News / Signings / v Burnley W2-1

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Help the CFML help others

I ask for your support for the daughter of a long time Bradford City fan and CFML subscriber as she prepares for a London-Paris charity bike ride. Emily has also produced a wonderful recipe book which is available to buy from Ebay (link below). It is a perfect (late) Mothers Day present, birthday present or a stocking filler (admit it - Christmas is just around the corner).

Please forward this information to your friends, post on your myspace, twitter or facebook page and lets all help Emily raise money for this excellent cause.

About Emily
http://www.justgiving.com/emilybeardall

The Recipe Book (Over 100 copies sold!)
http://bcfc.gregshepherd.com/link.php?id=28

Emily's facebook page
http://bcfc.gregshepherd.com/link.php?id=29

Whether your support is vocal, promotional or monetary the CFML Thanks You!

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League Fixtures

http://www.bradfordcityfc.co.uk/page/News/0,,10266~1690612,00.html

CFML editors note - generally many fixtures are redated by Clubs so a summary of changes will be compiled in the upcoming weeks.

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Official news

Season tickets ready
http://www.bradfordcityfc.co.uk/page/News/0,,10266~1716904,00.html



Burnley Ticket Details
http://www.burnleyfootballclub.com/page/LatestHeadlines/0,,10413~1715500,00.html


Bantams "Player"
http://www.bradfordcityfc.co.uk/page/News/0,,10266~1715675,00.html



Thorne Signs New Deal
http://www.bradfordcityfc.co.uk/page/News/0,,10266~1716408,00.html


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Bradford City reap rewards of filling their stadium, not their pockets

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2009/jul/12/bradford-city-season-tickets-supporters





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  Smith has unfinished business with Abbott

City hopeful Grant Smith is itching to make up for a year wasted under
Greg Abbott.

Scottish midfielder Smith has joined the Bantams on trial for pre-season
and is eager to get his career back on track.

The well-travelled 29-year-old, who can also play left back or centre
half, quit Carlisle in April after failing to appear in a single game
once Abbott took charge.

For Smith, who had been a regular for the Cumbrians the previous season
following a move from Dundee United, it was a dramatic fall from grace.

And he is desperate to pick up the pieces by earning a Valley Parade
deal from Stuart McCall.

Smith said: "I know the manager from Sheffield United and he was a big
help to me there. I've always kept in contact and hopefully something
can come from the trial.

"Last season was difficult for me. I missed the first two months
injured, got back in for a couple of games then the manager (John Ward)
lost his job. Greg Abbott took over and we had our problems.

"Football is all about opinions and he had his, which didn't feature me.

"The year before last I played nearly every game and we were up there
around the top two.

"I went from playing every week in a side doing well, including the two
play-offs against Leeds, to not getting a game at all last season when
we were struggling.

"It does get you down but that's the way football is at times. My family
helped get me through it and the other boys in the club were very good.

"People felt it was weird and a lot of the lads there thought I should
be playing. There's no animosity with any of them and the fans were also
good with me."

So the prospect of lining up against Abbott's Carlisle in City's final
pre-season friendly on August 1 adds an extra incentive to Smith's push
for a permanent contract.

He said: "It would be nice to have signed for Bradford by then and to go
out and give it my best that game. It would be a good one to prove a
thing or two."

Smith has fond memories of his only previous visit to Valley Parade,
scoring both goals with two volleys in a 2-1 win for Swindon in January
2005.

And he has not been put off by the prospect of returning in the basement
division. Smith has knocked back offers to train with clubs in Scotland
and League One to try his luck with McCall's men.

"You want to stay as high as you can but this is a big club in the wrong
position," he said.

"Hopefully if I get something here, it will be one season maximum in
this division and then the chance of going back up the league again."

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http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk

Hadfield: I'll be City's Paul Ince
7:20am Wednesday 8th July 2009

Jordan Hadfield used to love picking a fight with Paul Ince in training.

And now the little firebrand wants to pump that aggression into the heart of City's midfield.

The 21-year-old is hoping to win a chance at Valley Parade by showing the same tigerish approach that was Ince's trademark.

Hadfield hails the MK Dons boss for developing him as a player when they were together at Macclesfield – even if their no-nonsense confrontations on the training ground often turned into brawls.

Hadfield said: "We used to come to blows every day. Incey loves a tackle and having a go and I'm the same type of character.

