Summer blues

On one day, Bradford City snapped up one young, precocious talent but missed out on an experienced midfielder who refused to take a medical. It just about encapsulates our summer.

The Scottish youth international is Scott Brown, a player described by manager Peter Jackson as the best 16-year-old he's ever seen. The second player is believed to be Tommy Miller, who now appears destined for Huddersfield Town.

But the bitter-sweet news has one been coming through all summer. We've staved off the threat of leaving behind our Valley Parade home, with Julian Rhodes and Mark Lawn instead taking further hold of the club but on the flip side seen a proposed takeover turn down - some have welcomed the possible investment, some are a little more cautious of the news.

We've appointed a new manager, a club hero who many fans are glad to see; but on the flip-side his form was poor at the end of last season and he wasn't everyone's first choice. Jackson, though, to his credit, has brought in a wealth of men to add muscle to the coaching set-up and we have a new chief scout, with all the passion, hunger and contacts necessary.

We've also unveiled a new kit. A return to claret and amber, though one with flashed stripes; but on the flip-side a bright, gaudy pink away kit.

But in the end, what will count is the talent on the pitch. To that means, our stand-out signing is Guy Branston; a tough, experienced centre back with a pedigree at our level, just the sort of man we need to build a spine around and one who should hopefully bring on Steve Williams who is still learning the game. Then of course, there's the undoubted goal-getting talent of Ross Hannah. And eventually we landed Scottish pair Chris Mitchell and Mark Stewart. Brown made it a triumvirate this week.

But for every positive, there's been a set back. One of the best goalkeepers in the Conference, Sam Russell, reputedly turned down a two-year deal to stay with current club Darlington but on a shorter deal. Gary Jones, another midfielder with form at our level and above, also declined to move away from his current club. Then there was the strike duo of Ashley Grimes and Clayton Donaldson who opted for higher league football. The latter was particularly heart-wrenching. We'd paid for his family to have a box at the final game of the season. What they saw was Donaldson tearing us apart. Perhaps it was that frailty which put him off his hometown club, but in the end all he could manage to say was he believed League Two was beneath him. Miller makes it five.

It's difficult to remember a summer where we've missed out on so many signings. But big signings too. Those five would have ensured a very strong spine to our team and one you'd believe in. That said, Stuart McCall set out his transfer path three years ago, landed the lot, then we missed out in the final run-in. Instead we'll have to judge Jackson's squad when it runs out in August, rather than the one which we've lost out on in July.

Let battle commence

Ding dong. Another round of Leeds United versus Bradford City. This time in the League Cup first round at Elland Road. Let battle commence.

A transfer to relish

This is a central defender. A snarling, menacing man ready to throw his body on the line in the heart of any defence. A man you wouldn't mess with. A man who you want playing for you not against you. And a defender who can put a striker in his back pocket - just ask James Hanson.

The signing of Guy Branston is a statement of some intent from Peter Jackson. Branston has experience, is a no-nonsense defender and a player who earned his place in the League Two team of the year. Torquay United's loss is Bradford City's gain.

Of course we've been here before. David Wetherall and Mark Bower were supposed to have a wealth of higher-league experience. Matt Clarke was supposed to be suited to League Two. Graeme Lee was supposed to have earned promotions before and be the leader we needed. None worked. Not sufficiently anyway.

Now Jackson has brought in a replacement for Luke Oliver, a giant of a man but one whose performances have not always matched the billing. Branston will also be a perfect foil for Steve Williams to learn from.

On the flip side, fans and critics have already pointed to a long list of former clubs and a reputation for seeing red. But let's be honest, this is a real boost in what is turning into a summer of real transition - a new manager, ground talks, potential new owners, and Jackson's transfer market search. A search which has already realised a proven goalscorer and ambitions at signing another much-suited striker. Long may this optimism - however packaged some of it may be - continue.

Peter Jackson's Bradford army

Now that Bradford City's future at Valley Parade has been secured, it's time for the second worst secret in football to be unveiled - and the club to announce Peter Jackson as the new permanent successor to Peter Taylor.

This blog has maintained its support for John Coleman, who even now is still being rumoured to be the next man in the Valley Parade hotseat. But it seems certain that City will appoint Jackson on a permanent basis.

Jackson has an indifferent pedigree and his record last season was worse than that of his predecessor Peter Taylor as the club suffered its worst league season since the Sixties. Nevertheless, now that Jackson has been appointed, it's time for everyone at the club to finally pull in the same direction and strive for a longer-term future.

