Sean Ward believes Glentoran's double Irish Cup success in 2013 and '15 wouldn't have been possible without Eddie Patterson and his "brilliant management team".
The Glens overcame massive debt problems to land two major trophy successes in the space of three years.
It was a turbulent era for the East Belfast club, one that former player Ward remembers well after spending 11 years on Mersey Street.
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The 39-year-old - who was part of the 2013 cup triumph - believes what Patterson and his backroom staff achieved was "incredible", considering the financial adversity and uncertainty off the pitch.
Ward told Belfast Live's That's What I Call Football podcast: "I don't really want to go over what all happened near the end. people don't really care what my opinion is anymore.
"But they were difficult times. We had a changing room that was really strong, and we were continually putting out fires.
"We had a brilliant management team of Eddie Patterson, Tiernan Lynch, Big Chew (Paul Trainor) and Seamus (Lynch) and they were great.
"They had to deal with this, and they were the front men having to deal with the questions and concerns, and they were frequent.
"And it's only now when I am a wee bit older and have some perspective, I have so much appreciation for Eddie and his backroom team. And I certainly wouldn't change anything I did, because I have no regrets at all.
"We had disagreements and arguments within the squad and coaching staff, but that was normal. And it was an incredible achievement what we did winning the Irish Cup in 2013 against an incredible Cliftonville team.
"What we went through, it was tough times. Tough when you consider what we were dealing with.
"It was a big deal for the players in the changing room who were struggling. And we won an Irish Cup which was incredible."
Glentoran survived the financial maelstrom that threatened the very existence of the club.
Since the arrival of current owner Ali Pour in 2019 they have wiped out their debt and turned fully professional, but the wait for a first Premiership title since 2009 continues.
Ward believes his former club are getting back where they want to be, and doesn't believe it will be long before Glentoran are "knocking on the door again".
He said: "I came through a Glentoran team that was winning leagues and Irish Cups frequently. They won the league in 2003, the Irish Cup in 2004 and the league in 2005.
"They competed in the Irish Cup again in 2006 and then went on a wee barren spell before winning the league in 2009. They then won the Irish Cup in 2013 and again in 2015.
"The club has had its difficulties, but there was also the emergence of Cliftonville and Crusaders and clubs who have developed their infrastructures, while Glentoran went through some difficult times.
"Now they have some investment and things are looking up. The expectation has always been there.
"But it has been a long time since they won a league title, but I am sure it won't be long before they're knocking on the door."
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