chance we may have done.”