Jonathan Browning · CC BY 2.0Bradford City turn to Trueman and Doyle after Graham Alexander steps down
Bradford were top of League One when Alexander stepped down, so the push for a first second-tier season in 23 years is being run by two interim coaches.
A Jean Genie · CC BY 4.0Bradford City are without a permanent manager after Graham Alexander stepped down with the club top of League One. Coaches Mark Trueman and Colin Doyle took interim charge and met the squad on Monday, after the players learnt at the start of the week that Alexander was leaving.
Trueman said some players had been unsettled by the news and were unsure who would be taking the team, but that the group had got on with the work in front of them. He said their response reflected the mentality of the squad, and that a change of this kind could easily have derailed the season.
2025/26
- POS
- 2nd
- W-D-L
- 23–9–6
- GF
- 77
- GA
- 35
Season 2025/26
Where Bradford City stand
Ratchet8865 · CC BY-SA 4.0Bradford were top of the third tier when Alexander left, and the club had begun to dream about a return to the second tier for the first time in 23 years. That is what gives the change its weight: a promotion push that was building has lost the manager who was driving it.
Promotion from League One would end a long absence from the second tier, and Bradford's start to the season had made that look achievable rather than fanciful. Losing a manager in that position raises a question the table alone cannot answer, namely whether the run belonged to the squad or to the man who has gone.
Alexander is understood to have moved to Preston, though Bradford have not set out publicly what lay behind his decision. His departure was sudden and unexpected, and it came with the club in its strongest position for years.
The first match after Alexander's exit
Ank Kumar · CC BY-SA 4.0Bradford faced Reading after his departure, with Trueman and Doyle in charge of a squad still adapting to the change. It was the first competitive test of how the players would respond to the disruption.
What Bradford have not settled
No permanent successor has been announced, and no timescale for an appointment has been given. The length of the interim arrangement has not been disclosed either, leaving open whether the club will recruit from outside or promote from within.
- Who takes the job on a permanent basis
- How long Trueman and Doyle remain in charge
- Whether Bradford look externally or to their existing staff
What happens next
For now the promotion push rests on how the players respond, and the early signs, in Trueman's account, are that they have handled the disruption as well as could be expected. Bradford's position in the table gives the club room to take its time over the appointment, but every fixture played without a permanent manager carries a cost.
Frequently asked questions
- Who is in charge of Bradford City after Graham Alexander's exit?
- Mark Trueman and Colin Doyle are running the team on an interim basis, and they led a squad meeting on Monday. Bradford have not said how long the arrangement will last.
- Why did Graham Alexander leave Bradford City?
- Bradford have not publicly set out a reason for his departure, which came with the club sitting top of League One. Alexander is understood to have moved to Preston.
- What position are Bradford City in League One?
- They were top of the table at the time of Alexander's departure. The club has not played in the second tier for 23 years.
- Who did Bradford City play after Graham Alexander left?
- Bradford faced Reading following his exit, with Trueman and Doyle leading the side. The result of that fixture was not established in the material available.
