by Declan Jordan
In a recent post I looked at the playing records of Premier League managers to examine if thee has been an increase in the number of managers without playing experience at a high level. This is prompted by the emergence of the likes of Andre Villas-Boas and Jose Mourinho as high-profile examples of coaches who did not play at any significant level.
AVB has also prompted questions about whether his relatively young age is a disadvantage in terms of winning over players and/or commanding their respect. At 36 he is not much older than some of the players he is managing at Tottenham. Of course, a couple of seasons ago at Porto his even more tender age didn't stop him winning the Europa League.
This report from Sporting Intelligence shows that Premier League managers are the most diverse in terms of nationality and age relative to managers in the other big 5 European leagues, It might be interesting to see if there has been a change across time in the age profile of Premier League Managers.
AVB has also prompted questions about whether his relatively young age is a disadvantage in terms of winning over players and/or commanding their respect. At 36 he is not much older than some of the players he is managing at Tottenham. Of course, a couple of seasons ago at Porto his even more tender age didn't stop him winning the Europa League.
This report from Sporting Intelligence shows that Premier League managers are the most diverse in terms of nationality and age relative to managers in the other big 5 European leagues, It might be interesting to see if there has been a change across time in the age profile of Premier League Managers.
The table in blue shows the median age and the range of ages of Premier League managers in 1992/3, 2002/3, 2012/13 and currently. Each of the previous seasons the age is calculated for the manager in place at the final game of the season at May 1 each year (so for 1992/3 it is the manager's age on 1 May 1993 and for 2002/3 it is the age on 1 May 2003). The current season's data is calculated for managers in place last weekend and their age last Friday. The median age of managers has risen since the start of the Premier League in 1992 from 46 to 50. The range has also increased from that season, driven by the increase at the upper end (though Chris Coleman's stint at Fulham when 32 is quite noticeable). The staying power of Alex Ferguson particularly has increased the upper band, though his retirement at 71 only just eclipsed Bobby Robson who was in charge at Newcastle in 2003 when 70 years of age.
The red table shows the classification of managers into decades and demonstrates that the age profile is rising with more managers in their 50s and 60s. This suggests it isn't an Alex Ferguson or Arsene Wenger effect. In the opening season of the Premier League 18 of the 22 managers were in their 30s or 40s. The corresponding figure last season was 10 and there are just 9 of the young 'uns currently.
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