The transfer window is open. For Scottish clubs, it is beginning to resemble a two-way mirror

The transfer window is open. For Scottish clubs, it is beginning to resemble a two-way mirror. The demise of Setanta Sports' UK operations has left the Scottish Premier League with a colossal revenue crater that BSkyB and ESPN are in the process of repairing, at a knock-down price. Clubs of rich and proud history are in danger of dying a slow and painful death. Players now regard Huddersfield, Preston, Cardiff and Bristol as desirable British destinations. Llanelli, with their 16st centre-back and 42-year-old midfielder, are now more than a match for Motherwell.

These are ominous and barren times for Scottish football. Yet there is nothing new in the collapse of a lucrative television deal, migration to mid-tier leagues or embarrassing European exits. The eternal football elixir - the transfer tonic - has been conspicuously absent. Rangers have deliberately adopted a "nothing-to-see-here" policy, save for the £15-a-pop photo opportunity with the Clydesdale Bank Premier League and Homecoming Scottish Cup trophies.

The departure of Gordon Strachan and recruitment process across the city has afforded Sir David Murray and Walter Smith the luxury of time. Rarely in recent years have Rangers had such a quiet, uneventful summer. They have a week left before the first-team squad report back for pre-season but even accounting for their direct entry into the Champions League, and estimated £15m income, the activity is likely to remain distinctly lopsided.

Barry Ferguson, Alan Gow, Charlie Adam, DaMarcus Beasley, Andy Webster, Steven Smith and Graeme Smith are all available for transfer. The removal of the entire squad surplus would enable the manager to administer modest modification to his team. Ideally, he would like a centre-back to replace David Weir, two wingers to bring dynamism to a stodgy midfield and a centre-forward to alleviate the burden on Kris Boyd and Kenny Miller. In reality, he will make do with a maximum of two new faces, not including any loan deals to offset the pre-planned squad reduction.

Celtic have already lost Shunsuke Nakamura, Paul Hartley and Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink and are in the process of replenishing Tony Mowbray's squad. The prudence is understandable at a time of great uncertainty. Celtic's debt may be negligible but the group stages of the Champions League makes a radical difference to the financial health of the Old Firm. If Peter Lawwell, the chief executive, enables Mowbray to make the four new signings he estimated on Thursday, it could cost in the region of £10m in transfer fees alone. Failure to navigate the perilous qualification process could compound the outlay and prompt the kind of financial swing that Celtic's sustained success had previously protected them from. It is perhaps why Mowbray mooted the possibility of selling a key asset to strengthen elsewhere.

And what for the rest? Hearts, Hibernian and Motherwell have suffered most at the hands of the scavengers this summer and have continued the recent trend of replacing with inferior players. Jim Gannon has received an early reminder of the miracle work required at his new club after Motherwell's diabolical defeat to Llanelli. Shorn of Stephen Hughes, Brian McLean and Graeme Smith, Motherwell's abject performance was not surprising. The also-rans of the SPL, of which there are 10, should learn the lessons of the past.

It was from desperate financial peril that James McFadden and Stephen Pearson emerged at Motherwell, after the administrators made 19 redundancies and left Eric Black and then Terry Butcher with no alternative but to promote their youth team en masse. Hibernian have revitalised their financial health by nurturing, then selling, their belly of talent: Steven Fletcher's £2.8m transfer to Burnley the latest in a succession of impressive deals negotiated by the canny chairman, Rod Petrie.

Clubs outwith the Old Firm can no longer compete with League One and League Two in England and, thus, with the odd exception, have given up scouring for talent. Jim Jefferies has been the master of the bargain signing, with Kevin Kyle the most recent example of a reinvigorating acquisition. Kilmarnock no longer have a Kris Boyd or Steven Naismith in their ranks to offer a quick financial fix.

Falkirk founded their relative success on the emergence of Darren Barr, Scott Arfield and Tam Scobbie: keeping them during the financial uncertainty - having already lost Patrick Cregg to Hibernian - is the biggest challenge facing Eddie May. The same story can be told throughout the division. The gamble on the unknown is no longer an option. The television deal has yet to be agreed and until it is, clubs from the Old Firm down will continue their plans for the new season with a feeling of trepidation and, in some instances, sheer dread. The transfer window is more a hindrance than a help to Scotland's ailing clubs. Salvation will come from within. For many, it is their only hope.