The Roland Harris Column

Tuesday 17th July, 2001

The Word from Rome

When we signed the little Italian we knew he was going to be a big player, his rallying call for promotion today shows how big he is.

Sure Geoff has said we want to get back, JJ has said it, Stuart McCall said it, Hell even Ashley Ward chirped up but it was not until Carbone said it that the words finally registered. "I'm here again now to help Bradford get straight back to the Premier League."

Because we all know that although it's not the be all and end all that the cynics would tell you it is, money talks in football. Win bonuses talk in football, bonuses for promotion talk in football. Bluntly, if Beni did not think we had a chance, he would not be here.

Without playing up Bantam chances of promotion next term you have to put yourself in Italy looking at the options of a brilliantly talented football.

Another year at a struggler. If Beni made sounds in the direction of Bolton you know that they would go for him, ditto half a dozen clubs in Italy, ditto Spain. Beni said last season was littered with mistakes, he is not going to want to suffer that again.

A squad move to a big club, because a player this skilful could do a job for Liverpool or Lazio or some other club where he would not be the biggest name, have the biggest wage packet or be the biggest show in town. Never let it be said that Beni will play second fiddle to anyone. This was not really an option.

Find a place with a challenger because everyone wants to be involved in going for things. Beni wants to win something, anything, in his time in England. If he is not the man to be a squad man at a Premiership champion, then taking his mercurial touches to a side that will get promotion will make a fine second.

So with this in mind Beni looks at City, looks at the way we played at the end of last term (Leeds excepted) and the fact that the manager is a thousand times more professional and better than Chris Hutchings or John Gregory and thinks "If I stay I know that we can do well if we can get the most out of the players and that the boss will get them all giving what I give", cause if you are going to flog your guts out in the trenches of Div one for 46 games you need to know that 10 other men will be arm in arm with you.

So Beni looks and he sees and he returns and he speaks. We listen and now we believe.

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