Roy Hodgson, 78, makes honest admission on future after landing management job at EFL club

Ed Griffiths
Tue, 31 Mar 2026 11:41:10 +0000

Roy Hodgson has confirmed he will not remain at Bristol City beyond the current campaign, declaring himself "too old" for a permanent managerial position.

The 78-year-old former England boss emerged from retirement to take the reins at the Championship side on a caretaker basis following Gerhard Struber's dismissal last week.

Hodgson, who last worked in football when he departed Crystal Palace in 2024, will oversee the Robins' final seven matches of the season.

When questioned about extending his stay at Ashton Gate, he said: "No - I am too old."

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The veteran manager acknowledged that top-level football rarely accommodates coaches of his age.

Despite having settled into retirement, Hodgson admitted he had grown "a little bit bored from time to time" and found this opportunity difficult to resist.

He explained: "Having this opportunity to get a feel for that again, and have a chance to work with a good group of players - it seems from what I saw this morning - and to relive being on the grass and doing the coaching, which I've always been really keen to do."

The short-term nature of the appointment proved particularly attractive to the experienced coach.

Hodgson said: "I thought that I could manage five weeks - and I might even look forward to the five weeks, which has been the case so far."

Bristol City currently sit in 16th place in the Championship, having failed to win any of their past five outings.

Their recent form reached a low point with a 1-0 home defeat to relegation-threatened West Brom, a match during which supporters booed the team on three separate occasions.

The Robins also suffered an embarrassing FA Cup exit at the hands of Port Vale, who sit bottom of League One.

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Hodgson's first match in charge comes on Friday.

He will travel with his side to the Valley to face Charlton, who are 18th in the table.

Sheffield United then visit Ashton Gate the following Monday.

The club's chief executive, Charlie Boss, revealed that Hodgson was the board's first choice for the interim role.

Boss explained: "We talked about it as a board about who we thought could bring, not just quality coaching over the remaining seven games, but could bring something that could last longer than that - and the first name on our list was Roy's."

The CEO expressed hope that Hodgson's influence might extend beyond this season into future years.

Hodgson's appointment marks a return to familiar territory.

He briefly managed Bristol City in 1982, during a period when the club faced severe financial difficulties.