I’VE had my leg pulled a couple of times in the last week or so by some members of the family asking me if I’m going back into management.

I didn’t know what they meant until I realised that a couple of oldies have gone back in this season and are having success!

Roy Hodgson and Neil Warnock are both in their 70s but I can quite understand the clubs in question persuading them that they won’t have to run around too much.

The impact they will and have had immediately in the dressing rooms will be high as they’ve been there, seen it and done it.

Proof of this was a result most people had to look at twice last weekend – a 5-1 win away from home – this is hard to believe at any time and at any level.

Especially so when it is against a club like Leeds United, with their history. That’s what Roy and his Palace lads did last weekend, and they’ve already climbed the table.

It will be interesting to see how high he gets them at the end of the season. Hodgson will be at St Mary’s today – but do me a favour, Roy.

If you’ve got to lose one, make it this one. Roy and I go back a long time, in my day managers used to meet up one or two nights in midweek at games across the country.

You’d have cups of tea together and a good chat and a laugh. You’d also meet up for PFA, LMA and Football Writers dinners and they’re great evenings with managers.

That’s when managers meet up, apart from playing each other’s teams twice a year, and both Hodgson and Warnock are legends in the game in those areas. Both managers will have been asked to do their jobs from now until the end of the season.

Whether the clubs or the individuals want to carry on next year will remain to be seen – but certainly if they keep moving both clubs up, I’m sure the supporters will want to hang on to them.

Experience and respect from people within the club play a big role. Some of the younger lads may not have heard of them but the seniors will update them and be happy to have them there.

It will be interesting to see how the league tables look for Crystal Palace and Huddersfield by the end. Talking of which, Everton have not had the best season and are only one place off relegation.

I can only imagine what the patter is like around the pubs, clubs and shops in Liverpool when the Reds supporters bump into them. Mind you, they’ve also got a job in hand to reach Europe next year.

This week, I read that a decision has been made in the Premier League to remove gambling sponsors from the front of shirts from 2025 – and it is said to cost the clubs a collective £52million.

Southampton are one of the last clubs mentioned when I read but their main sponsor at the moment is the gambling site Sportsbet.io – and it details that their lucrative deal is apparently worth £8million.

Relegation is never a word you want to be associated with your club and it is likely to affect the value of their upcoming sponsorships, I’m sure.

It is a step in the right direction, though, and back in my day I would never encourage any players or staff to gamble if I heard it at all around the building. It is great for the winners but for every winner there are certainly a lot more losers.

You often wonder what your ex-players are up to and one legend will be on the radio next week with another local passionate supporter – Mike Osman.

Mike is well known for his radio work around the city and I hear Matt Le Tissier is excited to let everybody know you’ll be able to listen in to him alongside Mike on Great British Radio.

Mike is on the waves Monday to Friday from 7-10AM and you can hear him on the weekend from 10AM to 12. Le Tissier will be on all next week just after 8:30AM – it’s worth a listen!