The details of his contract have yet to be announced, but when the club have long-term deals in place with the likes of James Hanson, Steve Williams, Jon McLaughlin, handing out similar terms to Ross Hannah and are trying their best to give more secure futures to other targets, such as that rumoured to be given to Sam Russell at Darlington, playing-wise that is starting to take place.

Stuart McCall was given time though not without its ups and downs, and even he was eventually hamstrung because the club did not budget long-term. Taylor himself was given short shrift and out after just a year. Now is the time for City must lay some solid foundations to avoid a repeat of this summer and no longer make knee-jerk reactions. Give Jackson time and give him the tools to do the job, and importantly club, justice.

Whatever any of us think of Jackson, the past is the past. City must now look to the future properly otherwise there may not be one.

Future secured; now for the manager

So Bradford City are to stay at Valley Parade after all. There were many fans who believed the threats to leave our home were little more than threats, a bit of sabre-rattling and negotiating through the press. However, there was a real danger of leaving behind Valley Parade - the Bulls, the council and importantly the Football League were all engaged in some way.

While it is only correct for the board to try and negotiate the best deal for City, and they should be applauded for trying to improve our financial situation or even underwrite our future, it has felt unnerving to see this played out in the press. It's not like City have 60,000 fans on a shortlist for a stadium which is far too small. Great grounds of English football, like Highbury, Maine Road, Anfield, all have their price. But Valley Parade's is one steeped in history and emotion, and it's perhaps even been immoral to play this game of high-stakes poker to the full view of the world. The club's very soul is embedded in the ground.

The terms of the deal which have led to City's future at Valley Parade being secure remain unclear. While, City initially pleaded poverty in a bid to reduce the rental agreement on the ground, the solution has been to buy back the offices. We've simply swapped one landlord for another and now further indebted to three chairmen - Gordon Gibb, Mark Lawn and Julian Rhodes - through a whole array of negotiations; loans, rental agreements, personal guarantees.

The stories have not gone unnoticed throughout the world of football. They potentially threatened our end of season form and turned a tiny threat of relegation into a battle. And they have certainly put off potential successors to Peter Taylor. Having signed one coveted striker though, in Ross Hannah, it's clear there are individuals who believe in the club's future.

Now it is up to the board to appoint the right permanent manager. There are good candidates, average candidates and poor candidates. This blog continues to nail its colours to John Coleman's mast. He has done a tremendous job at Accrington Stanley with limited resources and has huge potential. But whoever that man eventually is needs to be given full backing, time and resources to get the job done and done right.

Welcome back

Two goals from Peter Beagrie - one a controversial penalty and the second was followed by a vital sending off for John Hartson - and one from Dean Windass all but nailed the final nail into Wimbledon's coffin. The Wombles had bombed, while Bradford City, thanks to a single John Dreyer goal at Sunderland, had suddenly found their feet. Two weeks later, a single goal by David Wetherall and Southampton's demolition of Wimbledon, saw City stay up at Wimbledon's expense.

It ended up being a goal that arguably, nearly destroyed both clubs. The two did meet again before The Football League inexpliciably allowed Wimbledon to up sticks and move north. The club was shattered, its history at first divided between its rightful home in London and usurpers from the new town of Milton Keynes which immorally bought a place in the league. Instead, a phoenix club was born.

City's own uncertain path was very different of course. Two courses of administration, false dawns and too many relegations. A history told a million times. AFC Wimbledon's own numerous promotions now see the two teams meet again after the latter won 4-3 on penalties in today's Conference play-off final against Luton Town.

Well done to Wimbledon. Welcome back to The Football League.

21st century signing

Speculation remains over the future of the ground, there's still an interim manager in place and season tickets have yet to be put on sale, yet Bradford City today have made their first signing of the summer. Welcome Ross Hannah.

An awful season might have only come to an end five days ago, and suggestions are that a new manager won't be in place until perhaps June, but that has not stopped Peter Jackson lifting some of the gloom and uncertainty by capturing the hitman Hannah. A former Sheffield Wednesday and Sheffield United trainee, he netted an amazing 52 goals in league and cup last season. Yes, 52. That's three more than our entire team.

News of the signing first came through on Twitter this afternoon only days after Hannah himself had posted on his own account earlier in the week that he was in talks with us and his current side Matlock Town. A number of fans this afternoon posted news of Hannah's signing even before it broke on the official website or in the local press. Twitter has brought fans so much closer to players than in a long time - perhaps since the outset of the Premier League.

But it will be on the pitch we really judge Hannah. Such a phenemonal goalscoring record will give Hannah something to live up to but shows we have bought ourselves an exciting proposition. And Hannah will follow in the footsteps of our better recent signings, all coming from the semi-pro ranks, such as James Hanson, Steve Williams and Dave Syers. Combine that with other recent top-performers like Joe Colbeck and Luke O'Brien from our own youth ranks, and it's easy to see where we should be trying to pick up our talent.

