Oldham Athletic v Bradford City - From Wembley to League Two drop zone, what’s gone wrong at Bantams?

“It came crashing down when we realised we’d slipped to second bottom,” admitted assistant manager Kenny Black. “You’re there for a reason.”

So what are those reasons?

As so often with a club facing relegation, it is not just about one bad season.

Former player, caretaker manager and head of recruitment Greg Abbott traces the demise to that play-off final in current manager Stuart McCall’s second spell in charge.

“There wasn’t a lot wrong then,” he insists. “But in the first six months of the next season there was interference in all areas. We spoke to (Millwall’s) Neil Harris afterwards and he asked his board to keep the bulk of the squad (after the previous year’s play-off final defeat to Barnsley) and they got promotion. That was the call Stuart wanted.

“That was the time to drive on but the club has lost any impetus. After a poor run the club made a poor decision to release Stuart. Since then it’s been a steady downward spiral. That’s gone now. Now stability is needed.”

Season ticket holder James Mackenzie agrees.

“The football is absolutely dreadful and it’s a result of not yet getting the Edin Rahic era out of our system,” he believes. “When we’ve made bad decisions before we’ve seen the results straight away. We thought we’d seen the results of the bad decisions to get rid of Parky (Phil Parkinson) and Stuart (in 2018) straight away but I’m not sure we’ve accepted we just need stability at a low level and build from there.

“I can’t blame Stuart, the players or the tactics because I just don’t think the off-field structures are right. I don’t think Stuart’s got the players to play the way he wants and when we have injuries we don’t have the players to come in. Some players just aren’t right for the club but it goes so much deeper.”

Injuries and suspensions have played their part this season, but Black is not hiding behind them.

“Let’s not be kidded on, this is a really poor run,” he says of City’s five straight losses. “We expect a lot more of the players.”

Individual mistakes have been a factor too.

“When you’re in the type of run we’re in, you tend to get punished a bit more,” he argues. “If you’ve got to clear your lines, make a positive decision. It might not look pretty but they can’t score from row Z. We need a bigger threat at the other end as well.”

Centre-back Paudie O’Connor agrees there have been too many errors but asks: “What can you do? It’s not as if a lad does it on purpose. Maybe the next game one of their guys will have one.

“You’ve got to be mentally tough. It’s easy to have a positive mindset in the top half but when it snowballs you’ve got to park it, work on the negatives and try and turn them into positives. If not, it can turn into a very poor season.”

O’Connor was part of the team relegated in 2018-19.

“I don’t think performances have been that bad where you have to start panicking,” he argues. “Last year we were in a better position at the start of December and by the end we were in a position we didn’t really want to be. We think there’s too much quality in the changing room (to go down). We want to be challenging at the other end of the table.

“This group is a lot more together (than 2018-19). There hasn’t been a change of manager, which there was that season a few times. All the lads want to be here and once we get a couple of results you’ll see it come together.”

New chief executive Ryan Sparks gave McCall and Black one-year contract extensions and promised funds in January.

“It’s probably the most important January window Bradford have had for a number of seasons,” says Abbott. “They’ve got to bring in battle-hardened players to hit the ground running because in a streak like the one they’re on it becomes very difficult. The club and the fans have to show the unity Bradford City’s famous for.”

O’Connor might not, but others see this as a relegation battle.

“We shouldn’t really be talking about survival as a success but they must get through this season as a League Two side and continue to build slowly,” argues Abbott.

“What this pandemic has absolutely taught me is my club is so much more than what happens on the field,” says Mackenzie. “We’re not too big to go down and if we get relegated there’s nothing to say it can’t be the end for us.

“I can see us finishing 23rd or 24th but I can’t see us finishing any higher than 13th.”

Talk of the past, and January, are one thing but Bradford must stop the rot now.

“If you start feeling sorry for yourself there’s only one way you’ll go,” warns Black. “The players are not daft, they realise the importance of each game.”

Abbott will be watching their attitudes.

“Stuart’s so well thought of because of how he represented the shirt,” he points out. “People have to start representing the shirt in the same manner. They might not have the same ability but they can show the heart, spirit and determination everybody connected with Bradford City needs.”

Support The Yorkshire Post and become a subscriber today. Your subscription will help us to continue to bring quality news to the people of Yorkshire. In return, you’ll see fewer ads on site, get free access to our app and receive exclusive members-only offers. Click HERE to subscribe.