Andy Robinson believes he can help Edinburgh Rugby emulate the biggest club sides in Europe - in terms of both silverware and fan base.
The former England head coach was unveiled on Monday as the new top man at Edinburgh - and he aims to help the club shake their tag as perennial under-achievers and lift them to the level of the likes of Leicester Tigers, Leinster and Toulouse.
"One of the key aspects for us is to be successful in the Magners League and then take that into being successful in Europe, because the Heineken Cup is a magnificent tournament to be in which really challenges the players - and if they can perform at that level in that environment then they can perform at international level," he said.
"My career in rugby has always thrived on challenge and I was instantly attracted to the challenge of taking Edinburgh Rugby forward to the next level.
"I was fortunate enough to spend my formative years in rugby at Bath, one of the best club rugby sides in history, and I plan to apply what I learned there, and in my international career, to take Edinburgh to new heights."
Only 1,389 supporters turned up to watch Edinburgh defeat Ulster on Friday night - reflecting the problems the club has had in connecting with a community which has a strong rugby tradition. Robinson hopes to help tackle this sorry state of affairs.
"The purpose of any rugby club is to inspire the city it represents, and that's a key part of the role we have as professionals involved in the game. We have to inspire people to come and watch rugby and be involved with the club - so that is one of my major challenges," said the 44-year-old, who plans to move his family to the Scottish capital in the new year.
"There is a vibrant amateur game in Edinburgh with some very good clubs, so I guess it's about working with them to encourage them to come and support this team as well," he added.
Robinson is aware that he comes with some baggage. Not least the fact that he is a former England player and was involved in coaching the English team for six years up until November 2006. However, he does not expect that to get in the way of him being a success at his new club.
"I would sit down with a supporter who is concerned about that, but my main concern at the moment is the management team and the players I'm going to be working with," he said.
"People will have comments which they are entitled to make about me, but I'd like to think that if they come to meet me and talk to me about the game, and they see how passionate I am for Edinburgh to be successful and the work I am going to put in here, then I can hopefully convince them [to get behind me]."
He continued: "I've also heard a number of comments about me that I only want to play a nine man game. Actually, if you watch the way England played over the last few years of my time in charge you will see that we tried to move the ball around and play quite an attacking game, and that's what I believe in.
"One of my main responsibilities is working with the players so they have the technique right to do that. If they have the technique to do it under pressure then the game can be developed."
"There was a report I read about me bringing in a whole load of new personnel - that is not the case. If I identify a coach or a player that can make a difference then we'll talk, this is all about progression and to move forward you do have to make changes at times, but also those changes have got to be made for the right reasons."
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