SOME would use their managerial “sabbatical” to tour the world and chill out on a beach somewhere exotic.

Gary Bowyer spent his absence from the game writing a 15,000-word university dissertation.

City’s new manager admittedly found time to spend Christmas and New Year in Australia with wife Claire as he made the most of being out of the festive fixture rat race.

But the bulk of the seven-month period since he walked away from Blackpool has been focused on finishing a course in Masters of Sport Directorship studies at Manchester Met University.

READ MORE: Bowyer calls for United front at City

A fortnight ago, he found out that he had passed with flying colours – earning a distinction.

His thesis “on sporting directors’ experiences in recruiting first-team managers” no doubt doubling as useful homework before receiving the call from Julian Rhodes last Sunday to take the City reins.

“It was topical and kept me very interested,” said Bowyer. “I was fortunate because I was able to go round and interview sporting directors who had been through the process and understand it a little bit more.

“The two-year part-time course was fascinating. I learned a hell of a lot, not just from the whole process, but the actual information that was gathered as well.

“When I became manager at Blackburn I got really introduced to it. I worked very closely with Madam (Anuradha) Desai, the owner, and the managing director and finance director.

“It was a real eye-opener and I enjoyed that side of it.

“I was aware of the course and thought it was something I would enjoy. It was brilliant.

“There were fabulous people on the course from rugby league, rugby union, women’s football.

“Mike Rush, the CEO from St Helens, was brilliant. There was Ben Stirling, the head of performance at Warrington Wolves at the time, Phil Winstanley from England rugby union; Vikram Solanki at Surrey - he always used to get my questions on cricket which I’m sure he wasn’t best pleased about.

“The England goalkeeper Karen Bardsley was there – it was a great mix.”

Bowyer is not one for simply living in the football bubble. He also loves his cricket and rugby league – the 47-year-old is a keen Wigan Warriors fan although he lives in Warrington.

He smiled: “I go upstairs on the bus when we’re on away trips to watch the Super League on my laptop while the rest are watching the football.

“I used to take the staff at Blackburn and Blackpool to Wigan games occasionally.

“And on our course, we had to go to an organisation and study that for the day. I went into Warrington Wolves and met Tony Smith and we developed a friendship.

“He texted Monday night and wished us all the very best. I’ve invited him down to have a look around and speak to the players.

“He’s a wonderful coach who has won a hell of a lot at Leeds.”

With no football to get in the way, Mrs Bowyer had the pleasure of her first cricket match on Boxing Day in Melbourne among a crowd of 70,000 watching Australia against India. Her husband admitted it didn’t go down too well.

“It was a very slow day. So, I then took her the next day to the SCG when we flew to Sydney.

“We watched the T20 and she enjoyed that better than the Test match but that wasn’t hard.

“But we were lucky to have three weeks in Australia over Christmas. I was able to stand under Sydney Harbour Bridge on New Year’s Eve.

“That was fantastic and you’re never going to get that chance in football.”

Bowyer revealed he had fielded one offer to return to management before then and a couple of enquiries after he came back.

City, though, was the one that really pricked his interest. The short-term deal just to the end of the season did not dampen his enthusiasm.

He said: “Honestly, it was the lure of Bradford City. I didn’t go ‘oh, it’s only 11 games’.

“It was ‘wow, this is Bradford City and what a fabulous football club’. That was my main decision-making process, not that it’s only this or that.

“I’m fortunate enough now to say I’ve got Bradford City manager on my CV.”

It’s a record that now not only includes the qualification to take up a role as sporting director but also features periods in two of the tougher football environments.

Dealing with off-field issues and politics came with the job description of managing both Blackburn and Blackpool.

But he looks back on both as a valuable hot-seat education – one that will likely be tested over the next couple of months at Valley Parade.

“The two jobs I had were fantastic grounding, learning curves for me,” he added.

“You go on courses and then go into real life and they didn’t prepare you for what you have to experience.

“When I took over at caretaker second time at Blackburn, we found ourselves in the bottom three. So, I’ve got experience in being in and around those areas and how we got out of it.

“You’d like to think that from what you learned then, you can decide what worked and what we need to be better at. Hopefully we can reap the benefits here.”