WELL, we’ve finally got there ... 2018!

And while the start to the year may not have been what we were looking for, I think we can take a step back and reflect on what a fantastic position we are in.

The festive period may not have brought much in the way of wins (well, none in fact) but we’re still seventh in the Premier League and don’t look like being nudged from that position anytime soon.

It’s hard not to pinch yourself at times when you think of the progress we’ve made just from one season to the next.

Annoyingly that success means we’re going to have to put up with a month of rabid speculation over who is coming into the Turf and who is set to leave.

I noticed that one particular sports broadcaster had a countdown to the transfer window opening!

I’ve always called this time of year silly season and already I’ve seen newspaper reports linking us to at least six different targets.

I know agents play a big part in creating speculation for their players but I think sometimes people just spin two wheels – one with a list of clubs and one with a list of players – and create some column inches with the results.

That said, there’s probably never been a better time to attract players to Burnley.

I was speaking to a friend who supports Manchester City the other day and he wondered if I’d be happy with getting in a big name superstar, possibly at the expense of damaging the incredible team spirit we have.

It’s a difficult one because as football fans we always want to see the best players at our club.

But Sean Dyche has built this Burnley team – and the ones before it – around this unbreakable spirit and togetherness.

We’re never going to be in the market for a top, top superstar so we won’t need to worry about having to get someone in on a wage four or five times what the current crop earns.

But team spirit and morale is such a delicate balancing act and I am not sure Dyche – a manager who spends so much time looking at players’ back stories – would want to risk fracturing it.