News summary from the past week.

News summary from the past week.


===========================
  McCall: I'll make best of a bad situation

Stuart McCall insists he will not beat himself up next season if
things don't go right.

The City boss is braced for a summer of rebuilding to fit in with the
new budget.

McCall is confident he can form a competitive squad within the financial
restrictions now facing the club.

But he has learned from the hype and expectation surrounding his first
two years at the helm not to get carried away again.

McCall said: "I'm putting no pressure on myself next season, I will just
do my absolute best. If that's not good enough, then so be it.

"My expectation next season of myself and the club will be to do our
best. I will set certain individual challenges for people in the club
but we will just go out to do our best with what we've got."

City will release their retain-ed list within the next 24 hours once
McCall has spoken to the rest of his squad. It is understood that Mark
Bower and Rhys Evans have already left and McCall will work to get the
high earners off the wage bill.

Like the manager, others may have to agree to take a wage cut if they
accept another deal.

He added: "There are some tough and horrible decisions still to be made
but that's the way the finances are at this club and a lot of others.

"It's going to be a big rebuilding job but one I'm really up for. I've
been taking loads of calls from agents and I'm going to a reserve game
tomorrow to watch a player.

"We have to work prudently but there's no reason I can't put a squad
together that will give of their best."

There were bullish predictions from the board, boss and players before
the season about City's promotion chances.

McCall himself launched his managerial career two years ago by stating
that he would be a failure if he could not take the club up.

McCall, still bitterly disappointed with the ninth-place finish, will
take a more realistic approach into next term.

He added: "When I first came, we wanted the momentum. Bradford had been
on a ten-year decline so we wanted to lift the spirits originally just
to get everyone behind what we were doing.

"Our aim will always be to get out of this division and this season we
had a go after the two chairmen rightly pin-pointed some clubs starting
on negative points.

"It wasn't like last year when the top two, MK Dons and Peterborough,
were miles ahead. I don't think the top seven should have been out of
our grasp with the squad we had.

"You look at who's going up. We battered Exeter at home, should never
have lost at Brentford and there was nothing in the two games against
Wycombe.

"I'm more disappointed because I don't think there's been anybody much
better than us. We've certainly had the ability but maybe we've not been
strong enough in certain areas.

"Now we've got the challenge to start again. We'll come back next season
refocused on doing our best – but not setting any targets beyond that."


===========================

The Ground Sharing Debate


http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/search/4338660.Is_it_time_for_City_and_Bulls_to_move_in_together_permanently_/




===========================

  Rehman offered chance at City

Wed May 6, 2009 1:41 am (PDT)

By Simon Parker »

Zesh Rehman has been offered the chance to sign permanently for City, Stuart McCall today revealed.

The Pakistan international defender, who has spent the last three months on loan from QPR, is among the players McCall wants to keep in his streamlined squad for next term.

Matt Clarke, Lee Bullock, player of the season Luke O'Brien, Joe Colbeck, Leon Osborne and Jon McLaughlin are also getting offers. Youngsters Luke Sharry and Matthew Convey will be given six-month deals.

Top scorer Peter Thorne will sit down with McCall next week to see if he can figure in City's future plans.

As reported in the T&A yesterday, Rhys Evans and Mark Bower have both been released. Paul Heckingbottom, who spent most of last season injured, has also gone, as well as Barry Conlon.

Kyle Nix has not been made an offer but McCall said he can come back for pre-season to try his luck again if he is not fixed up elsewhere.

McCall would also love to keep the likes of Nicky Law, Dean Furman and Steve Jones.

He has spoken with the loan trio and "is trying to do everything in his power" to bring them back but admits he is not in a position to make anything concrete.

McCall was sitting down with the two club chairmen today to see how much cash will be available in the new contracts.

But apart from the likes of lower earners O'Brien and Colbeck, who can expect a rise, the wage offers will be less than before.

McCall said: "Just because people are getting offers, it doesn't mean they will accept them. They are all going to be on reduced money but that's the way of the world at the moment.

"But hopefully we can offer something that's a good enough incentive package to keep them."

McCall's hand will be strengthened if he can get the highest earners moved on. City are hoping that Paul McLaren, Graeme Lee and Michael Boulding all take up the options in their contracts to find another club.

Chris Brandon is another whose future is shrouded in doubt because of the need to cut costs.

If McCall cannot shift any of them, it will impact heavily on the much-reduced wage budget, which has been slashed by more than a third for next season.

Rehman partnered Clarke at centre half for the first time at Chesterfield and his offer indicates skipper Lee is no longer part of McCall's thinking.

