IF Welsh Rugby Union chief executive Martyn Phillips needed evidence for his statement that there is no magic wand for Newport Gwent Dragons then he got it when the clock hit 72 minutes at Myreside last Friday.

It was a chilly evening in Edinburgh that led to waking up with cold sweats; this was a common result on the road for the Dragons in rare circumstances.

After a while you become numb to defeats away from Rodney Parade such is their frequency but this trip to Scotland provided a real kick to the stomach.

There was a familiar feeling of hope that gradually grew into an unfamiliar one of expectation as the night progressed before dramatically turning into desolation.

This was no remarkable sporting comeback tale, it was a remarkable sporting implosion story.

It was so Dragonsy to go from 20-3 up with less than 10 minutes remaining to clinging on in the final minute. It was even more Dragonsy to have the ball with 10 seconds left and still manage to lose.

Disappointments happen, such is sport, but this is more deep-rooted than that. This is a cultural problem that has been allowed to develop by years of operating on a shoestring budget and cutting corners.

The Dragons have had just two seasons where league wins have outnumbered losses, 2003/4 and 2004/5, while 2009/10 was a relative success when they finished seventh with a record of P18, W8, D1, L9 for Paul Turner to be named Magners League coach of the year.

This time next week we will know whether it will be the WRU that will be charged with driving change after the Newport RFC shareholders have voted on the proposed Rodney Parade takeover.

If it's a Yes vote and the governing body are calling the shots then they face a busy summer and plenty of work over the coming seasons. They'd also be wise to quickly dampen the short-term expectations.

This is no quick-fix, nor can you imagine that there be a dramatic turnaround in 2017/18. The WRU must be under no illusions that if they genuinely want to turn things around then it's a long-term project.

There has been so much mismanagement that if this was Homes Under the Hammer then it wouldn't be a case of slapping on some fresh paint and laying a new carpet; there's damp, the bathroom is downstairs, the boiler is knackered and the garden is a mess. Oh, and there's a lease issue…

The WRU are unable to offer guarantees due to the landscape of Welsh rugby but in the event of a green light for the deal let's hope for a fresh Rugby Services Agreement soon and some sort of clarity for the Dragons that extends beyond 2020.

Last week head coach Jones said: "The WRU want this to work. They will want this to be 'look what we've done to the Dragons'. They are not about failure, I am convinced of that."

But what is success? At the moment I'd say just being more competitive and getting back to around eight or nine PRO12 wins a season, having a good crack at Europe and being more of a threat on the road.

That will take time and there are plenty of demons to be conquered, all on a budget that won't suddenly mushroom if the governing body take over.

The WRU will not be able to splash funds on the Dragons at the expense of the Ospreys, Cardiff Blues and Scarlets, three teams that could justifiably claim to be more deserving of a cash injection thanks to past exploits.

The Dragons' hope is to at least hit the minimum spend required by the current RSA of £3.5million, attract more private investment and to profit from WRU help in terms of coaching and backroom staff.

Breaking the vicious circle they have been in may provide a shot in the arm in the opening months of the campaign, just as the arrival of Lyn Jones did in the summer of 2013, but a change of culture takes time.

However, there is the feeling that the only way is up and that a change at boardroom level will at least provide some freshness at Rodney Parade, even some ambition.

Off the field there are many quick gains courtesy of some WRU expertise while, dare I say it, some TLC that can provide a boost.

On the field things surely have to be better after a 2016/17 that started with some promise but has descended into a nightmare campaign with a maximum of just nine wins in all competitions.

If the Dragons do not beat Cardiff Blues on Saturday – and the very fact that the game is in Caerphilly, a move that hits them financially, is almost indicative of how the region has been run – then it is likely they will finish 11th for the first time since 2013.

The team from four years ago genuinely should have been doing better than that with two players, Dan Lydiate and Taulupe Faletau, who would tour Australia with the Lions that summer while another, Andrew Coombs, had impressively burst onto the Test scene.

There were players in the squad who have proved their quality this season by being heavily involved in PRO12 title tilts out west – Jonathan Evans (who was 2013 Argus Dragon of the Year and unlucky not to tour Japan with Wales), Dan Evans and Sam Parry.

Two other bright prospects, Jack Dixon and Hallam Amos, enjoyed their first full seasons of regional rugby.

There probably isn't as much to build on as four years ago because the world of professional rugby has moved on at rapid pace while the Dragons have been treading water.

Of course there is some promise on the books in the shape of Amos, Dixon, Ollie Griffiths, Tyler Morgan, Leon Brown and others but there's an awful lot of work needed to make the XV stronger and also improve the depth of the squad.

Historically the Dragons has been a hard sell to potential recruits but WRU involvement could help on that front, twisting a few arms.

If the governing body get the go-ahead then they face an awful lot of work… and it is knowledge of the size of that rebuilding task that is leading to many considering a No vote, fearful of what will happen if there is no tangible and rapid improvement.

Allaying such fears by stressing they are in it for the long-haul, offering some realism about what can be achieved and warning that it's not a case of flicking a switch is imperative if the WRU are given the reins.

We all want a brighter future at Rodney Parade but in the push for a Yes vote it would be unwise to offer false hope.