 Brought to you by DIS, keeping companies connected with cloud-based solutions. Come on, City! Mark, congratulations on your new role as productivity joint managers. How does that sound? Over the moon, obviously we've been in this position now for a couple of months and things have been positive so far and we've really enjoyed the moment and it's brilliant to get it full time on permanent as well. Mark, when did you learn that you'd be a joint manager of Brought for the City? Sunday we got a call from Ryan to come in so obviously we got that call, it told us the news and then it came into discuss after that so obviously we were delighted when we got that phone call and the hard work that we've done so far has been rewarded and hopefully we can carry on with that success really. What does it mean to you both to get this opportunity after the hard work that you've done so far? It's obviously great for us, it's been a team effort from everybody involved but we know we just need to continue that work ethic and keep progressing the team and keep building as a club. Ryan, when did you feel that it was the right time to give these guys the joint manager? James, it's been something we've been giving some thought to for some time even after the exit to defeat, it didn't change anything for us we're very pleased with the progress the two guys were making and we've gone back to back against two of the best teams in the division and we felt that now was a good time to put a little bit more stability to what we're trying to achieve in the long term and from my perspective it's a real privilege to have Mark and Connor in that picture and we're very excited about where we're going next. Until the end of next season is how long you've given these two guys to share what they can do why did you feel that that was the right time for them? I think it gives Mark and Connor security which they deserve it allows us to restructure behind them obviously their jobs that they now leave behind need to be filled so we can continue to produce the stars of tomorrow which we've done this season and you know it's very much an initial 16 month contract so there is more to go and we'll see where we get but it's a deal that both ourselves and Mark and Connor are very comfortable with we spoke about it at length yesterday and here we are today all of the line and we move forward 29, 33, 29, all friends of us now does this show that age is just a number and that age shouldn't be a barrier to success? It's just irrelevant from my perspective it doesn't matter we're young 29 or 59 what is it? it makes no difference the three of us have got something in common we were given opportunities perhaps doubted by some people perhaps not and we've tried to take them we've achieved nothing yet this is just the start for us we work very closely we've got a good team at the club obviously Lee Turnbull in the mix as well and the owner right behind us it's exciting for us at the moment but our feet are on the ground and this is probably a rare occasion that you're appointing a manager or managers in our case on the back of success usually it's the other way around this becomes like a momentum lifter for us this is a case of injecting a little bit more adrenaline into what we're on with and we'll see where we get to but for us the age is utterly irrelevant it's not something we ever discuss final one from me I'll ask you both this question firstly Mark, we've asked you repeatedly past your being in care take out and into in charge whether you wanted the position you've been very diplomatic in your answer but really when did you realise you wanted this position? something that we've obviously been working hard towards since starting our coaching careers having success early on we started to get a taste for it in a way and the players started to really buy into myself and Conor's plans obviously probably after the Greensby game we saw that it's something that we can do and we can hopefully have success in so yeah it was around that time but we just had to keep proving people right and keep working as hard as we've been doing and today was the day that we've got the job Cymru Llywodraeth Cymru Yeah just echo that really I think our ambitions as coaches is some people have different ambitions where they want to work with younger players or in a certain age group where I think longer term we felt that first team was probably something that we wanted to go into so when we got that opportunity from Ryan we went in there comfortably to say we'll give it our best shot but having given this opportunity permanently that's been fantastic for us Thank you When you came in December obviously if you look today did you ever think that you would have been this successful this quickly I think we went in there confident in our methods and what we can do but you're going in there a little bit blind without that experience but for us it's been brilliant because we've had this run of games now and it's near a quarter of a season and we've worked hard and we've got some really good results so for us it's been brilliant How has it changed becoming full time languages as opposed to what will change or ours Nothing changes really in that approach we've said it from the start we've got that work ethic and that's obviously running off on the players as well and the coaching staff are in the building so nothing changes in terms of that Well it was an easy decision to give them a chance in the first place to know what they're all about the two of our staff that I've kept an eye on in my time at the club and they've achieved more than most from a footballing perspective it's not a great thing to say to be honest but it's true and to say they've taken the chance with both hands will be an understatement they've proven that not only are they able to do the job they're also able to adapt to very difficult conditions which is a transfer window training schedules they've gone from putting bibs out on a Saturday morning at Rotherham to running Bradford City and they've just taken to it without any issues and that's the bit I wasn't concerned about I knew the kind of characters they had and I knew that they would approach it and take it on in the right way with no fear really and you have to have that mindset when you sat a joint level bottom of the league and your club facing the national league Do you think it's a great show? Well yeah I mean if you're not on the same page and you've got arrows pointing in the wrong direction it's going to end one way isn't it so I think it's if you're together and you understand it and you share the vision that's the key part if you share what you're trying to achieve and you genuinely believe it and you're not just going along with it then you can be harder to beat and if you're not sure and someone's pulling in a different direction it usually comes unstuck in the past but I can only control what's going forward and that's the way we'll run this club Well I did work a little bit with some of the players in the squad so that transition for me was a little bit easier I can't speak for Connor but Connor's kind of knew the players as well around the building a lot of them kind of have come through the academy as well which helped that transition but yeah you know we're delighted all the players have said it before kind of bought into our beliefs and the key is that they're going to apply it out on the field You needed that from day one didn't you because Connor if you had been a little bit wrexened about you two being appointed that's all you can hold things back on Yeah like I