By Jason McKeown

The full time whistle belatedly blew and thousands of ecstatic fans raced onto the pitch. The PA system keeps broadcasting requests for fans to return to their seats, but no one is listening. And there, in the middle of the throbbing masses is a guy sporting a black jumper, with a Bradford City scarf wrapped around his neck, perched on the shoulders of a supporter, punching the air.

It is Graham Alexander. The manager who has just masterminded this most extraordinary of last-day promotions is right in the thick of the pitch invasion celebrations. The absolute man of the people. And when the pitch is finally cleared and the players and staff come out to hoist the promotion trophy, Alexander will tell BBC Radio Leeds’ Jamie Raynor that this achievement is “the best day of my career”.

Which, when you think about it, is quite the statement. Alexander has enjoyed a long, memorable career in the game. Over 24 years as a player he made 1,025 appearances – the third highest-ever in English football history. Alexander spent eight years making himself a Preston legend, before enjoying a fruitful spell at Burnley, where at 37-years-old he helped the Clarets gain promotion to the top flight and became the oldest-ever player to make his Premier League debut.

He was once dubbed “the greatest penalty taker of all time”. And to be fair you can see why. He took 76 spot kicks over his career. He scored 72 of them. Shame, really, that he couldn’t have come on to take that penalty at the Keepmoat last week. Alexander also earned 40 caps for Scotland, where according to the ever-reliable Wikipedia he helped the Tartan Army lift silverware in the shape of winning the Japanese Kirin Cup in 2006. He also helped Scotland beat a France side that included Henry, Ribery, Trezeguet, Malouda, Makelele, Viera and Thuram. And after finally hanging up his boots to all of this in 2012, he embarked on a managerial career that’s included promotions at Fleetwood Town and Salford.

Not bad at all, really.  

But in the considered judgement of the 53-year-old, managing the Bantams to promotion ranks at the very top of his time in football. Even higher than lifting the Kirin Cup! And when invited to provide more context for why this topped the lot he explained, “it’s because it has been so hard.”

He’s not wrong on that. It has been some job that Alexander has performed at Bradford City. He’s well and truly turned around this troubled ship. A club that was bouncing from low ebb to low ebb. He’s changed its culture and its mentality. 91 games in charge, 45 wins. A 49.5% winning ratio. If we discount Bradford City managers who were in charge for fewer than 20 games, only Roy McFarland (54.7%) has bettered that record in the club’s entire history.

Some upturn. And there was some nice symmetry at play that Alexander achieved promotion by beating the same manager – Pete Wild – who was in the opposition dug out for his very first City game, 18 months ago. Wild was in charge of Barrow at the time, and his side opened the scoring against the Bantams within 30 seconds that day, making it perhaps the worst start a Bradford City manager has ever made. A week later the Bantams went to Notts County and trooped in at half time 4-0 down. Alexander must have wondered what he’d got himself into.

Especially as he’d joined a club that was looking so distressed on and off the pitch. The team had started badly, with supporters turning not just on Alexander’s predecessor, Mark Hughes, but owner Stefan Rupp and CEO Ryan Sparks. Hughes was sacked in October with City 18th in League Two, with the infamous 33-day hunt for a replacement ending with Alexander but with plenty of wrong turns. Could have been Kevin McDonald. Could have been Joey bloody Barton for that matter. It was clear from the laboured recruitment process that Alexander was not City’s first choice, but Danny Cowley’s unexpected late U-turn on taking the job proved to be his opportunity.

It was an imperfect start to what became a perfect union. And it’s weird how chaotic, random-looking actions can end up working out so brilliantly. Alexander might have been given the job by a series of unlikely events, but the appointment of past promotion winning managers Phil Parkinson (after first being overlooked for the job in favour of Peter Jackson) and Paul Jewell (given the role after first choice Joe Royle turned it down) shows just how much the history of this football club is full of sliding door moments. Maybe no one involved with Bradford City these last 30 years has a clue how to appoint a good manager and it’s all down to dumb luck.

So by accident rather than design, Alexander got the City job. He was actually in employment when Hughes was sacked. The manager of MK Dons, with a trophy on display in his office after winning the August manager of the month, for a great start to life at the Dons. Then things went a bit slowly, his football wasn’t deemed acceptable to the MK purists and their lofty visions, and Alexander was sacked. They had given him a whole 16 games so, you know, real patience shown. MK Dons finished 19th in League Two this season, so maybe there should be a few regrets in Buckinghamshire for their haste in ditching him. Still, you enjoy your footballing principles.

Alexander’s ways of working definitely proved more suited to the surroundings of Valley Parade. From the start he spoke well and in a way that connected with his new public. He had a statesman feel. And after years of frustration from investing in the cult of manager, and being blinded by the personalities of the likes of Derek Adams and Mark Hughes, there was something refreshing about Alexander’s humble tones. His down-to-earth nature. He was always open about his own failings. Serious, but with a relatable sense of humour. Phil Parkinson-esqe in his communication style. Stuart McCall-esqe too (he’s almost a hybrid of the two). Man of the people from day one.

