CITY need an experienced manager to take the club by the scruff of the neck next season.

Morecambe’s Derek Adams is the expected choice to assume the Valley Parade hot-seat after Monday’s League Two play-off final.

The club remain tight-lipped on their target but have been relaxed about it since replacing Mark Trueman and Conor Sellars.

Former City winger Andy Kiwomya insists they need a battle-hardened figure in the dug-out who knows how to handle the expectations of the returning fans.

He said: “It’s good to see the club are trying to control the situation as best they can. They are not getting pushed into anything.

“They are focused and know what they want. They’ve got a direction moving forward and that’s what Bradford City need right now.

“It seems over the years that they’ve had to adapt to certain situations, like when Simon Grayson was here and they didn’t really know what was happening going into the following season.

“Hopefully we’ll see the man that everybody is touting start in the next couple of weeks.

“The danger with a lot of managers and coaches that come to Bradford is that they can’t deal with the high expectation.

“We’re outside a division that the fans expect us to be playing in.

“If you can’t get us playing in a way fans want to see and gets results, then it’s going to be very difficult to appease people.

“Managers that have been in that position before deal with it better because they have the experience needed.”

Whoever takes charge will have a clean slate to work with after nine out-of-contract players were shown the door at the end of the season.

Kiwomya believes that makes the challenge more attractive for the new boss.

“That will be one of the reasons he would believe he can make such an impact,” he added.

“There isn’t anything more that they will have to do other than select the players they want.

“The team have underachieved over the past couple of seasons and I don’t believe any of those who have gone can say they weren’t given a fair chance.

“They’ve been at the club long enough to know what’s expected. When Bradford City don’t deliver, then there are going to be consequences.

“It’s a good opportunity for the club and the new manager to really stamp their authority on this division and give it the best chance of getting out.

“You see what Derek Adams has done in getting to the play-offs. He’s overachieved with Morecambe.

“Imagine, if it is to be him, what he could do with a team like Bradford City with the resources and fanbase.”

Adams is going for his fourth managerial promotion when Morecambe face Newport at Wembley – a winning CV that has attracted City’s interest in their bid to escape the fourth tier at the third time of asking.

Kiwomya said: “The experience needed to get this club promotion has to come from somebody with a proven track record. Hopefully we might have found that person.

“We need somebody who can go into those situations and calm everybody knowing that they’d been there before.

“You can have a plan to consolidate your position but the club need more than that.

“They need to be pushing forward and the fans need to see progression.

“Unfortunately, Mark and Conor got them into a strong position but couldn’t take it any further to where the fans and owners would want to see.

“But it’s good that hopefully they will stay at the club because they have got big futures at Bradford City.”