Dan McFarland —  formerly of Connacht, Ireland U20s, and Glasgow Warriors —  has been announced as the fifth leader of the Belfast side’s coaching ticket in six years.

If that stat alone isn’t telling enough, even the most casual of observers will have realised few professional clubs in any sport are at as low ebb as Ulster have been this season. Failure to qualify for the knock-out stages of the Pro 14 or the Champions Cup on the pitch has been dwarfed by events — and their handling — off it.

McFarland’s task is no small one — here are a few of the items likely occupying his thinking:

1. His current contract with Scotland

McFarland’s notice period from his current role as Scotland’s forwards’ coach obliges him to remain away from the Kingspan until January 2019. Given the disruption this would cause — similar to the delayed arrival of Les Kiss in 2015 — finding a solution is an urgent priority. Thankfully, this is likely to be the least of the new coach’s worries, given that a number of sources suggest the clause is expected to be waived once Scotland have found a replacement, in time for pre-season. In addition, some additional coaching staff are likely to be brought in to support Ulster’s new set-up.

2. The fly-half conundrum

Following Paddy Jackson’s ignominious exit, a huge gap has emerged at 10. When coupled with Joe Schmidt’s desire to build depth at the pivot position ahead of next year’s World Cup, the preferred IRFU solution appears to be transferring Joey Carbery up the M1. Despite this apparently being against the wishes of Leinster, the player himself, and those of the Ravenhill faithful vocal online, it looks increasingly likely to happen.

Another way to achieve similar aims, without stifling the development of promising youngsters Johnny McPhillips and Angus Curtis, would be to convince Dungannon man Gareth Steenson to return home. In the twilight of his career, and uncapped for Ireland at senior level — but with a proven pedigree and a Premiership winner’s medal with Exeter Chiefs — Steenson could spend the next year mentoring youngsters and providing a solid, experienced alternative to Johnny Sexton alongside Carbery in the World Cup squad. Ian Madigan might allow a similar route to be taken, although his wage demands are likely to be prohibitive.

3. An awkward conversation with the boss

To say Ulster’s CEO Shane Logan’s reputation has seen better days would be an understatement; former players and fans alike have made their frustration known. Logan’s handling of the media has been a particular bone of contention — the suspiciously-timed release of an interview with him directly after Ireland’s 6 Nations win over Scotland, and the recent ban of news journalists from Ulster press conferences, have not instilled confidence.

The new Head Coach has a job to do on the field. However, McFarland needs others to step up and take a lead on restoring the club’s moral reputation off it, and setting a new ambition to inspire season ticket holders, preferably something significantly more realistic than Logan’s previous vision of Ulster “Being top of the pile in Ireland, Europe and indeed the world”.

In the words of former flanker Neil Best, “A club that isn’t seen to listen to its fans nor be accountable to them will fail. I honestly can’t remember a time when Ulster Rugby have been so at odds with so many of their supporters.” Whether that can change with the current off-field leadership remains to be seen.

4. Other new faces 

McFarland isn’t the only new arrival with serious potential scheduled to arrive in Belfast soon. Jordi Murphy, Will Addison and Marty Moore are all being added to the Ravenhill roster, and all have made the move to further their international ambitions. A series of new faces are a ready-made opportunity to change the culture in the dressing room where required, and hopefully will help inject a new sense of belief.

That said, the squad still looks a bit light in depth of experience, particularly at loose-head prop and in the back 3.

5. Planning for the future

Given the age profile of some of the club’s mainstays over recent years —  Rory Best, Andrew Trimble, Chris Henry, Robbie Diack — and the various departures this season, some long term planning is required.

As covered in this in-depth piece from Demented Mole, the ability of Ulster’s academy to churn out quality forwards has been somewhat patchy, although the recent displays of Tom O’Toole and Matty Rea have been encouraging examples.

Similarly, Ulster’s clubs aren’t a particularly rich source of playing personnel either. This isn’t a new problem, or a northern-specific one; the decline in importance of club rugby since the dawn of professionalism and the rise of the provinces has been well documented. While notable exceptions exist, the governing powers do need to consider restructuring the AIL to improve pathways to the elite level of the game, possibly learning whatever lessons come out of Scotland’s new Super 6 tournament. However, the fact that none of Ballymena, Ballynahinch or Banbridge are even competing at the top division of the league emphasises the extent to which this problem is more starkly pronounced for Ulster.

McFarland’s job isn’t to fix the situation the province find themselves in overnight. He needs to be given a sufficiently long time horizon to work with, so that he is incentivised to press for long-term changes where required.

Nonetheless, all is not lost. 

Yes, this season has been sickening on a number of levels.

Yes, Brian O’Driscoll’s harsh ‘basket case’ criticism last week had a ring of uncomfortable truth to it.

Yes, there is an upward battle to come.

But Ulster have signed themselves a highly-regarded coach, they still have a core of internationally capped players, they still have excellent facilities, and they still have a loyal fan-base. And by the law of averages, things can’t get any worse.