And that included an endearing honesty. You can find plenty of Alexander mistakes over the last 18 months, and he’s usually the first to acknowledge them. He went on a learning curve with the club, and wasn’t afraid to share those learnings with us.

For instance, he came in making it clear he would always play two up front. The problem? His inherited crown jewel, Andy Cook, did not play well with others. Many strike partners were tried but no one fully gelled with the talisman.

Last December Alexander finally gave up on his two up top principles, with the switch to 3-4-3 delivering much improved results. City are effectively playing just one up front, but with the support of two wide forwards and others breaking forward. It’s proven to be a more potently attacking approach, even with Cook injured.

Then there was the squad rotation journey. Early doors into his reign last season, Alexander found a winning formula and a starting XI he didn’t want to veer from. Great when it was working. But then fatigue and loss of form crept in, and sticking with the same team week in week out lead to a drop off in results.

A year on, Alexander was rotating his squad to levels we’ve never seen before in BD8. And again, he openly shared how he was learning to operate differently because of what had happened in the past. And as he did, he was teaching us to understand and accept rotation too. At the height of City’s post-Christmas burst of form, it was truly remarkable to see a winning team swapped around so often without them missing a beat.

There have been other learnings too. The reluctance to play Bobby Pointon in Spring 2024 got beyond ridiculous. So when Alexander finally gave the young midfielder a start, against Tranmere, Bobby delivered a man of the match performance and scored a wonder goal. Take that Alexander, you bloody idiot! Well, he handled that criticism pretty well. When quizzed after the Tranmere win, Alexander admitted those fans who’d spearhead the ‘Free Bobby’ campaign could rightly say ‘I told you so’. Fair play.

There was also the slight tactical freeze at home to Doncaster earlier this season. Alexander out-thought as Rovers took the game by the scruff of the neck. City kept it 0-0 for a time but were struggling, in need of changes. Alexander did nothing, and in the space of nine minutes Donny went 2-0 up. Late subs made a difference but not enough to salvage the game.

Two months later, Chesterfield were in town and swarming all over City. Again it’s 0-0 but it won’t stay that way for long. This time Alexander reacted early, making a crucial change that changed the game. City won three points at a really important point of the season. The manager had learned a harsh lesson against Doncaster and applied it in positive fashion.

These and other moments invited criticism and invited ridicule, but Alexander never shied away. And that openness made him so human. So much like, well, us. Because whether we want to be so open about our own mistakes in life or try to hide them, the fact is each and every one of us messes up and gets things wrong. Here was a modern guy admitting as much. The fact he was so honest about his flaws made him relatable and likeable. He’s not the messiah, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t a very good football manager.

And he absolutely is. Working with David Sharpe and Stephen Gent, the squad was rebuilt and sharpened last summer. Different eventualities foreseen and planned for – like the way the club had struggled so badly in that infamous March collapse because of injuries to centre backs. Alexander didn’t always have the answers but trusted those around him (Colin Doyle’s recommendation to sign Sam Walker proved inspired, for example).    

There were some tough moments. But Alexander never panicked. Never turned on players when they under-performed. Never tried to pull the wool over the eyes of supporters. It’s a long season – Alexander knew this better than anyone. And he always had the ability to look ahead and make sure the team quickly moved on from set-backs.

And really, that’s everything you want in a Bradford City manager. We are a fanbase that places a huge burden on those who manage it. A crisis is never far away. And so often when this club goes into a tailspin, they keep falling. But we saw signs that Alexander could install bravery into his players from the very beginnings – his first win as City manager, at home to Accrington in November 2023, one of many pressure situations. Tranmere another.

This season there were plenty of similarly tricky instances. But Alexander never seemed to look panicked, never looked too down. He stood there with his dustpan and brush, ready to pick up the pieces. Ready to reset. Ready to go again. That’s such an important quality for anyone in the dugout to succeed at this club in particular. And it’s a quality that’s been lacking in so many of his predecessors.

It meant that even after some weird and painful goings on over the last few weeks, you always felt confident the team would turn up and beat Fleetwood on the final day, with all that expectation and with all the pressure that comes with it. And yeah, it was messy on the day, but the team never gave up. That’s what the manager has installed in them. That’s why they fought to the very end.

That’s also why Alexander ended the game on the shoulders of ecstatic fans. The man of the people, with his people. Revelling in the joy that he had just masterminded. Relishing a day he ranks above all others. The right man, at the right time, to transform the fortunes of this football club. The figurehead who gives us every confidence of rising to the challenge of playing at a higher level next season.

Alexander, you truly are The Great.  

Categories: Opinion

Tags: 2024/25, BCAFC, Graham Alexnader