5 oldest managers in Premier League history

#3 Alex Ferguson (71 years, 139 days)

Sir Alex Ferguson signed off with a 13th Premier League win in 2012-13.

The legendary Sir Alex Ferguson held the record of the longest managerial stint (21 seasons) in Premier League history till 2018 when he was usurped by Arsenal's Arsene Wenger.

Nevertheless, the Scotsman holds a slew of records in his illustrious managerial career in the Premier League.

Ferguson, who is one of only two men to have managed over 800 Premier League games, is the only manager in the competition's history to win over 500 games (528 to be exact). With as many as 13 Premier League wins, the Scotsman is ten titles clear of the duo of Wenger and Jose Mourinho.

Under the legendary Scotsman, Manchester United rose from mid-table mediocrity to a force to be reckoned with, both at home and abroad.

In the last game of his managerial career, which happened to be his 1500th in all competitions and 810th in the Premier League, champions Manchester United were held to an entertaining 5-5 home draw with West Bromwich Albion on the last day of the 2012-13 season. That game made the then 71-year-old Ferguson the second-oldest manager in the history of the Premier League.

During his 21 consecutive seasons in charge of Manchester United, Ferguson won the Premier League Manager Of The Month Award on a record 27 times, which was well clear of the next man on the list - Arsene Wenger (15).

#2 Bobby Robson (71 years, 192 days)

Bobby Robson started his managerial career with Fulham - a club he once played for - before enjoying an eight-year stint with the England national team. The former striker also took the reins at PSV Eindhoven, Barcelona, Sporting Lisbon and Porto before assuming charge of bottom-placed Newcastle United in the 1999-00 edition of the Premier League.

The Englishman made an immediate impact as Newcastle recovered to finish 11th in the league that season. After another 11th-placed finish in 2000-01, the Magpies made successive finishes of fourth, third and fifth in the Premier League. Although Newcastle missed out on a Champions League place in 2003-04, they reached the semifinals of the UEFA Cup.

However, the 2004-05 season started poorly for Newcastle who were winless in their first four Premier League games of the season to slump to 17th in the league table.

It was a run of results that ended Robson's five-year stint in the Premier League as the Englishman started and ended his managerial career in the competition with defeats against Chelsea and Aston Villa respectively. The game against Villa made the 71-year-old Robson the oldest manager in the Premier League, a mark he would hold on to six years after his death in 2009 before another Englishman surpassed him.

#1 Roy Hodgson (73 years, 42 days)

In a long and distinguished managerial career, Roy Hodgson managed a slew of club teams in four different countries before guiding Blackburn Rovers to a sixth-placed finish in the 1997-98 Premier League.

Hodgson was twice the Premier League 'Manager Of The Month' during his first managerial stint in the competition before Blackburn, who were touted as title challengers that season, failed to qualify for the Champions League after finishing outside the top four.

A poor run of results in the next season saw Hodgson relieved of his duties at Blackburn. It would be a decade before the Englishman was back as a manager in the Premier League.

Hodgson ensured Premier League survival for Fulham in 2007-08 after being handed the reins of the club when they were languishing in 18th place. The Englishman stayed at Fulham for two more seasons before Liverpool came calling in the summer of 2010.

However, the indifferent form of the team meant that Hodgson survived just six months at Anfield before joining West Bromwich Albion in February 2011 whom he guided to 11th and 10th-placed finishes in the Premier League.

After a four-year stint with the English national team, Hodgson was back in the Premier League where he was asked to salvage a stuttering Crystal Palace who had lost their first four games of the 2017-18 season. Palace lost three more games before becoming the first Premier League team to survive relegation after losing their first seven games of the season; Hodgson's men finished 11th that campaign.

During the next season, Crystal Palace made a 12th-placed finish, Hodgson surpassed late Bobby Robson to become the oldest manager to manage a Premier League game.

On 20th September 2020, Crystal Palace won 3-1 at Manchester United in their second game in the 2020-21 Premier League to make a fabulous start to their domestic campaign under the 73-year-old Hodgson.

About the author

Bhargav is a veteran sports journalist and editor at Sportskeeda, with a rich professional experience of 17 years, working for the likes of Siemens and Bombay Dyeing. An avid football and tennis follower for over three decades, Bhargav uses his vast knowledge and experience, attention to detail, an unbiased yet interesting writing style, and thorough research to craft insightful articles, which have raked in over 20 million reads so far.

Bhargav supports Italy at national level, a team steeped in tradition and history according to him. He still harbors the heartbreak from the Azzurri’s 1994 FIFA World Cup final defeat against Brazil, and protagonist-turned-antagonist from the game, ‘Divine Ponytail’ Roberto Baggio is his all-time favorite player. His favorite manager is Marcelo Lippi, who ended Italy’s 24-year wait for the World Cup trophy, winning it in 2006.

Outside Europe’s top five leagues, he follows the MLS following Lionel Messi’s move in 2023 but favors Cristiano Ronaldo in the G.O.A.T. debate. During his free time, Bhargav enjoys driving off to new places and singing.

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Edited by Rachel Syiemlieh