Dollah Salleh is fully aware of the pressure on him to lead Pahang back to Malaysian football's lofty heights as he embarks on his second spell at the Darul Makmur Stadium.
The returning Dollah previously had a successful stint with the Tok Gajah, guiding them to victory in the Malaysia Cup in 2013 just a season after they won promotion to the Super League.
Midway through 2014, his good work was recognised when he was put in charge of the Malaysia national team.
But after leading them to the final of the AFF Suzuki Cup that year, his reign came to an end the following September. A run of poor results culminated in an embarrassing 10-0 defeat to United Arab Emirates in the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
He rediscovered his feet with second-tier Perlis last year, and is now back at his former stomping ground, with Pahang parting ways with Razip Ismail after narrowly avoiding relegation in 2016.
"We will try to bring back the glory [to Pahang]," Dollah told ESPN FC in Singapore when asked what his hopes were on his return.
"Of course, there is big pressure. Especially because, with our fans being from Pahang, expectations are very high.
"That is why I had to make sure I chose the best players to come to Pahang.
"Then, even with the best players, it doesn't mean you have a good team. You have to make sure they all blend well together.
"For sure, our target for this year is to win at least one piece of silverware. With the players we have, hopefully we can achieve something that our fans would expect."
With the start of the new Super League campaign just over a week away, Pahang are in the final stages of their preparation and, on Thursday, concluded a fruitful trip to Singapore.
A photo posted by Pahang Football Association (@phg_fa) on
An assured display saw them defeat Hougang United 3-1 at Hougang Stadium on Thursday night, two days after they had beaten fellow S.League outfit Tampines Rovers 4-1.
Foreign imports Julius Oiboh and Mohamadou Sumareh both proved they could cause real problems for opposition defences this season, while the likes of captain Matthew Davies, Joseph Kalang Tie and Afif Amiruddin looked in good form.
"We are getting better and better with each game we play," added the legendary Malaysia striker.
"Our preseason started badly when we lost [4-3] to our brother team Kuantan, but slowly our foreign players arrived and settled with the team.
"The signs are looking good, especially considering Pahang were almost relegated last year, and hopefully we can achieve something this time around."
Pahang only avoided the drop in 2016 when a 1-0 loss to Kedah was overturned and awarded as a 3-0 victory to them after their opponents were found to have fielded the suspended Rizal Ghazali.
The three points were ultimately the difference between them and 11th-placed PDRM, who would have stayed up had the two teams finished level, due to their superior goal difference.