Ian Murray says he understands the frustration of Morton supporters regarding the lack of transfer activity at the club this summer. The Ton players return for pre-season today with just 11 senior players in the squad. Speaking exclusively to the Tele, Murray explained that budget cuts at Cappielow have made recruiting new players and negotiating contracts increasingly challenging. Training numbers will be boosted by several trialists, with Murray planning to assess a number of potential signings in the coming weeks. “It’s going to be a slow burner for us, there’s no doubt,” Murray said. “The bottom line is that we’ll have a fair few trialists coming in. That’ll be ongoing for the foreseeable future, we’ll get a few in. “There will be a few that we like and a few that aren’t quite at the level that we hope for. It’s pretty normal in pre-season to have that. “I understand supporters wanting updates and checking the news every day for signings. “I’ve been there. Growing up, I was mad on pre-season, who we were going to sign and the rumour mill. “We’re doing everything we can. Without saying too much, we’re probably exactly where we thought we’d be in terms of signings at this point of pre-season. “Maybe not as far on as other people thought we were going to be, but the constraints we’re going to be working under mean it’s going to be tough. “I don’t think anybody should be under any illusions that it’s not going to be. “We believe in ourselves, the players we’ve retained, the ones we’ve signed and those we will sign will be good enough to go out every week and at least be competitive. “Despite the financial challenges, Murray has been able to tie down Cammy Ballantyne, Jackson Longridge, Michael O’Halloran, Iain Wilson and Grant Gillespie to new deals. “New signings Bobby McLuckie, Brian Kinnear and Grant Savoury have also joined the ranks in recent weeks. “Despite those additions, Murray admits there is still significant work to do before the squad is ready for the new campaign. “Although he has been successful in retaining several key players, uncertainty remains over the futures of Owen Moffat and Michael Garrity, while Cammy Blues has opted for a move to Hamilton. “With six full-time sides now competing in League One, the landscape across Scottish football is more challenging than ever. “While Morton look to reduce costs across the club, other sides have been splashing the cash - something Murray feels comes with a high degree of risk. “‘We’re still in the mix when it comes to negotiations, I would suggest.’ “With Cammy, I think that ship has probably sailed. He’s a player we didn’t really want to “The next fixture for Morton is vs Stenhousemuir (away, 2027-01-09) (9th in the table).