Bradford legend and now boss Stuart McCall
There's no denying it - City have got a mountain to climb if they're going to return to League One at the first attempt. But, with Stuart McCall in charge, fans have (some) reasons to be cheerful.
McCall's return to Valley Parade (oops, sorry, the Coral Windows Stadium - catchy, eh?) cheered many Bantams fans up if only because his name had been bandied about for years as City went through a succession of managers. However, since the legend arrived he's not exactly been prolific in signing new players and those he has attracted, well, the jury's out to say the least.
I know he's restricted in the amount of money he can spend but hopefully now that there is a new ground sponsor and a brilliant run on season tickets sales (11,000 and counting - Come on!), we could do with City's new chairman Mark Lawn slipping the manager a few more quid to land one or two players with a reputation of success at this level.
It doesn't matter if they're a bit on the old side, so long as they can do the job and respect the shirt they're wearing they'll get the fans behind them, no problem. And getting the fans on your side is a must-have for any player as they're not backwards in coming forwards to let the team know just what they think.
City are being seen as a potential top three side but things at Valley Parade are never that simple - consistency is not a common word in Bradford's world. I reckon we're play-off contenders at least and anything else, as the cliche goes, really will be a bonus.
31st July 2007
