Bristol City sack Gerhard Struber and replace with former England boss Roy Hodgson | OneFootball

Bristol City fans have been shocked this morning by the announcement that head coach Gerhard Struber has been relieved of his duties, and replaced by former Liverpool and England boss Roy Hodgson for the final seven games of the season.

Along with Struber, assistant coach Bernd Eibler has also been sacked, with Hodgson bringing in his own team of backroom staff. The 78-year-old previously managed Bristol City back in 1982 for a brief spell from January 3rd to April 30th. Since then, Hodgson has enjoyed a long career in the sport, managing in multiple leagues and countries. He is of course most known for his four-year spell in charge of England, which came to an end following Euro 2016, and his most recent role was with Crystal Palace, who he departed in 2024.

Struber was only appointed as Bristol City boss nine months ago, replacing Liam Manning who left The Robins to join Norwich City at the end of the 2024/25 season. The Austrian head coach enjoyed a strong connection with the fans and his players throughout his tenure at Ashton Gate, with many fans deeming this decision to be the wrong call by the clubs recently appointed CEO, Charlie Boss.

Boss was quoted by the club in their official statement “I would like to thank Gerhard and, Bernd for their hard work over the past nine months and we wish them all the best. 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 we will need to be successful going forwards.“Roy is a vastly experienced coach who has achieved at the highest level and he will support me, our players and our football staff as we build towards being ready for the Premier League. 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.”

The club confirmed that Hodgson will meet first team players and staff on Monday, March 30th when they return from the international break and prepare the team for the trip to Charlton Athletic on Friday, April 3rd. Hodgson’s first words as Bristol City boss read “I have had great conversations with the Board and I am really excited by the opportunity to help until the end of the season. We will get straight to work and look for a positive performance on Good Friday.”

Bristol City legend, Brian Tinnion, has also been relieved of his first team duties and will now return his focus to the academy pathway that he did so well with before, helping to bleed through players such as Antoine Semenyo, Lloyd Kelly and Alex Scott, all of which have gone on to play Premier League football.

Boss also commented on Tinnion’s demotion stating “Brian’s expertise is in player development and we feel he is best suited to working with our young players. Developing the talent in our Academy and ensuring there is a clear pathway to the first team is central to our plans.”