THE start of the new domestic campaign may be just days away for the Scottish clubs who play outwith the Ladbrokes Premiership.

Yet, the prospect of taking part in the opening game of the Petrofac Training Cup this Saturday is unlikely to force our second, third and fourth-tier outfits into making any panic signings.

Nor, for that matter, will the League Cup kicking off in a fortnight or the first fixtures in the Championship, in League 1 and in League 2 being staged a week later.

There are still six weeks of the summer transfer window remaining and much of the business conducted, for clubs operating on a strict budget anyway, once again will be carried out during its final days.

So it is perhaps a tad premature to be critical of the players Rangers have recruited since Mark Warburton was appointed manager last month quite yet.

Warburton appealed for patience and defended the backing he had been given by the Ibrox board as he addressed the media for the first time since taking charge at Murray Park on Friday.

Bringing in Danny Wilson, a reliable centre-half who captained Hearts to the Championship title last season and who started his career at Rangers, met with widespread approval among the fans.

The acquisition of Andy Halliday on Saturday, too, was seen as a positive by many. The 23-year-old winger is a boyhood supporter who has played at a decent level in the Championship in England with Middlesbrough and Blackpool.

But will the capture of that duo, or the arrival of Wes Foderingham, Rob Kiernan, Tom Lang and Jordan Thompson, have got Rangers supporters, no matter how loyal, rushing out to buy a season ticket for the forthcoming campaign?

They are hardly the calibre of player the followers of the Govan club have grown used to cheering on – even during their time in the lower leagues when senior internationalists were persuaded to drop down divisions – in recent years.

Landing Jason Holt, a midfielder, James Tavernier, a right-back and Martyn Waghorn, a striker, in the coming days will add strength and depth to the Rangers squad and increase their chances of winning promotion to the Premiership.

However, will the new boys be good enough to improve attendances at Ibrox and ensure the Glasgow giants, who continue to wrestle with significant off-field problems, land the Championship at the second time of asking and clinch a place in the top flight?

Dave King, the Rangers majority shareholder and chairman, stressed the new manager’s remit was to build a side capable not just of going up but also of challenging Celtic for the Scottish title thereafter.

No disrespect to any of the arrivals, but it is unlikely Ronny Deila and his charges are quaking in their boots at the prospect of taking on their city rivals quite yet.

There may be more alluring signings to come at Rangers. But it is unlikely. Warburton has insisted he is content with the composition of his squad and would happily start their league with what he currently has at his disposal.

Still, Rangers supporters have spent much of the last three years bemoaning the age of many members of their side, the exorbitant sums of cash being paid to them, the dearth of youngsters getting an opportunity in the first team and the horrendous financial state of their club.

They should, then, give the hungry and promising players who have been brought in on considerably less money than their predecessors and who should be more than capable of excelling in the Championship the chance to prove themselves.

The same goes for directors who are striving to address the historical problems they have inherited and a new manager who is changing the philosophy of the football club. It will be a gradual process and one that is preferable to the imprudent approach of previous regimes.

The time to judge how successful the Rangers signing policy and recruitment drive have been will be at the end of the 2015/16 campaign – when a place among the elite clubs in the country is or isn’t secured.

AND ANOTHER THING . . .

THE amalgamation of the Scottish Premier League and the Scottish Football League last year was seen as a huge positive which, it was hoped, would herald the dawn of a new era of togetherness in the national game.

Securing a sponsor for the Premiership, Championship, League 1 and League 2 at long last was a further move in the right direction. Talk of the League Cup format being radically revamped and that competition being moved forward to the summer has also been intriguing.

It will be hugely disappointing, then, if the Scottish Professional Football League agm doesn’t result in some of the more innovative thinkers in the sport getting themselves elected onto the SPFL board at Hampden today.

Ann Budge, a successful businesswoman and entrepreneur, has achieved what at one time looked the near-impossible task of stabilising Hearts. Furthermore, she has been refreshingly outspoken in her criticism of many of our tired attitudes and practices.

She, along with Stewart Robertson, the new managing director of Rangers who has put his name forward for one of the two board places available to Championship clubs, would help to drive Scottish football forward if they receive the necessary support.