Port Vale v Bradford City: Honesty and pointers the key to squad rotation

The Bantams' trip to Port Vale is their third game of seven in December, with another on New Years' Day.

Alexander, a late convert to squad rotation last winter, made five changes for Saturday's 1-0 win at Plymouth Argyle, and more are very likely at Vale Park.

Explaining to players what he is doing is important to Alexander who, for the most part of his playing career, was famous for how few games he missed.

"I think it (being dropped) only happened to me once really where it was a significant amount of time but it was right at the end of my career, so it's really fresh in my mind, which was good for me going into my coaching career," he recalled.

"I look back at what the manager at the time could have done better with me, what I could have done better as the player and stuff like that and then try and take it forward.

"When I do sit down with a player and listen to his frustrations, sometimes I do talk about my frustration and understanding – I bet you feel like this, I bet this is what's going through your mind.

"There's difficult conversations you have to have and there's always bad news to give to people.

"Hiding it away and running people along then dropping them in it wouldn't be the right sort of way.

"I try to do the right thing where they might not value it at the time but a month down the line, 'Well, he did have that conversation with me,' or even 10 years from now,' 'Well, at least he was honest with me.’

"A player can come in and sometimes they're full of emotion but when you actually start talking to them and listening to them, by the time they go out the office, they have a clearer picture.

"They are mature guys. They don't go, 'I'm not listening to this' and stuff like that. I've never had that.

"It's always ending where we're both on the same page about the situation. I always try to give them something to be hopeful for and something to work off.

"I will give players direct feedback about why I've made this decision and what they have to do if they want to change that trajectory of their career. That's what I wanted from a manager.

"If I had to go in and see a manager, I needed something that I could go, 'Right, I'm going to show I can do this,' not just to keep your chin up. I wanted something I could work on."

The Bantams went second in League One at the weekend but a bad set of results for Yorkshire's teams on Tuesday could see them fourth when they head home.

Antoni Sarcevic thinks this will be the month that starts to spread out a congested table, though.

"As it is every season, the Christmas period is such an important period," said the midfielder. "There's so many games.

"We've so many games, by the end of this month I think you'll maybe see that gap extending at the top and the bottom.

"It's exciting and something I'm looking forward to."

The Bantams must assess Andy Cook, who missed Saturday’s game with illness.