Bantams' ambition lured David Hopkin back to Bradford City

The former Scottish international, still the Bantams’ record signing at £2.5m, has signed a two-year deal at Valley Parade.

As revealed in yesterday morning’s edition of The Yorkshire Post, City moved quickly to offer Hopkin the job after bringing to an end Michael Collins’s reign after just 77 days and six league matches.

“This is a huge opportunity for me,” said Hopkin, who quit Livingston in May after leading the Scottish club to back-to-back promotions.

“We have a talented squad and I am looking forward to working with the players and staff. The club is ambitious and so am I.

“Although my time as a player here was cut short by injury, I enjoyed my stay and took away some great memories.

“Our supporters are extremely passionate and I want to give them a team and performances they can be proud of,” added Hopkin.

Hopkin, who took his first training session yesterday, will be assisted by Greg Abbott and Martin Drury at Blackpool on Saturday.

Both men were part of the coaching staff under Collins, though it is not clear if that will remain the case beyond the trip to Bloomfield Road.

A club statement said the new head coach “will make a decision on the make-up of his backroom team in the near future”.

Hopkin’s return to the club he joined as a player in 2000 from Leeds United means he follows Stuart McCall, Simon Grayson and now Collins in what has become the hottest of hot-seats in Yorkshire.

Just how the Scot will fit in to the European-style coaching blueprint implemented in the summer by joint owners, Edin Rahic and Stefan Rupp, remains to be seen.

The set-up is understood to have put off several would-be candidates last summer when a successor for Grayson was being hunted.

Rahic added: “David received a great deal of admiration for his success in Scotland, with Livingston. He is very passionate about our club and is excited to be in charge.”