As the Scottish Premier League gears up for the new season, starting today, there are dark clouds on the horizon for its member clubs.
A lack of television money and mounting debts has given supporters little to cheer about in recent years and if the Old Firm are a barometer for the rest of the sides in the SPL then there could be stormy times ahead for the league.
The championship will again be contested between Celtic and Rangers with last season’s Scottish Cup winners Dundee United best placed to offer a challenge to the Old Firm.
Reigning champions Rangers will enter the title battle in worse shape than their Glasgow rivals.
Despite winning back-to-back titles in April, the Ibrox side was immediately weakened by a host of first-team players heading for the exit. The SPL’s all-time top scorer Kris Boyd left on a free transfer to Middlesbrough where he was joined by midfielder Kevin Thomson.
Steven Smith, Nacho Novo and DaMarcus Beasley were all allowed to leave for nothing while promising youngster Danny Wilson, who only made his debut last season, was snapped up by Liverpool.
The club’s financial problems have been well documented but it appeared manager Walter Smith would be handed a summer transfer budget.
Despite having money to sign a player for the first time in two years, attracting players to Ibrox and persuading clubs to sell has proved elusive.
Smith, who will bow out of football management at the end of the season, admits to being priced out by clubs’ asking prices and player wage demands.
“Market forces are against us right now and that is happening a lot,” Smith said.
Old Firm foes Celtic have spent the summer rebuilding after a trophyless season.
Despite arriving in a blaze of glory last summer, manager Tony Mowbray was sacked in April after a disappointing run of results and replaced by Neil Lennon.
The former Celtic captain has wasted no time in bringing his own players in. Seven players have so far arrived at Parkhead including Mexican international Efrain Juarez, South Korean defender Cha Du-Ri and Scunthorpe striker Gary Hooper.
Stephen McManus and Polish keeper Artur Boruc have left the club while Irish winger Aiden McGeady completed his move to Spartak Moscow yesterday.
Despite winning eight out of eight in the league as interim boss at the end of last season this new campaign has not started as brightly.
A poor pre-season was followed by a Champions League third round qualifying defeat to Braga, meaning the Parkhead side will drop into the Europa League qualifiers.
With a second summer of spending, the Parkhead board will know that another season without the Champions League cash-pot will be hard to bear.