What is next for Bradford City?

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It is safe to say that it has not been the season that everyone wanted at Bradford City.

Nine wins all season and some controversial comments in his post-match press conference following the 1-0 defeat to Exeter City on Saturday have seen the club part ways with Derek Adams. 

A toxic atmosphere has been surrounding Valley Parade with the fans calling for the Scotsman to go and criticising his football.

Four of the nine wins during Adams’ tenure in Yorkshire came at the start of the season with the Bantams sitting second in the league.

However, a decline in results has seen the club drop just outside the top 10 and they have never really seemed to leave that position. 

The comments that the Scotsman was making during his post-match interviews were also a deciding factor in seeing the fanbase turn against him as an air of uncertainty continued to grow. 

Now the search goes on for the club’s eighth permanent manager in just four years. 

The job at hand will be a tough one with many calling for a man who knows what Bradford City stands for, knows what the fans require of the club and meets the tasks and aims of the board.

Early favourite Michael Flynn was the number one target for many but he has decided to join Walsall in recent days. 

With Flynn off the cards, many household names around both the top and bottom leagues have cropped up. Here are some managers that the Bantams may try to sign ahead of a tough final third of the 2021/22 League Two season.

Grant McCann

The bookies’ favourite is former Hull City, Doncaster Rovers and Peterborough United manager, Grant McCann. McCann was sacked from his last job at Hull following the Tigers recent takeover. With Hull, the 41-year-old had a 41% win rate and was relieved of his duties with the club 19th in the Championship, 10 points clear of the drop zone. He also steered the Tigers out of League One in the club’s brief spell in the third-tier last season.

Before his time at Hull, McCann was the manager of fellow Yorkshire side Doncaster Rovers. A 44% win rate with the Rovers saw them make the League One play-offs, however, a defeat in the play-off semi-finals ended the hopes of promotion rather abruptly. 

His first managerial job came at Peterborough with McCann earning a 40% win rate. The Posh had a fantastic start to the 2017/18 season, but after losing seven games in a row, he was sacked. 

In terms of formations, McCann has used a variety of formations throughout his career. He regularly used the 3-4-1-2 at Hull, however, it was very different at both Peterborough and Doncaster, with a 4-3-3 formation regularly used during his time at the Rovers.

Both these formations could be used at Bradford if he was to get the job as outcast under Adams, Callum Cooke could benefit from a central role in a 3-4-1-2.

The 4-3-3 could also work with wingers Abo Eisa and Charles Vernam set to return from injury and they could benefit in a front three alongside targetman Andy Cook in the centre. If McCann does get the job, it will be interesting to see what he does with the squad left by Derek Adams and whether he can get Bradford City rolling. 

Robbie Fowler 

An interesting name linked to the vacant role is that of former Liverpool striker, Robbie Fowler. The 46-year-old is currently 10/1 for the job but has caused a stir with the fans and could bring attention to the club if he is appointed as the new manager.

Fowler is a household name in the striker department but has turned to management taking charge of both Brisbane Roar and SC East Bengal in recent times. Whilst his spells at the clubs were relatively short, his win percentage at Brisbane was 45% compared to a win percentage of 15% at SC East Bengal.

It is hard to gain any measure from these statistics as the standard in League Two is massively different and therefore it would be interesting to see how Fowler could fare with the Bantams. 

His preferred formation seems to be a 4-2-3-1 but it did not work for Bradford under former manager Adams. However, if Fowler was to get the right players in the right positions, it could have the potential to work wonders for the Bantams.

We have also seen how former players have fared with managerial jobs such as Wayne Rooney who has done a magnificent job at Derby County and former teammate of Fowler, Steven Gerrard with Rangers and now Aston Villa. This appointment could work out well for both Fowler and the Bantams. 

Pete Wild 

A name that has cropped up in discussions a lot and is mentioned frequently on social media is that of Pete Wild. Wild is currently the manager of FC Halifax Town in the National League and has done a wonderful job with the Shaymen.

Last season, after a promising start, Wild looked set for promotion but his side stuttered and dropped out of the promotion picture, finishing four points away from the top seven. This season, his side are up there once more and currently sit in fourth, level on points with fifth place Bromley and eight points behind league leaders Stockport County. 

His stats with Halifax are solid with his win percentage at 45%. He has previously managed in the Football League as he has taken charge of fellow League Two side and Bradford’s opponents on the weekend, Oldham Athletic, on a caretaker and permanent basis. In his time at the Latics, he managed the club 17 times over two spells and had a win percentage of 47%. 

The stats show that he could work out for the Bantams and has proven that he can work well under a tight budget, which is something that will definitely stand out.

Mark Trueman

The current man in charge is Adams’ assistant manager, Mark Trueman. He is no stranger to the job having taken charge last season following the sacking of Stuart McCall.

The Bantams were in a rough place when Trueman took over alongside Connor Sellars but the duo transformed the fortunes and nearly got the club into the play-offs.

In his brief spell at the end of last season, Trueman had a win percentage of 41%. He made Bradford a solid side and a team to be proud of again, and whilst a dip in form denied the Bantams’ play-off hopes, he certainly did a good enough job to put his marker down.

The summer of change of course happened and Derek Adams took over with the Trueman and Sellars partnership being torn apart and leaving many feeling that the two had been hard done by. 

Giving Trueman the job again could give him the chance to have a late crack at the play-offs again and possibly with Sellars by his side.

It would be a gamble again with neither having any experience. However, with the season reaching its latter stages, that may be a deciding factor in Trueman getting the job. CEO Ryan Sparks clearly has faith in the 34-year-old as he gave him the job last year and could possibly do the same again.

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