Ok, so we're only a week off the start of a new season, and apart from the chance to see people you have 'missed' over the summer and the opportunity to shout 'Bootboy', is there anything to get excited about with a Linfield side that has added no new players from the team that finished last season?

Of course there is!

This season throws up lots of questions regarding how the team will perform, but more than that it offers up lots of reasons to get excited about the current side and what they can achieve.
Here are just a few reasons to get excited about the footballing side of a new season -

Our 2010 form
Since the nadir at Ballymena and the extended winter break, we've only lost 2 meaningful league games, won the league and cup, and scored a hatful of goals, hammering teams 5-0 on three occasions this year. David Jeffrey has developed a young, exciting team which, make no mistake about it, is terrifying the rest of the league. We know there are improvements to be made but the potential in this side is huge. David Jeffrey has taken a lot of criticism, and in many area's it is justified, the 'transitional' phase should have been seamless, yet that time has past and we're just scratching the surface of a squad that we really don't know just how good it can be. We have a squad brimming with youth and options, and our Champions League games showed they have a maturity and calmness beyond their years. If we can carry over this style of football and add the attacking edge needed to win games this will be one of the most exciting teams to watch in a Linfield shirt for a long time, with the chance to emulate the football (if not the trophy haul) of the Clean Sweep season. A lot of credit should go to David Jeffrey for going down the path of picking not only young players, but good, technically sound footballers, and as importantly Linfield players. When we see someone like Robbie Garrett tearing round the pitch, not only is he one of the best players on the pitch, but we know they'll leave nothing in reserve, which is all we ask for in every Linfield player.

The emergence of the real Alan Blayney?
After an underwhelming start to his Linfield career Blayney ended the season strongly, and has produced two super performances in the Rosenborg games this season. However the fact that the best goalkeeper Linfield have had in a generation is only two hours away still casts a shadow of Blayney. Will take a good, consistent season from Blayney to stop the jealous looks at our old keeper.

Another season of Billy Joe Burns
A more pertinent point may be can Linfield hold onto Billy Joe Burns for the whole season. Many people's player of the season last year and, even though he plays right back, offers a huge amount to our offence. If he continues his 2010 form he'll go one of two ways, our right back for the next 10 years or our best export to England in a long, long time (certainly in terms of his prospects of a long career across the water).

Another year on…
… Means another years learning for our young players. Can Aaron Burns make the left back spot his own (will JP Gallagher ever start his start-stop Linfield career?), and form an all Burns full back partnership that could serve us 10+ years? Will Phillip Lowry really convince as a wide midfield player? Can Marcus Kane really break through into the first team? Just how good can the Mulgrew-Garrett partnership get?

A full season for Kris Lindsay
We all know the injury problems Kris has had, but if he can play 30+ games this year and produce what he's shown in glimpses he can finally allow us to retire one of our legends at centre back safe in the knowledge that the level of performance they've given us will be matched by their replacement.

Michael Carvill
While he's shown that at he's best he's unstoppable, you still get the impression he's underachieved so far. Certainly injuries didn't help, but perhaps more important is the fact we still don't really know which is his best position. Can Carvill make a position his own and become the league's most dangerous player?

We get to find out how good Chris Casement could be
Had a sticky loan period, playing at left back didn't seem to help, and he could never get a run of games. However the chance is there, due to age for two centre backs and the eccentric nature of Steven Douglas, for Chris (or perhaps David Armstrong, should he sign a deal with us) to establish themselves as a regular with us, is he a good enough player to snatch the opportunity?

Can Jamie Mulgrew add more goals?
He's the one who makes us tick, though Garrett is gaining ground in this department. Yet he only scored 4 goals last season, and we know he has a lot more in him (think his driving runs into the box, or his strike at Dungannon a few years back). If Mulgrew can add 10 goals a year to his game he'd be the complete midfielder.

Brian McCaul
Watching the Spain win the World Cup showed that physicality was no match for skill, cunning and confidence in your way of playing. You could only admire the likes of Iniesta, Xavi and Silva and wish for players like that on your team.So here's Brian McCaul, a small, neat and tidy attacking midfielder. He's looked sharp so far and offers us another attacking alternative. He also symbolises the sort of changes David Jeffrey has made in recent years. We now have an abundance of small, technical players in the squad, the question is can they all work together and get us enough goals from midfield. Can McCaul stamp his authority on the team, or be no more than the option of something different a la Jamie Tomelty.

Part 2 to follow