CFML pre-season news #2010-05-24

Pitch invasion images, for those who haven't seen them.

http://www.bradfordcityfc.co.uk/page/News/0,,10266~2051776,00.html




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

Mr. Unbelievable - Chris Kamara

NEW BOOK LIFTS LID ON RICHMOND ERA

By Simon Parker (T&A)

Simon Parker selects extracts from Chris Kamara's new book 'Mr Unbelievable'

Football managers get fired for the most trivial of things. It can be the
most precarious of professions - but few can have suffered simply for
singing a song that the chairman did not like.

Chris Kamara reckons that was one of the reasons which led to his downfall
at Valley Parade. Despite leading City to play-off triumph at Wembley and
then keeping them up in the second tier, he was shown the door by Geoffrey
Richmond.

In his new book, 'Mr Unbelievable', Kamara reveals when he felt the cracks
started to appear.

Bizarrely, his first black mark was during the celebrations after clinching
promotion when he was reluctant to pose for pictures hugging Richmond and
holding the play-off trophy. Kamara felt that it was not a "proper" cup.

But he reckons the rot in their relationship really set in at the end of the
following season when the Kamaras hosted a party to celebrate staying up.

Kamara needs no invitation to pick up the mic and start crooning and, as the
booze flowed, he was soon regaling the 70 guests with a version of George
Gershwin's 'Summertime'. Only he had specially adapted the lyrics for his
version.

"Summertime, working for Geoffrey ain't easy, he wants to pick the team and
sign the players as well, but until that morning when he comes in and sacks
me, all I can say is Geoffrey, please don't pry."

As he warbled on, Kamara failed to notice the frosty glare from his wife
Anne - or the increasingly strained grin on Richmond's face.

Kamara recalled: "I was oblivious to causing him any offence, although I
guess on reflection it was a bit strange that Geoffrey and his wife left so
soon after my performance.

"I was used to people walking out halfway through one of my singing attempts
- thousands still do - but not the chairman of the club I managed."

There was another fall-out after Kamara signed Bolton's John McGinlay rather
than bringing back John Hendrie from Barnsley.

Richmond had masterminded the Hendrie deal. Kamara only became aware of it
when the story was broken by a national newspaper.

After a bust-up with the reporter for going behind his back, Kamara refused
Richmond's demand that he apologise and pulled the plug on the proposed
transfer.

Richmond then wanted to sign Wayne Allison, who was being tracked by
Huddersfield. Kamara believed his motives were purely down to petty rivalry
and instead used the money to snap up the previously-prolific McGinlay.

He said: "Sadly when John joined us it all went wrong. He couldn't hit a
barn door with a banjo.

"Bradford never saw the true John McGinlay. Meanwhile, Wayne Allison was
proving to be quite a player for Huddersfield. And boy, was I reminded of
that fact every day."

Kamara has since earned cult status on television as Sky's roving football
reporter thanks to his boyish enthusiasm for the game and well-documented
gaffes.

His autobiography features several of the best-known comic exchanges with
Soccer Saturday host Jeff Stelling, as well as anecdotes from his playing
and management career.

City feature heavily and Kamara recalls in detail the night they stunned
Blackpool to reach Wembley and the pre-match motivation provided by the home
side's programme providing travel details for the final.

He said: "Some genius had decided to publish an advert for the benefit of
supporters which offered coach trips to Wembley. There was a full price
list.

"I went out and bought ten programmes and pinned them all over our dressing
room. I made sure every single player read it.

"It did the trick. They were like wild animals waiting to be unleashed on
the Blackpool public."

'Mr Unbelievable - Fighting Like Beavers on the Front Line of Football' is
published by HarperSport.



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

City Plug Leak To Stop Money Dripping Away
 

City plug leak to stop money dripping away

By Simon Parker (T&A)

Bradford City have begun their off-field makeover at Valley Parade.

Major renovation to the controversial playing surface will get underway on
Monday. And work started yesterday to seal off a long-standing water leak in
front of the North West Corner which had been causing problems in front of
the Co-operative Stand.

Director Roger Owen's concerns were raised by the size of the water bill
when he joined the club ten months ago.

Long-time sponsors Mitton Mechanical Services carried out an energy audit
and Owen, a former director at Morrison's, admitted: "This highlighted water
usage at a level comparable with my old firm's vegetable packing facilities,
which was clearly wrong.

"The pitch slopes half an inch or so towards the Bradford End. As water will
always find its own level, that side of the ground became a problem.
Hopefully this will solve this once and for all.

"Facilities manager David Dowse has done some great recovery work on the
financial consequences of the leak, recovering a sum into five figures from
various quarters."