Welcome Ross Hannah. And the very best of luck.

Time for a dignified solution

Another day, another story in the press about Bradford City's potential move away from Valley Parade. And today's, ironically, comes as City visit Accrington Stanley's Crown Ground - the venue, last season, of a reported attack on chairman Mark Lawn as he left the ground. It was an attack that led to Lawn threatening to withdraw his financial support for the club.

Lawn is clearly a massive City fan. He is clearly a business success. But in the four years he has been at the club, the two have not married. Having promised not to jeopardise the club's future by gambling with money, it's clear the board have. The rent on ground, offices and the associated rates and bills are clearly high - though we're hardly in a unique position here - but so too have been our playing budgets. It goes wrong, and Lawn starts publicly pointing the finger at one Gordon Gibb and yet again opts to air our dirty laundry in public.

It's not pretty. And it doesn't look entirely productive. Here we have three protagonists - in past, present and potentially future chairmen - alongside a council, while sport in the city of Bradford mirrors its other success and problems. Two iconic stadia. One a mirror into the past, a recent past, of ambition and dashed hopes. The other, looking nearly as tired and jaded as the days City were forced to play there in the months after the tragic events of May 1985.

So soon after the club and city remembered those tragic days with such dignity and grace, and so benevolently saved the Burns Unit, it's time for those very same protagonists to put petty differences to one side do exactly the same to find a solution. Or is this just symptomatic of a once-great city that is now down at heel?

Oh, halcyon days

One hundred years ago today, those pioneering footballers of Bradford City's early days boarded a train from Bradford Midland station to make their way to London, Crystal Palace and a date with destiny. Already unexpected finalists, they were given a similar chance in the final against holders Newcastle United. They returned home without the cup - made in Bradford - but instead a goalless draw and a replay. Four days on and a single goal from captain Jimmy Speirs helped City lift their first - and to date only - piece of major silverware.

Oh, halcyon days.

A poisoned chalice

On Saturday, Bradford City legend Stuart McCall led his new Motherwell side to the Scottish Cup Final with a convincing 3-0 victory over St Johnstone. Having helped his old club Rangers win the title three times during his playing career, Stuart will lead a team out in a final for the first time as manager against his one-time Old Firm foes Celtic in May. It marks a fantastic turn-around for Stuart less than four months after he took over at Fir Park. But not only that, McCall has guided Motherwell to the semi-finals of the League Cup and is assured of a top six finish in the SPL.

So what has changed for Stuart? Has he learned during his ten months out of management? Is he no longer tied by emotion? Is a lack of undue pressure and expectation helping him realise his potential? Or is it simply the lower standard of the Scottish game?

But he's not the only one. City managed to attract a worthy list of candidates to replace Stuart last February before eventually plumping for Peter Taylor. While there were a number of doubters - who pointed to his failures, style of play and the nature of the clubs he had previously taken over - his was the stand-out CV. No less than five promotions in the professional game. Alas it went wrong for him too.

Just as it had for Jim Jefferies, Nicky Law, Bryan Robson and Colin Todd. Every single one of them had had success before or success since or in many cases both. It is no doubt that Valley Parade has become a graveyard for managers.

Now we not only seek a new manager, but some form of deliverance. Fighting against an unimaginable though unlikely relegation, we're combining it with a fight against survival. A decade after Geoffrey Richmond gambled with the club's futures, it is clear that Julian Rhodes and Mark Lawn have done exactly the same - but not just the once. Having previously slashed Stuart's budget, they gave Taylor a healthy sum and have now ripped the carpet from out underneath the club.

Wherever City's future lies - and one away from Valley Parade is not one this blog advocates - lessons have to be learned. The rent bill is not something that suddenly lands on the doormat unsurprisingly, leaving the owners searching for loose change down the back of the sofa to pay it. Yes, we have massive overheads, but in this division, we also have a massive fanbase to tap into.

After a decade of failure, patience is understandably wearing thin among the City faithful. But a step back is required. When Stuart was tempted to stay on for another season, one message read "Rome was not built in a day". Quite true. But the club re-building must start at the very top. There's no point keeping a manager on if lessons aren't learned elsewhere. No more excessive spending, no more extravagant rants in the press. A cursory glance at the teams that have been relegated out of the league ever since we arrived at this level shows all have suffered from financial woes or boardroom wrangles. Let's get one thing straight - Mark Lawn's threat is a very real one. But let's get another thing straight - ripping out of the heart of the club is not the answer to avoiding the financial armageddon which will lead to our eventual, unavoidable drop out of the league.

