Bradford pick ex-Hull manager Parkinson as Jackson replacement

Joint-chairmen Julian Rhodes and Mark Lawn met the 43-year-old yesterday morning after making him their No1 choice to replace Peter Jackson.

Bradford-born Ady Boothroyd and Accrington Stanley’s John Coleman were also sounded out about the Valley Parade vacancy but it is former Hull City chief Parkinson who the board believe is the man to end what has been a decade-long decline at the club.

City will officially unveil Parkinson, who lost out to Peter Taylor when the job was up for grabs in February 2010, later today.

It is not clear, however, if he will take charge of tomorrow night’s Johnstone’s Paint Trophy first round tie against Sheffield Wednesday or if assistant manager Colin Cooper, who was at the helm for Saturday’s 4-2 win over Barnet, will again take charge of the team.

Either way, Parkinson has sealed a return to management after an eight-month absence following his sacking by Charlton Athletic last January.

Since then, he has been working as a scout for Arsenal and he was at a Premier League game on Saturday as part of that role.

That meant Parkinson, who lives near Wetherby, missed Bradford’s first win of the season as two goals from James Hanson, plus first strikes for the club by Guy Branston and Nahki Wells, were enough to see off Barnet.

Following Jackson’s shock resignation on Thursday, Cooper admits his priority was lifting the players.

The former Middlesbrough defender, who signed a one-year contract with City last summer, said: “It was nice to get a positive result for the club, the players and the fans.

“Confidence is a big thing in football and they will all be lifted by that.

“The players deserve a pat on the back. Peter’s departure came out of the blue.

“He is a well-liked man in Bradford and at the club so people were disappointed to see him go,” he said.

“I spoke to Peter on Thursday evening.

“He was very emotional after the events earlier in the day.

“We then had a quick chat on Friday and he sent all the lads a good luck message on the morning of the game. That is the sort of guy Peter is.”

City came from behind to claim their first win of the season and Cooper added: “We had words at half-time as I felt we were a bit gung-ho.

“Speaking as an ex-defender, we have to be more solid and not try to win the game from the first kick.

“Hence, why words were said and I thought the second half panned out pretty well.

“Having said that, I still thought the goalkeeper had to make three or four saves that he shouldn’t have had to make.”

Asked about his own future and whether he had applied for the Bradford job, Cooper replied: “I was asked to prepare the team for Saturday and Tuesday, and that is it.

“When I retired from playing, I went through a four-year period to get coaching qualifications. The last one was the UEFA Pro-Licence and you need that to manage at a higher level.

“I would be lying if I didn’t say I wanted to be a manager,” he added.

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