EDIN Rahic is planning for next season at City with Simon Grayson at the helm.

The new Valley Parade boss only signed an initial deal for the rest of the current campaign.

But chairman Rahic is hopeful that Grayson will be with the club a lot longer and is preparing for the future alongside him.

Grayson had a meeting yesterday with Rahic and head of recruitment Greg Abbott to go through all the players he has inherited from Stuart McCall.

The club are also looking for his input going forward – whatever happens between now and May.

Rahic said: "We are planning with Simon Grayson and his experience how to build a squad to be competitive in League One and especially, a plan B hopefully for us in the Championship.

"We want to do it with Simon because we still believe we can convince him to stay.

"As he knows the players better and better, we will make common decisions. We need to have two plans for League One and the Championship."

Speaking at City's fans' forum, Rahic revealed that he did not contact Grayson until the day after McCall was sacked. Yet the joint-owner insists they have got the best man for the job in taking them up to the Championship.

Rahic said: "We hadn't talked with any other manager before I spoke with Stuart on that Monday morning. I spoke to Simon for the first time on the Tuesday after the Oldham game.

"You see his track record. It's great for Bradford City that Simon Grayson has signed for the club.

"He's convinced it is also the best for him. He has won promotion four times and he can do it a fifth – and third with a Yorkshire club.

"He also gives us confidence to say 'yeah, I'll go to such a big club because they have a chance'.

"Of course, I would like to sign Simon Grayson for the next years. With Simon, we will have the best chance to go up.

"We also have to give him the feeling that we're a club who stand together.

"We have a chance over the next 12 games, especially on Saturday when we have to win against Portsmouth and start this turnaround.

"We all stay together and then we see what happens."

Charlie Wyke's availability for the weekend will hinge on successfully overturning his red card in the Plymouth loss.

The Telegraph & Argus understand that City have lodged an appeal with the Football Association against the striker's dismissal, which otherwise carries an automatic three-game ban.

The Bantams won their case over Wyke's previous sending-off against Oxford in December. They lodged another protest after Grayson had studied the footage of the centre forward's aerial clash with defender Sonny Bradley.

Abbott revealed they have had in-depth discussions with Grayson over the strengths and weaknesses of every member of the squad.

He said: "Simon's plan now is to win games as quickly as possible. He's assessing the squad trying to find out the characteristics, the personalities, the qualities, the abilities.

"The short-term plan is for him to get to know the group as quickly as possible and work out a system and game-plan to get the season back on track. We'll give him as much information and support as we can."