Graham Alexander’s Verdict on Bradford City Camp in Austria

Graham Alexander’s Verdict on Bradford City Camp in Austria

Graham Alexander has stressed that Bradford City’s pre-season trip to Austria is not about finding overnight solutions — but he remains convinced it will prove beneficial for the squad in the long term.

Alexander, who is overseeing his first full pre-season in charge of the Bantams, believes the intense training environment, coupled with match action, will lay important foundations for the upcoming League Two campaign.

City rounded off their Austrian camp with a 2-1 win in a behind-closed-doors friendly yesterday, with Alexander and his assistant Chris Lucketti watching closely from the sidelines. But while pleased with the progress, the Bantams boss was quick to dampen any expectations that a single training camp would instantly transform his side into a finished article.

“This trip isn’t a magic wand,” Alexander said. “It’s not like you come to Austria for a week and suddenly everything clicks into place. It doesn’t work like that — and we’ve been honest with the players about that.

“What it does do is give us the chance to work intensively together, away from the distractions you sometimes get back home. It allows us to focus on how we want to train, how we want to play, and how we want to build that team spirit.”

Alexander highlighted the importance of the group bonding off the pitch as well as on it.

“Pre-season trips like this are about more than just fitness or tactical work. It’s about the players spending time together, getting to know each other’s habits and personalities,” he added. “That unity is going to be vital when we get into the heat of the season.

“We’ve put in a lot of hard work this week — on the training pitch and in meetings. There’s been a real togetherness in how we’ve approached it. That gives me encouragement for the season ahead.”

Alexander also praised the response of his squad to the demands placed on them during a gruelling schedule in the Austrian heat.

“They’ve worked hard and pushed themselves,” he said. “We’ve deliberately made it a tough camp. But the players have embraced it, and that attitude will stand us in good stead.”

Reflecting on the win in their final game, Alexander acknowledged there was still plenty to refine.

“It was a good way to finish the trip, but we know we’ve got work to do,” he admitted. “We’re seeing glimpses of what we want — but it’s about building on those every day.

“Our focus now is to keep progressing back at home, take the lessons from this camp, and keep that momentum going into the start of the season.”

City now return to England as they step up preparations for their League Two opener, with Alexander hopeful the work done in Austria will start to show when the competitive action begins.

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