Another Heineken Cup season, another fresh start for Ulster. Another winter of pushing the boulder up the hill with the nagging worry that it's all about to roll back down on top of them never too far away. Another effort to turn Ravenhill into the hopping house it used to be, to make it once again a bearpit, albeit a particularly good-natured and welcoming bearpit. And, naturally, another round of smartarse newspaper previews that predict this fresh start will shortly go the way of the rest of them.

They deserve better, in truth. It isn't like they aren't putting in the effort up there after all. The appointment of former Ireland skills coach Brian McLaughlin to the top job, the repatriation of Jeremy Davidson as forwards coach (for now) and the prospect of David Humphreys taking over as CEO is all good, forward-facing stuff. But with the best will in the world, it's tough to face into a pool containing Bath, Stade Francais and Edinburgh with any great deal of confidence. They famously haven't made the pool stages of the competition since winning the whole thing in 1999 and their prospects look thin again this season.

Their matchday squads are decent but not deep. The flight of some of their best home-produced talent a couple of seasons back has left its mark, so that while they're justifiably proud of Tommy Bowe's ascension to his status as one of Europe's best wingers, it hurts that he's doing it for Ospreys and not Ulster. Resources are a real problem too when it comes to attracting talent. Where Munster could bring one of the world's great centres to Limerick in Jean De Villiers and Leinster could bolster their pack with Nathan Hines, Ulster were really only able to bring in back-up players in Andy Kyriacou and Dan Tuohy.

The neck injury that will keep captain Rory Best out of the game for a year has shoved Kyriacou onstage before he's really had time to learn his lines. He wasn't brought to the province to start every game but that's what he has done so far and while he's held his end up manfully, Ulster are having to make-do-and-mend because there's no other option. Humphreys said at the time of Best's injury that they'd look to find a replacement but the cupboard is as yet bare. Such is life at a time when their expensive new stand has just been opened and people generally have a lot less to be spending on going to matches.

For all that, they've begun their season pretty well. This weekend last year, they'd played four Magners League matches and lost them all. Their note-perfect 45-24 win over the Scarlets on Friday night made it three from five this term and even temporarily put them top of the table.

The defeat at home to Edinburgh three weeks ago didn't bode well at all though, and not just because it was the first of four meetings they'll have with the Scottish side this season. How Ulster contrived to turn a 10-0 lead into a 13-16 in their first home match of the season remains murky even now. They didn't get far enough ahead when they were on top and were too careless in defence when under the cosh. Ian Humphreys had an off-night with his kicking but even so, Edinburgh were there for the taking that night, with Stephen Ferris and Willie Faloon creating all sorts of mayhem in the back row.

Ferris is the obvious diamond in the playing staff. The temptation – both on his own part and Ulster's – will be to lapse into allowing him take on too much, something they need to avoid as the season goes on. Sellotaping him to a new contract was among the most significant acts of Michael Reid's final season as chief executive but Ulster can't overwork him or allow him to overextend himself. Paddy Wallace, Darren Cave and Ryan Caldwell are the obvious class in the rest of the side and in fairness to Ian Humphreys, he regained his poise in fine style to fillet Connacht and the Scarlets in quick succession.

So there are green shoots, no doubt about it. But it's tough to see them flowering too spectacularly, for this season at least.

Heineken Cup, Ulster v Bath, Friday, Ravenhill, 7.30