David Wetherall ended last season as Bradford's player-manager but his best efforts couldn't prevent the club from relegation to League Two. With Stuart McCall recently appointed as the new Bantam's boss, veteran defender Wetherall has reverted back to a player but the new boss has demonstrated his faith in the former Leeds' man by handing him the captain's armband ahead of the big kick off. With the arrival of McCall, along with the club's improving financial position, there is optimism in and around Valley Parade that the club's stay in the fourth tier of English football will be a brief one. Givemefootball's Mark Shail is the man armed with the questions.
Q:HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE EMBARKING ON ANOTHER PRE-SEASON?
A:Pre-season training is never easy but there are no short cuts when it comes to getting yourself into shape. The first week of training has gone well, we haven't seen much of the ball but I'm sure that will change once we've got all the general fitness work done.
Q:HOW DO YOU LOOK BACK AT YOUR BRIEF SPELL IN CHARGE OF THE CLUB?
A:I thought it was a good experience for me. Some people think I'm putting on brave face reverting back to a player after my spell in charge but that's not the case. I knew that if I was going to consider applying for the job then I would have to hang up my boots and I still felt I had a lot to offer as a player. My experience as manager taught me that you can't do both jobs – manage and play - but at the moment I'm just happy to put all my energies into playing.
Q:IS MANAGEMENT AN OPTION YOU WOULD CONSIDER IN THE FUTURE?
A:Coaching is definitely something I would consider in the future and my experience last season hasn't dented my self belief. When I took over at the end of last season we just had too much ground to make up and in the end it was beyond us.
Q:WHAT ARE YOUR FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF STUART McCALL?
A:Obviously I haven't seen too much of him but the first week has gone well. Stuart was the obvious choice for the job given how popular a player he was at Bradford amongst the fans and also the valuable experience he gained on the coaching staff at Sheffield United.
Q:THERE SEEMS TO BE A LOT OF EXPECTATION AMONGST THE SUPPORTERS FOR A GOOD SEASON?
A:Yes, and I think the arrival of Stuart has contributed to that. Also the club's financial position is looking brighter than it has been for a number of years and we're all hopeful for a successful season. Stuart has been able to bring some new faces to the club and I'm sure he's busy behind the scenes trying to sign other players as well because the squad at present is still a bit thin on the ground.
Q:IS PROMOTION THE AIM NEXT SEASON?
A:I saw some odds the other day and we were second favourites for promotion next season and that's certainly what we hope to achieve. Getting a good start is always important because then things snowball and you start to build up some momentum. Everyone has returned to pre-season training in a really positive frame of mind and that is always a good sign. Trying to predict which sides are going to be up there challenging for promotion is never easy, but hopefully we will be one of them.
