The two oldest managers in Championship football go head-to-head at the Amex Stadium in Sussex on Friday when leaders Brighton entertain Cardiff City (7.45pm).
Bluebirds’ boss Neil Warnock, aged 68, holds senior rank in the top four divisions and is a year older than Arsenal’s Arsene Wenger.
Claudio Ranieri, who led Leicester City to the Premier League title last season, is third on the oldest manager list, at the age of 65, while former Spurs defender Chris Hughton is 58-years-old.
Both Warnock and Hughton have had considerable success in terms of promotions.
Yorkshireman Warnock launched his managerial career in 1980 with non-League Gainsborough Trinity after 12 years as a winger in the lower leagues and guided Notts County to promotion via the play-offs at Wembley in 1991.
Cardiff are the 15th club Warnock has managed, including two spells at both Crystal Palace and Queens Park Rangers, and he has steered teams to promotion seven times.
Warnock’s dream is to enter the record books with an eighth promotion before he retires, a feat which would eclipse three other men on seven – Dave Bassett, Graham Taylor and Jim Smith.
That won’t happen this season with Cardiff City battling to move away from relegation danger, but there is genuine hope for 2017-18.
“Neil is extremely good at what he does and can generally get the best out of teams,” says Hughton. “We must all know that if he wanted to he doesn’t have to do this any more.
“The reason that he does is because of the enthusiasm he has for the game. For somebody like Neil what hits him is not so much when he is in it as when he is out of it and how much he misses it when he’s not doing it.
“That’s the buzz. We all know there are a lot of down periods in our game – the disappointment of defeats, picking the players and yourself back up again. They are the not so nice parts but you can tell he misses it incredibly. That’s why he wants to get back into it at the deep end.”
Hughton, of course, is intent on taking Brighton up this season. They are Championship leaders and Warnock believes they are the best team in the division.
“Newcastle and Brighton are far and away the strongest clubs at our level, but Brighton, for me, have the edge as a team,” said Warnock. “Newcastle, though, have a lot of outstanding individual players.”
Former Cardiff manager Paul Trollope is Hughton’s assistant, while Warnock is building the Bluebirds with the help of number two Kevin Blackwell and coach Ronnie Jepson.
Title-chasing Brighton are unbeaten in 17 matches, while Cardiff have earned only one win in their last six fixtures.
“We have to stand up and be counted,” said Warnock. “It’s good to be going down there. They are as good a team in the league as there is.”
City seem likely to rest Peter Whittingham and Lee Peltier, who both suffered muscle strains in the 2-2 draw at Brentford.
Warnock is keen to ensure two of his most crucial players are 100 per cent fit for Cardiff’s home match against Aston Villa on Monday, January 2 (3pm).
He is also without Marouane Chamakh and Kieran Richardson, who left the club this week with their short-term contracts running out, and those factors will restrict his options.
Sol Bamba returns after suspension and looks certain to play in a 3-5-2 formation with Matt Connolly favourite to operate at wing-back. That is far from a natural position for Connolly, but that would allow Bamba to join Bruno Manga and captain Sean Morrison at the heart of defence.
Manga is available to play against Brighton and Villa before he flies out to join the Gabon international squad for their Africa Cup of Nations commitments.
Stuart O’Keefe is likely to take over from Whittingham in midfield at Brighton as Cardiff face one of their most difficult fixtures this season.
Cardiff City (3-5-2), probable: B Murphy; S Bamba, B Manga, S Morrison (capt); M Connolly, J Ralls, A Gunnarsson, S O’Keefe, J Bennett; J Hoilett, K Zohore. Subs: Wilson (gk), Immers, Harris, Pilkington, Noone, R Lambert, E Huws.
Top six oldest managers: 1 Neil Warnock (Cardiff) 68; 2 Arsene Wenger (Arsenal) 67; 3 Claudio Ranieri (Leicester) 65; 4 Gary Johnson (Cheltenham) 61; 5 Tony Pulis (West Brom) 59 in January 2017; 6 Chris Hughton (Brighton) 58.