The Times

Good piece

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/sport/hopkin-confronts-cold-facts-at-bradford-after-warm-welcome-vcpvbdsfq

 

David Hopkin does not give the impression of a man who suffers fools gladly. Perhaps, given the present backdrop at Bradford City, that may prove to be a valuable trait. A fortnight, ago the former Livingston manager became Bradford’s fourth head coach of a thoroughly dispiriting 2018 and the 48-year-old has the job of arresting the alarming decline of a club with an increasingly discomforted fanbase.

Hopkin was welcomed warmly before the 2-0 defeat by Charlton Athletic on Saturday — which left the Bantams in the bottom four of League One — in what was the Scotsman’s first home game since his return to Valley Parade. It says much, of course, about the club’s fortunes since the former Greenock Morton, Chelsea, Crystal Palace and Leeds United midfielder signed for Bradford for £2.5 million in 2000 that the flame-haired Scotsman is still the club’s record signing.

Bradford, in the intervening years, have come closer to oblivion than a return to the Premier League. It was hoped, however, that the investment of Stefan Rupp and Edin Rahic, the German owners who arrived brimming with energy and talk of implementing the best practices of the Bundesliga two years ago, may precipitate an upward climb. It began well but, since the dismissal in February of Stuart McCall — who took Bradford to the League One play-off final in 2017 and kept the club in the top six for all-but three weeks of his 18-month tenure — tensions in the stands have steadily grown.

On Wednesday, Rahic, who acts as chairman and director of football, was moved to issue an apology for a number of his recent decisions, in particular the promotion of Michael Collins, the club’s 32-year-old under-18 coach, as head coach in June, seven weeks after Simon Grayson, McCall’s replacement, decided against extending his stay at the club.

Allegations of interference in team selection and undue control over recruitment have been hard to shake. A number of staff behind the scenes have departed in recent months. McCall left claiming that he deserved a medal for what he had put up with and last week, Chris Short, who felt he had no choice but to quit as Bradford’s fitness coach in the summer, labelled the German “very disrespectful”.

All of which paints a picture of Rahic — a former financial director for Bosch, who played in the German lower leagues until an ankle injury ended his career at the age of 21, and also sat on the board of Stuttgarter Kickers — not being a particularly easy man to work for. There has been little to support Rupp’s assertion at the club’s player-of-the-season awards in May that, “We have learned our lesson”, but for Hopkin, who is widely seen as a shrewd appointment, to be a success, there is a feeling that Rahic must accept it is time to cede some control.

Hopkin, however, received the assurances he needed before accepting the role. “The [issues between] fans and the owner, it was all before my time of arriving here,” Hopkin says. “Whatever’s happened has happened. We’ve had a good chat about it. The football side will be mine. That was something that we spoke about. Now, [Rahic has] got someone in place who he understands is going to make the training ground a place of work.”

Supporters may take heart from the circumstances in which Hopkin took charge of Livingston in January 2015, which makes the simmering anxiety at Valley Parade look like child’s play. Livingston’s ownership was in dispute, directors were embroiled in bitter quarrels, the club had narrowly escaped relegation the previous season and points had been deducted for breaching tax rules. Although Hopkin could do nothing to prevent their descent to League One at the end of the 2015-16 season, he healed relationships, built bridges and with meagre resources created a team that won remarkable back-to-back promotions to the top flight.

“I put a structure in place, and turned it around — and they’re a Premiership club,” he says. “I took players from under-20s League One and League Two, and made them better, made them stronger. It gives me great satisfaction that I see most of those boys now playing Premiership football.


Hopkin was booked in a difficult opening home game in charge for the Bradford managerPA
“Anybody who’s watched Livingston over the last couple of years knows we were high intensity. Even when we played in the play-offs, that was our 49th, 50th game of the season, and they were still going. It was embedded, engrained in them. And everybody knew their roles in the team. That’s the type of football I want to play. I think the players will understand that. They’ll get it.”

Hopkin, who cites George Graham, Steve Coppell and Glenn Hoddle among his influences — Graham for his organisation, Coppell for his man-management and Hoddle for his tactical aptitude — left Livingston 11 days after promotion was sealed, with his stock high, and ready for a new challenge.

After hanging up his boots, in 2003, Hopkin cut his teeth managing Port of Glasgow, a junior club, and coached at Greenock Morton. So close to 20,000 fans at Valley Parade in League One is a considerable leap. But Bradford’s stature and potential are what drew him back to Yorkshire.

After a late capitulation in the 3-2 defeat against Blackpool nine days ago, Saturday’s loss confirmed the scale of Hopkin’s task. He must draw the most from a squad that includes 18 new arrivals but appears to have receded in quality from last year. Most importantly, perhaps, he must forge a constructive working relationship with Rahic — a feat beyond three predecessors.

“We need the club as one,” he says. “All I would say to the fans is get on board with me. In football it all depends on how we all come together, the club, fans, board. The staff are on board with what I’m trying to do. Edin and Stefan are as well. Any club can go as far as it wants. But it has to have everybody pulling in the same direction. It’s a great club. We’ve got 16,000 season tickets. That could go up to 19, 20 if the team’s doing well. But we have to start winning games. And then hopefully everybody can start believing in it again.”

Moment in time
2012-13 League Cup run
The League Cup final is the closest Bradford have come to adding to their only major silverware, the 1911 FA Cup. A series of rip-roaring cup ties saw triumphs over Premier League Wigan Athletic, Arsenal and Aston Villa in the two-legged semi-final, with James Hanson, below, scoring the goal that sent Bradford to Wembley. A 5-0 humbling by Swansea City could not detract from the achievement of being the first fourth-tier club in the final for 51 years.

Cult hero
Stuart McCall
McCall joined from Farsley Celtic at the age of 16 and went on to play almost 400 games for Bradford across two spells. He was part of the team that won promotion to the Premier League in 1999; footage of the midfielder falling off the roof of a parked car, can of beer in hand, during the celebrations, has been immortalised on YouTube.

Greatest XI
(Chosen by Adam Baker, chairman of the Bradford City supporters’ board)
Gary Walsh
Ces Podd
David Wetherall
Dean Richards
Wayne Jacobs
John Hendrie
Stuart McCall
Gary Jones
Peter Beagrie
Bobby Campbell
Jimmy Speirs

• Football
• Premier League

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In my view Hoppy is now virtually unsackable regardless of results. I can’t see anybody on the horizon who would take us on if Hoppy either left or was sacked. That is why If he needs or wants a player, he has to have it. He is not unreasonable but has been dealt a group of players he is going to have to mould into a hardworking team.

 

I know this sounds a bit negative, but it is not intended. Sometimes a relegation battle can galvanise supporters and the team into one fighting unit. One for all and all for one. However, I really do not want to be scrapping at the bottom.