AN intelligent lad, Max Power has observed Graham Alexander’s managerial work with admiration over several years.

For him, the ‘sell’ of embarking upon the next stage of his career at Bradford City extended beyond the traditional ‘massive club’ mantra – invariably trotted out by new recruits when they arrive at Valley Parade. Or finances either.

Working up close with Alexander and getting to know the individual who he has respected from afar as well as the manager was a primary consideration for a ‘thinking man’s footballer’ who has learnt to appreciate the value of the right working environment.

And what works and what does not.

Full throttle: New Bradford City signing Max Power is ready to settle into his new surroundings at Valley Parade.

placeholder image — Full throttle: New Bradford City signing Max Power is ready to settle into his new surroundings at Valley Parade.

At this stage of his career – and following a spell in Danish football at Aarhus which was not straightforward – its importance was magnified for the 31-year-old.

When he spoke to Alexander, he had done his homework, but wanted to look into the whites of his eyes as well.

Power told The Yorkshire Post: “I remember watching the Salford ‘Class of 92’ documentary.

“I have seen Gary Neville come out and say he probably got the decision to sack Graham wrong at the time.

Graham Alexander led Bradford City to automatic promotion from League Two in the most dramatic of fashions in May.

“I know hindsight is a wonderful thing, but if Salford had kept hold of Graham, then they probably wouldn’t be in League Two.

“The conversation went really well with Graham and flowed really nicely. As a player, you sometimes get a feeling when you know things are just right.

“A lot of what the manager was saying was stuff I believe in – morals, beliefs, hard work and team spirit and I also feel as a player in senior years now that having a manager who has played so long holds value in the senior boys, which is great.

“Because I have just been on the other end of that. I am not saying I was not valued in Denmark, but I was certainly exposed a bit to the politics side of football where the younger assets had to play as I was at a selling club.

“That can become quite difficult to deal with as the team I was playing for won one game in 10 and lost seven on the bounce.

“When you are a player training as hard as you can every day and chomping at the bit to help, it was quite hard to swallow.

“For me coming here, the fire is still in the belly, massively.”

The presence of a familiar face who he knew from a successful time in his career at Wigan in David Sharpe also helped convince Power that his move to Yorkshire was the correct one.

Sharpe, head of football operations at City, is a former Latics chairman. He is someone whose opinion has always been valued by Power.

As with Alexander, the word ‘respect’ is also paramount for the Wirral-born midfielder, whose former clubs also include Tranmere Rovers and Sunderland.

Power, who has also had a spell in Saudi Arabian football, continued: “We had some really good times and celebrated two promotions together at Wigan. We were both really young, he was the youngest chairman in the Football League at the time. It’s been 10 years since we first came together at Wigan and we are hoping for some similar celebrations and times.

“He is someone I have a lot of respect for, he gave me an opportunity at Tranmere, and someone I stayed in touch with over the years.

“He’s a really good guy who loves his football and when I spoke to him about the club, he was explaining how much he has fallen in love with the place and the support and everything that goes with it.”

With a Masters degree in sporting directorship, Power – educated at Wirral Grammar School – might just be destined for a second career in professional sport at some point down the line.

Having just signed a two-year deal, that is still a fair way off. Alexander’s longevity as a player – he is among an exclusive bracket of players to make 1,000 senior career appearances in English professional football – shows the art of the possible in that regard.

Power commented: “I know players who have worked under him before. I have always been a distant admirer of someone who can play that many games in a career.

“For me, game time was a little bit limited last season, but at my age now, I want to play for as long as I can and I look after myself.

“It’s something I want to emulate (Alexander’s feats). Whether I can get to 1,000; I have done the maths and it’s not going to be easy, but I will give it a go.

“I will certainly be playing until the phone stops ringing and the wheels fall off.”