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

LAWRENCE DELIGHT AT LANDING CITY FRIENDLY

By Simon Parker (T&A)

City are set for a pre-season reunion with old favourite Jamie Lawrence.

The hard-as-nails midfielder now manages Zamaretto League club Ashford Town
(Middlesex), who have announced they have agreed to host a friendly against
Peter Taylor's side. The game at Short Lane has been provisionally arranged
for Thursday, July 22.

Lawrence, who was recently back at Valley Parade for a charity appearance,
cannot wait for the chance to face the club he still calls home.

"Everyone knows I've got a soft spot for Bradford and always will have," he
said. "It will also be great for our team.

"I asked a while back if we could play a friendly but then Stuart (McCall)
went so I wasn't sure. But the club have said they are more than happy for
it to go ahead."

Lawrence has no doubt that City will be preparing for an exciting season and
predicts a long-overdue upturn in fortunes next term.

He added: "I think they've got the right manager for the job at the minute.
He's done well since coming in and I'm sure they will hit the ground
running.

"I know Junior Lewis very well and he's a good coach and it was so important
that they kept Wayne Jacobs. He is a link to Bradford City and can educate
them about the club.

"Bradford have got a massive chance next season. I think the money worries
they've had are evening out and with Peter Taylor in place, they are going
to be right up there."

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

Boby Speaks!

http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/sport/sportbcfc/8181934.print/


City can emulate team of 82, says Bobby Campbell
6:00pm Monday 24th May 2010
By Simon Parker

City equalled a 29-year low when they ended last season by trailing in 14th.

An unbeaten six-game run in the final month, including four wins in the last five, added a bit of polish to a forgettable campaign.

But they still wound up in the club's lowest league finish since 1981.

Let's hope that is an omen.

That team from three decades ago dusted themselves off from the disappointment – and 12 months later won promotion in second spot.

Within three years, City had gone up again.

Bobby Campbell was the figurehead forward from that era. City's record scorer with an unrivalled 137 goals – the only player in club history to break three figures – netted for fun.

The battering ram from Belfast scored 19 times in 1980-81 and then 24 to lead the Bantams out of the basement division the following season.

His physical style was perfectly suited to the rough and ready demands of the bottom league. And he believes nothing has changed.

"It's horses for courses," he said in a rare interview to the T&A. "You need someone like myself or John Hawley in the lower leagues.

"Then, when you get higher up, you look to players with more mobility.

"But for now you're up against big physical teams and you've got to match them.

"You score a lot of goals from set-pieces. When I played for Bradford I guarantee a third of my goals came from free-kicks and corners.

"Barry Gallagher used to score loads. We always knew there was a chance when we had a set-piece around the box, especially if you did them quick and before the opposition was organised.

"I was never the fastest but my arm was long enough to hold the other guy off so I could get to the ball first when it came over. That's what you've got to do."

Campbell reckons that Peter Taylor, with his proven track record as a manager in the lower divisions, ticks all the right boxes to emulate that success from the early 1980s.

He added: "I think Peter is just the sort of manager that they need. He's always been a good coach and had a good record, especially at this level.

"He's done a half-decent job already and if he can get something organised at Bradford, I'm sure they will be okay. I think he'll do very well.

"It was a great thing they did a couple of years ago with the season-ticket deal. It's better to have someone sat in the seat paying less than nobody there at all.

"They've got a 25,000 seater but it's a long time since they had 25,000 there. But if you get it half-full at least then the atmosphere's good and they will really get behind the team."

Campbell remembers playing against Taylor at Crystal Palace as a teenager – a night which finished with him kipping at a fan's home.

The striker was on loan at Halifax from his first club Aston Villa, who were due to face Norwich in the League Cup final the following day.

Campbell recalled: "Peter was the top man at Crystal Palace at that time just before he went off to Tottenham. Terry Venables was the manager.

"I was only 18 and had been in the Villa team but suffered a bad spell and went off to Halifax for my first taste of West Yorkshire.

"We went down to Palace on a Friday night before the cup final and drew 1-1. This kind Crystal Palace fan put me up for the night.

"I was in the players' bar afterwards and told him I was going to Wembley the next day. So he invited me to stop at his house.

"He didn't live too far from the ground and we ended up getting through quite a few drinks!"

Campbell would love to see City fans sinking plenty this time next year. He still remembers with huge affection his own successful exploits.

But, like any hungry goalscorer, he feels his final tally should have been higher – and fingers one particular team-mate for that.

"I scored 26 goals when we won promotion (in 1985) and John Hendrie had one assist to me. If he'd learned to cross the ball occasionally, I'd have got 50!"

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

Evans wins goal of the season

http://www.bradfordcityfc.co.uk/page/News/0,,10266~2058203,00.html?