Mid-morning last Friday I had to do a mental check of the date to ensure it was not 1 April when I read the headline: "Struber sacked with Roy Hodgson named as caretaker boss.”
I certainly did not see that coming – well, not Hodgson, but there was an increasing inevitability about the Austrian's departure being a matter of not if, but when.
I am old enough to remember Hodgson's first spell here early in 1982. It came in the midst of the Ashton Gate Eight crisis when, were it not for the financial sacrifice made by that group of players, the club would have gone under.
Hodgson took over following Bob Houghton's resignation and had a miserable run winning only three of his 20 games in charge.
He was relieved of his duties with a few fixtures remaining as City were relegated to the fourth tier just two years after their last game in the top flight.
Hodgson's appointment made the national sports headlines as the 78-year-old came out of retirement two years after leaving his last job at Crystal Palace.
At Monday's press conference, the assembled media were there to hear what he and recently appointed City CEO Charlie Boss had to say about how all this had come about and what the expectations were, since it was only to be a temporary arrangement covering just the final seven games of this season.
Roy spoke well, there is no doubt about that, while Charlie looked less self-assured in front of the camera.
I think few of the fans watching the live stream believed it when Boss said it was his decision – based on an assessment of what needed to be done – to exit Struber.
Evidence of the increasing influence former Premier League CEO and now City director Richard Scudamore is having around he place was clear, as both Boss and Hodgson referenced the approach as coming from him.
Personally I would like to have seen Hodgson asked for a longer commitment of, say, six months as City embark on their search for the new post of sporting director and a head coach.
Boss said Hodgson would offer his advice on both appointments while he was here, although I had a wry smile as the former England manager said he did not know what the role of sporting director entailed.
This is a vital close season period coming for City if next season is to be seen as one of hope rather than the relegation fight many are predicting.
The Lansdown ownership is very much under scrutiny in a way they have not been this past 20 years.
The social media platforms are awash with what needs to be done and from all of it, I would like to give credit to Bristol City FM for this excellent summary of the current situation.
History has been brutally consistent: under the current ownership model, good decisions are the exception, not the rule.
Hope is not a strategy, and blind faith is not loyalty. Until there is a genuine change in ownership – or at the very least a complete abdication of football control – Bristol City will remain what they are now: a club with solid infrastructure, a proud support, and absolutely no idea how to turn either into progress on the pitch.
Until that changes, the sense of being rudderless and directionless is not pessimism. It is simply an honest assessment of reality.
You can hear more from David Pottier on the Forever Bristol City podcast
