Roy Hodgson at 78 insists he remains a capable Championship manager in 2026

At 78, Roy Hodgson has shown he can still manage a Championship team after taking the interim reins at Bristol City.

Hodgson's season review Roy Hodgson, serving as Bristol City's interim manager at 78 years old, reflected on his short tenure just before the final Championship match against Stoke City. With two wins, two draws, and two losses in his brief spell, he entered the last game knowing he had already proven his managerial capability to himself. Hodgson shared his thoughts with local media, saying, 'I was relatively happily retired before this came along.' He described the unexpected opportunity as something that made him question whether he could still handle the role effectively. 'It just probably showed there are opportunities sometimes that come your way that maybe seem a little bit left field and you wonder, 'Am I really capable of taking this on?' And I proved to myself I am. There's no doubt about that.'

Age is not a barrier says Hodgson Hodgson dismissed concerns that his age might prevent him from performing as a manager, emphasizing that physical limitations have not hindered his ability. 'Any fears I might have had that, 'Well, you're too old for this now, you can't get out on the field with the players, you can't do the coaching and manage the team in the way you always did.' No, that's not true, I can do.' He expressed confidence in his continued capacity to lead a team despite his years. Hodgson also pondered whether he would seek such a role again, given his age and long career, which he described as satisfying and fulfilling.

Reflecting on his brief return While Hodgson acknowledged the satisfaction of his five-week stint at Bristol City, he questioned if he would accept another similar opportunity in the future. 'Because I am the age I am and I've had the career I've had, which I'm very pleased with and very satisfied with, it's given me so much. But I must say these five weeks here have given me a lot as well.' He playfully mentioned polishing his boots before possibly retiring for good, saying, 'So if this is the last time I step out on the grass, I've polished my boots today and if I do have to put them away they'll look spanking clean in the wardrobe. Who knows? Maybe something else will come up and once again you guys will say, 'He must be crazy because now he's accepted this opportunity.''

Missed the players already Hodgson admitted that leaving the players and the daily routine of management would be difficult for him. 'I'm really pleased with everything that's happened here, and it won't be easy for me now to wean myself off it again because being out on the grass and being with a group of players who were so receptive, so good to work with, so keen to do well.' He confessed that he would likely think about the team often in the future, saying, 'You leave that behind, and I'm certain there'll be mornings when I wake up in the future, thinking it would be nice to be out there with them again.'

Future ambitions for Bristol City Looking ahead, Hodgson offered his vision for Bristol City's future, stressing the importance of consistent top performances rather than immediate promotion. 'It would be wonderful if next year, the team flies out, they play very well, they win games and they're top of the table. Great, but that might not quite happen. It might need to be a more subdued approach in the sense that what Bristol City need to do is to establish themselves very much as a top-six, top-eight team.' He believes that achieving a stable top-eight finish could set the stage for promotion within a couple of years.