Graham Alexander tells Bantams to focus on here and now

Four straight losses have dropped the Bantams to 19th – nine points off tomorrow’s opponents Accrington who sit in the last play-off spot.

Alexander, looking to build on his first win in the Bristol Street Motors Trophy, insists the only focus should be the here and now.

“We’ve got to stop talking about the end game and focus on what’s right in front of us,” he said.

“It is a continuation of a lot of small steps and small wins. Keep going and see where you are and if you’re in a position to compete for good things.

“The end result is five or six months away. Let’s focus on what’s in front of us – there’s a fierce competitor in front of us and we’ve got to be the same.

“If we can overcome those battles along the way, we’ll see where it takes us.

“Let’s just have the pressure of trying to win tomorrow first and deal with that. Then we’ll see where we go from there.”

Having been named League Two’s first manager of the month at MK Dons and then sacked six weeks later, Alexander knows better than anyone how fortunes fluctuate in the season.

He is not going to argue with the current table but knows things can soon look very different.

“I’ve been in the game a long time, both as a player and manager, and in a 46-game season there are loads of different periods throughout.

“You don’t want to put things off but seasons can go both ways through a month of good or negative results.

“Probably if you’d gone back a month ago, everyone here was really optimistic because there had been a couple of wins.

“Everyone was thinking we were just this off that but then a couple of defeats knocks you down.

“I’m trying to get this balance of where we are mentally. Let’s just focus on our job and see where it takes us.”

Brad Halliday shows his disappointment after the Notts County loss (Image: PA)

City’s 5-1 Trophy thrashing of a young Barnsley side in midweek was their biggest winning margin since putting seven past Tonbridge Angels in 2020.

But they have won just three of their eight league home games and there has been social-media talk of a potential Valley Parade protest at owner Stefan Rupp amid the frustration over their lowly position.

Alexander says it’s part of the job to blot out any outside distractions.

“That’s why we’re professionals to know when to focus and what to focus on,” he added. “There are loads of distractions.

“There are distractions in the training programme when your mates are socialising or your wife wants to take you shopping all day but you’ve got to focus on what you’ve got to do.

“It’s the same when you go into the stadium. You’ve got to try and manage your emotional thoughts and feelings into what’s necessary and what you can control.

“If you’re at Bradford playing in front of a big crowd, you’ve chosen to be here.

“You chose to take on that challenge. I would have thought it would have been a positive in your thinking as a player and a coach for coming here.

“There’s got to be an excitement playing in front of 18,000, 19,000 or 20,000. But when you’re playing in front of it, you can’t shrivel up and die.

“You’ve got to remember this is what you wanted to be a part of and relish that opportunity.”