Bradford City head David Sharpe has said that there will be ‘bumps in the road’ during the early stages of Michael Duff’s tenure after securing his first win at the helm.
Watching on from the stands while he served a touchline ban, the Northern Irish coach got off to winning ways with a convincing win over Yorkshire rivals Rotherham United in the EFL Trophy, and is now gearing up for a League One clash at home against Leyton Orient.
He comes in to Valley Parade having replaced Graham Alexander, who was poached away by Preston North End for a reported £500,000 during the international break, leaving Mark Trueman and Colin Doyle to coach the Bantams through a draw with Reading last weekend.
Sharpe Confident Brave Call Will Succeed
Duff emerged as the winning candidate in a short search for a replacement at Bradford, having beaten candidates such as Paul Heckingbottom and Gary Rowett to the role, with Pete O’Rourke revealing the decision on Saturday, hours prior to City’s draw with the Royals.
Now, speaking upon his unveiling as the new manager in West Yorkshire with BBC Radio Leeds, head of football David Sharpe has emphasised that a continuity pick to continue the momentum left behind by Alexander is the right one to make.
“The way the team functions is clearly working. We had to address it; we can’t feel sorry for ourselves, thinking, ‘What happens if Graham stays?’. You have to move on.
“Good football clubs get managers poached. That’s what happens and you have to move on. If you don’t have a plan, you’ll get found out.
“We had a plan, we’re not saying we’re geniuses, that it’s going to be perfect. There will be bumps in the road, you don’t win every game of football. But with the right support, and the right backing from the supporters, then the plan is to very much to continue how we’re going.”
An experienced League One manager in his own right, Duff arrives in Bradford in what will be his third stint in Yorkshire, having also managed arch-rivals Huddersfield Town and Barnsley.
He was the first managerial casualty of the EFL season, getting the boot from Wycombe Wanderers after being unable to reverse a slide which carried over from the final months of the previous campaign.
Addressing concerns that the 48-year-old was not an ‘ambitious’ enough pick for a club challenging for promotion this season, Sharpe was keen to back the new man in the hot seat.
“I’m not interested in names, I just want to make the right decision for the football club. We’re not interested in big names, or ‘He’s managed in the Championship‘.
“You’ve got to be brave enough to make the right call, and that’s what we’ve done. Keep moving forward, and we feel Michael Duff is the perfect man to take this club forward in this current moment.”
Can Duff Reverse His Fortunes?
Characterised as the continuity pick in the race to succeed Graham Alexander, it is arguably the most sensible choice Bradford City could have made in their efforts to find a new manager.
Albeit with some baggage given his past affiliations and failure to deliver with Wycombe Wanderers, there is some concern that he may not be able to deliver enough to maintain Bradford’s push for an automatic promotion place.
Duff arrives at Valley Parade with a squad which is proving to be good enough to beat many of their opponents on a regular basis, and if they can maintain their stout defensive work, especially with the impending return of goalkeeper Jon McCracken, then they should be fine.
However, the real make-or-break point comes in their attacking returns, and given Jake Beesley finally was able to lift the weight of a goalless drought with his finish against Reading, keeping the former Burton Albion man in that form could be pivotal.
While the weeks and months ahead will truly prove whether Duff is able to keep the momentum going at Bradford City, for now, if he keeps the ship steady, then they could be able to keep their ambitions of Championship football alive.
