IPSWICH Town manager Mick McCarthy will demand a transfer kitty from owner Marcus Evans – but not until the summer.

The Blues are right back in the midst of a Championship relegation battle following the return of just one point from matches against Barnsley and Bristol City, the division’s bottom two sides.

It looks like McCarthy will have to rely on the addition of two or three loanees to his squad – which is thin both in terms of numbers and quality – in his bid to beat the drop though, with a keeper, right-back and creative midfielder on his wanted list.

“I haven’t really had that discussion (about transfer budget) with him (Evans) since I’ve come in,” said McCarthy, speaking before Saturday’s 2-1 loss at the rock-bottom Robins. “Initially I did say that there would have to be money to spend though.

“I might end up being a victim of my own success here, because we’ve actually done alright with the team that we’ve got.

“We’ve got to stay in the league, first and foremost, and then in the summer I would be asking and pushing (for money). I’m not barmy in pushing for deals now that are financially ridiculous though. It’s not fair.

“I’m not going to say ‘we must do this and we must do that’. I’m recommending players all the time, but it’s got to be do-able and sensible. I’m cool with that.”

Ex Blues boss Paul Jewell said throughout pre-season that the squad was short on quality, but he ended up spending just £300,000 in transfer fees last summer – on Scott Loach and Elliott Hewitt – before eventually signing Paul Taylor on deadline day for £1.5m, with the rest of his additions either free transfers or loans.

Speaking in a recent radio interview, Jewell said: “Looking back, I think I should have pushed it a bit more in the summer for some more money to spend.

“We ended up with too many loan players because of that. It was a mistake and that was down to me.

“It was my job to push the owner harder because I think, if I had pushed him, he would have backed me.”

Bristol City and Barnsley host Millwall and Watford respectively tonight. A victory for either would see Ipswich move to within three points of the relegation zone heading into Saturday’s visit of sixth-place Middlesbrough.