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Jack Dawson

Fri 27 March 2026 12:04, UK

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Roy Hodgson has made a surprise return to management, taking over at Bristol City until the end of the season.

The 78-year-old has not been in the dugout since he left Crystal Palace in 2024, but will now be tasked with delivering a respectable finish to the Championship season.

The former England National Team boss has taken over from Gerhard Struber, who went on a run of one win in nine matches in all competitions before he was dismissed on Friday.

Now, after returning to the club he previously managed back in 1982, Hodgson has not been keen on facing the Robins, admitting he was “very anxious” about the Carabao Cup clash between the club and Crystal Palace back in 2017.

Below, Football Insider has explored Hodgson’s past encounters with his current club as Bristol City look to recover their season.

Roy Hodgson was anxious after making numerous changes in last Bristol City clash

Back in 2017, Hodgson’s Crystal Palace side met Bristol City in the round of 16 of the Carabao Cup.

Here, the match went disastrously for the Eagles as they lost 4-1 at Ashton Gate to the Championship outfit.

This came as part of a run where Bristol City reached the quarter-finals of the competition before being knocked out by Manchester City in the semi-finals.

However, for Palace the defeat was shocking, with Hodgson’s gamble of making 10 changes clearly not paying off.

As a result, the manager was quick to take responsibility for the result and told Sky Sports on 25 October 2017 that he was “anxious” about playing multiple stars.

He said: “I took a risk – I take responsibility for that.

“We’ve had a couple of tough Premier League games and played quite well in both of them, in my opinion.

We can announce that Gerhard Struber has been relieved of his duties as Bristol City Head Coach.

Roy Hodgson will take charge of the Men’s First Team until the end of the season, while the club will task the incoming Sporting Director with appointing a permanent Head Coach for… pic.twitter.com/Fi3VNY9MhG

— Bristol City FC (@BristolCity) March 27, 2026

“I was anxious we rested those players, and I was also very anxious to see some players because a lot of those players out there I’ve not had any chance to watch in so-called first-team action.

“It was an opportunity for them to knock on the door of the first team and threaten the places of the team I have played in the last two games, so I am bitterly disappointed that didn’t work out because there were very few performances that made me think I was picking the wrong team.”

Can Bristol City still be promoted or relegated this season?

Bristol City’s recent form has essentially ended any chance of the club being promoted this campaign, with the club 12 points off the playoffs with seven matches remaining.

In comparison, they are also 12 points off the relegation zone, and are therefore not mathematically safe yet.

As a result, in Opta’s predictions on 27 March, they do not believe there is any chance Bristol City can get into the playoffs.

However, there is still a small chance they could dip into the third tier at 0.02 per cent.

Nevertheless, given Hodgson’s experience and the fact that Bristol City are already on 51 points, this scenario looks incredibly unlikely.