On or off parade?

So once again, as April comes round with Bradford City struggling on the field and looking at gloomy finances, so has the pesky, perennial problem about what a strain Valley Parade is on the club finances. This time though, it is laden with very dark storm clouds.

Ever since City meandered from crisis to crisis as a result of reckless spending during the Premier League days, the ownership of the ground has been a thorny issue. Loaned off by Geoffrey Richmond to meet spiralling debt, Julian Rhodes once later took creditors round to show what they could seize as assets. Pretty much nothing. Instead, his co-owner Gordon Gibb, who had jumped off one rollercoaster straight onto another, tried to apply the brakes and bought the ground. But the Gibb-Rhodes friendship was worn, even torn, at the edges, and culminated in a very public falling out.

Gibb rode off back to Flamingoland but still holding the keys. The keys and the terms to a 25-year £370,000 per annum rent bill. With nearly the same paid out for Richmond's plus offices. Figures the club cannot afford to give away so easily. With the cars showing no signs of levelling off from its hurtling descent, the figures prove even more of a millstone. More than £1m paid out before the club starts to find budgets for players.

Mark Lawn joined along for the ride, and yet the rollercoaster continues at runaway pace, no-one really in charge of the controls. Stories may have emerged that we were one of just two clubs to post a profit, then more recently of operating losses turned into profits thanks to a sell-on fee for youngster Fabian Delph. But now, who do we believe any more? Having got rid of one expensive manager who blew and failed with an adequate budget, we find there is no more money for another.

Valley Parade offers us unique opportunities. As tenants, it gives us options on sub-letting certain aspects and negotiating deals on the club, food, etc. And while the rent bill is only part of the £1m+ overheads, we'd drag some of those costs elsewhere. As owners, our trouble would be gone. But will we ever own Valley Parade again? Gibb is set to make a fortune for the ground. Bought for £5m, he'll turn that into a profit for his pension fund within little more than a decade at the quoted rental agreements. But he seems unwilling to budge over any rental agreement. Is this the man really still at the controls of the rollercoaster?

So when Lawn talks of moving to Odsal, you can easily see the attraction. Cut ties, get rid of the millstone and lose the overheads. But you also lose the opportunity - we won't own Odsal either. And how to get out of the 25-year lease? Go to court? Take a trip down memory lane and a hit of administration? This time, it would have serious repercussions. Stiff points deductions, almost certain relegation and the threat that the Blue Square League - who don't accept clubs in administration - won't even have us.

So are these very empty threats by Lawn to get Gibb to finally give in or is the situation that perilious? And is that right on the real owners of the ground - its fans? Yes, we support Bradford City and not Valley Parade, and the owners have to make the right decisions for the club's well-being. But Valley Parade ain't just any other football ground. It's the very soul of the club, a survivor of the club's darkest day when 56 people went to a football match to cheer on their team and never returned. They are the true owners of Valley Parade. The club owe it to the 54 City fans who were among the dead on 11 May 1985 to continue to survive, but should also strive to do everything in its power to survive at the most precious of homes of English football.

A new hope

When this blog launched in February, ahead of what we all bizarelly knew was Peter Taylor's final game as manager of Bradford City, in a bid to herald in a new period of Bantam Progressivism, we pinned our colours firmly to John Coleman's mast. Coleman had served 13 years in charge of Accrington Stanley catapulting them into the Football League with some aplomb. Still young, Coleman would not only have been a wise choice but he was also coveted by the board.

Alas, it does appear that Coleman's four-year contract will be a stumbling block in any attempts of the club prising him away from the club he has served so well. So, who next, from the shortlist of six? One tweet tonight has certainly taken this blog's fancy. Lee Duxbury.

Duxbury is a City legend. Having spent his tender years among the Valley Parade faithful and been a member of the club's youth set-up during the first period of Bantam Progessivism, Duxbury briefly flew the nest and played a part as Huddersfield missed out on promotion by a whisker. But he returned home, and played a key role during the first half of City's 1990s upsurge. He was a born winner and gained the rewards he deserved with the club he loved.

Again he left - this time to Oldham Athletic, a club to where he has returned and is now a coach. He has patiently served his apprenticeship at Boundary Park and seems to be well-respected. His years at Oldham have had their ups and downs, but he was a winner and knows our club. He deserves a chance.

Okay, appointing Duxbury, would certainly be a gamble. And secondly, we've been here before. Stuart McCall was the overwhelming popular choice when he walked in to the club he was destined to manage in 2007. His career reached heights Duxbury can only dream of, but both are of similar character and have similar background at City.

