Chris Hughton believes he is a better manager now than when he won the Championship with Newcastle as he prepares for a battle of the golden oldies.

Albion's visit to Cardiff tomorrow pits Hughton, the second oldest manager in the division, against the oldest in the country.

Neil Warnock was 68 yesterday, a year older than Arsene Wenger. The evidence suggests the older you are the better you get.

Third in the seniority list is 65-year-old Claudio Ranieri, manager of reigning Premier League champions Leicester. There is also a strong link between age and length of service.

Hughton, who will be 58 on December 11, makes it into the top ten, together with former Albion captain and midfielder Danny Wilson.

Five of the top ten - Hughton, Wenger, Mick McCarthy, Phil Brown and Tony Pulis - are also among the top 25 longest-serving managers on the nationwide circuit.

Two others, Ranieri and Gary Johnson, are in the 35 to have survived the longest.

Hughton told The Argus: "It's wonderful to see, because we are in an age where the turnaround of managers is far too quick, particulary those in their first jobs, so it's certainly good to hear of that statistic.

"It's the same as any walk of life. Whether you are working in a shop or a bank, you'd like to think the more experience you have in the trade you are doing, the better you are at it.

"There are always going to be cirumstances why perhaps you are not doing as well as you would like but you certainly like to feel you have more of an advantage having the experience than striving to get that experience."

The highs have outweighed the lows for Hughton during his managerial career with Newcastle, Birmingham, Norwich and Albion but he regards the times when things have not gone so well as educational.

"To improve as a manager you have also got to go through tough periods," he said. "I had a very good period at Newcastle in both divisions (Championship and Premier League).

"I really enjoyed Birmingham. Norwich the first season was very good, the second season was tough.

"You have to experience those tough periods in your managerial career whether you're an Alex Ferguson or somebody that has plied his trade predominantly in the lower divisions.

"Everybody is going to go through those periods and I certainly feel I am a better manager having come through them."The Argus:

Warnock (above) launched his managerial career in 1980 with non-League Gainsborough Trinity after 12 years as a winger in the lower leagues.

The straight-talking Yorkshireman guided Notts County to victory over Albion in the play-off final at Wembley in 1991, when Hughton was still a player with West Ham.

Cardiff are the 15th club Warnock has managed, including two spells at both Crystal Palace and Queens Park Rangers.

He has seven promotions on his CV and kept Rotherham in the Championship last season.

He is trying to lift next-to-bottom Cardiff up the table after taking over from Paul Trollope, Hughton's new assistant at the Amex.

The Welshmen have won three matches, lost three and drawn one under Warnock so far.

The victories have included beating Huddersfield at home, the defeats a 3-1 reverse at Aston Villa last Saturday.

Hughton said: "He's very good at what he does. He can generally get the best out of teams. 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."

Top Ten Oldest Managers

Neil Warnock (Cardiff) 68

Arsene Wenger (Arsenal) 67

Claudio Ranieri (Leicester) 65

Gary Johnson (Cheltenham) 61

Tony Pulis (West Brom) 59 in January 2017

Bob Bradley (Swansea) 59 in March 2017

Chris Hughton (Albion) 58 this month

Mick McCarthy (Ipswich) 58 in February 2017

Phil Brown (Southend) 58 in May 2017

Danny Wilson (Chesterfield) 57 in January 2017