say when Mark has worked with a few and for us you've got to get that respect straight away and hopefully that's come from our work ethic and what we're putting into Bradford City in terms of the style of play what we're asking to the players knowing that they're organised and they know the roles and responsibilities and we've done that and we've had really good feedback from the players regularly you know to us we've got really good communications as well as the board and Ryan so I think everybody was in the same boat where we felt that we were all moving in a positive direction so it's been good Was that almost like stage one was that making sure you earn that respect to win that respect because despite the way there's not going to be anything to say to the board for Yeah I think that's a big thing in terms of the respect you've got to earn it in somewhere obviously we've us too of having success in the past at that level so you've got to go in and impress people and hopefully we've done that and we gain respect from our from our efforts like so Yeah they were told yesterday evening so you know they were positive obviously that they're happy where we're working and nothing changed today and training just carried on as normal but the players themselves as well because they know the contracts are just signed or the contracts are having a sign they know that there's going to be the same people in charge Yeah that stability is good for them as well like you're saying because you know it's always different when your manager comes in they change the way they work and when myself and Connor came in we changed the style, the formation things like that so obviously that stability for the players has been great and in terms of obviously the way the players straight in the eye, do you both care for them or have you got a different title with them? Yeah well we've had quick conversations it was something that was mentioned with the players and you know where no different will football is what it is you know that's how it is we want that respect as well and they're happy to do it as well so it was kind of a quick and easy conversation with the players yeah as Ron has said about the appointment while the team are going well it's sort of just it gives everyone a little lift and some types of any way of uncertainty I think so Yeah and I think you know ideally everybody sees that we've potentially got a vision that we're going to try and achieve and there's a good feel around the place at the minute so like you say for the players I'm sure that they're on board for the future and it's a crowd to do That would be nice It would be great Right can I ask obviously all three of you it's not your first job at the club how important is that it's not the level of continuity of what you're trying to achieve as well? Yeah it's probably a good point I'm not sure they're like that We're from within I guess if you like so we know the place I think what we really share and can be and that doesn't mean we've got illusions of grandeur anything like that we know what we can achieve but we all know where we might want to improve things and that collective effort and then you add in other people to that who share a similar opinion and it can be quite helpful I'll make no secret of the fact that the next under 18s coach at this club will be someone who potentially in the next profit city manager we would like to have that internal pathway a little bit of a backfilling not going anywhere yet a little bit more structure and stability because what it reminds people is that you have quality within and if people don't have opportunities in life who knows this club could have lost Mark and Connor to another club and never known the true capabilities so it's a reminder for anybody really that if you do need a shot in life Can I just ask Connor as well you're both young you're inexperienced managers but you're not inexperienced coaches you've got a good few years behind you how important was that in terms of your confidence when you first took over and it's something that does get brought up I think sometimes you've got to ask yourself what's the quality of your experience instead of the years so like I said we've started our coaching journey a long time ago when we were a lot younger and we've been able to try out our methods and through our coaching career just keep on developing and getting better and we find ourselves in this position and what we'll do is have that passion and drive to make sure that we're all a success and just to Mark you were very well backed by Ryan in January what did that mean to you at the time and were you always confident that you would get the opportunity if you did well as caretakers and interiors Like you said we're from within the club so we've got the best intentions for the club so in January we're speaking about the players that could hopefully improve the squad that's when we started to think that this could be a long term thing for us so in January when there was positive for us being in and players in but for us now it's just to keep building on that For anyone who wants to answer there's a lot to talk about the ethos around the club and getting back to a certain way of doing things Could you just outline what that ethos is and what the vision is I don't think you can talk about getting back to what we were I think that's the thing we're very proud of what this club has achieved but you can't necessarily replicate so you're inspired by it you look at that and you say that's the benchmark and it's how you get there and for us it comes down to recruitment has been an issue for the club for a few years there is a clear strategy of how we will recruit going forward we've got some real exciting talents in the building and then it's the case of how we grow the club there will be further appointments off the field to do that we will restructure the football department in the summer to give us the very best chance we've always been at the right end of the results I guess not allowing ourselves to drift and leaving no stone unturned without trying to get into all the buzzwords that is basically out the basics have you done everything you can to give yourself the best chance of success and if you can't answer that question then you haven't so the vision is pretty clear we're not going to blow the budgets we're going to run this place in a sustainable way Mark and Connor are aware of that Lee Turnbull is aware of it but we want to do that when we're not putting the future of the club at risk as previously said Connor, does this appointment have you been able to think much about for example the summer recruitment at this stage just having this certainty helping that to answer I think as a club and with the recruitment department and how we've been working we've been identifying players whilst we've been having games and that's how football clubs are run and for us we're excited and having that stability does help us recruiting in the summer yes Mark, what's your vision of how the team will play going forward we've obviously seen you make significant changes what should a Bradford team under yourself and Connor look like? We've shown it I think already that we're ready to fight and compete every game and be hard to beat but also showing the qualities in possession of the ball that's what the fans want to see that's how me and Connor want the team to play more of that really just keep showing that fighting spirit but also just having quality alongside it Brought to you by DIS Keeping companies connected with cloud based solutions Come on City