Dave Jones yesterday endured his first day in his new job as Cardiff City boss, spending much of the day locked in talks with owner Sam Hammam and deputy chairman Peter Risdale as they plan for the new season.
With Hammam no closer to achieving his dream of taking Cardiff to the Premiership Jones replacing Lennie Lawrence is an attempt to turn instill new life into the players.
However, with the club around £30m in debt, Ridsdale has already warned Jones that players - possibly as many as eight - would have to be sold to allow new blood to arrive at Ninian Park.
Players expected to leave the club include Danny Gabbidon, while Richard Langley, Andy Campbell and Andy Lee have also been touted as likely to move on after poor showing last season.
With many players still contracted to the club for at least a year, Jones could be forced to make minor changes this season, and begin his clear out next summer.
QPR boss Ian Holloway is interested in taking Langley back to Loftus Road but they cannot afford to pay his wages - which are double what they paid him before his move to south Wales, however, in a bid to reduce their crippling wage bill, Cardiff could pay some of his wages, with QPR paying the rest.
Tony Warner has been expected to leave this summer, available on a free, however, Jones' arrival could signal a turnaround in fortune for the former Millwall player who found himself going from first choice to third choice during the season..
Following the sale of Wales international Rob Earnshaw to West Brom last August, Cardiff struggled in front of goal, with Peter Thorne their top scorer with just 14 goals and Jones' immediate task will be to find a deadly hitman, possibly a free agent who will not add to the wage bill too much.
Lawrence had targeted Wrexham's Juan Ugarte who scored 22 goals for the Dragons last season, however, it is unknown if Jones shares his interest in the Basque striker who would be available on a free and has already revealed he could move to Cardiff if they offered a deal.
The Bluebirds' backbone of the team needs improved with Langley consistently poor last season in the central midfield, while Gabbidon is expected to be a Premiership player by August, leaving a gap at the heart of the defence as well.
Jones will have a lot of work to do if he is to improve on Cardiff's situation in the Championship and steer them closer to Hammam's Premiership dream.