By Jason McKeown

Perhaps the scale of the challenge dawned on Graham Alexander 30 seconds into his first game in charge, when Barrow’s Kian Spence set up Dom Trelford to put Bradford City 1-0 behind. Maybe it came a week later at Notts County, when the Bantams embarrassingly found themselves 4-0 behind before the half-time whistle had even sounded. Or what about that grim 10-day spell in March 2024, where City lost four straight games by an aggregate score of 13-1, and supporters gathered to protest at the running of the club? Or even another trip to Notts in December 2024, where this time the half-time score was a barely improved 0-3?

Whenever that harshest of reality checks came, Alexander did not buckle. He carried the hefty weight of a damaged football club, absorbed a few blows himself, and slowly plotted a course forward. He leaves Valley Parade with his players winning games as a matter of routine, with success almost looking like it comes easy.

But nothing about where Alexander started from was easy.

It’s in those toughest moments – and there were plenty of others, too – that the scale of Alexander’s achievements can truly be found. No one needs a history lesson, but let’s do it quickly anyway. Bradford City, post February 2018, was not a pretty sight. The sacking of Stuart McCall, with City a League One play-off position mainstay for 20 months, felt ill-judged at the time, but soon could be looked back on as beyond belief.

They fell and then fell some more. Simon Grayson, 14 unsuccessful games in charge. Michael Collins got half that amount. Then came David Hopkin, with 35 games at the helm that ended with City staring at the abyss of relegation to League Two. Gary Bowyer (48 games) couldn’t stop them falling down, or get them climbing back up the year after. Enter Stuart, again. 28 games in charge, in the midst of a global pandemic. Mark Trueman and Connor Sellers were up next, with 31 games at the helm. A bright new dawn of Derek Adams that ended in 37 games of greyness. Mark Hughes offered revitalisation and, at last, a promotion push. But the play-off defeat to Carlisle set him on course for losing his job. He got 82 games.

Unhappy, troubled times. False dawn after false dawn. Hopes risen and quickly dashed. Patience was running out fast. Alexander’s arrival wasn’t unpopular, but he would have encountered a weariness and hardening cynicism of a Bradford public, who had seen too many managers come and go to expect anything but the same pattern.

Was this the impossible job? It definitely must have felt that way during those low times. Such was the anger at those running at the club during the first six months of Alexander’s reign, he was largely able to get on with trying to put the pieces together rather than coming under the spotlight himself. Still, it wasn’t a stellar performance. As our own Adam Raj observed of Alexander in April 2024, “In other circumstances, he’d be on very fine ice.”

That was true, but it was also true that Alexander had shown some early signs he could scrub the stench of stagnation hanging over Bradford City. Even in that 4-0 half-time drubbing at Notts County, green shoots sprang when he switched to a back three and the Bantams dominated the second half, regaining some respectability by scoring twice. It was the springboard to a six-match winning run that propelled City into the top half. And though they slowed again soon after and had some shambolic moments like a 4-2 home loss to Crawley, a useful run in the EFL Trophy offered some salvation.

For the first time in the club’s history, they made it to the semi-final stage. A home tie against League One Wycombe didn’t exactly attract a stampede of interest, but those of us who did turn up delivered a stirring atmosphere and the players were desperately unlucky not to take City to Wembley, absolutely dominating their higher league opponents only to fall to a sucker punch. Still, it had been a nice distraction and they needed it. A small preview of the better days ahead.

It wasn’t long after that the desperate spell of four straight losses occurred. In different ways, each defeat was incredibly painful. I’ll especially always remember filing out of the Notts County 3-0 home defeat with the bleakness about City’s situation overpowering. “We are witnessing the slow extinction of Bradford City Football Club,” was my grim verdict. As for Alexander? “An increasing number of fans now want him sacked. I’ve got nothing, really, to offer in defence of Alexander. My only argument for keeping him, right now, is I don’t trust anyone employed by the club to successfully replace him.”

The next home game saw supporter protests against Stefan Rupp and Ryan Sparks. But not for the last time, Alexander oversaw a City win when it really, really mattered. The 2-0 success over Tranmere, headlined by a wonder goal from rising youth product Bobby Pointon, hinted at a brighter future.

You could argue it was the turning point in Bradford City’s modern history.

It proved to be the first of six wins in seven that, improbably, almost earned City a play-off spot. But no matter, they finally had momentum. And they took that into the next season. Alexander had a true chance to reshape the squad during the summer. Though pessimism in the stands was hard to shake off, happier times really were coming.

On the eve of the first home game of the 2024/25 campaign, Alexander made what at the time felt like a rare public misstep, urging supporters to “leave their bag of bitterness at home”. It wasn’t a message that landed well, but it was a fair challenge and one that proved important. Alexander offered enough reasons to believe the tide was turning. It was time to park the lethargy and get behind it.

Whilst the first half of the 2024/25 season was far from perfect, City were crucially strong at home, where most supporters see them, and the negativity began to slowly drain away. At the turn of the year, it truly did take off.

