Ryan Sparks made the call with a little trepidation.
“Mark, we have just parted company with Stuart. Will you take caretaker charge?”
And so, from there, on a bleak Sunday morning in December, the seeds were sown for the latest chapter in Bradford City’s recent turbulent history.
Sparks, 29, had become the youngest chief executive in the Football League when he succeeded Julian Rhodes at Valley Parade on 26 November.
Now here he was, ushering club legend Stuart McCall out of the door after a dismal run of six straight defeats sent the Bantams hurtling towards the bottom two in League Two.
Sparks put rookie Under-18s coaches, Mark Trueman and Conor Sellars – who recently turned 33 and 29 respectively – in joint caretaker charge.
At that point, some supporters were resigned to Bradford becoming the first former Premier League club to be relegated to non-league.
Yet in 12 games under Trueman and Sellars, results have been like Viagra.
They have conjured eight wins and three draws, prompting Sparks to this week make them permanent joint bosses on contracts until at least the end of next season.
Bradford-born Trueman recalled: “I got the call from Ryan on the Sunday morning just before the news of Stuart’s removal, asking me to take the caretaker role.
“I grabbed it with both hands but, like Conor, I didn’t think this opportunity would come so soon.
“Having been at the club for a number of years already, I had watched a lot of the first team and we got straight to work.
“Conor and I have worked together for a few years now and know each other’s strengths and weaknesses.
“Conor isn’t really my assistant as such, we share the workload and in football you need people you can trust.
“The trust we share is massive but I know what a good coach he is too and it was important to have him alongside me in the dug-out.”
Their first job was to convince a group of players drained of all confidence that they were the men to stop the rot and restore belief.
Trueman and Sellars played their own football in non-league and, while respected within the club, they were little known outside it.
Leeds-born Sellars was just seven when Bradford reached the Premier League under Paul Jewell in 1999.
He admits: “It was a challenge because you’ve got to try and impress the players straight away. That could be the way you talk to them, the way you run training sessions or your tactical detail.
“As long as players realise you’re there to help, develop and support them then you gain that respect. Ultimately, that’s hopefully what we’ve done.”
The duo’s reign began with a spirited midweek 1-1 draw at Crawley and three successive victories followed in an eight-game unbeaten run.
Belief grew within the Bantams’ boardroom that Trueman and Sellars might actually be the men to take the club forward.
Sparks is understood to have talks with Paul Hurst, David Flitcroft, John McGreal and two managers currently working in the EFL – but kept his power dry.
He regularly canvassed opinion on the duo among the squad and the consensus was ‘give it to Mark and Conor’.
“They quickly got themselves into pole position for the job and made it increasingly difficult to look elsewhere,” says Sparks.
“They have gained the players’ respect and they share my belief that there is no place for mediocrity.
“Like myself, their age is not an issue and I wouldn’t have cared if Mark and Conor were in their seventies.
“They understand the club’s culture, vision and true potential, so to talk about our ages is almost insulting.”
Trueman is a Bradford fan and was a regular at Valley Parade before he joined the club’s coaching staff.
“Conor and I always thought we were good enough to do the job,” adds Trueman.
“I grew up supporting Bradford and have seen the ups and downs as a fan – the Premier League days were terrific and hopefully we can eventually get back to that.
“In and around the city, it’s nice being recognised and have people stopping me and saying ‘well done lads, keep it going’.”
Bradford, who signed nine new players in January following the appointment of recruitment director Lee Turnbull, now lie just six points outside the play-offs.
There is trust and undeniable progress but Sparks cautions: “We’ve achieved nothing yet.
“From where we were in December, though, making the play-offs would be fantastic.”
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/3aZjLDJ
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