"I like to graft and get stuck in; that's what I'm best at. I think that's why he liked me.

"It was class because Incey can still do a bit and I learned so much from him, especially when we'd go at it during training."

Hadfield is now trying to impress another top-drawer central midfielder and earn a contract offer from Stuart McCall.

The City chief is in the hunt for at least one more addition in the middle of the park and preferably a box-to-box battler who "likes a tackle". Salford-born Hadfield, like fellow trialist Grant Smith, believes he can fit that criteria.

Hadfield is keen to follow striker Gareth Evans from Moss Rose, where he has had a chequered time since Ince moved on.

Given his debut by Ince at 18, he followed him to Milton Keynes on loan for the second half of the 2007-2008 campaign – and played in the side which clinched the League Two title with a win at Valley Parade.

But when Ince made his ill-fated switch to Blackburn, Hadfield reluctantly returned to Macclesfield, where he found himself used sparingly by successive managers Ian Brightwell and Keith Alexander.

Hadfield admitted: "I just wasn't the new gaffer's cup of tea. I even went to Altrincham for a month because I wasn't playing.

"I got in the Macc team again when I came back and played a lot of games after February but I didn't get offered anything at the end of the season, though I would have gone anyway because I didn't like it there.

"I needed a fresh start and a new challenge. Macclesfield are decently run but they're not a big club and coming to Bradford, where you get 13,000 crowds, feels like when I was at MK Dons. I'm going to put all my energy and focus into playing for this club. The gaffer here's got a lot of ambition and so have I.

"I want to play every game and get promoted again. I did it when I was 19 at MK Dons and it's a great feeling – that's why I want to come here."



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http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk

McLaughlin's spot-kick heroics
7:58am Tuesday 7th July 2009

Jon McLaughlin proved the spot-kick hero as Great Britain moved into the semi-finals at the World Student Games in Serbia.

The City stopper made a crucial penalty save from Julien Jeanney as the Brits edged France 2-0 in the shoot-out. Two hours of action previously had failed to produce a goal.

Great Britain now go through to a last-four meeting with Ukraine tomorrow where McLaughlin will be bidding for his third clean sheet of the tournament.

***and then ***

http://www.bradfordcityfc.co.uk/page/News/0,,10266~1717231,00.html

***and then ***

http://www.bradfordcityfc.co.uk/page/News/0,,10266~1719500,00.html

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From official site:
Posted on: Thu 09 Jul 2009

Midfielder Paul McLaren has had his contract with Bradford City cancelled by
mutual consent.

McLaren joined the Bantams last summer on a free transfer from Tranmere
Rovers, making 35 appearances, scoring 3 goals.

http://www.bradfordcityfc.co.uk/page/News/0,,10266~1717972,00.html

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McLaren's exit eases financial pressure on City

By Richard Sutclfife
STUART McCALL'S re-building plans at Bradford City have been given a major boost after Paul McLaren sealed a return to Tranmere Rovers.

The Bantams have drastically cut their playing budget for the coming season and McCall revealed in May that his plans would be dramatically affected if the club's four biggest earners – McLaren, Michael Boulding, Graeme Lee and Chris Brandon – remained at Valley Parade on their existing terms.

Lee joined Notts County last month and he was yesterday followed through the exit door by McLaren after the midfielder's contract was cancelled by mutual consent. Boulding, meanwhile, has been reported as willing to take a pay cut.

Joint chairman Julian Rhodes said: "Stuart has been working very hard to build a squad within the budget we set and is pleased with his work so far."

McLaren joined Bradford from Tranmere last summer on a free transfer but struggled to make the expected impact in his 35 appearances.

Peter Thorne has agreed a one-year contract extension after finishing last season as City's top scorer.


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Burnley Preview

McCall plans to give the whole squad a run-out in tomorrow's opening friendly against Burnley at Valley Parade.

Guiseley striker James Hanson joined training for the first time yesterday and will line up with four other trialists – Jordan Hadfield, Grant Smith, Steve Williams and teenage midfielder James O'Neill, who was released by Birmingham.

McCall, who will field all his new signings, intends to swap the side around completely at half-time. But he feels the players are all ready for a game.

He said: "It's the fittest group we've had at the start of pre-season since I've been here. The test results proved that as well as the training and I've been pleased with how they have come back.