McCall said: "Zesh and Clarkey did well as a pair on Saturday. Sometimes facts can blind you but in the four games Zesh played down the middle, we only conceded one goal.

"It's value for money we're looking for and Zesh has shown he can fill the position for us."

===========================

  Clarke and Bullock fit the bill for City

Stuart McCall insists that City must get tougher on their travels next
season.

And that was behind his thinking to offer new deals to Matt Clarke and
Lee Bullock.

City were beaten 13 times on their travels and let in 37 goals. Only six
sides conceded more away from home and all finished in the bottom half.

They signed off the season at Chester-field with a seventh away victory
but that was only their second after Christmas.

McCall said: "We were third top scorers in the league this season but
conceded too many goals, especially away from home.

"We need to be tighter in away games. There were times when we played a
bit too cavalier and got punished.

"Going forward, most of the team were doing things right but we've let
in too many goals ourselves.

"We've tried to go for a lot of football but sometimes you have to play
it as tough as the away side."

Clarke missed only two league games at centre half but his ungainly
style often came in for criticism.

Bullock, too, is not a flashy performer in midfield but McCall believes
those are the type of players needed to compete at League Two level.

He added: "People look at Clarkey's distribution and say he's not so
good on the ball. But next season is about being strong defensively.

"He's got all the attributes you want in a defender. He's powerful,
physical and a good height. For the budget we've got, I look about and
there's no better around than what we've got.

"If you've got a centre half who can defend strongly and also use the
ball well, then he probably won't be in League Two.

"You see a lot of teams in this division and it's just about defending
and getting the ball away, not what you can do with it. First and
foremost, you want your defenders just to be able to defend."

Clarke and Bullock will both be getting new offers, although they will
have to accept reduced terms.

McCall said: "It's about getting value for money again. What we can get
them for and what they can do for us.

"Bully is another effective player at this level and was doing well
prior to his bad injury. We will need to be big and strong at times next
season, particularly in away games, and he's the type of player who can
do that."

McCall spent all day yesterday (wednesday 6th) with joint-chairmen Mark Lawn and Julian
Rhodes finalising the details of the contract offers. Under Football
League rules, the players must respond by the middle of next month.



===========================
  City axe youth team manager

Chris Casper has lost his job as youth-team boss because of City's
play-off failure.

Casper was released after the club missed out on a potential £250,000
windfall from the end-of-season promotion lottery, which kicked off last
night.

Assistant manager Wayne Jacobs has also matched Stuart McCall by taking
a 20 per cent wage cut as the club's belt-tightening policy bites deep
among the backroom staff as well as players.

Casper's contract has not been renewed so David Wetherall will combine
running the youth side next season with the reserves.

McCall admitted that breaking the bad news to the former Bury boss, who
only joined City 11 months ago, was the hardest call of a difficult week.

He said: "Chris has been an outstanding member of our management team.

"He's done a great job with the youth lads, as well as working closely
with David with the reserves. He's also been to a lot of games scouting
for the first team and he's got good contacts over in Lancashire, which
we've used.

"This decision is nothing to do with his ability and his work. It's just
a cost-cutting measure that we had to make.

"Wethers has got a year left as a coach and the board said I've got to
lose a member of staff.

"We are losing out on at least a quarter of a million in revenue from
not making the play-offs and we've paid a big price for that.
Unfortunately, some have paid an even bigger price and lost their jobs."

Casper's departure will leave McCall in the same scenario he faced when
he came back to Valley Parade two years ago. Other money-saving
measures, such as restricting the number of overnight stays for
long-distance away games, will also be brought in.

McCall added: "We have to go back to basics. It's something we have to
accept. This is the way the world, and not just football, is going.

"We've seen dark days in the last ten years and been in administration
twice. I don't want to go anywhere near that again, so whatever we have
to do, we will do. I'm not scare-mongering but we know a lot of clubs
look like they could go to the wall and we don't want to be one of them."

McCall confirmed: "The offers we've made to 11 players have been greatly
reduced with the majority of them."


===========================
http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/football/McCall-forced-to-wield-axe.5243924.jp

McCall forced to wield axe to meet reduced Bradford City budget

07 May 2009
By Richard Sutcliffe

THE cull at Bradford City is underway after Stuart McCall released five players and offered reduced terms to several other members of his squad.
The Bantams' failure to win promotion has led to a drastically reduced playing budget being drawn up for next season at Valley Parade.

