Bantams caretaker boss Kevin McDonald on coaching influences

Scribbling down notes from previous coaches was part of the long-term plan to move into that side of the game when he hung up his boots.

Commanding the technical area at Valley Parade three months into his two-year contract was never an option on the table.

But football changes fast and often when you least expect it.

League Two’s manager of the month for August, Graham Alexander, was sacked by MK Dons yesterday. That’s how swiftly fortunes can turn in this cut-throat world.

So, the sight of McDonald leading the Bantams – and doing it exceptionally well right now – shouldn’t come as a complete shock.

Played three, won three is an envious start for any gaffer, regardless of experience or lack of.

READ MORE: Give McDonald the full-time job, says Osadebe

McDonald sees his approach as a hybrid of what he has seen down the years combined with ideas of his own.

“Gary Caldwell was a really good coach (at Exeter) and I learned a lot from him last season,” he said.

“But I’ve taken little bits throughout over the course of the last five years. I’ve worked with completely different managers.

“(Claudio) Ranieri was a complete defensive coach and I learned lots from that. I’ve also had fully-attacking coaches, so I kind of need to be somewhere in between that in terms of a playing style.

“I did take a lot of notes over the course of these last few years.

“I didn’t expect to use them at this exact moment in time but I am and it’s stood me in good stead so far. There will be more to come.

“The main thing for me is that I’m enjoying it. I didn’t know how I would take to it.

“But it’s still a strange situation. One day I’m wearing the green training top and the next minute I’m in blue (for the coaching staff).”

It has been a smooth transition, working so well that City have been able to throttle back in the search to name a permanent manager.

Two leading bookies have already suspended their odds for now, suggesting that McDonald has no direct rivals at this stage.

Kevin McDonald played under Claudio Ranieri at Fulham (Image: PA)

The Scot wants his team playing on the front foot again and has moved away from the pass-dominated style encouraged by Mark Hughes. That has gone down well with players and fans alike.

“In the longer term, my football style would like to change a little bit,” he added: “But in the short term, you’ve got to adapt and that’s what we’ve done so far.

“The best thing for me is that the boys and the staff have all bought into exactly what we’re going to try.

“You can knock on the door any time you want if there are things you think are great or rubbish. Just say it, it’s no problem with me and we can look into anything.”

McDonald has had to distance himself slightly with the temporary elevation to the hot-seat but remains one of the lads.

He is a popular character in the dressing room and his personality hasn’t altered. Team-mates have spoken about him putting a smile on the place.

“I’ll be the first to say that I’m quite strict and vocal when we’re on the training pitch.

“I want things done right because that’s the way I’ve always been as a player.

“We work hard when it’s time to but in between that I’ve always been a player who loves a laugh and a joke.

“We’re a set of lads with 25 different personalities in there who all come together.

“I always want to bring a relaxed and fun environment to be around. That’s the way it will be as long as I’m in charge here.”

McDonald has stepped back from the playing side to concentrate fully on coaching for his two league games at the helm.

There’s a feeling we’re the biggest team in this league

But he was one of the nine changes in between who got an outing at Grimsby in the EFL Trophy last week. Juggling both jobs presents the biggest challenge.

“You can put yourself in the team every week and no one’s going to say anything!” He laughed.

“I was playing in the games before and decided to pull myself out for the benefit of the team.

“If a time comes when I think to myself, okay we could do with someone who has the knowledge and certain qualities I bring to the team, I’ve got no question about putting myself in there.

“It’s trying to find that balance and that’s always going to be the hardest thing.

“Whether this is two weeks, two months or whatever it may be, then it’s trying to find that balance. That will be the case every single day.

“It’s a hard one to answer because every day is going to be different in my eyes.”

McDonald fully understands the spotlight and expectation on the Bantams while they remain in the fourth tier. He experienced – and conquered – the same when he signed for Wolves after they dropped into League One.

“When you come to Valley Parade on a Saturday, there’s a feeling that we’re the biggest team in this league,” he said. “Everyone has a right to expect that because you’ve got 17,000 fans behind you.

“We should be dominating, we should be winning but unfortunately it doesn’t work like that sometimes.

“Wolves were a big one for it. I think we lost four in a row and it was chaos. But we then won 20 so everything was fine.

Kevin McDonald experienced huge expectations with Wolves (Image: PA)

“The club were obviously disappointed last season after getting in the play-offs.

“The talk was all about bouncing back and any hangover from last season. There’s no hangover; that’s football.

“I don’t mind if fans think we’ve got a right to be in the league above.

“Let them think that because as players we know we should be playing at a level where we’re winning consistently and giving ourselves a chance of promotion.

“We know we should be up towards the top of the table. I’ve said that to the lads.

“I firmly believe in the long term we will be up at the top of that league. Otherwise why are we here?

“(Saying the club are) too big for the league is a different thing but do we have a right to believe we belong higher? Then yeah.

“As a player I believe that every time we go on the pitch 100 per cent we’re going to win. As a manager, even more so.”