Scunthorpe United v Bradford City: Why Bantams boss Adams is banking on a steely team mentality at the Iron

The Bantams chief has defended and protected his squad for the most part this season in any sticky moments, but did not like what he saw in the second half of Tuesday’s loss at Tranmere.

He elected to go public and criticise a lack of ‘winners’ in his squad as he viewed it and it served a coded warning as well with January on the horizon and City preparing to do some business in the winter window.

Today, they face a Scunthorpe side who prop up the division, having won just once in their past 16 games in all competitions, with Keith Hill waiting for his first victory since taking over the Iron earlier this month.

It will be a day when Bradford will be expected by their supporters to come away with three points against a side who are winless on home soil since the end of August.

Mentality will still be key in the changing room, especially on a day like today.

Adams said: “You need winners to get out of any league and in your changing room, backroom staff and football club.

“The supporters have got that winning mentality for the football club to do well. We just need more of them [players].

“It takes time to get that in place. Some people are brought up in childhood that have to be winners and fend for themselves and better themselves.

“Other children have been given everything and that is the nature of how you become a team.

“It is similar when you go to school and there’s a spoilt kid in the classroom.

“It is usually the ones who are disciplined and respectful who succeed.

“I don’t think you can coach it. It comes from the players who you take in to the football club and you identify players who have that winning mentality.

“But you can help the ones who are already there as it does rub off on the ones who have been at the club. I have seen that many times and they can start to go with the flow.”

On this afternoon’s test against the Iron, Adams continued: “We have obviously played a lot of teams in the top half of the table recently and this is the first team we have played in the bottom half for a long while.

“Leyton Orient were expected to go to Scunthorpe the other night and win and got a 1-1 and it just shows how tight the league is.

“We will try and go there, create chances and try and be better in front of goal.”