EDIN Rahic today assured City fans to keep faith with their long-term plan at Valley Parade.

The chairman insisted everything is "calm and cool" amid some concerns over senior players leaving.

He pointed to the record in the first two transfer windows under German ownership as proof that the club can continue to go the right way.

"Our last game was on May 20 after a very long and successful season," said Rahic.

"Of course it was a very disappointing result and it's very difficult after everything we have planned.

"But we had to rest and see what we could learn from it and how we can improve. In the first two transfer periods, I think we've done a great job.

"People want to rush us into situations and say that now we've been to a play-off final you need to sign a player for double the salary. We don't need to do anything we don't want.

"It's a long-term plan. We've just signed young players, Omari Patrick, Tyrell Robinson, Callum Gunner and Dan Pybus, and why should we rush now?

"Everyone expects automatic promotion. But so do the others like Portsmouth, Plymouth, Charlton, MK Dons – they all think the same.

"Teams like Blackburn and Wigan will have huge budgets and be expected to go back up like Bolton did.

"That's the reason we have to be cool and calm down to see we do the right thing. We have certain players like (Alex) Jones and (Charlie) Wyke and we want to build a proper team that can play a couple of years together in League One and also the Championship."

Stuart McCall and head of recruitment Greg Abbott are both on holiday this week but regular communication has continued as City build a strategy for the new season.

Rahic stressed that does not mean throwing money at the first available players and said: "There has to be logic and a plan.

"After Wembley, they want us to sign players for £5,000-£6,000 a week. That will never happen at Bradford in League One.

"We're a working class club with working class, affordable tickets. As we proved last summer, and particularly in January, we will only do our business when it's right.

"We don't want to change that many players but now once more we have to because we have so many out of contract and it wasn't clear what league we'd play in.

"We have a certain budget and we want to do it properly, so we have to find the right ones.

"We research the character and history of the player – everything, not just somebody who's on the market.

"It does take time but Greg and I from the recruitment point of view are relaxed. There are so many players around.

"The transfer period has a certain rhythm. We don't want to build a squad now and then be disappointed that we don't get the players in August because it is full.

"Look at Romain Vincelot last year. He wasn't available at this time. Neither was Jones or Wyke at the beginning of the January window.

"People should understand we have a certain logic and it will be the same all the time."

City have also announced more pre-season friendlies, including a mouth-watering home clash with Newcastle.

The Premier League new boys visit Valley Parade on Wednesday, July 26 – four days after north-east rivals Sunderland head to West Yorkshire. Both games are subject to confirmation from the police and authorities.

The Bantams make their annual trip to Guiseley on Tuesday, July 18 as well as Halifax on July 29.