PAUL Jewell has admitted for the first time that he has been too reliant on loan players this season.

Ipswich have regularly had five loanees in their squad – making a mockery of Jewell’s assertions that he is planning for the long-term.

With David Stockdale leaving the club and fellow loanees Danny Collins and Keith Andrews following him in the next few weeks, the spine of Town’s team will be decimated in the New Year.

The trio have been an integral part of a squad that also includes Manchester City right-back Reece Wabara and Celtic outcast Daryl Murphy.

Echoing his thoughts about the wealth of experience he has brought into the squad, the manager has admitted that he is still searching for the right balance.

Jewell said: “We have been too reliant on loan players. As a manager, you have to take responsibility. I put the squad together – and it is a good squad. “

We should be doing better than we are and we have shown on a few occasions what we are capable of.

“It is hard to get players from Premier League clubs – the only way you can sometimes get them is on loan. Football is so difficult at the moment to get good players in so we have to use the loan market and maybe a few times I haven’t quite got the balance right.”

Stockdale returned to Fulham on Wednesday while Collins will go back to fellow Premier League club Stoke City after tomorrow’s match against Derby County.

Jewell yesterday said he would do everything in his power to try and sign Collins and Andrews on a permanent deal – the latter leaving at the end of the month.

And while not ruling out further dipping into the loan market for the right player, he insisted: “We’ve obviously got a lot of loan players and players on one-year contracts.

“The ultimate plan is to get permanent players on long-term contracts – hopefully we can do that in the months to come.”