'I know him personally' - Ex-Bradford City captain Mark Bower delivers Paul Heckingbottom verdict
Mark Bower has assessed the prospect of Bradford City hiring Paul Heckingbottom
Paul Heckingbottom would be a “very sound and solid appointment” for Bradford City, according to ex-Bantams captain Mark Bower.
Graham Alexander has vacated his post at Valley Parade with the club top of the League One table, departing for Championship strugglers Preston North End. He has been followed to Deepdale by his assistant and former Preston teammate Chris Lucketti.
Fans have been left to ponder who Bradford will hire to replace Alexander and Heckingbottom’s name has cropped up in many of the conversations.
It was Preston’s sacking of the 49-year-old, who represented Bradford as a player, that paved the way for Alexander’s return to Deepdale.
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Mark Bower on Graham Alexander
On the BBC’s ‘Take Me Home’ podcast, Bower said: “People are looking down their nose a bit at that one, aren’t they? That surprises me because it ticks a load of the boxes.
“I know him personally - proper good character. He’s like Graham - very serious and to the point. [He] won’t try and fluff anything up.
“I think he’ll play in a similiar kind of front-footed fashion, [he is] good with young players, experience. I think he’d be a good appointment - not necessarily the best one - but I think he’d be a very sound and solid appointment.”
Heckingbottom is no stranger to management in Yorkshire having previously led Barnsley, Leeds United and Sheffield United.
His spell at Elland Road was forgettable but he secured promotions with both Barnsley and Sheffield United.
Graham Alexander’s exit
One thing Bradford fans have been able to agree on is that Alexander’s departure has created a sizable hole.
The 54-year-old steered the Bantams out of League Two and immediately made the club a force to be reckoned with in the third tier.
Bower said: “Two massive holes have been left. It just feels like your mum’s left you at school for the first time. It’s a bit [of a] strange feeling. It needs to get sorted out.
“From a professional point of view, having done that kind of job at a lower level, I can completely understand the decision that he’s made. An opportunity’s come about at a club he spent a lot of time at, higher level, bigger budget, more money, closer to home. When you add all those things up, you can see why he’s done it.
“It’s the club’s responsibility to anticipate things like this happening. They’ve got to have that process in place and have it well underway now to make sure the good work, the good place that he’s left it in, is continued and built upon.
“You see it all time - some of these clubs that have got really good recruitment model, a little bit higher up the pyramid, your Brightons, your Brentfords, their manager goes on to supposedly bigger, better jobs and they find the right replacements. It just continues and continues to improve. That’s the challenge.”