The future of Glenn Hoddle at Molineux could become a lot clearer this week following the confirmation that Wolverhampton Wanderers will again be playing Championship football next season.
Wolves' failure to beat Coventry City in Saturday's West Midlands derby was immaterial.
Regardless of the result at Highfield Road, Derby County's victory at Bramall Lane the previous night and Reading's home win over Nottingham Forest effectively saw to that - and Wolves' 15th draw in 21 matches was one merely for the record books.
But it finally triggers the process by which Hoddle and the club will come to a decision about his whereabouts next season.
By the standards he sets himself, Hoddle remains disappointed not to have steered Wolves back into the Premiership - a challenge recognised as tough but certainly achievable when he took over at the start of December.
But a lot now depends on how his six months at the helm have been perceived, both inside and outside the club.
Although Wolves have only won five times under him in the league, equally they have only lost once in 21 league games. An eyecatching statistic that cannot-help but have attractedthe attentions of others. Wolves chief executive Jez Moxey is pleased with the way things have turned out. But he is still keen to get things tied up quickly, long before his manager's current deal expires on May 31.
"We want it sorted sooner rather than later," said Moxey, mindful of the distracted, under-prepared manner with which Wolves have gone into the last two poor seasons.
"And we'll move heaven and earth to make sure that we do that one way or the other."
Hoddle himself now has to weigh up the risk of upsetting Wolves by delaying any further against the possibilities that might open up for him elsewhere.
But, following an afternoon during which the Wolves' fans sang "Sign him up", the feeling in the Molineux dressing room is that they should now go ahead and sort it this week.
"I hope so," said Wolves left-back Lee Naylor.
"It's good for the players to know where we stand, and the fans.
"We want him to do better things with us."