Now, I'm not going to re-write history here. But was McCall really the failure as City manager that he was made out to be? He certainly didn't achieve the success he wanted, but he came close to promotion in his second season. The foundations buckled, when first Omar Daley was pole-axed by Neil Austin, then secondly when Barry Conlon and Matt Clarke undermined a 5-0 win with a late night and a later morning. But all McCall's good work was undone. Instead of building on and improving his team, the budget was gone, and McCall was forced to dismantle. He began to lose his own belief, and the rest we all know.

What the club need to do is learn from those mistakes and give Duxbury the same backing they gave McCall, but do so in a measured way. None of us want to be in League Two in four years time, but no club is guaranteed anything and if that is the patience we require, then so be it.

Perhaps there are better choices out there; can we possibly afford Coleman given Accrington's troubles, Keith Hill has even been mentioned and there will be many who say Peter Jackson deserves a full chance. But Duxbury has the right background to finally herald in a long-awaited upturn.

Wanted: Miracle worker

Wanted: One miracle worker. No money to spend. Demoralised and limited set of players. Huge expectations. Apply to Julian Rhodes and Mark Lawn at Valley Parade.

After another defeat, this time 2-1 to Stevenage, a team already on a run of five successive victories but one that was non-league until last season, the writing may be on the wall for Peter Jackson. After the initial spark which greeted his entry back to Bradford City, it's all but gone. Gone is the thrill at victory over Ronnie Moore's Rotherham. Gone is the passion at the end of a victory at Morecambe. Instead, back is negative tactics. Back is Luke Oliver up front. Back are successive defeats.

Jackson put himself on the line. Succeed, and he was in pole position to become the permanent manager. Fail, and his interview was pointless. Jackson poked his head above the parapet and took over the poisoned chalice, but did so with someone else's poison in the chalice. Unluckily or not, his hands are well and truly slipping from the managerial position.

But where on earth do we go from here? We've tried relative unknowns who boast a bold CV. We've tried up-and-coming young managers. We've tried hugely experienced managers. We've tried club legends. We've tried men with runners with course and distance form. The only plausible thing we haven't tried is football heavyweights. Oh, or a miracle worker.

Club versus country

This weekend, Bradford City will take to the field against Shrewsbury Town as usual at 3pm on Saturday, but in doing so will be the only fixture in The Football League to stick to the traditional kick-off time. The reason being is England's European Championships qualifying game in Wales at the same time. The "club versus country" row might be one normally reserved for players, but this weekend it will be one that stretches to the fans.

City had looked to move the game to either the Sunday or an earlier kick-off time, but neither were possibly for this weekend's opponents. But even that should never have been asked of the club heirachy.

The Saturday 3pm kick-off time is no longer sacrosanct. Sky Television saw to that. But is it a kick-off time that is at least protected from the lure of the television cameras, with a blackout from the screens for two hours every weekend. Alas, this weekend it has changed.

It was the English and Welsh FA who chose the kick-off time, and this is two countries who to some part share a league. It would be very easy to say that the Football Association - guardians of the Premier League and not the Football League - don't care about lower league football, so I will.

City fear a drop in revenue. But did they have any option? Combined with extra costs of moving the game, it's not obvious whether fans will have switched too. Friday night sees six league matches, Sunday another four. On Saturday, there are a plethora of 1pm starts and even a 6pm. Only the non-leagues seem to have maintained their embrace on the 3pm kick-off - with nine clubs sticking to their guns in the Conference.

So, loyal Bradford and Shrewsbury fans face a direct choice between their beloved sides or the prima donna, underachievers at international level. But others face worse - Carlisle a nice five-hour trip to Brentford on a Friday and then a five-hour journey back deep into the early hours of the morning; Torquay fans can knock an hour off to get to Northampton on a working day; Exeter fans have a nice four-and-a-half hours trip across the country to get to Colchester by 1pm on Saturday; at least Gillingham fans can save their three-hour journey to Cheltenham for Sunday morning.

Yes, just another ordinary weekend for lower league fans and their clubs backed into a corner by a national association who have forgotten who the game really belongs to, and a golden generation whose moniker is only matched by their bank accounts and not their record.

Return of the buzz

No Bradford City fan could fail to be swept up in the enthusiasm which came with the appointment of Stuart McCall in 2007. While the optimism waned, it never vanished under City's most loved son until his final few days and even then it was with more than a tinge of sadness. The same cannot be said for his successor, Peter Taylor. He was supposedly the perfect appointment with a raft of promotions under his belt. But City never got going under Taylor, and the inconsistent results were matched by the turgid football on offer. Comparisons to John Docherty were even thrown in his direction.

