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Todd: I could have saved City from relegation

7:14am Monday 19th May 2008

Colin Todd admits it is a "crying shame" to see City playing in the bottom division.

Todd, now in charge of Randers FC in Denmark, was sacked in February last year - three months before the Bantams were relegated to League Two.

In his new autobiography Toddy', the former boss revealed he had probably taken the club as far as he could.

But Todd still maintains he would have pulled the team out of the tail-spin which eventually sent them tumbling into the league basement.

Todd said: "When I was dismissed we were not in the bottom four. We had endured a bad run (three wins from 20 games) but in my opinion it wasn't disastrous.

"Yes, we needed to raise our game but we had been in this situation before and come through it. There were plenty of games left to turn it round - it was a crying shame that they didn't make it.

"I took no pleasure in Bradford's relegation. I had enjoyed my time there and I was leaving behind some good players and nice people.

"If I am totally honest, I had reached a point with Bradford where I could not take the club any further forward.

"The club needed investment in a big way if it was to have any chance of restoring former glories."

In his book, which has been co-written with former City vice-chairman Jim Brown, Todd talks in detail about the financial struggles that cursed his second spell at the club as Bryan Robson's number two and then manager.

He even reveals that part of his wages helped pay another club employee.

Todd said: "Administration brings any football club a whole host of problems. You simply stagger from match to match without any light at the end of the tunnel.

"Your best players are up for grabs, usually at discounted prices, your loan options are at best severely restricted or disappear completely and staff just vanish.

"I agreed to take the lowest wage possible and even allowed a proportion of that wage to be paid to another member of staff just to keep the club going.

"Just when you think you have seen everything, something happens to stop you in your tracks."

Todd admitted the fateful 2006-07 campaign had begun with "the worst pre-season I have endured in all my times in football", with City losing five out of their six friendlies.

The Bantams still began that season with a bang but results dropped off dramatically from October and they slumped down League One.

Yet Todd was still caught unawares when the axe fell after a 1-0 defeat at Gillingham.

He said: "There is a saying that it's not over until the fat lady sings. Unbeknown to me, she had the microphone in her hand.

"I never thought my job was under threat until I received a call after the Gillingham game to see the chairman on Monday morning. This set alarm bells ringing as it was an unusual request.

"I had enjoyed a good relationship with Julian Rhodes and was full of admiration for what he and his family had done for the club but it did not make it any easier.

"He only wanted the best for the football club, which I could understand, but I was a little miffed to find out I was the only one of the management team that had been sacked.

"I put that down to the financial constraints the club was under. Nobody ever said life was fair."

Rhodes said: "I hope that history will be kind to Colin's tenure. I know it should be."

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