The English Football League kicks off on Friday night as Wolves host Blackburn in the Championship, but optimism is far from universal across the division.
The Championship lineup this season is widely regarded as one of the most formidable in recent memory, with several relegated Premier League clubs bringing significant resources with them.
Wolves and West Ham have both dropped into the second tier, while Burnley, Middlesbrough and Southampton are expected to push hard for an immediate return to the top flight.
For clubs without parachute payments or squads stocked with Premier League talent, the prospect of a gruelling campaign is already weighing heavily on supporters before a ball has been kicked.
Blackburn scraped to a 20th-place finish last season, and while Tony Mowbray has returned to Ewood Park as an experienced head, the 62-year-old faces an enormous challenge to keep Rovers away from a relegation battle.
Fans believe the club’s head of football operations, Rudy Gestede, has sold Mowbray short in the transfer market, with Sam Morsy, Moussa Baradji and Jayden Fevrier the only additions this summer.
Mowbray described the 34-year-old Morsy as “a real man, a soldier” but has made clear his desire for further reinforcements, particularly in midfield, ahead of a demanding season.
“I’m a bit greedy for good players,” Mowbray said. “I keep saying to Rudy: ‘I just want good players, doesn’t really matter where they come from, what age they are.’ I want to see personality on the pitch, players who are desperate to win.”
Blackburn edged past Burton 2-1 in the Carabao Cup last week, relying on late goals from Andri Gudjohnsen and Fevrier, who Mowbray believes can bring “magic” on the right wing after signing from Stockport.
Bolton Wanderers, meanwhile, should still be celebrating after their 4-1 demolition of Stockport in the League One playoff final last season, but the afterglow of promotion has faded quickly at the Toughsheet Stadium.
Manager Steven Schumacher has brought in David Watson, Ben Davies, Akin Famewo, Luca Stephenson, Kyliane Dong and Gaizka Larrazabal, yet supporters remain concerned that a marquee attacking signing is still needed.
The club risk over-relying on striker Sam Dalby up front, and Schumacher’s recent admission that Bolton “can’t afford to waste money” has only amplified those anxieties among an already cautious fanbase.
“We know we’re short, especially at the top end of the pitch,” Schumacher said. “Our budget isn’t massive so we need to make sure we get the right players in, rather than just signing anybody to fill numbers.”
A 1-0 defeat against Sheffield Wednesday in the Carabao Cup reinforced fears around goalscoring, with coveted striker Max Dean of Gent still only 22 and possessing limited English football experience beyond a short spell at MK Dons.
Preston face Bolton on Saturday at the Toughsheet Stadium, but Paul Heckingbottom has endured his own turbulent summer following a public dispute with former captain Ben Whiteman over his desire to join Wrexham.
Heckingbottom said Whiteman “crossed a line” during the saga, which ultimately resulted in the club losing their captain and a cloud hanging over Deepdale heading into the new campaign.
Alfie Devine has been signed from Tottenham for around £6m, while Callum Lang, who arrived in January for roughly £2m before suffering an injury, “feels like a new signing” according to Heckingbottom.
Preston have also invested close to £1.5m in a modern hybrid pitch at Deepdale, signalling the club’s ambition to improve on last season’s 14th-place finish after winning just four of their final 20 matches.
The mood across these clubs illustrates a wider truth about the Championship this season: for those without Premier League wealth propping them up, the sense of renewal that a new campaign usually brings feels very fragile indeed.