Steve McClaren's expectations for Rotherham United's January transfer window

Steve McClaren is confident Rotherham United will be active in the January transfer window as they seek to strengthen a squad that is only one place above the League Two drop zone after the first quarter of the campaign.

The head of football revealed that a target list has already been drawn up and that meetings are taking place to plot the club's new-year business.

"Recruitment goes on and on," McClaren said this afternoon in an interview with local media in which he tipped chairman Tony Stewart to provide the funding for player arrivals. "I think we had a week's break after the summer one and then got back to it.

"Regular recruitment meetings are being held to talk about January and assess what we've brought in - what can take us forward, what can't, how we can move things around, how can we improve?

"I'm positive that whatever backing we need from the chairman, we'll get. We've had it so far and I don't expect that to fall by the wayside come January."

Rotherham have made 18 signings since McClaren's May appointment. The 65-year-old believes Rotherham are in a false position and predicts a climb up the table as a newly-built side develops more consistency.

"At the moment, hand on heart, I'm happy with what we've got," he said.

He still wants fresh faces when the next window opens, but admitted that not every new boy will be a success at AESSEAL New York Stadium.

"We're not going to get everything and everybody right," he said. "I've been in many recruitment analysis meetings in my career, and they say only 50 per cent of signings work out no matter what work you do. We don't want that, we want more than 50 per cent, obviously."

The Millers' lowly league position has fuelled fans' fears that the club could follow up last term's League One relegation by sliding straight down to the National League.

McClaren said: "The first thing I said to Tony when I met him was: 'Stop the drop.'

"I'm not sat here going 'Everything's rosy in the garden', because it's not, far from it. We're in a results business. We need results, and I'm very confident we'll get them, I'm very confident that we'll grow and grow and that this is just a spell we've got to go through.

"I'd say to fans what I said at my first press conference: 'Keep the faith, keep coming.' We know what the failings are and we'll work on them every day."

Rotherham head to Swindon Town this weekend when they will be without Fabio Tavares (Achilles), Ewan Otoo (thigh), Jamie Jellis (knee), Ossama Ashley (foot), Marvin Kaleta (hamstring) and Kian Spence (suspension).

"We haven't had the best of luck in terms of injuries, but that's no excuse," said McClaren. "I talk to people at other clubs every day, and the first thing they mention is the injuries they've got."