Inside Roy Hodgson's return as former Liverpool boss, 78, makes comeback
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Bristol City CEO Charlie Boss has explained why the club fired Gerhard Struber and appointed Roy Hodgson as interim manager for the final seven Championship gamesRoy Hodgson is back in management(Image: Getty Images)Charlie Boss has confirmed that he put forward the recommendation to replace the manager to the rest of the Bristol City board last week, while clarifying the decision to dismiss Gerhard Struber and bring in Roy Hodgson on a temporary basis.The Robins announced in an official statement released last Friday that former Liverpool manager Hodgson, 78, would assume control of City for the remainder of the Championship season after Struber had been dismissed following a disappointing sequence of results.Struber had, himself, only assumed the role as Robins manager nine months previously, following Liam Manning's departure to Norwich last summer. Although he maintained popularity amongst supporters, City's statement referenced a spell of performances that had "not met expectations" as justification for his departure.READ MORE: Jamie Carragher 'changed mind' on Mohamed Salah after two things he failed to doREAD MORE: What Liverpool's two new summer signings mean for Arne Slot's current squadAddressing the media for the first time since the Austrian's exit, Reds chief executive Boss, who only commenced his position at Ashton Gate in February, offered additional insight into how and why such a decision was reached."Performances have clearly been disappointing over the last 10 games or so," Boss stated at Ashton Gate on Monday afternoon.
"One of my first priorities as CEO has been to try to diagnose what has been behind that underperformance."Having spent a lot of time around the first-team operation, seeing Gerhard in work and speaking to a bunch of people, I came to the view that we had to make a change, and I felt it was much better to make a change now that could have a lasting impact rather than waiting until the end of the season."Hodgson is now in charge of Bristol City(Image: Getty Images)"The board here is Jon Lansdown, Richard Scudamore and myself," the City chief executive added to Bristol Live. "We had a board meeting last week, and I brought to that board meeting a clear recommendation that we make a change, and that was probably what triggered the conversation with Roy and the less fun part of it, which is a difficult conversation with Gerhard and some of his team."It was my recommendation and a massive credit to the board; they fully supported me with it."He continued: "Even coming in, in my first week, I was aware that we were in a deteriorating run of form and so I've been thinking about what have been the right thing to do, to create the conditions for success, since really day one."I do think the international window gave us an opportunity to take a step back and go, 'Is there a change that we can make now that is for the long-term good of the club?'"That shift has witnessed Hodgson's return to BS3 44 years following his previous tenure in charge of the Robins, a four-month period in 1982 that he has subsequently described as "nothing short of a disaster."The 78-year-old will guide the Reds through the final seven fixtures of the Championship season, with the yet-to-be-appointed new sporting director then expected to be charged with finding Struber's permanent replacement ahead of the 2026/27 campaign.Hodgson has been out of employment — and retired — since he left Crystal Palace for the second time in February 2024.
Despite this, the seasoned manager topped the Robins' wishlist following Struber's departure.Hodgson's opening match as City's interim boss will take place away at Charlton on Good Friday, before he returns to the Ashton Gate dugout to face Sheffield United on Easter Monday.