After 14 years of working his way up City’s coaching ladder, Peter Horne has seen most things at Valley Parade.

But he admits the fortnight of “project George Green” opened his eyes to a whole new aspect of the game.

Watching Archie Christie drive through the deal at close quarters was a valuable lesson for Horne, who is tipped to take over the vacancy left as head of player development.

Horne acted as part driver, part chaperone for Green and his family while City were in negotiations with first Tottenham and then Everton. But spending all those hours on the motorway allowed him to see the big Scot in full flow.

Horne said: “Archie would never let a big club belittle Bradford City. That’s the main thing that stuck with me.

“I’d be sat in the car when he was on the phone to the chief executive at Man United and he’d make sure we got the proper respect. We were a club producing young players which they have benefited from.

“I’ve learned his power of negotiation and I’ve now got to take that forward into my own career, whichever way that goes.

“That’s why I wish Archie all the best whatever he does in the future. I’m sure a character like him will not just disappear into the wilderness.

“He’ll always be around doing a deal for someone that makes them money.”

Christie’s sudden exit understandably hit Horne hard. As the club’s head of youth, there was an obvious cross-over with the development squad.

The big Scot’s legacy, with Horne at least, is a far greater understanding of the small print and minutiae in player contract details.

“I’ve been involved in coaching players and developing staff for most of my life,” added Horne. “But now I’ve learned a whole new angle to my role. It’s not just about the football side.

"If you want to move up to higher levels of management in football, you have to have the all-round knowledge and know what goes on regarding transfers and all the paperwork involved.

“Archie taught me that and I’d be wrong to say any different. I will never take a contract lightly.

“When I negotiate any contract now, whether it be for a player coming to Bradford City or one being moved out, I will be more cautious and aware. That’s a valuable skill I have learned.”

The recently-unveiled Elite Player Performance Plan, which kicks in next season, will change the system of transferring young players but Horne is adamant that will not impact on City. He insists the new rules, brought in by the Premier League, will improve standards and are “no reason to lose sleep over.”

He said: “With compensation, we are talking about a change to the initial upfront fee but not the things that can be attached to a deal. The add-ons, incentives and sell-on clauses that we put with young players are still there.

“I certainly don’t hold any fears over the EPPP. It will involve some restructuring in the youth programme but it will make us stronger on the technical side.

“Our staff need to be more on board with what we are doing – or they will be overboard. This won’t allow us to carry anyone who doesn’t believe in what we are doing.

“We will never compete with the likes of Man City, Man United or Arsenal in my lifetime because of the finances attached to their youth programmes. But we’ve got to manage ours correctly to tick all the boxes we need to keep the Football League and Premier League happy.

“There are going to be no centres of excellence. Everyone is going to be an academy.

“By getting the academy level three standard, which we need, it will open up the quality of opponents. We can play some local clubs now that we couldn’t before.

“Our kids will get tested to a better level and we can recruit higher because of that.”