Bristol City verdict: Reds wake from Hodgson dream but gaps not his to fill
Granted, the number of fans of a red-and-white persuasion still in their seats had long since begun to fall by the time Norwich City's victory had been confirmed. As the Canaries celebrated in front of a vocal Atyeo Stand, the Robins made their way round what was a quickly emptying BS3 and back down the tunnel.
A month on from their last defeat, a loss to West Brom that seemingly cost Gerhard Struber his job, City had been beaten again. Though there was little shame in tasting defeat at the hands of one of the Championship's form sides, the manner in which it unfolded was always likely to breed frustration.
In truth, expectations had been raised before many had even settled in their seats. With at most 70 seconds on the clock, the Reds found themselves ahead when Sam Morsy thundered a first goal in red and white beyond Vladan Kovacevic from the edge of the area. His celebration, in front of the away fans, turned up the volume on all four sides of the ground.
From that point on, both teams had chances leading into the break. It took some good work from Radek Vitek to deny the Canaries at the South Stand end, and the assistant referee's flag to prevent Emil Riis at the other. Though it was City who were ahead at the interval, the game felt on a knife-edge.
Within the space of a matter of second-half minutes, however, such a feeling was banished. Not by either side, but more so a single individual: Mohamed Toure.
An unconventional hat-trick, followed by a Jose Cordoba header, put Norwich in the driver's seat with less than a quarter of an hour to play. Such a flurry of goals ensured that by the time Sam Bell fired home his second Championship strike of the campaign in stoppage time, few - if any - were able to truly celebrate.
For the first time under Hodgson, City had come undone. While that has left a rather deflated feeling in and around south Bristol, leading into the final three games of the league campaign, there remains an awful lot to talk about with an important summer now just around the corner.
With that in mind, here are our stand-out talking points from the Robins' 4-2 defeat to Norwich...
Despite Bristol City's impressive form since the March international break, I would imagine that the majority of supporters would have travelled to Ashton Gate on Saturday afternoon optimistic, but perhaps not confident that their side would get a result.
Such a feeling had less to do with the form of Roy Hodgson's side, but was instead more reflective of the moment in which Norwich City find themselves. Yes, if you were to look at the league table alone, there is very little to split the two sides, but the Canaries' results since Philippe Clement succeeded Liam Manning tell a different story.
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Prior to his side's victory in south Bristol, the Belgian had won 17 of his first 30 games as Norwich boss. Had he been in charge at Carrow Road since the start of the season, the Canaries would have likely been challenging at the top of the division, rather than battling with City in the middle of the pack.
Such a fact was what made the Reds' first-half performance so impressive. For much of the opening period, Hodgson's team were in control, partly as a result of Sam Morsy's opener after just over a minute of action but also because of the quality of their work in possession and, at that stage, defensive stability.
However, a half-hour of defensive vulnerability flipped that script on its head. Without doing anything too eye-catching or surprising, Norwich were able to first pull level, then ahead and then to all three points as they scored four goals in just 27 minutes. Four goals that will have disappointed Hodgson and the Robins as much as the fans.
A lapse in concentration gave Mohamed Toure his first. An over-committed counter-attack led to the second. A bit of misfortune was behind the third, and a poorly defended set-piece allowed the fourth. In a manner that almost needed to be seen to be believed, City folded.
In a way, the Canaries taught those in red and white a lesson in just what can occur when you make the most of your chances. Unfortunately for the Robins, it was a painful class to be put through, not for the first time this term.
As Roy Hodgson said himself in the moments that followed Saturday's defeat to Norwich City, his start to life as interim Bristol City boss had been a "dream" prior to the visit of the Canaries.
Two wins, a draw, two clean sheets, seven points, three goals scored and one conceded made for very good reading. In fact, after an incredibly difficult few weeks and months leading into the March international break, a dream was probably the perfect description as, for a fortnight at least, it felt like the issues that had hamstrung City in the final stages of Gerhard Struber's tenure had been ditched.
It would probably be fair to suggest that the defeat to the Canaries, in particular, the second half, will have seen most wake up from that dream. In an impossible-to-ignore fashion, it was made clear that things have not suddenly now perfect - even if they are improved - as a result of last month's change in the dugout.
In a manner similar to that showcased by Struber's City against Derby, Stoke, Ipswich and Leicester, the Reds were too easily broken down, especially after the restart. The fact that Mohamed Toure scored his hat-trick in the space of just 24 minutes - and that Jose Cordoba's header came just three minutes after his teammate's third goal - demonstrated that alone.
After the interval, Norwich registered 12 shots, seven of which were on target. Over Easter, Sheffield United had 12 attempts on goal in the second half, while Charlton had nine. The Robins have been giving up chances since the March break; Saturday was just the first time they were punished, in terms of the end result, for doing so.
