When you have been a manager for so many years and been in charge of the youth policies you often wonder what happened to the hundreds of players that came through the system, how they have done, their careers and where they are now.

People like Franny Benali are well in the news this week, and keep going and good luck, and we all know what Matt Le Tissier is up to and Mick Channon with his racing stables and others that pop up on TV now and again.

But it’s always nice to bump into someone as I did before last week’s game.

Dennis Rofe was a player and then became assistant manager and stayed on the coaching staff for quite a while at Saints. I had a nice chat with him and he is apparently now scouting for Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Wolves were actually in my mind as well because I was saying to Dennis that at this time of the year the League Managers Association ask members to nominate three people with the top one awarded Manager of the Year.

Nuno Espirito Santo at Wolves was certainly on my list because they only got promoted at the beginning of the season but have hardly been out of the top seven or eight throughout.

They could possibly finish up in Europe and interestingly had more consistent team selections than anyone else making it look a bit like the olden days when team changes were made only when someone got injured. Of course, there were fewer players in the squad then.

Definitely another name in my top three is Chris Wilder.

I signed Chris as a youngster from Sheffield. He spent five years with us and went on to various other clubs.

I have watched his career in management with interest.

He has always done very well and the dream has worked out for him as he has led his hometown team, Sheffield United, to promotion to the Premier League.

Chris has given credit to his initial time at The Dell and mentions that in the squad of apprentices he was in, under Dave Merrington, 11 eventually made first team level and some became internationals.

The other member of my three nominations has to be our manager, Ralph Hasenhuttl.

Looking at the way he has changed things since his arrival mid-season he has done a terrific job.

Had he had a full season picking up points in that way we have since he came we would be much nearer the top than the bottom.

It would have been totally unfair on him if we hadn’t have ensured our survival last week in what was an entertaining game with plenty of goals and also showed what a good job Eddie Howe continues to do at Bournemouth with their 11,500 ground capacity.

One other name connected with the club which has cropped up, but there is no way he will be in my nominations for an award, was Mr Rupert Lowe, the ex-chairman.

Believe it or not he has been named as a candidate for the Brexit Party in the European elections in the West Midlands.

I don’t want to go into too much detail of what I think of him but if he does get elected I hope they don’t let him too near the walls of Downing Street as he might take down photos of former Prime Ministers and replaced them with a picture of a train from Doncaster Rovers.