Former England manager Roy Hodgson has been appointed the head coach of Championship side Bristol City for the remainder of the campaign.
The 78-year-old, who previously managed the club in 1982, will oversee the final seven matches of the season after the dismissal of Gerhard Struber.
It marks a sensational return to management for Hodgson, whose coaching career has spanned five decades, following his departure from Crystal Palace in February 2024.
Having been in the playoff places in the earlier part of the season, City are 16th in England’s second tier and without a win in six matches, a run that includes their FA Cup fourth-round defeat by Port Vale of League One.
Hodgson’s first game in charge will be the trip to Charlton Athletic on April 3.
“I have had great conversations with the board and I am really excited by the opportunity to help until the end of the season,” Hodgson said in a release on the City website. “We will get straight to work and look for a positive performance on Good Friday.”
Hodgson (c) after being appointed Bristol City caretaker manager in 1982, with board members (l-r) Leslie Kew, Ivor Williams, Deryn Coller and Ken Sage (PA Images via Getty Images)
“Roy’s appointment is about more than the results of the next seven games,” said the club’s chief executive officer Charlie Boss, who thanked Struber
“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 going forwards.
“Roy is a vastly experienced coach who has achieved and won at the highest level. He will support me, our players and our football staff as we build towards achieving our potential.
“We are in the process of appointing a sporting director who will have a direct input into the recruitment of a new permanent head coach.”
Hodgson has managed 1,269 matches across his coaching career with notable stints in charge of Italian club Inter and Liverpool, as well as Blackburn Rovers, Fulham, West Bromwich Albion and Palace.
Hodgson’s managerial career in England began at City in 1982, following a four-year period at Swedish club Halmstad, and has spanned 17 different clubs and four national teams, including England from 2012 to 2016.
