Black Cats hope
Mark Douglas, Bradford fan
Relegated from the Premier League:
2000-01
Time in League One:
sent 2004-07, 2013-pre-
Where are they now?
Running out of time to make the League One play-offs
What caused them to end up in League One?
Bradford’s financial mismanagement. They slipped into administration in the year that followed relegation partly because ITV Digital (remember them?!) went out of business and could not pay clubs the money they were expecting for TV rights but mainly because their wage bill and overheads were far above what they could afford. They agreed a Creditors Voluntary Agreement but could not keep up payments and went into administration a second time in 2004, which saw them relegated to the third division – and then the fourth tier not long afterwards.
They made bad managerial calls too:
Jim Jeffries and Nicky Law were not the right men for the club. But mainly it was financial problems.
How did they find it when they got there?
Neither the Premier League nor the Championship are really Bradford’s natural constituency ,so it was not a case of landing with a bump. The problem was the squad was unbalanced and with financial problems came a fire sale in the squad. They replaced good players who had kept the club in the top flight and then were competitive in the Championship with inferior ones. They actually made a real run at League One for a few years but, with budgetary constraints as they were, it never felt like they’d reached rock bottom.
At the risk of labouring the point, finance. Championship and League One clubs who could spend more were better equipped than City to bounce back. I know some Sunderland fans see administration as a potentially positive thing, as it would mean Ellis Short relinquishing control of the club. But Bradford’s double admin is a lesson to everyone – it has long and devastating consequences.
The others to make the drop and where they are now:
Barnsley (Championship relegation battle), Blackburn Rovers (promoted to Championship this season), Blackpool (League One), Bolton Wanderers (in Championship relegation battle), Charlton Athletic (League One play-off hopefuls), Coventry City (League Two play-off hopefuls), Manchester City (Premier League champions and League Cup winners) Norwich City (Championship), Oldham Athletic (in League One relegation fight), Portsmouth (missed out on League One play-offs), Queens Park Rangers (Championship), Sheffield United (missed out on Championship play-offs), Sheffield Wednesday (Championship), Southampton (in Premier League relegation battle), Swindon Town (League Two), Wigan Athletic (promoted to Championship), Wolverhampton Wanderers (Football League champions). Alan Smith after Leeds were relegated in 2004. Below, Michael Duberry is consoled by a Leeds fan