On Saturday, the managers of Bournemouth and Crystal Palace square off.
On Saturday at Selhurst Park, Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson will meet Bournemouth manager Gary O'Neil for the first time. However, Hodgson said the two almost ran into each other at Craven Cottage years ago.
O'Neil, 39, played for nine different clubs during his senior career. He retired in 2019 and the next year joined Liverpool as the under-23 assistant manager.
Hodgson, 75, recalls being so taken aback by O'Neil that the player briefly came to the attention of Fulham.
Hodgson, who oversaw the Cottagers from 2007 to 2010, said, "I have a lot of respect for him, I don't know him.
I should be thrilled to meet him for the first time on Saturday because I remember him well as a player and he was even on our radar as a prospective signing at Fulham on multiple occasions.
O'Neil's Cherries are one point away from joining Hodgson's 12th-placed team in being mathematically safe and playing in the Premier League again next season.
O'Neil's campaign feels out of place in a season that saw the most manager sackings in the history of the top division as well as one of the most unpredictable relegation battles in recent memory.
Following the departure of Scott Parker, who had earlier expressed doubt about Bournemouth's ability to compete in the Premier League, O'Neil was initially employed on a temporary basis. However, after a remarkable 11-game run during which his team went undefeated in his first six games, O'Neil was given the permanent role.
Earlier this year, Bournemouth, like Palace, found themselves in the relegation debate. However, unlike former Eagles manager Patrick Vieira and a number of other managers who are currently seeking for work, O'Neil was able to keep his employers' trust.
The rookie Premier League manager, who was born in the same neighborhood where Palace practice, was able to repay that trust by leading the Cherries out of the relegation zone and into 14th place, nine points above it with three games left.
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