Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Mick McCarthy has two reasons in particular this week to be concentrating on the future rather than the past.
Friday night's Molineux clash with Sunderland means McCarthy's first meeting with their manager Roy Keane since that infamous row at the 2002 World Cup has caught the attention of the media every bit as much as it might have been expected to.
And, although McCarthy insists that it is history, that it will be forgotten once they have shaken hands, and that the game itself is more important, he may for now find himself in a minority on that one.
But, if McCarthy is understandably looking ahead on the Keane front, not that he would even privately admit to any regrets at decisions he made in the past, he is most certainly looking to the future with regard to the make-up of his team. And his biggest selection poser will be whether to maintain the youthful look that helped earn last Saturday's 1-1 derby draw with Birmingham City.
The Wolves boss has, to a certain extent, been forced to give youth its chance at Molineux this season. But choosing to pitch in three of his best young hopefuls into battle for a local derby against in-form Blues showed the extent to which he now trusts tomorrow's talent.
Lewis Gobern, aged 21, Daniel Jones, 20, and 18-year-old Mark Little — who numbered just nine Championship starts between them prior to kick-off last Saturday — were all recalled at St Andrew's. And, even in what would have been a defeat but for captain Jody Craddock's controversial last-minute equaliser, the Wolves boss was happy that his young fledglings did not sink but swam.
"The only way to find out is to give them that chance and see how they do," said McCarthy. "We've only got 22 players and a lot of have come through the Academy. And if that's what we've got, we have to play them.
"But the question is now 'Are they going to settle and become players for Wolverhampton Wanderers?' And the way they played against Birmingham gives you a lot of hope for the future."
With Robbie Keane starring in the Premiership, Joleon Lescott getting rave reviews at Everton and Celtic's Lee Naylor playing an integral part of the second win of his career over Manchester United, the Wolves Academy has already been earmarked as one of this country's more decent breeding grounds. Saturday's evidence at St Andrew's proved that the patience shown with goalkeeper Matt Murray during his many injury setbacks over the last eight years could yet reward them with the best of the crop.
But, as far as this year's models are progressing, McCarthy is perhaps most captivated by Gobern who, fuelled by the success of two loan spells in Lancashire last season with League One Blackpool and League Two Bury, is finally starting to make his mark at Molineux.
"Lewis Gobern, in particular, caused Birmingham loads of problems," said McCarthy. "His first two corners never got off the ground. That's the pressure of delivering on such a big stage and he could have gone the other way. But he didn't and he got better and better.
"I threw him in for his debut for us at Barnsley in September and it didn't go for him, so to come back and play as well as he did against a side as good as Birmingham, I'm delighted for him."
On only his third start for Wolves, and on home soil too, given that he is a Birmingham boy, Gobern admitted: "Some of my mates are Blues supporters so they were disappointed with our last minute equaliser, but it is was great to be out there.
"I hope to be involved again on Friday. But, to do that, I need to just keep working hard in training."
