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Roy Hodgson confirms the role at Bristol City will end after this season, stressing there is no chance of a longer stay. The 78-year-old interim manager says age makes a full-time position unrealistic, even though the short spell in charge has appealed.

The former England manager has been out of work since 2024, before agreeing to guide the Robins through the final seven Championship fixtures. Bristol City currently sit 16th in the table, and the club turned to Hodgson after deciding to change head coach late in the campaign.

Hodgson’s first job in English football took place at Ashton Gate, so this appointment brings a late-career return. When Bristol City face Charlton Athletic on Good Friday, it will be Hodgson’s first match as Robins manager since April 1982, creating almost 44 years between spells.

This gap represents the longest interval between managerial stints with the same club in Football League history. During the years away from Ashton Gate, Hodgson managed Inter, Liverpool and Blackburn Rovers, while also leading national teams from Finland, Switzerland and the United Arab Emirates.

No – I am too old, said Hodgson when asked if he was interested in taking the job permanently.

I think it was the fact that it was a short-term project, a short-term appointment. After the club made their decision to change, I think they were looking for someone who could step in and was prepared to do a job for seven games. Of course that appealed to me, because I have retired from the real maelstrom of working as a professional coach again, but 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.

Hodgson’s focus now centres on guiding Bristol City safely through the closing weeks, rather than shaping long-range plans. The club gains extensive experience for this short period, while Hodgson adds a final chapter at Ashton Gate without committing beyond the current Championship season.

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