Roy Hodgson has made a shock return to management at the age of 78, taking charge of Bristol City until the end of the season after Gerhard Struber was sacked. The former England manager, who has been out of work since leaving Crystal Palace in February 2024, will oversee the final seven Championship games, with City currently 16th in the table.
Hodgson’s managerial career in England began at Ashton Gate in 1982, after a spell at Swedish club Halmstad. He has managed 17 clubs and four international sides, including England from 2012 to 2016. “I have had great conversations with the board and I am really excited by the opportunity to help until the end of the season,” he said. “We will get straight to work and look for a positive performance [against Charlton] on Good Friday.”
Struber, who succeeded Liam Manning last summer, was dismissed after a poor run of results, winning only one of his final nine matches in all competitions. During that period, City were knocked out of the FA Cup by League One’s bottom club, Port Vale, and lost at home to West Bromwich Albion, a side fighting relegation. Struber had also voiced frustration at the January transfer window, when key players Anis Mehmeti and Zak Vyner were sold to division rivals Ipswich and Wrexham respectively. His assistant Bernd Eibler has also left the club.
Chief executive Charlie Boss said: “Roy’s appointment is about more than the results of the next seven games. Over the remainder of the season, he will help us set the standards and values at the club that we will need to be successful. Roy is a vastly experienced coach who has won at the highest level.”
City also announced that technical director Brian Tinnion has been relieved of his first-team duties and will focus on the academy pathway. The club is recruiting a sporting director to help appoint a permanent head coach, expected to replace Hodgson at the end of the season.