So Julian Rhodes and Mark Lawn were always going to have a difficult job in finding a successor. While interviews continue to name a permanent manager, the man filling in is doing his very best to keep it. Peter Jackson has - in just two games - brought the buzz back to Valley Parade. He gave an all-action performance himself on Tuesday, gave the fans a win over a Ronnie Moore side and has been making all the right noises in the press.

Jackson might not be the most perfect of appointments and his credentials will come under scrutiny both in the board room and among fans. So, it's refreshing that he has brought in an experienced and respected number two in Colin Cooper. It's definitely an intriguing selection and shows some more long-term thinking than the initial interim appointment.

Jackson now has more time to put his name on the manager's door full-time with "two or three" more games starting with Morecambe today. Whatever Jackson's strengths as manager are and whatever the thoughts of the fans on his appointment are, at least he has brought some much needed buzz back to our club.

Return of the prodigal son

Neither Omar Daley nor Kevin Ellison will play against their respective parent clubs when Bradford City take on Rotherham United in Peter Jackson's first home game as City manager tonight, under the terms of the loan deal. By the time City play again, however, Daley may well be back available for selection. Despite the fact Jackson himself might not be manager after tonight - depending on the progress of interviews - he has already set the wheels in motion to recall Daley from his loan.

Daley arrived at City in 2007 just as that other flying winger Jermaine Johnson was heading out of the door. It was too easy to make comparisons between the two, but Daley has proved to be an exciting, dangerous and formidable opponent. He is capable of goals of outstanding quality and often done so, he has torn defences apart and scared the living daylights out of opponents. All to the extent he earned the plaudits of his peers and selection in the 2008-09 PFA team of the year.

Yet Daley is a precocious talent, not to everyone's taste who doesn't always perform. The goals don't always come often enough - especially when he's pushed up front - and for all his trickery, he has never been a huge creator of chances. And there will always be the accusations of laziness especially when things don't go his way.

Yes, Daley is the epitomy of a mercurial winger, who can torment his own fans and manager as much as the opposition. Trying to get the best out of him isn't quite so simple. Just as one of England's most gifted midfielders, Glenn Hoddle, failed to find a place for the equally talented Matt Le Tissier when he became the country's manager, Peter Taylor - a winger himself in his day - struggled to get the best out of Daley and his denouement was to allow the Jamaican to leave.

Daley may not yet return, and with his contract up at the end of the season, his way out of City may be the ringing of boos in his ears as he trudged off against Lincoln. Others have suffered the same; Nicky Summerbee supplied the ammunition for Dean Windass yet received more than his fair share of snipers in the crowd; Joe Colbeck picked up the fans' player of the year before becoming another hate-figure, exited stage right and suffered more abuse on his first return; even Windass himself, after becoming the club's third highest all-time goalscorer received death threats.

Ellison, however, made a thrilling start - scoring the winner on debut -  but has since flattered to deceive. A man more for the fight apparently. Jacko believes not.

Why still favourite?

When he was appointed interim manager last weekend, Peter Jackson was installed as firm favourite by Victor Chandler to become Bradford City's next permanent manager. But in the days that followed he was soon replaced by Dagenham & Redbridge's inimitable John Still.

Still's name is mentioned by various lower league clubs whenever a vacancy crops up, and has been on the lips of City fans before and once again since Taylor's departure. Still has a fantastic record gaining promotion to the Football League with Dagenham in 2007, 18 years after he did the same with the ill-fated Maidstone United. Still can more than stand by his record over recent years, unearthing a wealth of talent and giving them league football - most notable Paul Benson, who impressive scoring record with the Daggers earned him a move to their more famous neighbours Charlton Athletic.

An impressive CV certainly, so it's no surprise that Still has his suitors. But is he really the answer to City's 64-million dollar question? Still's record also includes a short and unsuccessful spell at Peterborough and he has never managed further north than his time at London Road. That pool of non-league talent that he has brought into the football league is based around his Essex roots. It's alright getting James Hanson to give up his job staking shelves at the co-op and Steve Williams to put down his scissors to both take a wage cut and try cut their teeth in the Football League near their homes, but doing the same with youngsters from the capital to come north is much harder - just ask Luke Medley.

