"It has to be Leam Richardson" - Bradford City facing big decision as Mark Hughes is sacked: The verdict | OneFootball

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This article is part of Football League World’s ‘The Verdict‘ series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Since they were relegated to League Two in 2019, Bradford City have had plenty of managers try - and fail - to take them back to the third tier of English football.

Gary Bowyer, Stuart McCall, the pairing of Mark Trueman and Conor Sellars and also Derek Adams have all come and gone, and in February 2022 the Bantams hierarchy turned to a high-profile appointment in the form of Mark Hughes.

Having not managed since departing Southampton in December 2018, it was a big change for Hughes, who hadn't ever managed outside of the Premier League in club football, but his experience was expected to shine through at Valley Parade.

However, it has not worked out for the Welshman and after 19 months in charge in West Yorkshire, Hughes has lost his job.

Why was Mark Hughes sacked by Bradford City?

Hughes was never going to be judged on the final few months of 2021-22, in which City finished 14th in League Two, but they finished sixth in the table in 2022-23 - his first full season in charge - which meant Bradford would contest the play-offs.

Dumped out at the semi-final stage though by Carlisle, it was important that the Bantams got off to a good start in the current campaign, but after 11 matches they are sitting in 18th position and have won just three times.

It was clear that Bradford were not clicking despite their talented squad on paper, and a 2-1 defeat to Tranmere Rovers on Tuesday night proved to be the final straw for the club's hierarchy.

Who should Bradford City replace Mark Hughes with?

Bradford now need to find Hughes' replacement - but who should they go for?

Let's take a look and see who some of FLW's writers believe should get a chance to land what is a pretty attractive job at Valley Parade.

Ben Wignall

Make no mistake about it, there will be plenty of interest in the Bradford City managerial vacancy.

They are a massive club for League Two with a large, passionate fanbase, and they have a squad on paper that is capable of winning promotion.

The right manager though is clearly needed and despite his experience of the top flight, Hughes will have probably had limited knowledge of the lower leagues and that may have been what let him down.

There are a number of managers who have experience of being successful even at League One level that would no doubt be interested in this role.

If he wants to drop into League Two though, then Leam Richardson should be the number one choice of the Bradford board as he looks to be the perfect candidate.

In his first full season with Wigan Athletic, Richardson led the Latics to the League One title and then just a few months into the following season, he was perhaps harshly sacked.

Richardson has kept himself out of work for nearly a year, and dropping into League Two was perhaps not in his initial plans, but the chance to manage a big club like Bradford cannot be bypassed if the chance comes up for him.

The 43-year-old is progressive, plays good football and he's from Yorkshire too, so he would surely be a fan favourite should Bradford opt for him.

It has to be Leam Richardson - he should be Bradford City's number one target for me.

The 43-year-old did an excellent job at Wigan Athletic, guiding them to the League One title after his first full campaign at the helm of the club.

He's a likeable character who plays a good brand of football that is effective and whilst the drop down to League Two might not be what he wants, the opportunity to take over the club the size of Bradford City is an alluring one.

The Bantams have been languishing in League Two for too long and need someone who has nous and the experience of promotion and Richardson possesses that.