City be warned, Peter Taylor is cranking up to let rip once again.

Players always like to know where they stand with the manager. The Valley Parade gaffer ensures there is never any room for doubt.

Do well and the praise will be forthcoming. But step out of line and a rocket will be quickly on its way.

When Taylor first succeeded Stuart McCall, he admitted the squad probably came in for a bit of a shock.

“They saw this little grey-haired man from Essex who looks a nice bloke on television,” he said at the time, “but they also found out that he can be a grumpy old so and so!

“They’ll be getting used to the way I like things to be done on and off the field. They’ll also be getting used to my temper when I think they’ve dropped their standards.

“But that’s the only way to be. I calm down at the end of the season. In the end, they appreciate that you keep on their case to make sure they perform to the level you expect.”

Anticipation is certainly high with the new campaign just a week away. The bookies have ramped that up by installing City as title favourites over the likes of Gillingham and Wycombe.

There is, of course, a common thread running through those teams. Taylor has taken the other two up before from this division, Gillingham as play-off winners in 2000 and Wycombe two seasons ago. The challenge that lured him north in February is to do it again this season.

Bradford City remain a pull, even on the lowest rung of the ladder. The five-figure home attendances will always stand out compared with the rest of League Two.

Fans are fed up with the “sleeping giant” analogy. Starting a fourth season in the old Division Four is not something anybody would have contemplated when City slipped through the trapdoor in 2007.

The novelty of going to different grounds and renewing old acquaintances with opponents not previously seen for years has long worn off. It’s become a case of getting out by any means necessary.

Taylor’s CV proves he knows how this division can be conquered but there is a level of expectation surrounding this club that wasn’t there at others.

Idly flicking on Sky, you can catch the Premiership Years most days showing highlights from previous top-flight seasons. Inevitably that David Wetherall header comes round time and again, reminding everyone how far City have fallen.

Nobody is daft enough to expect that the Bantams belong at the top table, though the sight of Blackpool up there does take some believing. But this is a club with a stadium and infrastructure that should be solid Championship; at worst, League One.

Somebody, somewhere has got to deliver that. Taylor’s managerial juices have been flowing at the prospect.

He has mentioned the Hull comparison from day one and there are strong similarities. Having taken over the Tigers in October 2002, they finished that season in a middling 13th with 59 points. City, after his 17 games at the helm, signed off one place lower with three more points.

Taylor’s mantra when he arrived was all about gradual improvement. Once the ship was steadied, there was no chance of going up or down.

Everything was being put in place for this season. It was the same with Hull as they prepared to move into their new home.

Valley Parade witnessed at close hand just how far Taylor took that team. In April 2005, he took his table-topping Tigers across Yorkshire and – backed by two stands of away fans – they cruised to a 2-0 win.

Afterwards, Taylor openly told the dressing room that they were going up. He still remembers the atmosphere of that afternoon and the noise created by the Hull supporters.

Taylor has had glimpses of how good it could be if he can get the home fans on their feet in excitement. In his mind, he can picture the celebrations at finally breaking the shackles from a decade of doom and despondency.

That’s something worth having the odd grumble about over the next nine months.