Despite the fact that the season is just two and a half months old, there are a number of managerial vacancies in the EFL, one of which is at Bradford City.
Since their relegation to League Two in 2019, the Bantams have had five different managers, with Gary Bowyer, Stuart McCall, the combo of Mark Trueman and Conor Sellars, Derek Adams, and subsequently Mark Hughes all attempting to lead them back to English football’s third tier.
And, in Hughes, who was appointed to replace Adams in February 2022, the West Yorkshire club had a manager with significant Premier League and international experience – for whatever reason, it just didn’t work.
Hughes had a poor start to the 2023-24 season with Bradford, placing them in 18th place after a 2-1 defeat to Tranmere Rovers earlier in October, after losing in the play-off semi-finals to Carlisle United earlier this year.
Since then, seasoned midfielder Kevin McDonald has served as caretaker manager, and to his credit, he has performed admirably, with two wins and a draw in the league.
The Bradford hierarchy, on the other hand, is currently weighing their possibilities for their next appointment, and it appears they have received a rejection from a potential candidate.
Who has declined the Bradford City management position?
According to journalist Pete O’Rourke, Karl Robinson was approached about replacing Hughes in the Valley Parade dugout.
However, the 43-year-old has declined the opportunity to speak with City, who are presently 11th in League Two, meaning that CEO Ryan Sparks will have to start from scratch or at the very least take a step back and re-evaluate the situation.
Robinson has had a fairly successful management career since taking over at MK Dons in his first position in 2010, leading them to promotion to the Championship for the first time in their history in 2015 after spending the previous four seasons in or near the play-offs.
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Robinson left Charlton Athletic in 2018 to join Oxford United, where he had success by reaching two League One play-off campaigns, albeit the U’s were not promoted in either of those seasons.
Robinson hasn’t worked since temporarily serving as Sam Allardyce’s assistant manager at Leeds United at the end of the 2022-23 season, but it appears that the drop to League Two does not appeal to him.
Would Karl Robinson have been a beneficial addition to Bradford City’s squad?
With a wealth of League One experience, Robinson joining a club with dreams of returning to the top flight would have been a bold move.
However, it is not to be on this occasion, although he would have been an excellent choice if he were enthusiastic about the role, which he clearly is not.
Bradford City should have little trouble finding the proper person for the role, given that they are a sleeping giant of League Two with a large fanbase.
Other candidates with comparable experience levels to Robinson will be interested, but McDonald is doing a good job in the interim, so there is no need to rush in Sparks and the hierarchy at Valley Parade taking their time to make the right next step.
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