History tends to loom large for the vast majority of football clubs and Shamrock Rovers are no different in that regard.
Records also cast a shadow, and the fabled four-in-a-row team from the 1980s still has a resonance to this day, especially as the current crop of Hoops players are in with a chance of a matching that achievement.
After securing a third title on the trot last season - and 20th overall - it was clear that manager Stephen Bradley was keen to see his generation of players join that aforementioned select group of consecutive champions.
"We're not finished. The aim was to put two stars on the jersey. Now can we go and beat that famous team of the 80s? It's going to be tough, we know teams are coming, but we'll do our very best to do it," were his words to RTÉ Sport last November.
But after wintering well, captain Ronan Finn is not thinking that far ahead and is reverting to the age old mantra of going one step at a time.
The saga starts with Friday night's domestic curtain raiser, the President's Cup final, against last season's FAI Cup winners and league runners-up Derry City, before they open their league campaign at Sligo Rovers on Saturday, 18 February.
"The most important thing for us is the first game of the season. Genuinely that's how we've always dealt with things. We never look too far ahead," he told RTÉ Sport at the launch of the 2023 League of Ireland season within the salubrious confines of Dublin's City Hall.
"We have to respect every opponent and not for a second can we take our eye off Derry this week in the President's Cup and then all eyes focus on Sligo which is always a very difficult game.
"We can't start thinking about anything beyond that. That's when standards start slipping and so far it hasn't been in the group but we need to make sure that doesn't creep in."
The idea of building from a position of strength through the transfer market was doing the rounds in January when it came to Arsenal on the other side of the Irish Sea.
Unlike the north London club who are chasing a first league title in almost two decades, the Tallaght Stadium-based outfit are in a stronger position given their Everest has been summited three times in succession.
'The manager signs players on personalities, not only on technical ability'
Since the end of last season, Liam Burt has crossed the Dublin derby divide to join the club from Bohemians.
Strong loan signings have also been made in the shape of former Sligo starlet Johnny Kenny who provides a goal threat up front and Trevor Clarke, a returnee to the club where he made his first steps as a senior player. Markus Poom, an Estonia international like his father - the former goalkeeper and Premier League cult hero Mart - is another temporary addition.
From Finn's point of view, his new team-mates represent continuity.
"The manager signs players on personalities, not only on technical ability and he signs players to fit our squad," he said.
Going in the other direction have been young talents like Ireland youth internationals Andy Lyons and Aidomo Emakhu who have headed to the English Championship, with the former already making an impact at Blackpool and the latter now on the books at Millwall. The 24-year-old Barry Cotter, who spent the second half of last season on loan at St Patrick's Athletic, also got a move to League One Barnsley.
While those players will be missed, Finn feels their moves do shine a positive light on the young talent within the Irish scene.
"The league is in a good place. I think it's steadily getting better and I think the young boys coming through, not just at our club but across the board, seem to be of high talent," he said.
"When your best players are getting hand-picked, obviously you want to keep them in the country but that's always been the way with League of Ireland, young boys tend to get bought and for us it's about if they are going, we get good fees.
"You want professional contracts, you want the clubs reaping the benefits of that financially."
A case in point is the club's young midfielder Justin Ferizaj who impressed in the league last season and during their memorable run to the Europa Conference League group stages.
Linked with high-profile clubs on the continent and more recently to England, the fact that Rovers tied him down to a contract extension last summer that will run until November offers a level of security for the club.
While speculation reigns over the 18-year-old's future, Finn suggests that there are more players in the pipeline for Shamrock Rovers as they head into this season and beyond.
"I helped coach Justin at under-15s so I would have seen him first-hand and then you see him now stepping into the first team and you see his growth - lovely technical player," he said.
"It's not just Justin, there's others that you will see this year that the club have been producing. It's early days in their careers so they've got to work hard and they're in a great place to do that. The manager has already shown that he's not afraid to throw in players."
