Graham Alexander is not going to let his previous employment linger long as he gets used to life as the new Bradford City boss. The main reason is that he wasn’t in that job long enough, he feels, to be judged by that.
Things started well at MK Dons, but results took a dip, and patience ran thin leading to an inevitable parting of ways. Alexander though has a good record overall, and a promising future, so he was never going to be out of work for too long.
Bradford City are equally ambitious, and many see them as a club too big for League Two. But they are there, and need a kick start to help get them where they need to be. So, with Alexander on the market, it was a sound decision by both.
Not Looking Back
Reported by the Telegraph & Argus, the new manager put the record straight about his time in Buckinghamshire. “It depends how you look at that last job. I don’t know massively what went wrong, because you could look at August when we were top of the league and I was Manager of the Month, then another month when it wasn’t that way.
“It was too short a period to look back on, so I haven’t really. I know how football is, I understand the pressures that come from the job, but if you want to build and achieve something, overcome what’s gone on before, you need a significant amount of time to do that.
“But I’m a big boy, I know how the game works, and I’ll crack on with the future, that’s all I’m fussed about.”
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Alexander was quick to bring on board his assistant, Chris Lucketti, from his time in charge of Fleetwood Town, Scunthorpe United, Salford City, and latterly MK.
The pair have enjoyed success and this continuity is hoped that it will bring the good times back at Bradford. “It’s not my success, it’s our success. We’ve been together for 10 years as a management partnership and we played together for six years before that at Preston.
“We built up a really strong professional respect for each other over that time. I wouldn’t say it was a close friendship, but we trusted each other implicitly as players.
“We’ve really enjoyed working together since then and we understand each other’s mentality. We’re really honest with each other and don’t hold anything back from each other, which you can do when you’ve got that strong level of trust between you.”
Writer’s View
Graham Alexander’s appointment at Bradford City is no real shock. The two need a shot in the arm, and it is hoped that the pair will provide that for each other. Sitting just six points off the playoff places is a decent platform to start from, but League Two is a harsh environment as the manager knows too well.
Given that the fanbase is the largest in the division, there will be big expectations. The spotlight will shine brighter, but Alexander has proven in previous jobs that he can thrive on that, and tale the pressure. Time will tell, of course, and that is something that he should be afforded more of in his new workplace.