Around a third is expected to be shaved off the wage bill and manager McCall has already moved by asking the club's highest earners to leave even though they have a year remaining on their current deals.

Among those being released this summer are goalkeeper Rhys Evans and long-serving defender Mark Bower, while also heading for the exit door are Paul Heckingbottom, Barry Conlon and Kyle Nix. The latter has, however, been told he can return for pre-season training if he does not find another club in the meantime.

Among the players McCall wants to keep are Matt Clarke, Joe Colbeck, Leon Osborne, Jon McLaughlin and player of the year Luke O'Brien with the quintet all due to be offered new deals.

Top scorer Peter Thorne will also sit down soon in the next few days with the City manager who is also keen to sign QPR defender Zesh Rehman, who spent the final three months of this season on loan in West Yorkshire, permanently.

Loanees Nicky Law, Dean Furman and Steve Jones have returned to Sheffield United, Rangers and Burnley, respectively but, again, McCall wants to keep hold of the trio.

That means he will need to persuade high-earners Paul McLaren, Graeme Lee and Michael Boulding that their futures lay elsewhere despite having a year remaining on their current deals.

Likewise, former Huddersfield Town midfielder Chris Brandon's future remains unclear.


===========================
  No rift between McCall and Bower

Sat May 9, 2009 2:21 am (PDT)

Stuart McCall today dismissed the rumours of a personality clash with
Mark Bower.

The long-serving centre half was among the six senior players released
by City this week.

Bower's exit came as no surprise considering he did not start a league
game last season and spent three months at Luton on loan. He was also
understood to be the club's highest earner.

But McCall hit back at suggestions that the defender did not feature
because the pair had "fallen out".

The City boss said: "That couldn't be further from the truth. From our
relationship point of view, there has not been one problem and it's hard
to say goodbye to him.

"I've sat down with Mark and we spoke regularly on the phone when he was
at Luton. He understands the current climate at the football club.

"Cuts have to be made and the wage he was on made it impossible for us
to go anywhere near.

"But I respect what he's done for the club over the years and he's a
terrific professional. I hold him in the highest regard first and
foremost as a person as well as a player."

Bower found himself sidelined as McCall paired Graeme Lee with the
quicker Matt Clarke at centre half. His only full game was against Leeds
in the JP Trophy.

McCall felt that a Lee and Bower partnership would have lacked mobility,
while putting him alongside Clarke would have meant using two left-sided
players.

He added: "When Mark played with David (Wetherall), we did defend a
little bit deeper because of the lack of pace.

"Like Wethers, Graeme Lee is excellent aerially attacking the ball but
he can't come too high up the pitch. So Clarkey adds that extra pace
which is what he's got over Bowser."

Bower's campaign was affected early on by injury and illness. Then City
went on a run of eight clean sheets in 11 games before the rot set in.

McCall said: "Mark had not played enough football for half the season so
we wanted him to go away and get some regular games.

"TJ Moncur had gone back to Fulham and we'd brought Zesh Rehman in and
the books also had to be balanced.

"I've still got the responsibility from the club to watch the finances
and Luton were giving us half his wages."

When the Hatters' relegation was confirmed, Bower returned to Valley
Parade and made his 254th and final appearance for City as a sub against
Rotherham.

McCall said: "I wish Mark the very best for the future. I'm sure he will
get a new club and do well because of the person and dedicated pro that
he is."
===========================

  Nix gutted at City rejection

Kyle Nix will refuse City's offer to come back for pre-season.

Stuart McCall released the midfielder last week, although the Valley
Parade door was left ajar with an invitation to return for training in
July if he failed to find another club before then.

But dejected Nix has made it clear that he will not be taking it up.

He said: "Thanks but no thanks. It would feel a bit belittling, to be
honest, to do that after being here for two years already.

"I don't think I need to prove myself again after playing 65 games for
the club.

"They've made a decision about me, and that's fair enough, so I can't
see how the situation would change."

Nix finished City's second-top scorer in his debut year with eight goals
from 44 appearances but he played less than half that second time around
following the arrival of Paul McLaren, Nicky Law and Dean Furman.

He made his first start in four months for the final home game but was
back on the bench last week against Chesterfield. Nix admitted he was
bracing himself for bad news over a contract.

"I haven't been involved this season so I went in there not expecting
anything," he said.

"I obviously haven't been part of the plans for the season just gone, so
I didn't expect to be part of the future.

"But I'm still gutted about it. They want young, hungry players for the
club next season and they are letting me go.

"Having come through a Premier League academy and then dropped out
completely, I know what it's like to go out of the game. That's what
makes me hungry.

