Experienced heads: welcoming the return of three veteran managers to English football

The first three months of 2023 saw Mick McCarthy, Neil Warnock, and, most recently, Roy Hodgson be re-instated in the managerial world, with the latter two coming out of retirement for their respective posts.

With that in mind, here is a closer look at three men who remain the oldest managers in English football.

Roy Hodgson – Crystal Palace (appointed 21 March)

Roy Hodgson returned to Crystal Palace in March, nearly two years after his last tenure in south London. It was the second time Hodgson had come out of retirement to take on a new role, after failing to keep Watford up in the 2021-22 campaign.

Hodgson is the most travelled manager on this list, with a career going back to 1976 and covering eight different countries.

His spell as Three Lions boss wasn’t filled with success and he will always be associated with the infamous defeat to Iceland, as covered by the BBC at the time, but Hodgson will be fondly remembered around some English football circles for reaching the Europa League final with Fulham in 2009-10, before defeat to Atletico Madrid.

He is yet to lead a team out in the Champions League, though, which is Europe’s elite competition and has become so famous it features on various platforms or has been imitated due to its popularity.

These include video games such as FIFA and online slots, where sites such as Mr Q provides offers such as free spins to new users as well as a range of titles to attract a wide demographic. The Champions League is only likely to continue growing across different entertainment platforms as it has cemented itself as the premier competition in domestic football.

Far from Europe, meanwhile, Hodgson now faces a tough battle with Palace to try and avoid a second successive relegation from the Premier League this term.

Neil Warnock – Huddersfield Town (appointed 13 February)

Neil Warnock had enjoyed less than a year out of football and had even set up a new podcast when he was dragged back into the action in February of this year.

The veteran Englishman returned to Huddersfield Town where he had won promotion in his spell between 1993 and 1995, to oversee their own fight for survival in the Championship in 2022-23, as reported by The Independent. Unlike Hodgson, Warnock has remained in England his entire career, which spans over 40 years.

Starting in the lower leagues, Warnock made his way through Plymouth, Oldham and Bury after his first stint at Huddersfield, before taking Sheffield United to the Premier League in his longest tenure to date, spanning eight years.

Alongside roles at Middlesbrough, Cardiff and Rotherham, arguably Warnock’s greatest achievement was winning the Championship with QPR back in 2010/11.

Mick McCarthy – Blackpool (appointed 19 January)

Born in Barnsley but going on to represent – and later manage – Ireland at the international level, Mick McCarthy became English football’s third-oldest manager after he was made Blackpool boss at the turn of the year. His career started at Millwall in 1992 but he soon found his calling in international management.

McCarthy took charge of Ireland in 1996 and remained for six years, famously taking the Boys in Green to only their third World Cup ever in 2002 and getting them to the last-16 before losing on penalties to Spain.

After long spells in charge of Sunderland, Wolves and Ipswich, McCarthy returned for a less successful spell as Ireland manager, before trying his luck in Cyprus with APOEL Nicosia. Now, his Blackpool side faces a head-to-head battle with Warnock’s Huddersfield to avoid the drop in the Championship.

The development of the modern game has seen a rebirth of football tactics and, with it, a new and exciting brand of up-and-coming football minds.

But one cannot put a price on experience as well as pure grit and determination, which has seen the return of some of football’s most storied tacticians. While they may represent a quick fix, the importance and influence of such managers cannot be downplayed.