SIMON Grayson insists he is still a Championship manager – despite his reputation as a League One specialist.

Grayson is hoping to mastermind his fifth promotion from the division with the Bantams.

Yet despite a torrid spell at Sunderland at the start of the season, the City boss feels he has established himself at the next level with his past record.

Now he sees his latest challenge at Valley Parade as working with a Championship club in waiting.

Grayson said: "When I first looked into the situation when I left Sunderland, I was adamant I wanted to stay in the Championship.

"I could have waited for another three, six or 12 months – but I want to work.

"If you're not going to work in the Championship, and I looked at a few opportunities, what's the next best thing?

"You look at the biggest club to work outside the Championship and that, without a shadow of a doubt, is Bradford City thanks to the fanbase, stadium and where they are in the league."

Grayson is thought to have considered vacancies at MK Dons and Oxford during his time out of the game and was also in the running for Barnsley.

But chairman Edin Rahic convinced him to take on the task of reviving City's flagging promotion push, initially until the end of the season.

As he prepares for his second game in charge at Plymouth on Saturday, Grayson said: "I deserve to be in the Championship, so of course I wanted to stay there. But I like working.

"I like getting out of bed every morning and getting back on the grass and working with players.

"If you are going to go somewhere, make sure it is a really big club where you can make a difference.

"That is why I turned down a lot of opportunities in League One at other clubs, because they didn't have the ambition of Bradford City."

After promotions with Blackpool, Leeds, Huddersfield and Preston, Grayson's short tenure at the Stadium of Light marked the first failure on his CV. He lasted only 18 games before getting sacked in October.

Grayson said: "When you leave after four months, you are going to be frustrated. I have got a reputation for staying at clubs for a long time.

"I was at Leeds for three years, Blackpool three years. Huddersfield was 18 months but Dean (Hoyle) has since told me he regrets making that decision because it set them back a little bit longer – I spoke to him last week.

"I was also at Preston for four-and-a-half years. I like to build football clubs and that is what we will be trying to do here."