And only this week, we have seen double the problems Taylor had. I doubt it's a coincidence that the friendly against Guiseley - part of the fee for Hanson - was organised just days after Taylor left, having been once postponed to make way for the subdued pre-season tour of Essex. And Jacko waxed lyrical about team spirit on the long trip south to Gillingham. So was there really a north-south divide in the changing room under Taylor? It was he who struggled to initially find a home in West Yorkshire. Perhaps, his familiar signings of Luke Oliver, Lewis Hunt and Tommy Doherty had the same problems.

It was Paul Jewell who was hugely successful with his policy of ensuring all players lived within earshot of Valley Parade. It's clearly time for the same again. That could more than rule out the bookies' favourite.

Squaring the circle

What's in a football formation? Hours of discussion have been devoted on how to square the circle, or as Jonathan Wilson put it how to Invert the Pyramid, across the world. We all have our preferred formations and countries have very different philosophies on football. But England is firmly entrenched in a 4-4-2 formation.

But when Peter Taylor came in, he tinkered hugely with the personnel and at times with the formation. Yes, he played 4-4-2, but his firm belief came from 4-3-3 and 4-5-1. It might have worked with him at other clubs before, but it never worked at City. Even to the end he stuck with his 4-3-3 and it was only at half-time in that captivating finale against Stockport County that he reverted to a formation that footballers up and down this country know, love and understand (okay, it was really a 3-4-3 after Stockport were reduced to nine men that we got the real joy) and he played a final get out of jail card.

So today, what will Peter Jackson play today at Gillingham? And should City be looking full-time for a manager who will play 4-4-2? Maybe Taylor was hamstrung by injuries, but the experience he had from the players at his dispensation and the reaction of the crowd suggests 4-4-2 is the way forward. Perhaps, it shouldn't really matter as long as the club gets results, but it seems City fans and players are more comfortable with a 4-4-2.

Coleman all but ruled out

A week after John Coleman was first linked with being Peter Taylor's successor, it seems his chances have been thwarted even without an interview. Accrington gave Bradford City permission to speak to their long-term boss but before those talks were held, a lack of financial clout at Valley Parade has prevented any deal.

This blog has already waxed lyrical about the job Coleman has done at Accrington Stanley. When Coleman took over the reigns at the Crown Ground, City were a Premier League club and Accrington a massive six divisions below. Fast forward 12 years and we're now opponents and have been for the previous two seasons. And it's not as if Coleman hasn't had success against us either.

Coleman would have been a great choice but that recent long-term contract he signed at Accrington may have killed off any chance we have of seeing just whether Coleman could have turned round another club's fortunes. And the news comes on the back of similar noises from former City favourite Greg Abbott, who says he is not tempted by the job. Again, it's a shame - Abbott has done a decent job at Carlisle United - but less of a surprise.

Is this all a result of more prudent times at Valley Parade? Do we have that little money to tempt a new manager? And should we just turn our attention to out-of-work managers?

That would all raise the outlook for Peter Jackson, who will lead City out for the first time as manager on Saturday against Gillingham - more than 20 years after he last played for the club. Jackson has all the passion in the world and passion for the club, and has been making the right noises - but there are also concerns about his past and inconsistent performances as manager elsewhere.

Jackson however is in the box seat. That is a unique position which the club is also in. Succeed and his chances are boosted; fail and we'll probably look elsewhere.

A hero returns. A hero's return?

More than 30 years after first walking into Valley Parade, Peter Jackson spent his first day as manager of Bradford City today - a job he was probably always destined for. Jackson may be only here for a brief, interim period, but while he is in the hot-seat, he will remain favourite and be "playing for keeps".

An awful lot has happened and been said since Jackson first signed for City as a teenager in the 1970s. Jackson will certainly divide popular opinion among the fans and like any candidate for the Valley Parade hotseat, his attributes will be hotly debated. But by going straight on the record to say today is a huge honour for him, Jackson has neatly summed himself up.

As a superb central defender, Jackson became the club's youngest captain and leader of a very young team following City's financial maelstrom of 1983. He had already experienced one promotion and became an even more central character of the first period of Bantam Progressivism when he led his side to the Third Division title in 1985. Victory was overshadowed by disaster of the Valley Parade fire, but Jackson proved what a strong, mature head he had, by leading the club through a dark period, not just on the pitch, but so admirably off it. He left to join Newcastle United but returned for a two-year spell at the end of the 80s.

Joining Huddersfield and then going on to match City's arch-rivals twice tarnished his reputation among some of the City faithful, particularly for his reactions on derby day and many a choice word. But if the players can show just a fraction of his passion and react in the same way his own teammates did in his first spell at Valley Parade, then he will prove to be a successful manager.

Jackson won't tick all the boxes, there will be better candidates in a lot of attributes, and many fans will have other choices, but the players will have the honour of being managed by a true club legend. Of course, we have been here before ...

