The Roland Harris Column

Sunday 23 December, 2001

Give Jim Jefferies job to Stuart McCall

We snapped on a cold night in Coventry. Sunday afternoon had given way to bitter coldness and in front of my eyes the Premiership champions of 16th position had given way to a bunch of chancers.

Perhaps it was the ability of Lee Mills, ignored by City and Jim Jefferies when he became available for loan, in contrast to the three yard miss of Ashley Ward. Perhaps it was the fact that we should be on the same level as the Sky Blues but patently are not. Whatever it was, we snapped.

I ended up screaming in a Father Jack style to the bench "Git to feck Jeffeires, git to feck". What hd he done to my Bantams? Where was my Peter Beagrie? My Beni Carbone? What had this mad Scot done with my Bradford City.

A rush of cold midlands air hit my like the 6-0 defeat at Old Trafford that landed me an official warning. Jim Jefferies has performed major surgery on City, they were the world's only living heart donor.

Stuart McCall in other words.

Macca cools his heels cause Jim Jefferies is an "old fashioned manager" who shouts at his players. He insulted Stuart and the City skipper is supposed to take it. If there is another job of a manager than getting the best out of the players he has could someone tell me it.

Jefferies has always hated McCall just like he could not stand Peter Beagrie. He hates anyone who the fans like. He wants a team of cardboard cut outs who will do as he says. he wants a team of which people will say "Jim's done well to get anything out of that lot". Perhaps not, but that was one idea that went through my head at Highfield Road.

The other was that Jim Jefferies does not care. I think that this is pretty much the truth.

Sure he cares in a career way, in that he wants to get one like we all do. He cares in the sort of I want my team to do well way too, but that's not caring. Hell I care about the Real Madrid team I have on the go in Championship Manager that much. That's not caring, not for football fans.

He does not care like the City fans who hurt in the cold at Highfield Road. He has passion but not investment in the team.

Not like Stuart.

When I was a kid I used to read Roy Of The Rovers. I was once shocked to see Stuart's name in it cause City were never in it, I was shocked to read him say that one day he would leave Everton and manage Bradford City. Now a World Cup and a few Scots Championship later I think it is time to give him a go.

A whole host of reasons present themselves why Stuart should not be City boss. Lack of experience, things like that. But the trump card is that Stuart wants to be, and that is enough for me.

I want City to have a manager who will hurt when we lose.

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