Roll on the pre-season optimism

First through the door was Gary McSheffrey; the perfect remedy to banish the immense disappointment surrounding England's World Cup exit.

I feel that many supporters were too quick to write him off as a signing that was made purely to get the fans behind Boothroyd, who wasn't the man everyone wanted to see at the helm following Coleman's departure. There's no doubting the fact that he was signed partly to gather support and perhaps boost season ticket sales for the 2010/11 campaign, but this shouldn't disguise the fact that we've signed a talented attacking player, who's scored goals at Championship and Premiership level.

In fact, the signing is virtually risk free, given the fact that no transfer-fee was paid and that a one year contract was offered. Should this season turn out to be a bit of a disappointment for McSheffrey, he'll simply leave at the end of his contract and everyone can pretend that the whole thing never happened.

Stephen O'Halloran is a player I know very little about, other than the fact that he is ridiculously unlucky when it comes to injuries. Two cruciate ligament tears in a matter of years speaks for itself.

That said, he's a player that's been capped for his country at every level, and will no-doubt fit in with the Irish contingent at Coventry City.

With the defence also bolstered by the signing of Richard Keogh, another attacking full-back, it's possible that we'll see a team next year that can attack from every area of the pitch, rather than being overly reliant on certain players to pull the strings from the middle of the park.

Friends of mine who happen to be Sunderland fans have ensured me that Roy O'Donovan is capable of scoring goals in the Championship, and I have no reason not to believe them.

All in all, I think there are many reasons to be happy with the direction in which we're moving at the moment. We're signing players of the right calibre, and hopefully there's more to come in the coming weeks.