Derek Adams: Bradford City managerial role is a difficult one

Adams meets the Bantams for the first time since being sacked as manager in February 2022.

That came nine months after he had swapped Morecambe for Bradford, three days on from guiding the Shrimps to promotion from League Two via the play-offs.

However, the move didn’t go to plan with nine wins and 13 defeats in 37 matches across all competitions.

The axe fell after defeat against Exeter City at Valley Parade, where Adams only won four times.

A return to Morecambe came a week-and-a-half later and, 18 months on from his departure, Adams looked back on his time with Bradford

He said: “It’s an extremely difficult job and I obviously know first hand how difficult it is.

“The expectation of the football club is to get back to the Premier League one day but we all know how difficult it is just trying to get out of the Championship.

“I enjoyed it but the one thing is the supporters expect success straight away.

“They have been waiting for it over the years and, usually, the manager is expected to get them promoted straight away.

“Unfortunately, I didn’t get the opportunity to see out the season.”

The 2023/24 season is the 20th Bradford will have played outside of the top two divisions following relegation from the former First Division in 2004.

City’s current boss, Mark Hughes, is the 20th person at the helm in that time – including caretakers and more than one spell in charge for both Stuart McCall and Mark Trueman.

In terms of matches overseen, Adams is Bradford’s sixth longest-serving manager during those two decades.

Only Phil Parkinson (274), McCall (257), Colin Todd (139), Hughes (72) and Gary Bowyer (48) have had more than Adams’ 37 games.

He added: “It doesn’t make sense because there’s no stability.

“At one stage, they have got to give a manager that time to get things together and bed in over a number of seasons.

“I think it’s the years before, when they were in the Premier League and the Championship, that doesn’t allow that to happen.”