There are not many Championship managers, apart from on the nation's Play Stations perhaps, who have the luxury of responding to a defeat by being able to bring in an England defender.
Although it is 16 months since Matthew Upson became the last Midland-based outfield player to be picked for an England squad, Birmingham City manager Steve Bruce has that luxury against play-off contenders Plymouth Argyle tomorrow.
Upson is fully fit following the Achilles injury he cruelly suffered in the pre-match warm-up before Blues' first Premiership defeat to Aston Villa in April's Second City derby.
That happened on a day when the England international was set to return after two months out with a knee injury, adding up to a total of nine months on the sidelines.
But Bruce may have timed it just right to bring him back now, having resisted the temptation to do so at Burnley last Saturday and then been reluctant to change a winning team at Southampton on Wednesday night.
The scale of Blues' defensive calamities at St Mary's probably hastened the manager’s decision.
Upson's return will inevitably trigger an immediate transfer speculation, no doubt suggesting that he is being brought in now to be fattened up for Blues to make a killing on him in the January transfer window.
But, never mind the attention of his Premiership suitors, it is in the middle of Blues' own back four that, on Wednesday night's evidence at St Mary's, Bruce himself has most need of Upson.
Almost four years on from his January arrival, and two years on from his last international appearance in Madrid, the seven-times capped England defender is ready to return. "It has been a very difficult decision to leave him out," Bruce said, "because he is a good player.
"And it's a bit like having a new #6 million signing waiting to come in.
"But the great thing from our point of view is that we've not had to risk rushing him back because of the form our defenders have been in. And the more he has been able to train the better he'll be for it when he does come back in."
The only hard part now for Bruce is to decide whether to leave out the occasionally error-prone Radhi Jahdi or stand-in skipper Martin Taylor, at fault for Wednesday night's fourth Southampton goal, to make way for Upson's return.
"Our back five have been fantastic for me," Bruce said. "I'm a big believer in trying to keep it tight at the back and they've rightly had lots of pats on the back for the way they have played.
"That is why when the players came in at half time three down I didn't slam them because they have done so well for me of late.
"But elementary mistakes were made at Southampton that need eradicating."
At least while Upson's return tomorrow ought to seal a few cracks, Bruce was further encouraged by the overall guts of his team's performance on a night when victory would have taken Blues top of the Championship for the first time in three months.
"It would have been great to go top," Bruce said. "But we now have two home games coming up against Plymouth and then Preston the following Saturday.
"And, if we keep playing the way we are, I fancy ourselves to still be up there come May.
"I still think we've got a bit to come but there's a good spirit, a good dressing-room.
"Everyone knew we'd stage a comeback and we showed remarkable attitude to come as close as we did to getting something.
"And, if a team is only as good as their strikers, we've got enough to cause any team problems.
"Gary McSheffrey and Nicklas Bendtner have become big pals. And you can see that in the way they're playing together. Just like in the first half at Burnley, they were brilliant.
"Bendtner, in particular, takes my breath away. Teams try to upset him but he can handle it.
"He's still got a lot to learn but sometimes you forget how young he is."
More encouraging news on the injury front is that, while doubts remain over the long-term future of luckless duo David Dunn and Mikael Forssell, captain Damien Johnson is expected to be given the all-clear within the next week to resume training after breaking his cheekbone.
