BIG INTERVIEW ExclusIVE

AN impressive CV. A strong bond with the club. Cutting short a family holiday to meet the new owners.

Add to the mix a glowing reference from nine-in-a-row Rangers team-mate, Jorg Albertz.

All the ingredients that resulted in Stuart McCall making an emotional return as manager at Bradford City as the Yorkshire outfit begin the start of what they hope will be a successful new era.

McCall has been there before. He was a City player on the day of the Bradford Fire Disaster when 56 people died in 1985. Happier times came in 1999 when, as skipper, he led them to promotion to the Premiership for the first time in 77 years.

He went on to manage the club in 2007 until 2010 – but he now concedes he shouldn’t have taken the job during that period.

This time, though, he is doing it for the right reasons and whether this ends up a successful time or not, he will look back with no regrets.

Speaking at the club’s luxury preseason training base at St Andrews, the former Motherwell and Rangers gaffer told the Sunday Post: “The first time I was manager, it was down to pure emotion. embarking on his management career, and sees this season as another new chapter.

“I’d been out of full-time management for a year,” said McCall.

“I wanted a big club, with a good fan base, and a chance to grow the club and increase the seasonticket numbers and attendances.

“If you can do that, then you can increase your budget for players.

“For examples, look at Derek McInnes at Aberdeen and Robbie Neilson at Hearts and what they’ve been able to do.

“At Motherwell we performed well, but we had to sell players. I wanted to go to a club where that wouldn’t necessarily be the case.

“I wanted an opportunity to bring in players, grow them and then move them on when I feel time is right rather than finances dictating.”

McCall also had to quit his job as one of Gordon Strachan’s coaches with Scotland.

He admitted: “It’s disappointing and sad, having to leave. I’ll be at the 2018 World Cup qualifiers at Hampden as a supporter if my Bradford schedule permits.

“I spoke to Gordon about moving and he told me to take the Bradford job. He said I was a football manager, not a part-time coach.”

Phil Parkinson will be a hard act to follow at City. He led them to a League Cup Final and they beat Chelsea in the FA Cup.

McCall will also have his budget reduced from what Parkinson had. And he will still be expected to deliver promotion to the Championship within the length of his two-year contract.

He knows it’s a tough task, but the enthusiastic 52-year-old is also aware that no manager, anywhere, has it easy.

However, he will have the backing of 17,000 season ticket holders when the league season starts next month at home to Port Vale.

McCall continued: “We have big expectations and we have to deliver. The owners want an input, which is fine, although I’ve not had that before.

“Of course, the final decision