At the top end of the pitch, the lack of cutting edge in the final third that turned three points into one at Loftus Road last weekend was evident once more. Emil Riis, Scott Twine, Adam Randell, Tomi Horvat and Delano Burgzorg were all unable to take chances that fell their way, chances that - had they been taken - would have changed the look of the game in its entirety.
Now, if talk of such issues feels familiar to you, that will be because it has been a consistent topic this term.
The same defensive injuries that proved costly under Struber remain in play under Hodgson. The lack of forward depth that hurt City under their previous head coach is impacting things under the current incumbent. There is also no doubt that the Reds' interim boss would have been aided by having an Anis Mehmeti or Zak Vyner at his disposal as well, just to cover all the usual bases.
Throw in the fact that Hodgson has a squad that includes Radek Vitek, Neto Borges, Sam Morsy, Sam Bell and Mark Sykes, something - at the time of writing - not likely to be afforded to the new head coach, and City may be even thinner on the ground by the time Struber's permanent successor is named.
The long and short of what I've written above is that the holes the Robins fell into under their previous head coach remain. Hodgson had navigated his way around them well, including in the first half against Norwich, but such an approach will only work for so long before you run out of room in which to manoeuvre.
Saturday showed, for anyone who had begun to doubt it after a three-match unbeaten run, that those holes still need filling, regardless of who is in the dugout.
What is worth remembering, though, having read through all that I have written above, is that those holes are not Roy Hodgson's to fill at Bristol City, such is the nature of his short-term tenure.
The Robins' interim boss has previously emphasised that his remit surrounds the run-in and the run-in alone. While he is happy to help if and when asked, what comes this summer is down to both those above him at Ashton Gate and those not yet appointed by the Reds, something he doubled down on after the defeat to Norwich.
Asked if he felt there would need to be a lot of changes to the squad and whether he'd advise the Reds as to where they need strengthening this summer, the 78-year-old replied, "I think that would be a question for the sporting director. I think that will be on his board, and I think it will certainly be between him and whoever's chosen as new manager to look very closely into this squad of players and make those decisions.
"It won't be me telling them what they should be doing in that respect."
Hodgson's goal, both so far and for the remainder of his tenure, has been to provide the Robins with a lift after a testing patch. Of course, the most sure-fire way to do so is to win games and produce good performances, something he has done for the majority of the three weeks he has been in post.
What he hasn't been appointed to do, however, is diagnose and solve all the problems preventing City from achieving the Premier League goal that the ownership, Charlie Boss and others have spoken about in recent months in the space of a little over a month.
It would therefore be naïve to expect the former England boss to permanently rid the Reds of those issues noted above.
Unfortunately, when it comes to the squad, any obvious shortcomings cannot be addressed until the summer. More pressingly than that, however, is the need to appoint first a sporting director and then a permanent head coach.
Until both vacancies are filled, talk of what may or may not be required during the off-season feels almost redundant. With just three games and less than two weeks of the current campaign left to play now, the clock is ticking for perhaps the two most important positions at a football club to be addressed so attention can turn to matters on the field.
Hopefully, irons are placed very much in fires so that the looming uncertainty - something noted by Sam Morsy at the High Performance Centre on Friday - isn't still hovering around Ashton Gate when the full-time whistle is blown against Stoke City in 13 days' time. Between now and then though, the familiar challenges are likely to remain.
Of course, before the season comes to an end at Ashton Gate against Stoke City in less than a fortnight's time, Bristol City and Roy Hodgson have the joys of a week on the road as they travel to both the south coast and the Midlands over the course of the next seven days.
Naturally, there will be - as there always is - one eye on next Saturday's trip to St Andrew's to face Birmingham City, but the immediate task at hand comes at St Mary's, where an incredibly in-form Southampton will be waiting for the Robins.
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In truth, it feels as though City couldn't have asked for a much more challenging fixture off the back of what will have been a bruising defeat to Norwich. Tonda Eckert's side haven't lost a game in all competitions since mid-January, meaning they will welcome the Reds on Tuesday night, aiming to stretch their unbeaten run to 20 matches in all competitions.
Of course, upsets are always a possibility in England's second tier. The Saints saw a similar unbeaten streak end at the hands of the Reds under Russell Martin two seasons ago, but City certainly won't be the favourites in midweek.
Such a fact is something that you simply have to accept in the Championship. Unless you're Coventry, you're never expected to win each and every game you play.
However, lose to Southampton, and Norwich becomes the first of back-to-back defeats under Hodgson. Win, or even draw, and the result against the Canaries is viewed as a blip in an otherwise good interim tenure. The 78-year-old will be hoping for the second option as he looks to leave a mark in south Bristol and enjoy what has been a surprise return to football management.