England's the burning topic once more as a nation gears up for another roller-coaster ride - and while everybody does the Monster Mash, the Daily Mirror at least is dancing to a more uplifting tune.

Deep in the news pages, no less, the Mirror's Martin Lipton asks: "Since the World Cup, English football has been mired in doom and gloom - but do these stars give us a glimpse of a brighter future?"

Of course, canny Martin has the ammunition to fire a resounding "Yes!!" at the naysayers, and Joe Hart and Adam Johnson both figure prominently in the "Our young Lions" piece designed to raise our spirits.

Joe's CV reads: "Plucked from lowly Shrewsbury four years ago, he is now first-choice goalie at super-rich Man City and was given a chance to show his worth in England's recent 2-1 Wembley friendly triumph over Hungary."

Standing proudly next to Joe in a mocked-up team picture that includes 14-year-old Jade Bailey of Arsenal Ladies, AJ completes a double for the Blues in "a new generation of England cubs that may herald a new era".

Mind you, even though the transfer window has finally closed, to the relief of more managers than you'd imagine, the fall-out is still wafting around in the gentle autumn breeze. Like in Milan, for instance.

The Sun's Pat Sheehan quotes Zlatan Ibrahimovic as "revealing" that he "snubbed" City, and an offer of £500,000 a week, because "City must fight Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal - sides which took years to build.

"I chose Milan because they are a team that can win prizes now. City can wait for the future but I can't."

All good stuff Pat, except that the Blues never made a bid for Barcelona's 28-year-old Swedish striker ...

Elsewhere, the Mail and the Star can't quite bring themselves to draw the curtains on the transfer window either, and they report that Lazio will be back in January to try and land Roque Santa Cruz. Happy New Year, folks!