Caley Thistle manager John Robertson concedes he is unlikely to add to his squad before tomorrow’s emergency loan deadline.
Robertson has been keen to strengthen his pool since the end of the January transfer window, having signed only former Falkirk striker Nathan Austin, and in recent weeks has held talks over a number of possible deals.
But the Caley Jags boss accepts nothing is likely to materialise before tomorrow’s home game against St Mirren, with Robertson claiming geography has put paid to his hopes of getting new faces on board.
Robertson said: “It doesn’t look like it will happen.
“It isn’t due to clubs refusing to loan players, it is down to the fact some players don’t want to come to Inverness.
“They don’t want to come this far north. They think we’re in the middle of nowhere.
“We’ve been frustrated. There were a couple of players we looked like we had but their agents have stepped in and said they were not going up there, they were going somewhere else.
“The big problem is teams like Queen of the South and Greenock Morton are just outside the Glasgow area.
“They can pick up players from the big guns down there because players aren’t travelling far, can live in their own houses and still be in touch with their own teams.
“Unfortunately, with us being three hours up the road, it seems to deter them.
“We just have to deal with it.”
Robertson says the absence of Premiership football from the Inverness club’s Caledonian Stadium has also played its part in the lack of deals.
He added: “It is far more difficult in Championship than it was in the Premiership.
“In the Premiership, you’re playing the Old Firm sides, the Edinburgh sides, the Dundee sides and Aberdeen.
“You’re playing in front of big crowds and there is money there to attract players.
“In the Championship, they don’t see it as a great proposition.
“That’s why we’ve got to look for hungry young players who want to come and play full-time football and are prepared to move away for the opportunity to have a crack at the first team.
“All we can do is talk to a player about our style of play and about how we feel we can improve and develop him – and how we see them improving our team.
“Above all, we have to find players who are better than those we have and who fit into our price range.
“It is a bit like a fruit machine. You need all three things to line up before you hit the jackpot.”
