3 managers Bristol City must look at to replace Roy Hodgson when he leaves | OneFootball

FLW takes a look at three candidates for the Bristol City job after Roy Hodgson leaves this summer

Bristol City will almost certainly be a Championship club once again next season, but what isn't certain is who the person in the Ashton Gate dugout will be to lead them into next year.

After breaking into the Championship top six for the first time in 17 years last campaign under Liam Manning, Bristol City were hoping to replicate that feat once again this time around.

However, Manning departed for Norwich City, and former Barnsley boss Gerhard Struber was handpicked as the person to replace him, but the Austrian head coach has failed to see out the full campaign in the South West of England.

Veteran manager Roy Hodgson was recently appointed to take charge of the club for the remainder of the season, and has since won each of his first two games in charge, but has ruled out a long-term stay at Ashton Gate, and insisted that his role is merely just until the end of the campaign, after which point he will depart.

This leaves the Robins on the hunt for a new person to lead them into next year, as FLW takes a look at three potential candidates they should consider when choosing their next appointment.

Will Still

Will Still is a name that will be familiar to most English football fans at this stage, and particularly those at Southampton, though it's not for his exploits with the Saints which he is renowned.

Still shot into prominence whilst managing in Belgium and France, with his time at Reims pushing him into the limelight. A 19-game unbeaten run consisting of a £22k fine every time he managed a game drew headlines across the globe.

He joined Southampton in the summer in what was his first professional first-team job in his native England, but was dismissed after just four wins in 16 games, and has been out of work ever since.

The 33-year-old will almost certainly feel like he has a point to prove in the Championship, and Bristol City could be an excellent fit for him.

Capable of adapting to any shape and system, Still wouldn't need a mass overhaul at Ashton Gate if he were to take charge, giving him the edge over certain other candidates that would require a big change in the squad.

The Englishman will have learned from the mistakes he made whilst at St Mary's, and an undoubtedly talented coach would likely relish a return to the league where his brother, Edward, is currently managing Watford.

Marti Cifuentes

Marti Cifuentes' time at Leicester City started and ended under a grey cloud, with the Spaniard unable to get a consistent tune out of a broken Foxes squad.

However, his time at Queens Park Rangers mustn't be shunned, with Cifuentes doing a solid job in West London under difficult circumstances, and whilst he certainly didn't thrive at Leicester, considering their fate since, he could have done far worse.

The Foxes remain in a relegation battle, though the root cause of their demise goes deeper than the head coach, and Cifuentes' time at the King Power Stadium shouldn't put off suitors.

Having managed over 100 Championship games at this stage in his career already, the Spaniard could be looking to make a return to management once again in the English second tier, and Bristol City could be a good fit.

The 43-year-old has never had the resources afforded to him as other managers have, and despite this, he has done a solid job. Whilst the Robins wouldn't exactly offer him a treasure trove of riches to spend in the transfer market, there will certainly be more room for manoeuvre at Ashton Gate than what he is accustomed to.

Clearly, a highly-regarded coach, his time with QPR and Leicester will have only served to improve his abilities as a head coach, and Bristol City should seriously consider him as a potential target to replace Hodgson.

Russell Martin

A bit like Marmite, fans will often have differing views on Russell Martin, and it's not hard to understand why.

With MK Dons and Swansea City, Martin's high-possession-based system drew in a lot of praise, but there was a fair share of criticism as well, with his unwillingness to change his approach frustrating many.

He guided Southampton to promotion in 2024 through the play-offs, beating Leeds United in the final, playing some excellent stuff along the way, yet doubts about his ability to take the Saints to the next level in the Premier League persisted.

As it happened, Martin won just one of his 16 games in charge with Southampton in the top flight and was promptly dismissed, with his persistence in playing out from the back and high-risk approach failing to translate over to the top tier.

With Rangers, things didn't go much better, as, despite having a summer to rebuild the Scottish side in his image, he won just five of his 17 games in charge, whilst being demolished by Club Brugge in the Champions League qualification stage.

Since his dismissal in October, Martin has been out of work since, and could be in line for a return to the Championship this summer.

Bristol City fans may have conflicting views on the Scot, but his style of play, if he were provided a summer to get his system across to the squad, could take the Robins to the next level.

Whether supporters of the club would take to his style of play, but more especially the players, remains to be seen, but he should nevertheless be considered.