Let the games begin

Unless you've been living under a rock for the past year, you won't be surprised to hear that Joe Murphy is the likely replacement, a player long admired by Andy Thorn. He's a 'keeper with a great reputation, and his arrival would definitely take the sting out of what is unquestionably one of the heaviest losses we've suffered in terms of player sales in a long time.

I'm sure the majority of fans would agree that Murphy would certainly be a tidy acquisition, with the fact that he's available on a free making the prospect all the more handsome.

If all goes to plan, our goalkeeping fears will have been alleviated shortly after Westwood's inevitable departure, allowing us to turn our attention to other areas of the field.

With futures of King and Gunnarsson remaining in the balance, we're yet to fully understand the potential magnitude of this summer's recruitment drive. That said, I think it's safe to say that regardless of the whereabouts of our out-of-contract stars come September, we will still see significant additions to the squad.

Having been promised similar financial backing to that received by Boothroyd last summer, Thorn will be working tirelessly to recruit the players that he sees as vital to enhancing our new-found reputation as champions of "sexy football".

At present we seem only to be quashing rumours, which I found particularly heart-breaking when it was made clear that the most likeable man in football, Jimmy Bullard, would not be heading to The Ricoh.

However, what is a summer without a multitude rumours that ultimately turn out to be false? I'll tell you what it is, boring.

So, bring on the endless stream of links to players who we've either never heard of or could never even dream of signing.

Who knows, we may even be treated to some concrete transfers over the next few weeks, but maybe that's just wishful thinking.