Graham Alexander is recalling his “baptism of fire” at Bradford City, the club he has helped resuscitate in a little under two years in charge.
Alexander took the reins with the team 18th in League Two and still hurting from a play-off semi-final defeat that one Bantams insider says “we were wearing like a millstone around our neck for months”.
“You come in with your ideas and you want some early wins to get the faith of people but we lost our first two and in the second game we were 4-0 down at Notts County at half-time, live on Sky Sports,” Alexander says with a chuckle.
If it hurt on the sidelines, the away end was positively seething. Bradford – big crowds, a fine modern stadium and time spent in the Premier League – had become a byword for lower league underachievement. Something, you felt, had to give.
“We changed things around at half-time, went full-on press, really aggressive and – even though we lost that game – we did really well in the second half,” Alexander tells The i Paper. “We then went on to win six out of the next seven before some of the old problems came around again.”
It turned out to be a lightbulb moment for Alexander. That hard-working, high press, never-say-die attacking approach has become a non-negotiable for Bradford, even if things had to get a whole lot worse before the ascent to their current status at League One table toppers began.
Alexander recalls a heavy defeat at Harrogate Town in the same season, coming off the back of three successive home defeats, as a real “moment of clarity” after which he addressed the players and told them that “certain things wouldn’t be accepted anymore”.
“It’s been a steady ascent and a lot of people have had to show a lot of grit along the way to get us to where we are now,” he says.
Alexander identified the club’s home form as a big issue to be solved. He felt the team were “trying to put the game to bed in the first 15 minutes” every time they played at Valley Parade and when that didn’t happen their opponents were preying on their anxiety. A presentation was made to the players about managing games better, with Alexander emphasising that they had to be prepared to grind out home wins.
“The biggest challenge for us was getting out of League Two,” he says.
“There was absolutely massive pressure on us to get out of that league and now we’ve done it there’s real momentum and that pressure has been lifted. It’s been a snowball effect. There’s no such thing as a free hit but we’re really enjoying it at the moment, showing what we can do.”
That claret and amber bandwagon arrives at St James’ Park on Wednesday for a fascinating third Carabao Cup clash that pits holders Newcastle United against a team pledging not to take a backwards step, despite the disparity in resources and status.
At Valley Parade it also feels like a moment to reflect on the club’s wider progress. With City set to bank more than £300,000 for the tie after their share of gate receipts for a sold out stadium and TV fees are taken into account, the match could qualify as one of their most lucrative since a memorable FA Cup run that took them to the quarter-finals a decade ago.
That will be music to the ears of German owner Stefan Rupp, who is a re-energised figure these days after being accused of being an absentee landlord while the club floundered a few years back.
The i Paper understands he has pumped in £5m over the last two seasons (£2.5m in each year) to supplement the club’s budget and build out the football infrastructure and it appears to be working. After earning promotion with a dramatic 96th minute winner on the final day of last season City have recruited wisely, signing proven League One players to ruthlessly upgrade the squad.
One of them to watch on Wednesday is Josh Neufville, a pacey wing-back signed from AFC Wimbledon who had been on the radar of head of recruitment Stephen Gent for a significant period of time. Figuring that his transfer fee would be too steep, they put in the background work to pounce when he became a free agent in the summer and his early season form suggests he is more than capable of excelling at a higher level.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to be promoted before and I knew the jump in level,” Alexander says.
“Maybe some of the mistakes I’ve made previously after promotion in terms of not adding enough quality, I wanted to change that. I wanted to freshen up the team with a sprinkling of players who are proven winners at this level or had different attributes or were an improvement on the players they’re replacing.
“Look, we weren’t perfect last season. It was a fantastic achievement to go up, especially how we did it, but we definitely felt we could improve and I just felt the responsibility was to make some difficult decisions.”
So far it has paid off. A 3-1 win at Cardiff City on Saturday, off the back of the same scoreline against local rivals Huddersfield Town, has seen them top the early League One table.
No-one is getting carried away but ambition is high. The Championship does not feel like an unrealistic aim, even if this season’s wage budget is probably around mid-table in League One.
The plan is to upgrade the squad again in the close season and the bottom line is looking much healthier. Record crowds and season ticket sales have generated a sense of momentum that have been backed up by soaring commercial revenue.
The club turned over £9m last year and are on track for a record return of £13m this season, a steep rise from the £5.5m the Bantams generated in 2020. City also have their eyes on capitalising on the rising interest in the EFL in the US, with the club’s commercial team set the challenge of building the Bantams’ brand stateside.
A significant US sponsor has been secured for next season as part of a tentative dipping of their toes in that market. They have been helped in that regard by the ecstatic scenes on the final day of last season, when promotion was earned with almost the final kick of the campaign.
“The way we got promoted on the last day, the scenes it created and the crowds we were getting in the last three months of the season – I think people were aware of it outside of Bradford,” Alexander says.
“It looks like a really exciting project and when we sat down with players we were trying to sign we weren’t selling them something we hoped it would be, it is already that. Most players want to play in front of big crowds at a good stadium and that’s what we’ve turned Valley Parade into.
“We know where we are in the food chain in League One, we aren’t the biggest payers but we can offer real worth to players in their careers and enjoyment.”
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That sense of enjoyment is something Alexander is tapping into right now. Although not a user of social media he loves the “You’ve been pecked by the Chickens” viral meme created by Bantams fans that has flooded the X account of teams that have been beaten by Bradford this season.
“My wife and daughter made me aware of it and I think it’s fantastic. I don’t shy away from it, you want the fans to be having fun and enjoying it,” he said. Now the challenge is to go to Newcastle, backed by 5,000 travelling supporters, and stay true to their values.
“I know my players, I know how they attempt to play and I know when we don’t attempt to play that way and we don’t really commit to actions,” he says.
“The players know the difference. We had half a game of football against Doncaster the other week where we didn’t look like us and when we spoke to the players and showed them the clips back they knew themselves. We then went and won the next two games against massive clubs.
“We know what we’re good at and we can only be the best version of ourselves. Whether that’s good enough to win on Wednesday no-one knows. The quality we will face, we don’t need to exaggerate it, but I want our players to go into that game with the same attitude. If we do that, I’ll be a happy man.
“What we’re trying to create at Bradford is that belief. Belief in our fellow teammates, belief in each other and belief from the supporters. I think we’ve got that now.” Looking at the League One table, few could argue.
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