Roy Hodgson open to another managerial return after ‘magical’ Bristol City stint

Veteran boss Roy Hodgson stole sporting headlines last season when he came out of retirement at the ripe old age of 78 to take charge of Bristol City for their final seven games of the Championship season.

Hodgson, who had been in charge of Crystal Palace for the first half of the 2023-24 Premier League campaign, was replaced by Oliver Glasner – and given the Austrian’s success in the dugout at Selhurst Park, it seemed as though the former England boss was ready to put his tactics board in the attic once and for all.

However, with Robins boss Gerhard Struber being sacked after a poor run of results, the West County outfit needed somebody to sit in the interim space for the final seven games of the campaign, with Hodgson being the perfect candidate to do so.

And that run-out seems to have inspired the veteran gaffer, who has claimed that he would jump at the opportunity to do so again should any offer come his way.

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Magical

Speaking on The Jeff Stelling Podcast via OLBG, which will go live in early November, Hodgson said: “Well, strangely enough, I had that phone call out of the blue from Richard Scudamore [Bristol City board member] asking me if I’d ever be available to spend time and work with Bristol City, with the Bristol City team, for the last seven games of the season.

“I think he was expecting me to say, ’no, I’m finished now. I’m too old for that’.

“But I didn’t. I’d seen Ray Lewington energised by the little bit of work he’s doing with Brentford, and I thought it might be good for me as well, getting me out of bed in the mornings.

“And it was really, really great fun to go there, put the boots on and be on the training field with the players.

“It’s something I’ve always loved; it’s been my life. 

“So the major problem was, of course, that it was such a magical six weeks that I had down there that now I miss it, and now I no longer have it.”

Managerial return?

He added: “But having said that, I can’t imagine any phone calls coming in the future where someone says ‘look, we really need you. We want you to come down here for a month or two, do some work and help us out in this situation’. 

“If it happens, then I think I’d probably jump at it again. But I don’t envisage it, and I certainly don’t have anyone punting for it.

“So it would be a strange phone call, and someone would have to work very hard to make that phone call.”

You only have to look at the current Championship table to note which teams would benefit from Hodgson’s vast experience.

It’s easy to forget that the ex-Liverpool boss has managed all across the world, with stints in Sweden, Switzerland, Finland, the UAE and more, as well as high-profile jobs such as Inter Milan, Liverpool, Fulham – where he reached the Europa League final – and of course, England.

Clubs such as Watford, whom Hodgson managed in 2022, may be looking for a new manager imminently after a poor run of results, as well as Norwich City and Derby County.

It may be a big ask for Hodgson to come back in any capacity, but if the chips are down, there aren’t many managers you’d rather have in your corner.

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