Claridge is a pundit for The Football League Show and Football Focus

Leeds and Reading certainly enjoyed their moment in the spotlight following their FA Cup victories over Manchester United and Liverpool respectively.

But what do those results say about the gap between the Premier League and the lower leagues?

I also take the chance to assess the job Brian McDermott is doing at the Royals and also give my views on Southampton, Tranmere, Northampton and Grimsby Town.

If you have a question for me, you can submit it through Twitter at http://twitter.com/AskClaridge or use the form on the top right of the page.

As a Leeds Utd supporter I was obviously delighted with our cup result against Man Utd, and even more with our performance. Having also seen Coventry fare well against Portsmouth, even though they lost, and Reading's defeat of Liverpool, I wonder is the gap between the top-flight clubs and the lower leagues closing or were these one-off games played by motivated, hard working and well organised lower division opposition?
John Westwood, Scotland

Yes, they were highly motivated, hard working and well organised - in the face of Premier League teams who were exactly the opposite.

Poor teams at any level, if they are not set up right, are beatable. And that's what you saw in those matches. Man Utd played a side with no shape or balance, two right-sided players on the left, a midfield that had never played together, a defence that was makeshift - too many things weren't right. Leeds were fantastic, but Man Utd were below par. And the same can be said of Liverpool, too.

If Man Utd are at their best, they beat Leeds 3-0 or 4-0. If Liverpool are at their best, they beat Reading by a similar margin. But if the top side is not at their best and not set up properly, they are vulnerable. Of course, the opposition has to play well - and Leeds and Reading did - but the results you saw were a reflection of how the Premier League sides performed rather than the other way round.

So, no, just because Leeds beat Man Utd doesn't mean they could win the Premier League. The gap between the Premier League and the rest, to be honest, is not getting any smaller. On the odd day, an upset can happen, that's the beauty of the Cup. But the gap remains as big as, if not bigger than, ever.

Brian McDermott has inspired Reading after a dismal first half to the season. Is he the perfect man for the Reading job, thanks largely to his long role with the club and the fact that he knows the club like the back of his hand?
Robin Ellis, Wales

Robin, just because Brian has been there so long and knows the players doesn't mean a thing. Any good manager can go in there and within 10 days know the players, the ground and so on. Because you know a club well doesn't mean you get success as a result.

I don't see a problem with leaving McDermott in place until the end of the season

Can Brian succeed at Reading? Well, the bar was so low that he couldn't do any worse than they were doing when he took over. In that respect, it was a good job to take. He's got a great affiliation with the club and that will buy him some latitude from the fans. It's unlikely he will demand reams of transfers from the board either. That will sit well with the board because Reading have always been a prudent club.

On the pitch, Brian's done OK. The performances have improved and, on occasion, they haven't got the results they possibly deserved. The Nottingham Forest match, which they lost 2-1, is a case in point.

I'm not saying give him a three-year deal immediately, but I don't see a problem with leaving him in place until the end of the season and seeing how he goes. Reading are not out of the woods yet - and regardless of whatever improvement he has made there they still have to pick up points and kick away from that drop zone.

If he stays until the end of the season and keeps them up, he's done his job. Time will tell.

Based on your comments on 1 December, have you changed your mind about Les Parry at Tranmere? And what do you think our prospects are with Les, Shaun Garnett and Wayne Allison in charge? Personally I think we look solid and can fight our way out the mess left by (previous manager) John Barnes.
Matt, Congleton, England

Les Parry has done very well. What he's done right, in my opinion, is know his own limits and brought in people to complement what he brings to the job. He knows the way he wants it done, what he's good at and what he's not. He is also comfortable delegating what he's not so strong on to others, which is what he has to do.

He seems to be a hugely likable man - one who has Tranmere running through his blood - but he is a physio, not a manager. It's not something I would ordinarily advocate but again the bar was so low that, with all due respect, it was difficult to fail.

Having said that, there has been a marked improvement. I know Garnett and Allison. They are good football men and good professionals.

You've hit the nail on the head, too, Matt. Tranmere are solid now. That was exactly what they needed to become, so good luck to Parry. It's still a risky appointment, in my opinion, but so far, so good.

Grimsby, under Mike Newell, played 13 league matches, amassing 10 points. Under Neil Woods, we've played 12, amassing nine. While he's shored up our defence, we're poorer in attack, so can you honestly see us not being relegated this season? Does this prove that sometimes players, not managers, are to blame?
Chris, York, UK

Well, look, Grimsby haven't won a game in 16 matches. They don't look in very good shape, it has to be said, and if they continue to miss opportunities to win games - like in the recent 0-0 draw with Cheltenham - they will struggle. They've drawn far too many games, not scoring enough, so they can't stay up if that continues.

That said, a team's situation can change ever so quickly. We're not talking about re-inventing the wheel here. If they click up front or bring someone in who can stick it in the net, a couple of wins and they're edging their noses towards safety with a real fighting chance. But if you don't score goals, you don't win games.

It's a good club, though, with good history. If they have money to spend, I wouldn't rule out a renaissance of sorts.

As for who is to blame, it's not the players, no. Never, in fact. If the manager is getting the best out of a team and they're still struggling, then you have to hold your hands up and say you're not good enough. But I struggle to understand how you can go 16 matches without winning a single game. As a manager, you have to find solutions to get the best out of your players. In short, find a way to win. If a manager is not doing that, he is not doing his job.

What are your thoughts on Ian Sampson's management of Northampton Town this season and do you think he will be able to get them into the top half of the table?
Alastair Gloag

Northampton is an 18-month project, towards the end of which they should be pushing for promotion

Well, I don't think you're asking too much at all to expect a club like Northampton to be top half of League Two.

Ian's doing OK. It's always difficult when you take over an underachieving club in the middle of the season, but he's come in, stabilised things, and they won't be in trouble.

It's an 18-month project for them. Stabilisation this year and then build next year. Top six is something they should be aspiring to, definitely. It's not a gimme, of course, but with the support they have they can certainly be a force in that league.

Like I say, it's an 18-month project, towards the end of which they should be pushing for promotion.

As a Southampton fan it's been an interesting 2009 with the administration, 10-point penalty and relegation followed by new owners, manager and a march up the league. I am, however, concerned that our increasing fixture pile-up will stop us making the play-offs - do you agree? If we don't make the play-offs this year, do you think we can go up next year?
Shawn Skellon, UK

Getting into the play-offs, by Saints fans' own admission I'd have thought, must be something of an outside chance anyway, regardless of the fixture congestion. You don't start the season 10 points down and then fail to win a single match in your first 10 fixtures and expect to get into the play-offs. That's not to say it's an impossibility. It isn't, and they are looking a good side. But I wonder if they just have too much to do.

And it really won't help that they have so many games - and big ones at that - coming up, like the JPT finals, FA Cup and so on. Injuries will strike, too. Maybe if they hadn't had that 10-point deduction, they'd now be able to rotate their squad here and there. They can't do that, though, and that's the problem. So the question is: Can they keep that level of performance up with that amount of games they've got? I'd say it's unlikely. You do get tired and you do get found out.

Make no mistake, though, they are a great club now. The infrastructure is fantastic. The ground, the training ground, the people in charge etc. They've just spent £1m on a player, too. They will definitely go back up soon. Good times are just around the corner, no doubt.

At the end of the day, if you offered a Saints fan no promotion this year but a trophy, they'd bite your hand off.

Steve Claridge is a BBC Football League pundit who played more than 800 matches for 15 clubs over the course of a 24-year playing career. He was talking to Sam Lyon.

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