City's dreadful 2018 hit a new low last night when defeat at home to Coventry left them bottom of League One.

It was their ninth loss in 11 games and left fans wondering just how the Bantams can climb out of the mire.

T&A Chief Sports Writer Simon Parker highlights six areas that need addressing or need to change if City are to avoid relegation.

COMMUNICATION FROM THE TOP

The divide between the fans and the owners will continue to grow if there is silence at the top.

It looked poor that as the team dropped to the bottom of League One, neither of the owners were at Valley Parade to see it.

Edin Rahic has currently gone back home for a family holiday and Stefan Rupp rarely attends a game anymore.

Supporters want to hear from the club’s controlling duo about how they plan to get City out of this mess.

As the money man, Rupp, especially, should be encouraged to come out and tell people about what is happening going forward.

A PROPER JANUARY WINDOW

Forget the false promises that hung Stuart McCall out to dry in January last season. Rahic and Rupp have to back David Hopkin to bring in the players he needs in the next transfer window.

I understand that Hopkin has been told that cash is definitely going to be available. But after the lack of success in the mid-season window when McCall’s team were in the play-off spots, head coach and supporters will want to see the colour of the money.

And the recruitment must be left to Hopkin – and not done by committee.

BATTLE-HARDENED TROOPS

The policy of signing younger players for every position has not worked out so far, with the exception of Huddersfield loanee Lewis O’Brien and Connor Wood.

Blooding rookies in a tough environment where the club are currently fighting for League One survival could do them more harm than good.

City need more of the likes of Jim O’Brien, seasoned campaigners who know the level. Experience of life in the trenches will be needed if they are to clamber away from the drop zone.

LUCK WITH INJURIES

Yes, I know it’s “part and parcel” of football for teams to suffer injuries but City’s have been crippling.

Hopkin walked into a club where there seemed almost as many senior players in the treatment room as the dressing room.

Losing Jim O’Brien, who had stiffened up central midfield, hit them hard just when it looked like results were turning the corner.

And the jinx doesn't look like ending, with Kelvin Mellor and Alex Jones picking up injuries in the last two matches.

LUCK WITH REFEREES

George Miller’s hotly-disputed second yellow card for allegedly handling as he put the ball in the net against Coventry sums up the rough justice that the Bantams are feeling right now.

All teams at the wrong end of the table will bemoan their misfortune but it was another big call to go against them.

Think of the incident against Bristol Rovers when defender Tony Craig clearly used his left arm to keep out Eoin Doyle’s shot on the line. Nothing was given – but Hopkin got an official apology from the referees’ department a couple of weeks later.

GET FANS BACK ONSIDE

The Valley Parade crowd stayed with City throughout the Coventry game. But the yawning gaps in the stands told their own sad story.

An attendance of just 11,075 – and it looked less than that – was the lowest since League Two. The worry is that gates could continue to drop as people lose faith in a team drifting the wrong way.