Although Crystal Palace find themselves in 12th place, they are just three points off the relegation zone after a dismal 12-match winless run, which has forced the club into parting ways with Patrick Vieira. With 75-year-old ex-manager Roy Hodgson being re-hired in a desperate measure, we have decided to take a look at the oldest Premier League managers and how they fared in their senior years.
Re-wind to February 2019, Crystal Palace have just hired Roy Hodgson at the grand old age of 71 years and 198 days, and in doing so broke the previous record held by Bobby Robson for the oldest managerial appointment in the Premier League.
Hodgson has gone on to retire not once, but twice, and has this week broken his own record for a second time after being re-appointed by Palace at the age of 75, putting him well clear at the top of the oldies chart.
This appointment has certainly bucked the trend of younger Premier League managers, with the likes of Mikel Arteta enjoying so much success relatively early on in their careers.
Oldest Premier League Managers
5. Claudio Ranieri (70 years, 93 days)
Premier League winning manager Claudio Ranieri, who masterminded THE defining underdog story after guiding Leicester City to the title, returned to Watford in 2021 for what appears to be his final stint in the division.
At 70 years and 93 days old, the colourful Italian became the fifth oldest manager in the league’s history, but for all his experience at guiding teams away from the drop zone, he lasted just three months after the Hornets board were typically cutthroat with their managerial merry-go-round.
4. Neil Warnock (70 years, 162 days)
Just edging in front of Ranieri is Neil Warnock, whose managerial career spans five decades and 16 different teams.
Although perhaps best-known for his ever-reliable wisecrack in press conferences, Warnock holds a remarkable track record for keeping teams in the top-flight and at the age of 70 years and 162 days, he guided Cardiff in the Premier League after gaining promotion in 2016.
In a campaign plagued by bizarre refereeing calls and narrow defeats, the famous Warnock hands-on-head meme was born after a particularly controversial scenario against Chelsea, and he would go on to leave the club at the end of the year; his final stint in the Premier League to this day.
For anyone in need of added context, Neil Warnock staring down the officials after Chelsea scored a clearly offside goal against his Cardiff team will forever be one of the most iconic moments of the Premier League.
The hands on the head is just 🤌
— HLTCO (@HLTCO) November 11, 2022
3. Sir Alex Ferguson (71 years, 139 days)
Although Sir Alex Ferguson announced his intention to retire in May of 2001 after a dispute with the board, Manchester United fans will be glad he didn’t after guiding them to a further 13 trophies right up until he left for good in the title-winning summer of 2013.
Sir Alex Ferguson asked if he'd prefer Arsenal or Man City to win the Premier League: "I'm not interested." [@itvracing] pic.twitter.com/bQx4bWyXON
— utdreport (@utdreport) March 15, 2023
Not only did this make him the third oldest manager in Premier League history by the time of his exit, but he also rounded off a staggering career with the most trophies of any manager in world football.
You know what they say, age is just a number.
2. Sir Bobby Robson (71 years, 192 days)
As mentioned, Sir Bobby Robson held the record for the oldest Premier League manager for some time until Roy Hodgson outlasted him.
A fairytale end to a glittering career as both a player and a manager saw him return home to boyhood club Newcastle United in 1999, where he would guide the Magpies from bottom of the Premier League to a top four finish in the 2001–02 season, before finishing third in the following season to ensure Champions League football.
Although he exited the club after apparent discontent in the dressing room aged 71 years and 192 days, he is hailed as a legend in the city and was even granted the Freedom of the City of Newcastle upon Tyne in 2005.
1. Roy Hodgson (75 years, 235 days)
When Roy Hodgson takes charge of his first game back as Crystal Palace manager on April 1st, he will be 75 years and 235 days old, which puts him well clear of Robson as the oldest Premier League manager of all time.
Hodgson has been at the helm of 22 different teams in eight separate countries during his career, which started all the way back in in 1976. When he takes his seat in the Selhurst Park dugout, it will be his 163rd game in charge of the Eagles in his second stint in South London, although his longest continuous job was at Malmo, where he managed 165 games in just over four years.
Crystal Palace are preparing documents for Roy Hodgson official appointment to be sealed this week 🔵🔴🦅 #CPFC
75 years old coach has already accepted terms, contract until June — it’s gonna be 24th job of his football career as manager started in 1976. pic.twitter.com/Yk3azh8GYO
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) March 21, 2023
Although former manager Patrick Vieira is an imposing figure, their recent record has seen them in free-fall and the Palace board hope the respect that Hodgson commands may spark their survival push into action.
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