"I gave two years of my all and nobody knows that more than the gaffer
and Jakes (Wayne Jacobs). I feel I've always shown the right attitude
and never thrown the towel in.

"You're not going to be every fan's cup of tea but hopefully they could
see what it meant to me. But I know the decision is not just down to the
gaffer and the people above may not rate me. That's football."

Nix was rescued from non-league football two years ago by McCall. He
initially survived on monthly deals before establishing himself in the
squad.

Nix said: "I'm really grateful to the gaffer for giving me the
opportunity in the first place. I was without a club and he brought me
back into league football and I owe a lot to him for that.

"The fans have always been good to me and it's nice to know that so many
were still behind me and wanted me to stay. Unfortunately the decision
wasn't down to them.

"But it was special to get such a great reception for my last game at
Valley Parade. Playing in front of 13,000 against Rotherham, my
home-town club, and getting clapped off like that by the fans was
brilliant.

"I wish Bradford all the best and I thank them for giving me another
chance. I just felt I had more to offer."


===========================
  Transfer market on hold while City quartet mull over options
Posted by: "Darran Slator" darran@slator.freeserve.co.uk   dslator
Mon May 11, 2009 9:54 am (PDT)


Like any keen shopper, Stuart McCall's head is full of lists.

Every day, another sheet full of players released by clubs arrives on
his desk. In these uncertain economic times, the market has never been
so full with surplus talent.

But while everybody is busy cutting costs, McCall is unable to dive
straight in. He might sound out an interested party or two but that is
as far as it can go for the City boss until he does the real business of
the summer and gets the big earners off the wage bill.

The club purse strings will be governed by if and when certain players
can be moved on.

So for now, McCall can only pencil in ideas for next term. Everything
hinges on what happens next with Graeme Lee, Paul McLaren, Michael
Boulding and Chris Brandon.

The first three have the option to go elsewhere, though the choice is in
the favour of the players. With Brandon, a lifelong City fan, there is
no release clause halfway through his deal but he is being asked to look
for a new club.

The details of all four have been circulated to every club in the bottom
two divisions.

It is not ideal but this is football we're talking about. And football,
like any other business, is feeling the financial squeeze.

The big earners should not be portrayed as fall guys. Their "crime" was
simply signing the contract that City were happy to put on the table 12
months ago.

McCall feels bad about trying to force them out of the door but admits
he has no choice after the overall budget was slashed by more than a third.

He is no stranger to this scenario. The same thing happened to him in
2002 as City plummeted towards the first administration.

McCall can see both sides of the fence but the club's interests must
come first.

He said: "The boys know that their deals will take up the majority of
next year's budget if they are still here.

"It's not their fault, it's just a fact with the budget being what it is.

"Those four lads have every right to come back next season but if they
are here, we're going to have to really get kids in.

"As captain, Graeme Lee has done a good job in the dressing room. He's a
good person and has enjoyed his time here but at the minute he's on too
much money for where we are with the budget.

"That also goes for Paul McLaren, Michael Boulding and Chris Brandon.

"They've all got a year left but the players that we would be looking to
bring in to replace them would be on half of what they are earning if
not less than that.

"Those four lads could still come back in the summer and we'd work with
them and do the best with what we can.

"But from our point of view, it's in the club's best interests for me to
build a young squad for next season and for them to move on."

McLaren is expected to sort something out. The classy midfielder has cut
a frustrated figure recently and admits he has not done himself justice.

Boulding, too, has been in and out the side and his goals dried up
crucially during the nine-match nightmare that killed City's promotion
hopes.

Lee, who was keen to make up for the near-miss next season, will leave
reluctantly. Brandon, possibly, even more so considering his lack of
action for the team he has always followed.

But there are no guarantees about anything. Particularly as City are
trying to hawk them around in such a buyers' market.

McCall added: "That will make it a little bit more difficult because
everyone is cutting their cloth accordingly.

"As players, you are on X amount and if another club will only offer you
half of that, is it worthwhile moving when you're already sat on the
contract that you've got?

"There is no blame attached to the players whatsoever. We've offered
them contracts and unfortunately it hasn't worked out.

"If it had done, we'd be going into the next division with experienced
players who have performed at a higher level. That's not been the case.

"The bottom line is that they've got two-year deals and there's a
possibility they will be back here for pre-season training.

"That makes it impossible for me to go out and make concrete offers for
players until I know what money is available.

"We can't make any real move on anyone until we know who's staying and
who's going."



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