Roy Hodgson is somehow still at the controls

Roy Hodgson is like that old reliable Casio watch you find in a junk drawer; it’s technically outdated, looks a bit janky, but somehow it always tells the right time. Yesterday at The Valley, the man who has managed everywhere from Inter Milan to Crystal Palace took his new post at Bristol City and walked away with a win against Charlton.

It was his first venture into the Championship in his five-decade career. Let that sink in for a second. We are talking about a guy who was tactical coaching before most of the current managers were even born, let alone registered to vote.

The game was a glorious mess

Calling the performance a masterclass would be lying. It was a seesaw affair if I’ve ever seen one, featuring enough defensive lapses to give a scout a migraine. Both teams looked like they were allergic to clean sheets for ninety minutes.

Roy isn’t trying to reinvent the wheel here. He is keeping it simple, which is usually the smartest move when a locker room has been spiraling. He didn’t come to prove he’s a tactical visionary for the next generation of gaffes; he came to get points on the board, and as The Guardian reported, he walked off the pitch with a shrug and a smile.

Is this a genius move or just pure madness?

There’s a segment of the fan base that thinks hiring Hodgson is a desperate attempt to stick a thumb in a leaking dam. If you look at the Championship table, you understand the panic. It’s a league where one bad month sends you into a freefall that leads straight to relegation banter.

However, you have to appreciate the audacity. Most clubs would pivot to some trendy, high-pressing disciple of a big-name manager who has never actually had to motivate a group of tired players in mid-April. Instead, Bristol City grabbed Roy from the retirement home to steady the listing ship.

Is he going to play a high line? Absolutely not. You’re going to get organized rows of four and a reliance on structure that feels like it belongs in 2008. But if they keep finding winners in scrappy second-half performances, the fans won't care about the lack of flair.

The reality check for Bristol City

Let’s be real for a moment. This win doesn't solve the underlying rot that put them here in the first place. Relying on a short-term interim manager who is closer to 80 than 70 isn’t a strategy for long-term health; it’s an attempt to stop the hemorrhaging before the season ends.

He has roughly six weeks to prove this wasn't a PR stunt. The Championship doesn't offer mercy for nostalgia. If the squad can't grasp the basic defensive discipline he demands, this will look significantly less funny by the time the final whistle blows in May.

It’s a bizarre sight seeing Hodgson on a touchline in the second tier, but for now, the experiment has produced the only result that matters. He got the three points, he handled the media with his usual dry charm, and he left the stadium without looking like he had aged another ten years. That is a win in my book.