Graham Alexander and Bradford City currently sit 2nd in League Two on 73 points with just four games remaining – leaving Bantams fans dreaming of automatic promotion and potentially even the title. However, following in the footsteps of Mark Hughes, Derek Adams, and Stuart McCall into League Two’s “graveyard” for managers – some doubted the club’s choice to appoint the Scottish manager with some calling the appointment ‘meh’ and an ‘incredibly underwhelming and unambitious choice.’
Today, we will look at some of the ways Alexander has subverted and exceeded expectations to become Bradford City’s best managers in recent years.
Success in Previous Roles –
Although Graham Alexander came into the role of Bantams boss off the back of a highly unsuccessful MK Dons management role which had seen MK win 6 out of their opening 16 games, the 53 year old’s previous history with clubs can be seen to hint at the success that would come at Bradford.
The first sign of success can be seen at Fleetwood Town where the Scottish boss was able to guide the Cods to promotion through the play-offs winning 29 of their league games before winning against Burton Albion to secure their place in the third division and to deliver a first managerial promotion for the 53-year-old.
Success then came next for the manager during his stint at Scunthorpe United during their time in League One. Taking the reins in the later stages of the 2015/16 season, Alexander impressed, guiding his team to seven wins in nine to close out the season – with only one of these resulting in a loss. This provided a platform for the 2016/17 season – a season which would see the Iron win 24 of their 46 games to secure a third place finish in the division before eventually losing out in the playoffs to Millwall. The manager’s final season with the club proved to be less successful. However, even with this, Alexander guided his side to fifteen wins whilst also securing fourteen draws. Overall, we can see that the 53-year-old’s time at Scunthorpe proves the manager’s ability to succeed over prolonged periods which can be seen to be another hint of the success that the manager would be able to achieve with the Bantams.
Finally, Graham Alexander’s time with Salford City can be seen to prove his ability to provide his team with the ability to succeed. During his time with the club, he was able to guide his team to a 3rd place finish in the National League during the first season of the 53-year-old’s managerial career reign which included 25 wins and a promotion to the Football League through the play-offs, something that had never been achieved in the club’s history. An EFL Trophy triumph followed in the season to add to the Salford success under the stewardship of Alexander. Yet again, his time at Salford can be seen to show huge elements of progress as well as success again giving us a hint of what could and would be achieved at his time with Bradford.
Stabilisation –
When Graham Alexander and Bradford City first intertwined. The Bantams had lost three of their last four games after a period of revitalisation under Kevin McDonald. The aim was clear – stabilise, rebuild, and put together results. Following a period of two straight losses against Barrow and Notts County in the 53-year-old’s first two games, City were able to go on an eight game unbeaten run which included a period of six straight wins.
However, this was not to last with blips coming throughout the season including a season-breaking March that had four straight losses – leading fans to protest. Alexander knew he had to do something and that something he did was putting together a side that went seven unbeaten to end the season. It can be said that Alexander’s first part-season was about stabilisation whilst also engaging more hope into the club – something that was achieved.
Rebuilding Through Recruitment and Form –
This takes us onto our second section – rebuilding. Home form was a key area that had to be improved ahead of the new season if the Bantams were to pose a real threat for promotion. This is something that has been achieved with a huge upturn in home performances which has seen the Bantams overscore last season’s total from home by 16 points – on 51 compared to 35 last season, with two games still left to play at the University of Bradford stadium in the run-in.
Recruitment was also key. Following the departures of key players such as Matthew Platt – who left for Notts County, Harry Chapman and Jonathan Tomkinson to name but three, recruitment was needed both to replace the players who had left the League Two outfit and improve the squad to be promotion contenders. This was done through the work of Graham Alexander, the incoming David Sharpe, and Stephen Gent – who worked to sign the players needed for the squad. What followed achieved exactly that through signing title winning and serial promotion winner Antoni Sarcevic and his Stockport teammate Neill Byrne. As well as this, Callum Johnson and Jay Benn amongst others came in to bolster the squad and increase its depth. Work was also done in January to improve the squad with former Bantam Romoney Crichlow and last season’s double figure goal-scoring striker Michael Mellon arriving to fill gaps that had appeared in Alexander’s team appearing as a result of injuries to both Ciaran Kelly and Andy Cook.
Team Spirit, Runs and Key Result Earning –
A big part of becoming a successful manager is being able to establish a good team spirit and this is something Graham Alexander and Bradford City look to have achieved. Through obvious signs such as photos inside the Valley Parade dressing room which have been released on social media to show the group togetherness in training, the squad looks to be united as ever both lifting fans spirits and helping the team to put together runs of results. This can be seen in the West Yorkshire outfit’s post-Christmas form which saw them win 10 in 13 between the 26th of December and the end of February helping the Bantams skyrocket from outside a play-off place to within the top three automatic promotion spots at the summit of the table. These runs have also created key momentum which has helped them to “grind” out key results against typically “bogey” teams such as Carlisle United – where the Yorkshire side hadn’t won in 40 years, Morecambe and Harrogate Town – a team that the Bantams had only won once in the four occasions Harrogate had come to the University of Bradford Stadium.
Conclusion –
From previous success to a current impact at Bradford, Graham Alexander’s attributes and skills as a manager have helped guide his teams to success whether that be in the form of progress, promotion, or other factors. What can be said for sure is that the 53-year-old’s ability to unite teams, put together excellent runs across seasons and recruit in the correct areas allow him to subvert the criticisms and exceed the expectations that were put on him.
Only time will tell but do you think Graham Alexander has exceeded the expectations put on him at Bradford City?
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