“What he’s done as a manager, there’s nothing for me to say because his career speaks for itself.”
17:00, 20 Apr 2026Updated 18:10, 20 Apr 2026
Southampton boss Tonda Eckert will face Bristol City’s interim head coach Roy Hodgson at St Mary’s(Image: Getty Images)
Tonda Eckert has labelled Bristol City a “very solid team” ahead of their visit to St Mary’s, with the Southampton boss insisting Roy Hodgson is “more than invited” for a post-match glass of wine on the south coast.
The Robins will face the Saints in the penultimate away game of Hodgson’s interim tenure on Tuesday evening. Eckert’s side are expected to provide the 78-year-old with his toughest since he returned to Ashton Gate, having won each of their last eight games in all competitions.
Such a run of form has propelled Southampton right into the automatic promotion mix. With just three games to be played, Tuesday’s opponents find themselves fourth in the Championship, one place adrift of second-placed Ipswich Town, who have a game in hand.
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That positive position has been the result of what has been an exceptional turnaround under Eckert. The 33-year-old succeeded Will Still in November, when Southampton were 21st in the league, and has lost just five of his first 34 games in charge, in all competitions.
Even with such an impressive recent record under his belt, the German, like most, is inexperienced when compared to Hodgson. As a result, he is looking forward to taking to the St Mary’s touchline with the 78-year-old and potentially picking his brains after the full-time whistle.
“For me, being a very young manager, there was the idea of getting in touch with some managers who have done the job for many years,” the Southampton boss told the Daily Echo. “That was just to have an exchange and feed off their experience. He was the first one on the list that I would have loved to talk to.
“Obviously, it will be a bit different on Tuesday as we are both trying to win. That speaks for him and the character that he is. What he’s done as a manager, there’s nothing for me to say because his career speaks for itself.
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“There’s always a little bit of emotion in the games. But, yeah, if he would love to come for a glass of wine, then he’s more than invited.”
Eckert added to BBC Radio Solent, “It’s a big, big honour for me to stand on the sideline next to him. He’s 45 years older than me, so much more experienced, [has had] an unbelievable career, great charisma.
“So a big, big honour for me, but the reality is that we want to win a game of football and I will make sure we do everything to do that on Tuesday.”
Unlike Southampton, City head into Tuesday night’s game with nothing on the line in terms of promotion, relegation or the top six. At the time of writing, the Robins sit 10th in the Championship, in insurmountable 11 points shy of sixth-place Hull City and a very comfortable 14 clear of Oxford United and the drop zone.
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Of course, having been tasked with overseeing the final seven games of the league campaign, Hodgson is keen to leave the Reds in a more positive position than the one he found them in, something he has done so far by claiming seven points from his first four matches.
Although there is a sense of acceptance that pulling off an upset will be challenging on the south coast, the Reds’ recent record against the Saints is positive. City have won each of their last two games against Southampton 3-1, the first of which saw Liam Manning’s Robins end Russell Martin’s side’s 25-game unbeaten run in February 2024.
For Eckert, though, any talk of the Robins being a bogey team is irrelevant.
“It’s the first time I hear it, so thanks for throwing that at me,” he said. “I’ve heard about a lot of curses that come with achievements on the way. We’ve been able to get over them on the last few occasions, and I hope that we’ll be able to do the same on Tuesday.
“They are a very solid team. Obviously, they have unbelievable experience on the sideline.”
OPINION
OPINION
Daniel Carter