Neil Warnock has always championed the maxim about age being a case of mind over matter – if you don't mind, it doesn't matter.
And as he welcomed 74-year-old Roy Hodgson's return to the dodgems on Watford's fairground, English football's most-promoted manager acclaimed his fellow septuagenarian's enduring taste for adventure.
Warnock was three weeks short of his 73rd birthday when he was sawn off by Middlesbrough in November, and he is not yet resigned to indefinite detention with Homes Under the Hammer and daytime TV's assorted sedatives.
But he believes Hodgson and Watford could prove an inspired fit – especially if injured winger Ismaila Sarr returns to help the former England coach roll away the stone.
Warnock, who managed a record 1,603 games in professional football, said: “When you turn 70, sometimes the job makes you feel younger, maybe because you relish it more.
“I can see why Roy doesn't want to let go because you keep promising yourself this is the last job, this year you'll pack it in... and then you switch on the box, there's a game on and straight away you miss it.
“The Watford job might suit Roy down to the ground because it's not a long-term project, or whatever they call it these days.
“It's five or six months, 18 games to keep them up, and it would be brilliant - for him and them - if he does it.
“He won't worry about standing on the touchline when it's raining – when the adrenaline kicks in, it'll feel good to be back.
“Some of my most enjoyable jobs were short-term missions, like going into Rotherham and keeping them up. That's what keeps you fresh, and Roy obviously feels he's got the energy to take on one more job.
“I never worried about being a senior citizen, or the age gap involved when you work with younger players.
“You keep up to date with what's going on, you have staff to lean on – Roy will have Ray Lewington back with him, just as I've worked with Ronnie Jepson and Kevin Blackwell – and you enjoy the banter. I don't think age has anything to do with it.
“I honestly think Watford is a great opportunity – they have the best squad of all the clubs down there.
“If Roy can organise them and get them playing together as a unit, not the collection of individuals I saw against Norwich the other night, they could still get out of it.”
Warnock, whose eight promotions included taking four different clubs – Notts County, Sheffield United, QPR and Cardiff – into the top flight, says Hodgson's experience and organisation will be vital assets for the Hornets.
He said: “People talk about all the changes Watford have made in the last 10 years, but they haven't spent £500 million on players and gone through a cast of big-name managers like Everton.
“They haven't got (Troy) Deeney any more, and that's unhelpful. Even if he wasn't in the team, he ran that dressing room and he was the glue that held it all together during the changes.
“And if (Ismaila) Sarr comes back, he gives them a different dimension because he stretches teams. I believe Watford have only managed one point since he was injured.
“But Roy has managed at every level, and his teams have always been hard to play against.
“I don't mean this in a disrespectful way, but when my teams came up against Roy, his priority seemed to be making sure he didn't lose – and that's what Watford need right now because they haven't kept a clean sheet all season.
“Most people have written them off already, but I wouldn't be so sure. From one young manager to another, I wish Roy all the best!”
