Former England manager Roy Hodgson has been appointed as the new manager of Championship club Bristol City at the age of 78.
In a shock statement the Robins announced the sacking of Gerhard Struber and the return of Hodgson to Ashton Gate until the end of the season - a staggering 44 years after his first spell in charge.
This is now his 24th managerial role spanning 50 years having started at Swedish club Halmstad in 1976.
Hodgson has been out of work since ending his second spell as Crystal Palace manager in 2024, but never formally retired.
He inherits a Bristol City team who have fallen apart this season following the sale of their two key players, captain Zak Vyner and top scorer Anis Mehmeti, in January.
They have won one of their last nine matches and having been battling for the play-offs are now 16th, 12 points from both the top six and bottom three with seven games to play.
“I have had great conversations with the board and I am really excited by the opportunity to help until the end of the season," said Hodgson.
"We will get straight to work and look for a positive performance on Good Friday.”
Chief executive Charlie Boss said: “Roy’s appointment is about more than the results of the next seven games. Over the remainder of the season, he will help us set the standards and values at the club that we will need to be successful going forwards.
“Roy is a vastly experienced coach who has achieved and won at the highest level. He will support me, our players and our football staff as we build towards achieving our potential.
“We are in the process of appointing a sporting director who will have a direct input into the recruitment of a new permanent head coach.”
Roy Hodgson's managerial career
- 1976–1980: Halmstad
- 1980–1982: Bristol City (assistant, then manager)
- 1982: Oddevold
- 1983–1984: Örebro
- 1985–1989: Malmö
- 1990–1992: Neuchâtel Xamax
- 1992–1995: Switzerland
- 1995–1997: Inter Milan
- 1997–1998: Blackburn Rovers
- 1999: Inter Milan (caretaker)
- 1999–2000: Grasshoppers
- 2000–2001: Copenhagen
- 2001: Udinese
- 2002–2004: United Arab Emirates
- 2004–2005: Viking
- 2006–2007: Finland
- 2007–2010: Fulham
- 2010–2011: Liverpool
- 2011–2012: West Bromwich Albion
- 2012–2016: England
- 2017–2021: Crystal Palace
- 2022: Watford
- 2023–2024: Crystal Palace
- 2026: Bristol City
More from Sporting Life
- Fixtures, results and live scores
- Home of This Week's Acca
- Football and other sports tips
- Download the Sporting Life app
- Podcasts and video content
Safer gambling
We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.
If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.
Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org.