Bantams boss loves being back in Austria for training camp

The players are on a schedule of three training sessions a day during their week in Obertraun.

That includes getting up for a run through the forest at 6.30am before breakfast – something Alexander says will show a lot about the group.

“Nobody particularly wants to get up at that time and get to work,” he said.

“But for me, that’s when I see players who are just prepared to get their head down and do what’s required.

“You find out who’s going to shy away from it, who’s going to bitch and moan and who’s going to think, ‘this is what’s happening so let’s just crack on.’

“All the characteristics and personality we need to be consistent over the course of a season are going to be in our face right there.”

Suffering all together tucked away in the Alps, according to the City boss, will engender that team bond that will be so important over the coming months.

“That’s how it is. There are going to be times when we have to do things we don’t particularly feel like doing.

“We’re going to have do them to win and that’s what you want to build up.

“When Sarce (Antoni Sarcevic) did it with us with Fleetwood, we won promotion then we finished in the top 10 in League One.

“You drag each other along. This is when we see players grabbing their team-mates and encouraging them to keep going.

“They help them to carry on and do better, even to wake each other up – all those things where you lean on your team-mate.

“I want us to go in the changing room and look around and think, ‘yeah, I know he’s going to be there for me and I’ll be supporting him.’

“Without that teamwork, togetherness and support system, it’s 11 individuals trying to win a game of football.

“That doesn’t happen. You need to be one entity.”

City's players are up early to go running this week (Image: Thomas Gadd)

Alexander has regularly taken clubs he has managed to the BSFZ complex - having previously gone there as a player - and calls it the “perfect” place to get to know each other as well as put in plenty of hard graft in stunning surroundings.

“It’s a different stimulus for the players,” he added. “They’ll be blown away by the area.

“There are a lot of fans going and I can guarantee they’ll absolutely love it. The actual place takes your breath away because it’s so picturesque.

“The scenery, the mountains, the lake – it’s incredible.

“I love this week away with the players and we don’t waste any time.

“Sometimes the players worry too much about how tough it is going to be. But winning promotion over 10 months isn’t easy either.”

There are also few distractions for players to get up to any mischief during their free time.

“There’s a lovely little town on the other side of the lake where you can do a bit of sightseeing and go for a coffee.

“There are water sports on the massive lake and activities going on round there.

The cable car to the nearby mountain offers amazing views (Image: Web)

“The mountain is right next to us where there is a cable car ride up to the top. That’s absolutely amazing but we’ll probably do that as a squad.

“There are all sorts of bits and pieces.

“We’re not going to have bags of spare time because we fill the day with training sessions.

“But they get afternoon time to themselves and once we’ve had dinner at night is free time. They can go down to the local village and just get to know each other better.

“It’s probably not the bright lights of Leeds or Bradford, Manchester or London but there’s enough in the time you get to not be bored.

“If we approach it in the right way, which we’ve found before that every group of players do, then we’ll come back with a valuable experience and feeling tighter together.”