Waterford FC have endured a turbulent few years to say the least.
Multiple managers, and changes of ownership, in a short period has led to instability and - at times - chaos around the club.
In June 2021, Lee Power announced the sale of the Blues to UK company R&S Holding Ltd, headed by businessman Richard Forrest.
Fourteen months down the line, the ownership is changing hands again. Fleetwood Town owner Andy Pilley has taken control of things at the RSC and though some Blues fans may be understandably wary of yet another change in direction, Pilley's pedigree is undeniable.
The 52-year-old brings more than 18 years of club ownership experience with him, having led Fleetwood Town to six promotions from the North West Counties Premier League to League One during his time in charge.
So are Waterford supporters entitled to feel excited?
Conan Byrne believes so.
"I think [there's cause for optimism]," he told the RTÉ Soccer Podcast.
"I've been very harsh on Waterford over the last number of years with the takeovers that have happened at the club. I think the signs are better than the previous owner, if I'm being completely honest. Andy has a fantastic track record in business. Him, and the people that surround him, know the game. That's really important.
"Eighteen years ago he took over at Fleetwood Town. They were five leagues below the National League. In 18 years look where they are.
"What he does off the pitch is what I'm most impressed with, the community outreach he does in and around the stadium itself.
"He set up an international football academy at Poolfoot Farm where he brings in residential courses where they invite players from all over the world to come in, they get UEFA-trained coaches in and invited scouts from the UK and abroad to have a look at these players players from Bermuda, Australia, America, Canada. It gives those type of players an opportunity and it puts Fleetwood Town on the map.
"He seems to have a very good head on his shoulders. If I was a Waterford fan, I'd be mightily impressed."
Graham Gartland also feels the initial signs are encouraging for Waterford. Fleetwood Town have sister clubs in the UAE [Fleetwood United] and South Africa [Western Cape Fleetwood].
Pilley has hinted that some players may come to Waterford via those sister clubs to help hone their talents and facilitate an ultimate move to England, an alternative path in the post-Brexit landscape.
Gartland sees merits in being aligned with other clubs, and also stressed there's important qualities in place for Pilley to build on.
"The Waterford youth teams all train at Waterford Institute of Technology. It's a top-level facility that they train at as well. If you go down and play any of their underage teams, they're in a top-class athletics facility connected to the university.
"It's top notch. So he's getting that. And he's getting a one-club town. Only Waterford FC play out of Waterford.
"A lot of people in Waterford will back Waterford once they get going and once they feel that the people in charge are pushing he club in the right direction.
"What I like about [Pilley] is he's put it back into the community. He hasn't just thrown money at a football club and basically gone 'it's all or bust'. He's tried to build it properly and the club has grown as he has grown rather than, 'right we're just going to flood it with money, get all these players in and get up the leagues', and then it just withers away.
"The bit he's mentioned here that might be clever is, he's mentioned Waterford being a sister club. A sister club becomes massive in terms of brining players in through Ireland to maybe get them to the UK. That's probably where he sees this... but I think he's going to try and build this so it becomes a sustainable football club."
Another obvious attraction for Pilley is the carrot of European football. That may seem a long way off for Waterford right now, but it's still an achievable long-term goal.
"European money in the country now has become a massive thing as well," Gartland added.
"You can qualify for Europe and have a good run at it and make serious money back on your investment in a short space of time. He's never going to get that at Fleetwood, he's never going to get that European money.
"He's a very clever businessman. He's not going to come in and take something if it doesn't make business sense. Hopefully he puts infrastructure around the club and he builds the club up because you need big regional clubs.
"You need a good Waterford, you need a good Cork, you need a good Galway. You need a spread of clubs around the country but they need to be done in a good, infrastructure-led way."
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