Charlie Adam or Craig Gardner or both

Seeing as last week is over, we now enter silly season at full pace. The manager will have money and he will have desires to do well. He will work harder with us than he has ever worked before, because he is going to need to and with that, he will hopefully bring some positivity, but even with all that, I'm still at 10% that things are going to work out past January.

He is a transient figure and it isn't his fault the club approached and appointed him and he only wants to better himself, so the line is drawn, now we watch who he brings in, because we do need players.

Speculation begins

So, the first rumour doing the rounds is Craig Gardner could be on his way home and none other than Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere is giving it the thumbs up - suggesting a Gardner partnership would be 'dangerous' and you know what, he isn't wrong. We saw enough of the older brother last season to know he can handle it in the top flight and score a few goals.

I always liked Craig and he never got a proper chance with us, despite when playing, usually doing well and we all know his is Villa, as I wrote in the post when he left, he just had to say what he said, because he was joining the circus.

But, there is another rumour that we are going after Charlie Adam but I'm not convinced with this. He played under the manager at Rangers and didn't really get a look in and managers tend to have their favourites, which is why if any of the two rumours today were true, I'd actually be more inclined to think the Gardner one was.

Add to that, Blackpool have told Liverpool they'll sell Adam for £10mn but Kenny Dalglish is refusing to pay anything less than £20mn, I'm sure those two will sort that out before we ever get round to getting serious at £9mn - the reported figure.

Keeping it out

Rumours about a goal keeper are also doing the rounds. There is the obvious link to Ben Foster, who really should be playing his trade in the Premier League but reports suggest the manager may be more interested in Rangers keeper Allan McGregor or Manchester City's Shay Given.

I like Given, but Foster is younger and I've not seen enough of McGregor to really comment and it is too early to try and get my head out of yesterday and concentrate on it, but I imagine the signing of a keeper will be top of his list and that the story about a supposed interest in Blackpool striker DJ Campbell is just a completely made up story.

So, I'm off. Coffee is waiting and I've got emails to reply to and an idea management document to write. All fun here.