WILDER TO JOIN THE OLD BOY NETWORK
CHRIS WILDER wants to do a Roy Hodgson – and prosper as a pensioner in the Premier League.
At the age of 72, former England boss Hodgson is making a pretty good go of guiding Crystal Palace to mid-table respectability.
And his passion for the job remains as strong as ever as he prepares to welcome Wilder’s Sheffield United to Selhurst Park.
But Wilder, 52, (above) insists his own desire to carry on managing into his
70’s matches that of Hodgson.
“When I look at
Roy and see how animated he is on the touchline, I’d love to be doing that at his age,” said Wilder.
“My enthusiasm for the game hasn’t changed since I packed up playing at 34.
“People say that the highs aren’t as high and the lows not as low as you get older, but they are as burning for me now as when I was starting out.
“Nothing has changed in that respect, and I don’t think it ever will.
“Okay, when you lose that might be time to consider what you’re doing, and I imagine Roy would say the same. But he will have learned through experience to deal with situations in different ways.
“The bottom line is that the desire to win games is huge, and I’m sure it’s the same with Roy at Palace.
“You look at how intense the job is, and what the demands are on managers, but still being in the changing room and working with players is something I intend to do for as long as possible.
“To carry on for as long as Roy has done shows incredible professionalism, determination and drive. Hats off to him for such an amazing achievement.
“If I manage in the Prem to do the job Roy has done I’ll have been extremely lucky, done a lot of things and dodged a few bullets.
“Mind you, working in line with modern day footballers, I imagine Roy might shake his head at the clothes they wear, the cars they drive or the music they play. But he still gets a tune out of his players!”
New club record £27million signing Sander Berge (above) may have to settle for a place on the bench today, while striker David McGoldrick is still out with a foot injury.