WHERE Nottingham Forest are concerned, the new year has picked up exactly where the last one left off, with a storm of speculation, conjecture and gossip.
A few stabs of the keyboard on an internet search will reveal the club linked with players from all over the globe, from Premier League superstars to Irish part-timers.
With wealthy Kuwaiti owners and a new manager in situ, who has promised a busy January, few clubs outside the big six in the top flight can have attracted so many rumours over the past few weeks.
Alex McLeish jokes that there will come a point in the future when even he finds out about Forest's latest signings on Twitter.
But, while the Reds boss says it has been a whirlwind for him since he was appointed at the end of December, it is nothing compared to the storm of speculation his arrival prompted, particularly when it comes to which players might be following him through the doors at the City Ground.
Yesterday, the Scotsman swooped to make his first senior additions, in the form of West Brom and Chile international defender Gonzalo Jara and a more familiar face in Elliott Ward, who is back for his second spell from Norwich.
Both men are on loan, with a view to securing a more permanent move in the future.
And more are likely to follow, possibly as soon as today, with McLeish admitting a keeper is at the top of the shopping list, after he took the decision to tell Lee Camp that he has no future at the club.
But, while everyone from David Beckham to Shaun Wright-Phillips have been linked with the Reds, McLeish says his priority is to add the right names, rather than just big names.
"We have to be careful. There are financial fair-play regulations coming in," said McLeish. "There are a lot of clubs in trouble and we have to be careful with what we spend.
"We will be prudent with what we spend. You are not going to see Anelka walking in here.
"We will see what happens. I have to decide who the right players are for this journey.
"I have been down this road before and I know what players are needed to get us out of this division.
"There are about ten other managers who know what they need as well, though.
"If I can't get the right players, we will not do any business.
"But we have managed to do a deal to bring in Gonzalo Jara.
"He is a full back, but he has also played in a three-man central defence for his country.
"Jara would be here until the end of the season, when he is out of contract.
"It will be with a view to a permanent move, although that might depend on where we are as a club.
"I am sure he will give us his level best. He is a very capable defender.
"Elliott is also an experienced defender. He had been in limbo when he left us and we lost him for a couple of games.
"We are glad to have him back. He can knuckle down between now and the end of the season and hopefully give us his very best."
Both men are likely to be drafted straight into a back four when Peterborough visit the City Ground tomorrow, with McLeish unlikely to repeat his experiment of fielding a three-man central defence in the FA Cup defeat against Oldham.
"I am sure we will get an improved performance. We have to keep seeing that fighting spirit and resilience they showed against Palace," said McLeish.
"Hopefully we won't have to come back from behind all the time.
"We want a steely defence and we are working hard on the training ground to put that right.
"It would be good if we can score first more often.
"But we know we are in for a tough game against Peterborough.
"Darren (Ferguson) has got his side rallying. They have converted to a back three, after making a bad start to the season.
"They have persevered with that approach and now look pretty comfortable with it."
At the other end, Forest will be relying on Billy Sharp to continue his recent good form in front of goal, which has seen him score four times in four games and seven in his last ten.
But McLeish says the Reds may now not pursue making his loan move from Southampton more permanent until they have completed the rest of their business in the transfer window.
"There are numbers we have to look at, financially," said McLeish. "Can we make Billy a big offer and still bring four players in? Perhaps not. Can we keep Billy here (on loan) and bring other players in?
"I am going to try to help Billy improve as a player by bringing better players in to help the squad; to maybe get him into a position and get the club into a position where it is much easier for us to do something about guys like Billy."
That is not the biggest decision McLeish has made this week, however – with keeper Camp having been told he is free to find himself another club.
"It was a big decision for us, but you don't come to a club and let everything just carry on as normal. You have to make changes," said McLeish.
"You do not do things if you feel you are cutting your nose off to spite your face . . . but I felt there was a frustration there, with both parties; with the club and with Lee, when it came to him signing a new contract.
"It was my intention to bring in another goalkeeper of real experience. It was one of the first things on my mind.
"When a keeper comes in, if Lee was still here, it would not be the right fit. For Lee to be second in command after being first team keeper for so many years, as well as being an international, would not have been right."
Forest are believed to be pursuing two big names, in the form of former England man Robert Green and Polish international Lukasz Fabianski, as replacement for Camp.
No doubt there will be more speculation about that over the coming days.
But all that matters tomorrow, is the reality of what happens on the pitch.
