'WHEN I SEE YOU CITY, I GO OUT MY HEAD! I JUST CAN’T GET ENOUGH, I JUST CAN’T GET ENOUGH!'
Never have these lyrics ever been as relatable as they have been for me this season. I never thought I’d be writing an article on bantams banter analysing the lyrics of Depeche Mode but then again five years ago I never thought we’d be in a league one play off semi-final against Millwall. Funny game football.
Seriously though, ‘when I’ve seen city’ this season, ‘I have definitely gone out my head’ - it has been one to remember for all the best and worst reasons. Watching at the start of the season brought us all crashing back down to earth after a summer of high expectation which preceded a relatively convincing run to the half way mark around Christmas. This period involved impressive moments: Doncaster away, Wigan at home..? But the good moments were coupled with real ‘tear your hair out stuff’ like Colchester away, which all came to a head with back to back thrashings from Gillingham and Sheffield united. They were two teams that, then, we surely should have been beating if we wanted a top six finish. Who would have guessed these two teams would fall from such grace this year - mobile footage of the ‘lap of honour’ at Bramal lane on Saturday does say it all - but then again did we all really believe we would have such an ascendency?
Nevertheless we all kept faith (mostly) and the second half of the season has been fantastic; I genuinely ‘can’t get enough’ of watching this team. Parky really has a knack of building a team in his image. Even when we were winning 1-0, I took great joy in watching a group of players wearing a Bradford shirt and giving it their all. Think of what parky has had to deal with: Integrating high profile youth loan players in with seasoned pros, dealing with a big turnover of strikers (most of which weren’t scoring goals) and also managing the huge expectation that the #149 campaign has brought to home games this year. He’s practically built and dismantled three different teams within one season! This is bordering on cliché now but hopefully this will finally put the ‘parky out’ brigade to bed. Come on, surely he’s our greatest manager for a generation?
I’m going to do something relatively rare for Bradford fans online and praise the board. At any other club parky would have gone in our first year in league one. Remember the 18 game run without a win? Also some boards may have sacked him at the start of this year after that terrible start to the season after a big summer transfer market. Unlimited praise has to go the way of Mark Lawn and Julian Rhodes for putting their faith in Parkinson and giving him a new contract during that tough time. Furthermore the cheap season ticket campaign, even before #149, has been a lifeline for this club and brought it back right into the heart of the community. We can’t help but think what might have been if Paldini would have invested. We would definitely have spent money, be it wisely or not, but play offs wouldn’t have been guaranteed. Would he really have kept his cool through adversity as much as our current chairmen have? Also not meaning to mention them again but the Sheffield united board have copiously spent in the transfer market and brought in a high profile manager, all of which has led to regression. Solidarity and continuity are paramount in a football club.
Listening to Ian Holloway talk about his time working for Paldini at QPR you learn how he tried to control everything. He even went into the dressing room after games. This is juxtaposed to listening to Mark Lawn give interviews about Bradford, especially in regard to the transfer market. Lawn always refers to Parkinson and says words to the effect of: “if Phil decides that’s what we wants hell do it.” This is refreshing during a time in football where managers are seemingly lacking in authority. Putting aside arguments about surpluses, ticket fiascos and ‘the pitch’; for me, it is this solidarity that has given us this comfortable play off finish.
To put this season’s success into perspective, it is the first time we have reached 80 points since 1998/9, and since we have witnessed three relegations in tandem with two administrations. I know you all know this but contextually this season has been a success, even if we don’t get promoted. Bradford under Parkinson have improved year on year and we are going in the right direction. Let’s try to enjoy the next few weeks, but it’s not the end of the world if we don’t go up. We have a fantastic manager on a three year contract with a good solid spine of a team ready for further building. Finishing the form team in the top six doesn’t guarantee promotion and it shouldn’t be expected. Playing a two legged tie, especially with one of the legs in the lion’s den, shouldn’t be underestimated. Even if we get through that we still have to go to Wembley! Big teams fail in the play offs- remember Middlesbrough last year? Whatever will be will be, let’s not get carried away…
…But then again why not get carried away?
We have THE, reigning special one, the best fans in the league (and country) and a bang in form team. We beat Wigan, Arsenal, Villa, Chelsea, Sunderland and have a good record against Millwall - not to mention wolves 17 years ago and cracking play offs against Burton and Northampton in 2013. Perspective is one thing but these are the times to dream as a football fan. We could be playing at Villa Park, St James’ park and ****** road next year!!
I ‘just cant get enough’ of city at the minute and I’m definitely going ‘out of my head.’ Please, let’s all get those lucky scarfs out for this Sunday; I know I’ll be wearing the exact same thing as Burton away three years ago…