Claim made on Graham Alexander's Bradford City future amid "absolutely crazy" stat | OneFootball

Our Bantams fan pundit thinks boss Alexander will stay at the club for the long-term and has hailed him as a Bradford legend

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Bradford City manager Graham Alexander has been named as one of the club's best bosses of all-time by our Bantams fan pundit, who has also predicted him to stay at the club long-term amid their strong League Two form this season.

Alexander was appointed as Bradford boss in November 2023 after Mark Hughes was sacked with the Bantams struggling to find their feet in League Two after failing in the play-offs the previous season.

His decent resume in the lower leagues, which has seen him win promotion with Fleetwood Town and Salford City in the past, has only continued in a similar vein at Valley Parade. He oversaw a real upturn in form to lead the club to a ninth-placed finish in the fourth-tier last term, which they look set to improve on this season as a potential promotion beckons.

Bantams fan pundit makes Graham Alexander prediction alongside 'club legend' verdict

Bradford currently sit second in League Two with just 11 games left of this campaign, and they could leapfrog Walsall into top spot this weekend if results go their way. Alexander will be the first manager to lead the club to the third-tier since Phil Parkinson in 2013, if his side get the job done over the next two months.

The ex-Scotland international won the League Two Manager of the Month award for February, as the Bantams continued their impressive run of results with four wins from six league games to make their way into the automatic promotion places.

They are now eight points clear of Notts County in fourth place, who do have a game in hand, but Bradford have their destiny in their own hands as a vital run-in period beckons.

Our Bantams fan pundit, Fletcher Smith, has hailed Alexander as one of the best managers in the club's history, and he believes that they will be able to fend off any interest in his services if they do get promoted this season.

“I think Graham Alexander will be here for the long haul," Fletcher told FLW.

“I think he’s been absolutely fantastic. He came in when we were in a tough place after losing to Carlisle in the play-offs and Mark Hughes had been sacked.

“He currently has, in all competitions for Bradford, a 52% win percentage, which is absolutely crazy. There are only two higher in the whole club’s history, and they were only here for four or five months.

“He’s been here for 80 matches now. He’s one of the best managers I’ve ever seen at Bradford. He’s brought a real togetherness to the squad, and he is very professional.

“His football isn’t unbelievable to watch, but it’s not negative either. It’s quite entertaining.

“If we end up going up this season, I think he’ll definitely be able to do a job in League One, maybe solidify us in mid-table for the first couple of seasons, then push on.

“Whatever happens, if he gets us promoted he will be considered a club legend and one of the best managers we’ve ever had.

“Bradford aren’t really a team that get promoted very often, so if you come here and get us up then you are going to be considered as a legend.”

Alexander is staying grounded ahead of potential promotion success

Bradford are well on track to return to League One after five years away this season, but the campaign is far from over. They will no doubt be wary of the tough games ahead in the run-in, such as trips to Port Vale and Doncaster Rovers and visits from Notts County and Crewe Alexandra.

Alexander was a seasoned professional as a player, after his long career featuring for Scunthorpe United, Luton Town, Preston North End and Burnley placed him third on the list of footballers in England by number of league appearances by the time he retired in 2012.

He has also been there and done it as a manager since his first job in the dugout with Fleetwood Town over 13 years ago, which saw him win promotion to League One with the Cods in 2014, while stints with Scunthorpe, Salford City, Motherwell and MK Dons have followed prior to his Bradford appointment.

It is, then, no surprise that he is erring on the side of caution when it comes to publicly addressing the club's chances of promotion, which will no doubt endear him to supporters, who have been stung by false hope in the years gone by, even more.

"Cup finals are win or bust and that’s not what these games are,” he told the Telegraph & Argus earlier this week.

"I think we have to make sure we manage our dip for the line, so to speak. We’re still a long way away from the end of the season.

"They’re not cup finals. I don’t want us to think like that because that’s when frustration might build in if we’re not winning or something goes against us.

"We have to make sure we do the exact same things. It will change as we go through the game but I think we’ve done really well as a group at doing the basics right and understanding what underpins everything we try to do and keep repeating it."

Whether or not Alexander can lead his side to promotion this season remains to be seen, but regardless, Bantams supporters will want him to stay in charge ahead of next season for another crack at going up.

If they are to be in League One next season, then it is conceivable to think that he could attract interest from other higher-placed clubs that may have sacked their managers. It would certainly be a real test of his and Bradford's resolve if it does work out that way.