Birmingham City will largely be focusing on the battle to stay clear of the Championship relegation zone for now.
Blues are going to have to do without manager Tony Mowbray for some time, as he undergoes medical treatment.
But after a strong recent run since the 60-year-old took over last month, the club now sit six points clear of the bottom three.
However, Birmingham City will still have to put some plans in place for the the future beyond this season, regardless of what division they are in.
That of course, means decisions will soon have to be made about the futures of certain players, as contracts draw to a close.
Birmingham City told to keep John Ruddy
One position where Blues will have a big call to make over new contracts, is in goal.
As things stand, both of Birmingham City’s current senior goalkeepers, John Ruddy and Neil Etheridge, will be out of contract in the summer.
That has sparked a debate over which of the duo should be retained beyond the current campaign.
However, the Birmingham Mail’s Blues reporter Alex Dicken is confident that Ruddy need to be the one to remain at St Andrew’s.
Speaking about which of Birmingham City’s to goalkeepers should be given a new contract, Dicken told the Keep Right On podcast: “Based on what we’ve seen this season, and over the last two seasons, my opinion is that if you can keep John Ruddy on a club-friendly contract, which obviously he’s on because he only came in two years ago, I would keep him.
“Because I think he’s proved over the last two years what a capable goalkeeper he is at this level, and also his fitness level stacks up so he’s the one I’d keep and I’d release Etheridge, because obviously we’re not keeping both”.
Next up for Birmingham City is a trip to Portman Road to face Ipswich Town on Saturday afternoon.
Goalkeeper call a big one for Blues
It will be a tough call for Birmingham City to make over which of their goalkeepers to retain come the summer.
So far, Ruddy is the man who looks to be first-choice between the posts for Blues. While filling in that role, the former England international has rarely let the club down.
His experience is also something that can certainly help the younger members of the squad at St Andrew’s.
That therefore means there looks to be a strong case for keeping him at Birmingham City beyond the end of this season.
However, at 37-years-old, Ruddy is approaching the latter stages of his career. He may therefore, may not be quite as long-term an option as the 34-year-old Etheridge might be.
With that in mind, there may also be reasons why retaining Etheridge over Ruddy, could be something that Birmingham City may not have ruled out just yet.
As a result, this is unlikely to be an easy decision for those in charge at St Andrew’s to make.