The first day of the Football League season, and for many of us watching our sides over the coming month or so it'll be a case of trying to work out who's who.

Losing club stalwart and closet alcoholic Smudger back in May was bad enough, but trying to remember names and identify the faces of the usual raft of close season signings takes at least until the Autumn, particularly if you're anything like me, being one of those blokes who only really pays attention when the ball is in the 'money 1/3rd' of the pitch.

Of course, we still have a couple more weeks of the transfer merry-go-round to go, and aren't we all so grateful that the tabloid press wasted all those column inches, yards, miles on Ronaldo and Robinho gossip over the last few months only for both players to appear to be staying put.

Compare that to former top-level swaggerers Luton Town, who signed no fewer than eleven players yesterday - nothing like leaving it until the last minute, eh Mick Harford?

But the hard truth about the transfer system which bares its spotty deriere frequently to common sense, morals, and EU employment law, is that an estimated one sixth of footballers find themselves out of work each year - that's an almost bigger churn than McDonalds, you know. And for what other profession would a 30-something man be prepared to uproot his entire family and flock to the opposite end of the country for a one-year contract on reduced wages?

As Greavsie famously used to say, "It's a funny old game," - although he may not find it quite as chucklesome as he used to, given that he too is now on the dole.