Alexander Throws Form Book Out Window Ahead of Bolton Battle
Bradford City boss Graham Alexander reckons recent form counts for precisely nothing as his side prepare to lock horns with Bolton Wanderers in Saturday's League One play-off semi-final first leg.
Graham Alexander has decided that form is about as useful as a chocolate teapot when it comes to League One play-offs, and frankly, he might have a point.
The Bradford City manager is taking a refreshingly no-nonsense approach ahead of Saturday night's semi-final first leg against Bolton Wanderers, essentially telling anyone who'll listen that whatever happened in the regular season can take a running jump.
It's a bold stance from Alexander, though perhaps not entirely surprising given the peculiar nature of play-off football, where logic goes to die and the most unlikely heroes emerge from the woodwork. The Bantams will make the short trip across the Pennines to Lancashire on Saturday evening, knowing full well that 90 minutes of football could either propel them towards Championship glory or leave them contemplating another season in League One purgatory.
Bolton's home advantage might look handy on paper, but Alexander seems singularly unimpressed by such conventional wisdom. His dismissal of form considerations suggests a manager who's either supremely confident in his squad's ability to rise to the occasion, or someone who's watched enough play-off football to know that predicting outcomes is a mug's game.
The first leg format adds another layer of intrigue to proceedings. Both sides will be acutely aware that Saturday's result will merely set the stage for what promises to be a nerve-shredding return fixture. Too aggressive early on and you risk giving your opponents a crucial away goal; too cautious and you might find yourself chasing the game when it matters most.
For Bradford City, this represents a genuine shot at ending their Championship exile. The club's supporters will be making the journey to Lancashire in considerable numbers, no doubt hoping Alexander's philosophical approach to form translates into the kind of performance that makes play-off dreams reality.
Bolton, meanwhile, will fancy their chances of making home advantage count, though they'll be well aware that Alexander's Bradford side didn't reach the play-offs by accident. The Wanderers' own promotion ambitions are every bit as fervent, setting up what should be a properly tasty encounter.
Come Saturday night, we'll discover whether Alexander's form dismissal proves prophetic or simply optimistic. In play-off football, stranger things have happened than a manager being absolutely spot on about throwing the form book out entirely.