Bristol City Weigh Up Russell Martin as Next Manager Post-Hodgson Interim Spell

Championship mainstays Bristol City will consider Russell Martin to become their next permanent manager, SportsBoom can exclusively reveal. 

Former England boss Roy Hodgson will be in charge for the first of his seven games as the Robins’ interim chief at Charlton Athletic on Good Friday.

Hodgson, 78, was the club’s shock choice to replace Austrian Gerhard Struber, axed after City’s run of one win in nine games, which included an FA Cup exit at League One basement boys Port Vale.

But he won’t stay on beyond the end of the current campaign which has once fizzled out for the Ashton Gate side after it looked capable of mounting a play-off challenge.

Bristol City have never played in the Premier League. And they haven’t been in the top division since 1979/1980.

They are now 16th in the second tier with Hodgson’s brief simply to stabilise the club and “set standards and values.”

The West Country club is looking to appoint a sporting director to oversee the recruitment of a new manager, and our sources understand that is currently their top priority despite Martin's name being mentioned in despatches.

And while he won’t be welcomed back in the blue half of Glasgow anytime soon, former Rangers’ chief Martin would be a popular choice with Robins’ fans for his work at Southampton.

PL Promotion On CV

After spells as boss of MK Dons (80 matches) and Norwich City (99 games), Martin took over the Saints in the summer of 2023.

He subsequently guided them to a 25-game unbeaten run, topped off by a Wembley play-off final victory over favourites Leeds United and promotion to the Premier League.

The Midas touch disappeared in the top flight, however, and he was dismissed in December 2024 after just one league victory in 16 games.

At Rangers, Martin lasted only 123 days becoming the club’s shortest serving manager.

He has been linked to a number of vacancies in the Championship, including a Southampton return earlier in the season, but has remained out of work since leaving Scotland.