A NEW ten-game league season starts on Saturday and Ipswich Town will not be calling on any reinforcements to ensure they win it.Blues boss Joe Royle last night ruled out bringing in any new players before the transfer deadline on Thursday, March 24, and is not among the vultures circling to pick the Cardiff City carcass.

By Derek Davis

A NEW ten-game league season starts on Saturday and Ipswich Town will not be calling on any reinforcements to ensure they win it.

Blues boss Joe Royle last night ruled out bringing in any new players before the transfer deadline on Thursday, March 24, and is not among the vultures circling to pick the Cardiff City carcass.

While a decision on whether to send Danny Karbassiyoon back to Arsenal when his loan spell ends later this month has still not been taken, Royle has a clear picture about who he is relying on to get Town back into the automatic promotion places.

He said: “These are good players and this squad is strong enough to get us back to where we were.

“I also know the financial reality and it is highly unlikely that we will be bringing in anyone else now.”

Royle is also reluctant to let any of his senior players go out on loan, including back-up keeper Lewis Price.

He said: “We could insert a recall clause for Lewis as a goalkeeper but at this critical stage of the season I don't want to see him out on loan.”

Even in the wake of three defeats the Blues boss, who has won promotion with Oldham and Manchester City (twice) is confident things will turn Town's way once again and things are not as gloomy as they may appear.

He said: “What we are taking about is a week of bad results and one bad performance.

“In the second half against Wigan, who are the league leaders, we did very well although we didn't really create anything.

“We are now beginning a new ten-game season and we need to get back to playing the way we know we can, and that starts with Nottingham Forest.

The Blues are at a three-point disadvantage to Sunderland and Wigan for the run-in and Royle will be at Vicarage Road tonight to watch Saturday's opponents Nottingham Forest.

Gary Megson has revitalised Forest, who won at Leicester City last Saturday, and has vowed they will carry on 'playing ugly' in order to escape relegation.

Royle said: “Gary has made no bones about what they are going to do. They need results and will do whatever they can to get them.”

Forest, who signed Scott Dobie from Millwall last week, have made a £200,000 bid to sign Peter Thorne but the deal was put on hold yesterday after he picked up a hamstring injury.

The former Stoke City striker will be out for a couple of weeks and will miss the Town game at Ninian Park next Tuesday.

The Bluebirds are in financial straits, which has precipitated a fire sale.

Graham Kavanagh was sold to Wigan for £400,000 and made his debut against Ipswich.

West Ham had a £350,000 bid for centre-back James Collins rejected but may have more luck with a second move this week.

Delays over getting a start date to build the new stadium have played havoc with the Bluebirds' budgets.

Chairman Sam Hamman admitted mistakes had been made and they had made bigger losses, and for longer, than anticipated.

The wage bill stands at £9.4m, which includes staff, but the majority is for players, who are now being paid by the PFA.