The task facing Torquay United manager Paul Cox ahead of the 2015-16 season should not be underestimated.
Several years of mis-management for the Gulls came to a head during the close season when a new consortium - headed by current chairman David Phillips - acquired the club from the previous board headed by Thea Bristow.
One of their first acts was to place former manager Chris Hargreaves - and his assistant Lee Hodges - on gardening leave. Former Mansfield Town manager Cox was quickly installed as his successor.
In his three-and-half years in charge of the Stags, Cox led Mansfield back into the Football League within the first two seasons of his reign before re-establishing them in League Two.
However, anyone expecting him to perform a quick fix at the Launa Windows Stadium will be in for a shock and it may take time for his methods to work.
Nevertheless that isn't something that is new for the Gulls, as many of the most successful teams to represent Torquay in recent years have been the result of long-term projects.
In 1998, Kevin Hodges led the Gulls to the Division Three Play-off final against Colchester United - not to mention the brink of automatic promotion - only two years after they were spared from relegation to the Conference due to Stevenage's ground not being up to Football League requirements.
Six years later, Leroy Rosenior guided Torquay to their first automatic promotion for 38 years in the 2003-04 campaign. However, the groundwork for the construction of this team had begun in 2001 under Leroy's predecessor, Roy McFarland, who picked up the pieces after their final day relegation decider victory over Barnet at the end of the 2000-01 season.
Three years on, following the Gulls' relegation to the Conference, in 2007 Paul Buckle started work on assembling the core of the side that would lead the club back into the league two years later.
A similar level of both time and patience will be required for Cox this time around, but there are some positive signs at the club.
In Luke Young, the Gulls possess one of the best central midfielders in the division and Angus MacDonald is amongst the best young defenders in the Conference.
Exodus Geohaghon and Louis Briscoe have both won the division with Mansfield under Cox in the 2012-13 season.
In an ideal world, Cox would probably like to add a couple more players in their mould to his squad.
Also, in Dan Butler - signed from Portsmouth - Cox has a player who could yet prove to be the heir to Kevin Nicholson in the left-back position, and James Hurst showed promising signs at right-back before picking up an injury.
A potential lack of power is likely to prevent the Gulls emerging as serious challengers; at the time of writing, a 'Tim Sills' esque striker is currently being sought by Cox to bolster a roster of strikers that includes former Macclesfield front man Waide Fairhurst, Tyrone Marsh, Ashley Yeoman and Liam Prynn.
At this stage of the season, it is fair to say that equalling or slightly bettering last season's 13th place finish would be regarded as a success. Anything more than that would be considered as a bonus, but the potential to build for the following season would be regarded as a major plus.
Player to Watch: Bayan Fenwick
Formerly with Lewes, Crystal Palace and Cardiff City, Fenwick impressed Paul Cox enough to earn a one-year contract during a pre-season trial. A high energy box-to-box midfielder with a good range of passing, Fenwick has already demonstrated to play at a level far higher than the Vanarama National League.
In: Tyrone Marsh (Oxford United), James Hurst (Hednesford Town), Dan Butler (Portsmouth), Shepherd Murombedzi (Reading), Waide Fairhurst (Macclesfield Town), Exodus Geohaghon (Stourbridge), Bayan Fenwick (Cardiff City), Nathan Smith (Port Vale loan), Fabien Speiss (Notts County), Alex Fisher (Mansfield Town)
Out: Krystian Pearce (Mansfield Town), Aaron Downes (Cheltenham Town), Ryan Bowman (Gateshead), Levi Ives (Bristol City), Ben Harding (Gosport Borough), Martin Rice and Aaron Dawson (Truro City), Jordan Chapell (Chester FC), Duane Ofori-Acheampong (Dover Athletic), James McQuilkin, Courtney Cameron, Elliot Benyon, Toby Ajala, Dale Tonge