Good luck Jacko, you may well need it.

Dean Richards: 1974 - 2011

The trials and tribulations of supporting Bradford City may have been as difficult as ever these past few weeks, but they were put into very stark context this morning, with the tragic news of the very untimely death of former defender Dean Richards. Coming so soon after the passing of another defender Norman Corner, it represented the loss of two fans' favourites for two different generations.

Dean Richards was clearly a classy defender as soon as he first pulled on a City shirt. During four seasons with the club, he played just over 100 games; he was head and shoulders above the rest of the squad and it was no surprise when he went on to better things. Dean was not just a solid defender, but a superb footballer and a true gent, who put in stellar performance after performance.

Despite playing for City during a period of underachievement, false dawns and mid-table Division Three obscurity, he did manage to play a part in one of the club's greatest days. Dean had gone on to Wolverhampton Wanderers, commanding a big fee with plenty of add-ons loaded in City's favour. Wolves may have been an ambitious and consistent club but they struggled to achieve their dream of reaching the Premier League, and ironically, Dean played in City's 3-2 win at Molineux which elevated them into the top flight ahead of Wolves - during which it was his foul that brought down Jamie Lawrence for the penalty which Peter Beagrie missed.

I prefer to remember Dean as the fantastic defender he was. He earned the move into the Premier League he rightfully deserved, playing first at Southampton and then under Tottenham Hotspur, when he moved with Glenn Hoddle, so impressed was the gifted former England international with Dean.

Sadly, in 2005, Dean was forced to retire because of health problems including dizzy spells and headaches. Little was the footballing world to know it would lead to today's tragic news.

Dean Richards, 1974 - 2011. Rest in peace.

Why Coleman would be the right choice

When a football club covets an employed manager and makes an official approach to his club for his services, then it is highly likely that the manager is question is very high on the list of candidates for the vacancy. So news that Bradford City have made an approach for Accrington Stanley boss John Coleman is something to take seriously.

Many names have been banded about to be Peter Taylor's successor, but of them all, John Coleman is one of the most interesting. Of course, we've been here before - Coleman's name was mentioned before Taylor took over from Stuart McCall. And Coleman could quite easily turn down the job - Accrington Stanley are outperforming us (again), he is revered at Accrington and his 13 years in charge put him only behind Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger on the long-term rankings list. Loyalty is still sometimes enough in football. Above all, many fans both side of the Pennines could argue why he would leave a well-run club where he has done a great job, to take over a poisoned chalice.

At first glance, Coleman could easily be overlooked. He had a playing career entirely in non-league, before he managed Ashton United and then Accrington Stanley. But delve into that tenure at Accrington, where he took over in August 1999, and you see why he would be an ideal candidate. In the time he has managed Accrington, City have enjoyed a two-year Premier League experience and sojourn into Europe, but three relegations and countless false dawns.

Coleman meanwhile has won three promotions, a good win record and countless plaudits. He has continued to steer Accrington in an upward direction and his admirable record against City includes one of McCall's most disappointing evenings as manager.

Coleman has been given time, shown huge loyalty despite admiring glances and established a great club on solid foundations. If this time Coleman wants to move, those three qualities are ones that can mutually benefit Bradford City and John Coleman.

A new start

So, my beloved Bradford City have been backed into a corner; 89th in the league, one win and just four points from nine games and the manager gone. Well, said manager is now little more than a lame duck. As Peter Taylor walks to the dugout tomorrow, his final (inspiring - !) teamtalk given, what will be on his mind? Leading us to victory, or clearing his desk and heading back south.

No, Bradford City could barely be any lower right now. Of the four teams below us in League Two, Burton Albion have five games in hand. Slip any further down this league, and our chairmen effectively claim that the club will exist no more. Nearly a year to the day, that Taylor strode in after Stuart McCall had once again given his all, but the first time, been unable to achieve his dream, Taylor strides out for a final time. His reign, a failure.

Talk will continue on just who will take over as the next Bradford City manager, be it until May, or beyond. Whether, there is anything beyond May for Bradford City will be up to that manager and just how bleak that picture is that Mark Lawn so starkly painted.

But nothing at Bradford City is so simple. When Taylor does walk out tomorrow, it's not just any other game. A relegation six-pointer, the biggest game in our history and one with a bumper crowd. This is a turning point, it has to be a turning point.

Few, possibly no, fans will shed a single tear for Taylor tomorrow. There will be nothing like the rousing reception that Stuart received last February against Bury. Because he has led us backwards and to the edge of the precipice.

Onwards, upwards and to a 21st century progressivism. Because there is no other option.