GARY Liddle has predicted a change in style from the new-look Bradford City next season.

Phil Parkinson's squad has been transformed over the summer, with more arrivals set to follow before the Coventry opener on August 9.

The biggest revamp is in midfield, where all four of 2013's promotion winners – Gary Jones, Nathan Doyle, Garry Thompson and Kyel Reid – have moved on.

Liddle will form the team's new 'engine room' with Billy Knott and Matty Dolan and he has promised a shift to a more passing philosophy for the fans – although they will still mix it when required.

He said: "We've all been brought up in an academy, either at Sunderland or Middlesbrough, and learned the technical side of the game. So the fans can expect a different style of football.

"But having played in Leagues One and Two as we have done for most of our careers, we've learned the other side of the game as well if needs be.

"That's what pre-season is for with new players bedding in, especially in that midfield area.

"We've got a whole new midfield and we'll need that time to get to know each other's games and hopefully things will work out.

"I don't think there's any real pressure on us. The squad is a little bit thin on the ground in areas and the manager has made no secret he does want to bring a few more players in.

"It's just about being competitive. The trip to Ireland next week will help bring us a lot closer."

Liddle, the obvious replacement for Doyle in the holding role, was instrumental in Notts County's survival fight last term. He insists City have no cause for concern over the ankle injury which sidelined him for a couple of months.

The 28-year-old said: "It's perfectly fine now. I was out from December to the end of February but played the last 15 games of the season and didn't miss a single minute of them.

"I'm not one to get injured too often and I've played a lot of games. I made my Hartlepool debut when I was 19 and that's the longest I've been out.

"I'm very lucky with injuries and hopefully I can carry that on."

Liddle, who spent six years with Hartlepool before moving to Meadow Lane in 2012, has made a smooth transition to West Yorkshire thanks to City's Middlesbrough mafia.

The former Boro youngster said: "It's strange because I obviously grew up with a lot of these players.

"The first few days are normally quite nervous when you're coming into a football club but I knew a number of the current squad members from my time with Middlesbrough's youth team.

"I knew Dava (Andrew Davies), Matty Dolan, Jason Kennedy and the fitness coach Nick Allamby and obviously Sheez (Alan Sheehan), who I've played with for the last two years.

"It's a massive help when you know nearly half the squad and we've carried each other through so far."