12th - Bradford

But over the past couple of years, Bradford have fast become part of the furniture down here. Of course, they still enjoy outstanding support both home and away which could rival any level of support in this division over the past twenty five years. After all, can you think of any other team since possibly Sheffield United back in the very early 1980's to comfortably get five figure crowds for every single home game? But you have to question what good it is actually doing them.

So looking at it the other way, maybe Bradford are the easiest team in the division to predict as what exactly has changed over the Summer to suggest things will be any different at all down at Valley Parade this season? Was there a great run of form late last season to suggest things were coming into place? Has there been an influx of cash? Is there a crop of young talented players ready to be unleashed on the first team? Have they got rid of Stuart McCall?

There must be half a million different reasons why Stuart McCall has not been able to bring any success to Bradford in the past couple of years. There may even have been some of those reasons which actually hold water, but having operated on a budget that has been the envy of 90% of the clubs at this level, the days of getting away with being new to the job must surely come to an end now that he's been in the job longer than well over half of his peers heading into the 2009-10 season.

The question for me is whether there has been any proof so far that McCall is getting to grips with management. Well respected coach he may have been but finishing 10th and 9th over the past couple of seasons is not really evidence that this young manager is developing into a good young manager, especially when the likes of Dagenham, Brentford and Bury comfortably leapfrogged the Bantams over the past season, despite far inferior budgets to operate on.

That old adage of how he's still new to the job and learning the ropes must even make McCall laugh, and can anyone still  try using Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford as an excuse for not getting rid of a manager with a straight face?

We'd have McCall down as a favourite to be the first manager sacked, but he has certainly enjoyed the support from a fanbase which tends to sympathise with him rather than be critical of him, and last season's comments from McCall suggest that he's more likely to walk rather than be pushed. Well at least he'll claim that he'll walk, whether he'll do it is a different matter altogether.

Perhaps we're being too harsh on McCall. But as an outsider, all we see is a manager who has struggled to compete with sides put together on a pittance on what he has had to work with. I appreciate there are other issues such as the huge rent that is paid on Valley Parade, for which a great percentage of the matchday income must go towards, so it isn't quite the blank cheque book that many, including ourselves, have accused Bradford of having. But if there are other reasons to defend McCall, I'd genuinely love to hear them.

So looking towards this forthcoming season, how is going to be any different for the Bantams this time out? Well what we do know is that McCall is having to work with a reduced budget from the past two seasons, and despite any differences of opinions there may have been between Hilly and McCall with respect to this budget when Simon Ramsden signed for them, the indications seem to back up the reduced budget based upon the signings.

Last Summer saw them make a selection of signings that were almost Championship Manager style, as McCall went out grabbed the division's top scorer, a top class midfielder with pedigree in Paul McClaren, and two defenders who'd been there and done it at higher levels in Graeme Lee and Paul Arnison.

This Summer has been much more restrained. Our own Ramsden joined them, and whilst Rambo will always be thought of affectionately at Spotland, he certainly wasn't a player who's position in our side was guaranteed with many supporters pleased that his departure ensured the recall of Wiseman. Other signings include former Stone Roses manager Gareth Evans who has joined from Macclesfield, and the permanent capture of loanee Zesh Rehman.

All in all, its hardly a case of a whole load of better players having arrived. In fairness, they've not lost anybody that you'd particularly worry about. Paul McClaren went having failed to live up to the aforementioned pedigree, Conlon has gone but he was far from a vital cog in the Bradford wheel and Graeme Lee has gone to join the Sven revolution at Notts County as part of a Bradford wage cutting exercise.

The biggest concern would be up front. Thorne and Boulding still know where the back of the net us, but they will go into 2009-10 with a combined age of almost 70. With their aging legs, despite more than capable of still doing a job in League Two, will they really be as good this season as they were last season?

Comparing squad quality from this season to last, I'd have to say that they are marginally worse off this time round and as such I can't see them finishing as high as they did last season, especially when their true position of 9th last season was actually 11th taking the points deductions into account.

I think a failure to compete at the top will see the cracks start showing with McCall this year, and surely the Bantams supporters cannot tolerate another season of suffering defeats to teams who are minnows in comparison and settling for a place in the league table alongside the likes of Morecambe and Dagenham. It's not going to be pleasant, and whilst there are many teams who would snap their hand off now for a position of 12th, is that really good enough for Bradford City?

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