McCall resigns as Bradford City fail to halt their slide

The former Scotland international has decided to end his two-and-a-half year reign after the Bantams slumped to a fourth home defeat in five games.

City's 1-0 defeat to Bury left McCall accepting a tilt at the play-offs was beyond his Bradford side and the time had come to go.

He confirmed his decision to Rhodes this morning and the hunt for a new manager will begin in earnest at Valley Parade.

A club statement said: "Stuart McCall has today left his post as manager of Bradford City.

"The decision was felt to be in the best interests of all parties following a run of disappointing results that have left the club in 16th place in the League Two table.

"The club would like to place on record its appreciation for Stuart's efforts as manager over the past two years and seven months.

"During this time he has worked tirelessly and no one is more disappointed that his endeavours have not been rewarded with more success on the field than Stuart himself.

"Stuart will always have a special place in the hearts of our fans for the dedication and passion he has consistently shown to Bradford City, starting with two highly successful spells as a player with the club.

"No one could have anticipated the overwhelming response to the season ticket campaign of 2007/2008.

"This great achievement illustrated the huge regard Stuart is held in by everyone connected with the club. His place in some of the most memorable times in the club's history is assured."

The dismal form of Grimsby Town and Darlington at the foot of the table means Bradford, who sit 16th in the table and 13 points above the second-bottom Mariners, are unlikely to be dragged into a relegation fight.

It means the board will be given vital breathing space to launch an exhaustive search for the club's 12th manager in 20 years.

McCall's tenure began amid huge optimism in the summer of 2007 despite City having just been relegated from League One.

The former midfielder had enjoyed two hugely successful spells as a player at Valley Parade, helping the club to promotion from the Third Division in 1985 and then into the Premier League 14 years later.

However, his spell as manager proved less happy with City following a 10th-place finish in 2007-08 by ending last season just one place higher.

McCall threatened to walk away last May after failing to qualify for the play-offs but was persuaded to stay after pressure from supporters who consider him Bradford's greatest ever player.

To underline his devotion to the club, the 45-year-old agreed to take a 20 per cent pay cut as his playing budget was slashed following the failure to win promotion.

Following Saturday's defeat, however, McCall has decided to call it a day.

He said: "It is time for somebody else to come in and take up the reins and, hopefully, do well. Saturday's game would have been a defining line in the season for me. If we had beaten Bury, the dream of making seventh place would have been on.

"I don't regret coming back here for a second. I would have regretted it more if I hadn't taken the job.

"I have loved being manager of this club but it's a results-based business and they have not been good enough."

Speculation as to the identity of McCall's successor has already begun with former players Peter Jackson and Dean Windass likely to be interested in the post.

City are likely to be inundated with applications due to boasting an average crowd of more than 11,500. The club, thanks to an imaginative pricing policy, have already sold almost 7,000 season tickets for the 2010-11 campaign.