Biography
Portuguese manager Marco Silva was appointed Hull City manager in early January 2017 with the club at the foot of the Premier League table and awaiting a two-leg League Cup semi-final against Manchester United. Silva and his team of coaches immediately got to work, making the Tigers more organised, developing new attacking threats and bringing in a series of new players – attacking threats Oumar Niasse and Lazar Markovic joined on loan as did defenders Andrea Ranocchia and Omar Elabdellaoui and midfielder Alfred N’Diaye. In addition Brazilian playmaker Evandro and pacy Polish international winger Kamil Grosicki were signed on permanent deals as acting chairman Ehab Allam spent big in an attempt to retain the Tigers’ Premier League status – it very nearly worked.
Silva had the benefit of two Cup games to open his tenure at Hull City, a freshened and reorganised City side claimed an FA Cup victory over Premier League rivals Swansea City then put in a fine defensive performance in the first leg of the League Cup semi-final against Manchester United, losing 0-2. In his first home league game Silva masterminded a 3-1 victory over Bournemouth, the Tigers’ first Premier League win for two months, then gave Manchester United a real scare in the second leg of the League Cup semi-final, winning 2-1 to lose by the odd goal in five.
The re-energised Tigers proved a formidable foe at the KCOM Stadium and an occasionally unlucky but ultimately powder-puff opponent away from home. By late April 2017 Silva’s side was unbeaten in seven home games and despite only claiming two draws on the road the Tigers had risen off the foot of the table and lay just above the relegation zone in 17th position. With three games left Silva looked as though he might have achieved the incredibly unlikely, a reversal of fortunes akin to Warren Joyce’s Great Escape achievement in the fourth tier 18 years earlier. Alas amid rumours that Silva’s head had been turned by managerial offers elsewhere in the Premier League, the Tigers lost at home to Sunderland then took heavy defeats from Crystal Palace and Tottenham Hotspur. The club’s second Great Escape was cancelled, City were relegated to the Championship and after some cursory contract extension discussions with the club’s hierarchy Silva left Hull City at the end of May 2017.
Marco Alexandre Saraiva da Silva was born in the Portuguese capital Lisbon and developed as a journeyman right back after coming through the youth team system at Lisbon-based Primeira-Liga side CF Belenenses. He made just one senior appearance for Belenenses in the 1996/97 season before embarking on a lengthy career largely spent on the Portuguese second division. He spent the 1997/98 season at Athletico Club de Portugal, a Lisbon-based second tier side where he made six appearances, then spent three seasons at Trofense where he played 65 times and scored once. In 1999 he briefly returned to the top flight, playing once while on loan at Campomaiorense, but by the 2001/02 season he had joined Rio Ave. He spent the 2002/03 season at Braga’s B team, the 2003/04 season at Salgueiros and the 2004/05 season at Odivelas, then saw out his playing career with six seasons at Estoril during which he made 121 appearances.
Silva ended his playing days at the end of the 2010/11 season and in June 2011 he was appointed Director of Football at his former club Estoril. At the end of September 2011 he was appointed first team manager at Estoril and by the end of the 2011/12 season he had guided the Lisbon side to a Second Division title win and promotion to the Primeira Liga. Over the next two seasons Silva led Estoril to two top five finishes in the Portuguese top flight as well as reaching the Europa League group stage in the 2013/14 season. His barely blemished three year record as a manager made him hot property in Portugal and in May 2014, after 116 matches in charge at Estoril, he was appointed manager at Sporting Club de Portugal. During the 2014/15 season he led Sporting for 53 matches, achieving a third place league finish and victory iover Braga in the final of the Taca de Portugal. But despite this excellent record he was dismissed in June 2015 for a bizarre matchday clothing infringement, allowing Sporting to replace Silva with former Benfica manager Jorge Jesus. As part of the settlement that Silva brokered with Sporting he was not able to manage another Portuguese club for several seasons.
He therefore went on his travels with his coaching team. In July 2015 he was appointed manager at Piraeus-based Greek giants Olympiacos and led his side to a dominant Greek Super League title win achieved with six games to spare – Silva’s side narrowly missing out on the double when losing the Greek Cup final to local rivals AEK Athens. Despite this fine first season Silva left Olympiacos for personal reasons in June 2016 after 48 matches in charge and had been out of the game for six months when he took over the reins at Hull City in January 2017.
Two days after leaving the Tigers in May 2017 Silva was appointed first team manager at Premier League side Watford. The characteristic organisational skills he demonstrated at Hull City also did the trick at Vicarage Road and by mid-October 2017 the Hornets were competing in the top five. However a drop-off in form during December 2017 and January 2018 saw Watford drop to tenth place in the Premier League, which wasn’t deemed sufficient for the club’s trigger-happy Italian owners. Silva and his team were sacked at the end of January 2018 amid stories that he had been angling for a move to Premier League rivals Everton – he led the Hornets for 26 matches.
After a short rest period Silva was appointed manager at Everton in May 2018 and guided the Toffees to eighth place in the 2018/19 Premier League season. However at the start of the 2019/20 season Silva’s side managed only four wins in the opening 15 League matches and in December 2019 he was dismissed after 60 matches in charge.
Marco then enjoyed a year and a half sabbatical before returning to the English game in July 2021 when he was appointed head coach at Championship side Fulham. His Cottagers side swept aside allcomers during the 2021/22 season and won the Championship title at a canter, scoring 5 or more goals in a game seven times. In the 2022/23 season he guided Fulham to a tenth place finish in the Premier League, spending most of the season in the top half of the table and reaching the FA Cup quarter finals after defeating Hull City in the Third Round. He continued to consolidate Fulham in the middle reaches of the Premier League during the 2023/24 season.
Details
Nationality: Portugal
Date/Place of Birth: 12 July 1977, Lisbon, Portugal
Appointed by Hull City: 5 January 2017; 39 years, 177 days old
Left Hull City: 25 May 2017; 39 years, 317 days old
Tenure: 165 days
Clubs Managed
Estoril (2011-2014), Sporting Club de Portugal (2014-2015), Olympiacos (2015-2016), Hull City (2017), Watford (2017-2018), Everton (2018-2019), Fulham (2021-current)
Hull City Record
Managerial Record: Played 22, Won 8, Drawn 3, Lost 11, Goals For 25, Goals Against 43