After one win in seven matches and the club sat in a dismal 18th place, Bradford City decided to relinquish Mark Hughes of his duties after 20 months in charge.
Losses to Tranmere Rovers and Walsall sealed the fate of the former Stoke City and Blackburn Rovers manager just five months removed from an agonising playoff semi-final defeat away to Carlisle United.
The club moved onwards with Graham Alexander, fresh from his own removal at MK Dons and despite a mixed start, propelled the club towards a ninth-placed finish in League Two as well as an EFL Trophy semi-final.
Hughes has not been involved in management since his sacking at Valley Parade. In an interview with The Sun, the 60-year-old spoke of the decision made in October 2023. He said: “It was ludicrous to get rid of me if I’m honest.
“I got sacked after back-to-back defeats but we weren’t on a horrendous run, I would suggest.
“The previous time I’d lost back-to-back was about six months before and I was convinced I could still have taken them up because of the players we had.”
A former Premier League winner with Manchester United, ‘Sparky’ had not been in management since leaving Southampton in December 2018 before taking up the helm with Glyn Hodges at the Bantams following Derek Adams’ term in 2022.
with a 42% win rate during his spell at the club, Hughes did secure City’s highest finish since returning to League Two with a 6th-placed finish in 2022/23 but fell short at Brunton Park, with the decision to sub off Scott Banks for defender Matty Platt drawing much ire from fans.
What turned out to be his final season in Yorkshire saw the club record 13 points in 11 matches before the Welshman’s sacking, with three wins over Colchester United, Crewe Alexandra and Newport County.
When asked what drew him back to the game after a four-year break, Hughes added: “I took the Bradford job to see if I still did have that enthusiasm and I found out that I did within a week of going there.
“I still have it now – I feel fit and refreshed.”
Writer’s View
Football is a results-based business and with Bradford City now into their fifth season in the fourth tier, results had to change to try and achieve what has become an increasingly difficult task for the Bantams in promotion. Whilst it may have seemed harsh to remove Mark Hughes after what was an average start to the season, the chances of promotion were already slipping away so a decision was made.
Hughes did prove he was still a solid managerial choice with City but for such a calibre and reputation his tactics were very underwhelming. It was perhaps best exemplified by that Scott Banks substitution in the semi-final, instead of attacking and finding a winner in extra time, he decided to shut down and play for penalties, which cost him six minutes later with Ben Barclay scored to make it 3-2 to the Cumbrians.
Hughes spoke to The Sun after former Port Vale boss Rob Page was sacked as Wales manager. He would certainly be a good choice for his national team after holding the job for five years in the final years of his playing career and onwards. But the lack of results delivered since his return should raise some questions if he is to bring the Dragons back to the highs they saw under ex-Sunderland boss Chris Coleman.
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