An early January 3-1 success over Grimsby felt pivotal. City were reeling from the news that talisman Andy Cook was going to miss the rest of the season. But in his absence, City suddenly clicked. They were excellent that day, and set a standard they have rarely dipped below since. In that same month they blew apart a flying Walsall side, wrecking their confidence. Four months later, City would pip the Saddlers to automatic promotion.

Along the way to that glory was brilliant, Alexander-led City form. Dramatic wins at Bromley and Salford, thrilling demolitions of Cheltenham and Colchester. They even reached another EFL Trophy semi-final, agonisingly losing to moneybags Birmingham at a sold-out St. Andrews but winning lots of friends for the fearless way they played. In early April they beat Crewe 2-0 to top League Two. It was all coming together.

They did make hard work of it. The 5-4 Swindon loss. Blowing a 3-1 lead at Chesterfield. Blowing up completely at Doncaster, when Aden Baldwin saw the red mist. But as they limped, Walsall crawled. And it led to a final day prize of needing to beat Fleetwood at Valley Parade to seal promotion, on the 40th anniversary of the fire disaster.

What happened that day will never be forgotten. And as the celebrations exploded around Sarcevic 90+6, Alexander was at the centre of the scenes that went on for days. He’d succeeded where so many had failed. And the affection City fans felt for him knew no bounds. “The best day of my career,” was Alexander’s post-Fleetwood verdict. “The right man, at the right time, to transform the fortunes of this football club,” was mine. 

If 2024/25 was wonderful, the year that followed was probably even more impressive. Alexander showed little sentimentality, raising the stakes by ditching his promotion-winning skipper (and supporters’ player of the season) Richie Smallwood and signing Max Power. The team that began life in League One had seven debutants and did not stutter. City flew out of the blocks and topped the table.

The return to League One was so exciting. Alexander got to add more great moments. Like beating Championship Blackburn and Stoke away in the cup, setting up an unforgettable trip to Premier League Newcastle, where 5,000 of us sang ourselves hoarse and Andy Cook scored a fairytale goal. In the league, there was the thrilling smashing up of local rivals Huddersfield. The amazing win at Cardiff. The barnstorming 2-2 with Barnsley.

Until January, City were credible automatic contenders. And though they began to slip, they never slid to mid-table mediocrity. Alexander oversaw a way to keep carving out victories, with home form once again excellent. And though, like the year before, they made hard work of the final straight, they sealed a play-off spot. The best Bradford City finish as a newly promoted club in their history.

Bolton were the play-off opponents. City had injuries to key players. They gave it a good go, and but for some fine margins could have edged it. The second leg home tie with Bolton was an incredible occasion, even if the result wasn’t what we wanted. It spoke volumes of the job Alexander had done that he and his team were clapped off by a sold-out Valley Parade. It had been a truly remarkable season, and the sour ending wasn’t going to spoil it.

You feared such feats would be difficult to repeat this time. But Alexander has again overseen a rebuild, and the early signs are immensely promising. They’ve won nine of their 11 league and cup games, picking up an astonishing seven clean sheets. That’s included fine wins at Sheffield Wednesday, Notts County and Luton – the latter success elevating the Bantams to the top of the table. Meanwhile they’re in the last 16 of the League Cup, with a memorable success over local rivals Burnley to add to the collection of great Alexander moments.

It’s always dangerous to make firm predictions in September, but nothing we’ve seen so far this season would suggest the Bantams can’t keep this up. Especially with their amazing track record of the previous two seasons. The squad is full of quality. The team are incredibly difficult to play against. Alexander’s approach no longer has any surprise factor for opponents, but stopping the team succeeding is still another matter. They’ve not suffered any play-off hangover. They’re well primed to be even more successful.

Until this moment anyway.

You can’t separate Bradford City’s success from Alexander, and so not having him at the helm invites some serious questions about the sustainability of this progress. And that leads us to the absolute biggest thing that Alexander has achieved over his 158 games in charge.

He’s completely overachieved.

Last season, City had a mid-table budget. They finished fourth. The budget is said to be similar this season, and so far they sit at the top of the tree. Even in League Two over 2024/25, the Bantams’ financial resources were significantly lower than a string of clubs who they finished above.

I don’t think there’s any manager in Bradford City’s history who has overachieved to this level for such a sustained period of time. The Bantams’ balance sheet relative to others suggests they should be nowhere near the top. But Alexander hasn’t just led them to the upper reaches of the division, he’s kept them up there against teams with far higher budgets.

It’s an against-the-odds achievement that will be truly tested now. Because finding a manager who can consistently over-perform his resources is a mighty big ask.

But perhaps budgets, league positions and points totals don’t fully capture Alexander’s greatest achievement.

Alexander hasn’t just won lots of games. He’s changed expectations.

For years, we Bradford City supporters lived through decline. Every promising moment came with a warning. Every rise was followed by another fall. The club became synonymous with frustration and wasted potential.

Alexander changed that. He restored belief. Then he normalised success.

That’s Graham Alexander’s real legacy. Not the promotion. Not the league position. Not even the memorable afternoons that will live forever.

He made Bradford City feel like Bradford City again.

Categories: Opinion

Tags: BCAFC, Graham Alexander