The 10 oldest Premier League & EFL managers after Roy Hodgson returns | OneFootball

Roy Hodgson is back in the game at Bristol City to show that age ain’t nothing but a number. Just a very big one in his case.

The Robins have appointed the ex-England boss until the end of the season after Gerhard Struber – nearly 30 years Hodgson’s junior – was sacked.

Hodgson’s managerial career has taken him to 17 different clubs and four national teams. This is his second stint at Bristol City and since his first was, in his own words, “nothing short of a disaster”, he evidently has unfinished business.

That first spell, in 1982, was before 29 of the 91 current Premier League and EFL managers were even born.

At the other end of the age spectrum, here are the 10 oldest managers in the 92…

1) Roy Hodgson – 78

Retirement is wimps, apparently.

Hodgson has had two years of pottering since leaving Palace in February 2024 but you just can’t keep a good man down.

Just the 15 years between him and the next oldest…

2) Steve Evans – 63

The remarkable thing about the Bristol Rovers manager isn’t his age but his weight.

In the seven months between leaving Rotherham and taking over at the Memorial Stadium in December last year, Evans shifted almost seven stone, a bigger achievement than steering the Gas to safety in League Two.

When Evans was born, Hodgson was… 15 years old, attending grammar school in Croydon.

3) Ian Holloway – 63

The fire still burns bright in Ollie, as evidenced by his recent rant over the FA suspending his captain at Swindon with less than 24 hours before a League Two match.

When Holloway was born, Hodgson was… 15 years old, listening to ‘little-known soul and R’n’B music’, apparently.

4) David Moyes – 63

We’re old enough to remember when Moyes was a young, up-and-coming manager at Preston, so this has rocked us a bit.

When Moyes was born, Hodgson was… 15 years old, about to take his O-Levels

5) Steve Cotterill – 61

Cotterill is back at Cheltenham where it all began. Literally. He was born in the town, made his debut there as a player and the club gave him his first managerial appointment in England.

When Cotterill was born, Hodgson was… trying to make it in the youth team at Crystal Palace.

6) Colin Calderwood – 61

The ex-Swindon, Spurs and Villa defender was assumed to be winding down since he hadn’t managed since January 2020 when he left Cambridge United.

But he’s recently taken the Northampton Town job until the end of the season, getting his hands dirty again after serving as director of football.

When Calderwood was born, Hodgson was… still trying at Palace. In vain, as it turned out.

7) Nigel Clough – 60

The recently-turned-60 Mansfield boss is currently the fourth-longest-serving manager in the 92, having bossed Town for just over five years.

The three ahead of him: Mikel Arteta (who was born during Hodgson’s first stint at Bristol City), Pep Guardiola, and Harrogate Town’s Simon Weaver.

When Clough was born, Hodgson was… Playing in non-league with Tonbridge Angels.

8)  Paul Cook – 59

The Liverpudlian, a man of many voices, has got his feet under the table at Chesterfield, taking the Spireites from the National League to mid-table safety in League Two since returning to the club in 2022.

When Cook was born, Hodgson was… approaching his 20th birthday.

9) Chris Wilder – 58

Wilder is back at Sheffield United for a third stint. And, apparently, he doesn’t hold a grudge.

Try as he might, he’ll never top the 2019-20 season.

When Wilder was born, Hodgson was… playing non-league football and coaching Park Hill United Under-11s

10) Phil Parkinson – 58

A wise old head amid the Hollywood glamour, many assumed Parky would not be long for Wrexham once momentum gathered behind their ascent from the National League to the Championship.

But the Chorley-born boss is closing in on five years in charge at the Racecourse and Rob Mac reckons he’s got ‘a job for life’.