Dean Ryan moves up the M5 from Bristol to take the position of head coach at Gloucester in 2002 as owner and chairman Tom Walkinshaw steps up his efforts to turn the club into the new power of English rugby
And he joins a winning team. Gloucester go through the 2002/03 season unbeaten at home and statistically it proves to be Ryan's most successful campaign as the club win 76% of their games and top the Premiership table
Consistency is capped by silverware and champagne at Twickenham in April as Gloucester beat Northampton 40-22 to claim the Powergen Cup with tries from James Simpson-Daniel, Marcel Garvey and James Forrester
But when they return to HQ almost two months later in the Premiership final there are only tears for fly-half Ludovic Mercier and co after they are overwhelmed by Wasps 39-3 - one of only six defeats in 2002/03
Gloucester come through their Heineken Cup group the following season but Wasps put them to the sword again in the last eight, running away to win another one-sided game 34-3 on their way to claiming the European title
The 2004/05 campaign is Ryan's worst at the club and for the only time during his tenure they fail to score in a home game when Stade Francais visit in the Heineken Cup, which is one of four games in a row without a win
Although Ryan does not oversee a significant upturn in form in the Premiership in his first season as director of rugby after Nigel Melville's departure, James Forrester brings joy in Europe in the 2006 Challenge Cup final
The number eight's extra-time score secures a 36-34 win over London Irish and the referee's final whistle signals party time for the players as Ryan lands his second piece of silverware at the club, which proves to be his last
Having claimed Europe's second tier title, Gloucester's hopes of winning the big one are up within two games of the 2006/07 Heineken Cup as they go down to back-to-back defeats against Leinster and at home to Agen
Gloucester recover from their European failings and prosper in the Premiership with 15 wins - Ryan's best return as director of rugby - including a 28-24 home win against Leicester, which helps them claim top spot in the table
But when the teams meet again in the Premiership final at Twickenham at the end of the season Gloucester are mauled by the Tigers, particularly thundering winger Alesana Tuilagi who runs in two tries in a 44-16 victory
Gloucester have plenty of time to reflect on their performance as they line up to face yet another conversion, although Ryan says the team are only at the start of their "journey" despite the comprehensive loss to Leicester
But the following season the bandwagon claiming that Ryan's Gloucester are bottlers gathers momentum with a 16-3 Heineken Cup quarter-final defeat at home to Munster, who like Wasps in 2003 go on to claim the title
And six weeks after going down to Munster, Leicester strike again with an Andy Goode drop goal to win 26-25 in the Premiership play-off semi-final as Gloucester again fail to win the title despite finishing top of the table
Despite a poor return in the Heineken Cup, Gloucester string together a run of victories and a first double over west country rivals Bath to hit the top of the Premiership in spring 2009 and are heading in the right direction
But the wheels come off in the EDF Energy Cup final as Gloucester's Twickenham hoodoo strikes again and they go down to a humiliating 50-12 defeat against Cardiff Blues, conceding seven tries in the process
The scoreboard makes unhappy reading for Gloucester's beleagured players and this time, unlike the Premiership final post morten in 2007, Ryan questions the ability of his squad, says the journey is over and calls for a review
But after two more league defeats and a sixth-placed finish it turns out it is Ryan's journey with Gloucester that is over after Tom Walkinshaw's review. Ryan oversaw 143 wins in 230 games in seven seasons at Gloucester
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