Bradford City set to appoint Michael Duff as new manager

Bradford City are set to appoint Michael Duff as their new manager.

The 48-year-old will replace Graham Alexander at Valley Parade, according to BBC Sport. It is a quick return to the dugout for a coach who has been out of work for only a month.

Alexander left Bradford to take charge of Preston North End in the Championship, England's second tier. His departure left a vacancy at a club right in the promotion race. Bradford have moved fast to fill it.

Duff knows the man he is succeeding. The two were team-mates at Burnley during their playing careers. Duff, a former Northern Ireland international, retired as a player in 2016 before turning to coaching.

He made his name at Cheltenham Town in his first managerial job. Duff led the club to promotion from League Two, England's fourth tier. He then guided Cheltenham to 15th in League One in 2021-22, still the club's highest-ever finish in the English Football League.

That work took him up the ladder. He left Cheltenham for Barnsley, where he reached the League One play-offs, including a 1-1 draw away at Bolton in the first leg of the semi-final. Spells at Swansea City and Huddersfield Town followed, before he joined Wycombe Wanderers.

His time at Wycombe ended abruptly. The club sacked him last month after a winless start to the 2026-27 league season. Three draws and two defeats from the opening five games cost him his job.

He now inherits a team in form. Bradford are second in League One, England's third tier, level on 16 points with leaders Plymouth Argyle, who have played a game more, according to BBC Sport. The top two go up automatically, with the next four entering the play-offs, a knockout mini-tournament for the final promotion place.

For fans, this means continuity with a new voice. Duff knows League One well and has won promotion from below. He takes over a squad full of belief, with a city behind it, and a season that already feels alive.