Everyone involved with Birmingham City next season will have an immediate concern on their minds to put right, returning back to the Championship at the first time of asking, after a dismal relegation down to League One.
The American owners at St Andrew's wouldn't have expected a first relegation down to the third tier in 29 years to come so soon into the infancy of their stewardship of the Blues, having only officially acquired the club last year.
Mammoth plans for a new bumper stadium in the pipeline and much more are now mere afterthoughts to the business on the pitch and the immediate business off it regarding the vacant dug-out, with Birmingham still managerless after the departure of Tony Mowbray.
Dropping all the way down to the third tier doesn't mean SCL won't try and flex their muscles to try and pull off an ambitious Mowbray successor, with this highly regarded Championship boss even in their sights.
Birmingham looking at "brilliant" Mowbray alternative
It has been revealed by Football Insider in the past few days that West Bromwich Albion boss Carlos Corberan's representatives have spoken to Birmingham about the job post being available at the neighbouring West Midlands outfit, as the Spaniard shows signs of restlessness in the Baggies hot-seat.
Corberan has also shown a keen interest in the Burnley position, with the Blues having to really sell a project to the 41-year-old to make him drop a division, especially if the Clarets come knocking for his in-demand services.
Corberan
51
22
13
16
Gary Rowett
8
3
2
3
Mowbray
8
4
1
3
Wayne Rooney
15
2
4
9
John Eustace
13
6
3
4
Managing more games just himself than the in-and-out quartet at Birmingham could muster up this campaign, Corberan could be the steady presence the Blues need next season, especially when you consider the former Leeds United assistant manager shone for the Baggies in his permanent manager role to lead them to the Championship play-offs.
Corberan's managerial style
This move could well be viewed as a step down for the current West Brom man considering that achievement is still fresh, but with the likes of Sky Sports commentator Don Goodman labelling Corberan as a "brilliant" manager in the second-tier, the West Midlands outfit would be foolish not to push ahead and try to pull off a coup regardless to send a statement out to their new division.
Corberan would also make Birmingham a far more resolute and well-drilled unit if he were to take over the reins, having made his current Baggies side "horrible to play against" as was further stated by Goodman.
West Brom only shipped 47 goals last season from 46 games, compared to Birmingham's dire 65, and so Corberan could be prepared to win promotion by any means necessary, with more attritional and effective football served up.
It's been the case throughout his successful managerial career in the EFL, with his Huddersfield Town side getting to a Championship play-off final against Nottingham Forest despite never blowing teams away, scoring nine fewer goals than eventual final opponents Nottingham Forest and even beating Luton Town in the semi-finals for a spot at Wembley.
Yet, despite boasting such an impressive track record in the Championship, Corberan has only ever managed to beat Birmingham twice, with the 3-1 defeat he suffered at the hands of the Blues this campaign just finished funnily enough John Eustace's final game in charge of the club before the wheels well and truly fell off at St Andrew's.
Blues chairman Tom Wagner has now finally admitted that that was a decision 'they wouldn't have made' with hindsight now on their side, but with the situation as bleak as it is, Corberan could be the saviour Birmingham need to show to everyone they mean business and aren't going to wallow in their self-pity for too long.
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