"We had a little 11-a-side game yesterday with three halves of 12 minutes and there was a good tempo to it."

Burnley boss Owen Coyle, like McCall, plans mass changes but the Premier League new boys will parade record £3million signing Steven Fletcher.

The Scotland international striker, bought from Hibs, will be joined by new defenders David Edgar and Tyrone Mears.

Coyle said: "Come the game we are going to be rusty. We've only had four full training sessions. It's just a job of getting the legs going again. I'm sure there will be a lot of mistakes but it will be good just to get up and running."



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Stuart McCall will cast his eye over Northern Ireland international
keeper Alan Mannus in Saturday's pre-season friendly with Burnley at the
Coral Windows Stadium.

The 27-year old, born in Canada, was with Linfield and made his was
through their junior ranks, making his first senior squad appearance in
2002.

He established himself as the club's first choice goalkeeper making his
250th appearance before his 25th birthday.

He won his first Northern Ireland cap against Trinidad and Tobago in 2004.

He has also made appearances in friendlies against Bulgaria, Georgia and
World Champions Italy.
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BCFC 2 - Burnley 1

BURNLEY started life as a Premier League club by slipping to a 2-1 defeat in a friendly at humble Bradford City.
Owen Coyle's men took a 13th minute lead through Graham Alexander.

He fired home after neat work by Robbie Blake, but then it all went wrong in front of more than 2,000 travelling Clarets fans.

And Alexander turned from hero to villain as his misplaced pass let in Boulding brothers Rory and Michael to set up a goal for James O'Brien, who was on target from 12 yards.

Michael Boulding put Bradford ahead on 36 minutes - and the League Two outfit could have scored more before the end.


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McCall will bide time to finalise captaincy
6:50am Saturday 11th July 2009

Stuart McCall has not decided who will take over from Graeme Lee as City skipper.

And he urged fans not to read too much into whoever dons the armband during the pre-season games, starting against Burnley at Valley Parade this afternoon when a bumper crowd is expected for the opening friendly.

Zesh Rehman, who has led Pakistan's national team, has been touted, while Lee Bullock is also a contender after captaining City on the final day of last season at Chesterfield.

Matt Clarke has previous experience in the role at Darlington and old campaigner Peter Thorne could also be in the running.

But McCall admits there is no obvious candidate to be Lee's successor.

He said: "We've got some good pros but nobody is jumping out at me at the moment. I'm just going to see how the games go.

"I'll give it to a couple of lads but we'll be playing split teams anyway to give everyone 45 minutes.

"The captaincy is something I will look at but there won't be any decision yet. I'll take my time over the next couple of weeks.

"We might even go down the route of having a club captain as well as a team one. You'd have someone acting as a figurehead and the other leading the team. They might even be one and the same person."

Whoever he chooses, McCall wants to see more leadership qualities on display throughout the team.

He said: "I was speaking to Archie Knox and Colin Harvey at a reserve game last season and saying how few leaders we had on the park. Both of them said they were a dying breed nowadays.

"Every team used to have four or five but not any more. Last season I just felt we needed a few more.

"Sometimes leadership comes in different ways. Spike (Lee) wasn't over-vocal but he had the respect in the dressing room and had done the job before.

"The likes of Hecky (Paul Heckingbottom) would have been a candidate because he's a good pro who gets people going.

"You want people who are going to drive others out there on the park. I think of Dean Furman, even though he was young.

"I think back to my Rangers days and we had Richard Gough, myself, Ally McCoist and John Brown who were all quite vocal and up and at 'em. That's what you are looking for."

City are expecting a sizeable crowd this afternoon, with home supporters getting their first look at McCall's new signings.

Premier League new boys Burnley are also set to have considerable backing, with fans making the short trip over the Pennines as their team play their first match since winning promotion at Wembley.

McCall will cast his eye over Northern Ireland international goalkeeper Alan Mannus, who will play some part in the match as he starts a trial with the Bantams.

Canada-born Mannus, 27, has been first-choice keeper at Linfield, the most successful club in the Irish League. He won his first Northern Ireland cap against Trinidad & Tobago in 2004.

Meanwhile, Steve Jones – who spent last season on loan at City – has signed for Walsall.

McCall had been keen to bring him back to Valley Parade but City's financial position prevented any deal.



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