MARK Hughes might have missed out on managing Bradford City – because his application landed in the junk email.

Hughes declared his interest in the Valley Parade vacancy last Friday night through his son and agent Alex.

But chief executive Ryan Sparks was having email issues with messages diverting into the wrong box and did not pick it up for three hours.

“Always check your junk email,” he smiled. “I go through that every day and made a phone call very quickly to apologise. I am usually on it.

“Don’t get me wrong, I am sure there would have been contact by other means at some point.

“But it was one of those bizarre instances. It must be some bug.

“But that’s how it started – with a chuckle if you like.”

Sparks was certainly on full beam after the press conference to officially unveil Hughes to the football world.

It has been a tough period with plenty of flak flying about. Some attacks had got so personal that he was advised to change his phone number.

So why shouldn’t Sparks savour the coup of landing a legendary name whose entire management career up to now has been in the Premier League?

“Initially, when the last manager left the club, I wouldn't have possibly expected Mark Hughes to be the next manager, I won't lie.

“But once the conversations started, I genuinely thought it was possible. Conversations went on and they were positive and we have got to this point.

"I am not going to do the club a disservice. I know what this club can be and has been in the past.

“So, I think it is fantastic that Mark recognises that and when the email came through, I wouldn't say I was stunned, but very taken aback to a point.

“But I was not shocked entirely. It's a big football club with huge potential and it aligns with what Mark wants to achieve.”

It was not difficult to convince Stefan Rupp to commit to “someone who was not on the list” when potential targets were drawn up.

Sparks sat down with Hughes on Monday night and they had a Zoom meeting with owner Rupp on Wednesday “to close the deal very quickly.”

Sparks added: “With anything like this, Mark's reputation speaks for itself, but we have to make sure we are on the same page and there's an understanding.

“I was very honest as to where this football club is, not just in terms of itself, but the position in the EFL and what that means from a financial perspective.

“We don't have the facilities Mark will have had at other clubs. But he has not come into it looking at it with any negative thoughts.

I know what this club can be and has been in the past.

“His eyes are wide open and, in some areas, he has been surprised by what we have got and will be able to take it forward from there.

“I speak to a lot of chief execs and some chairpersons in the division and I had a lot of text messages saying they were taken aback and did not see it coming.

“That is good and a reminder to the teams in this division what we are.”

It is also a timely boost for the support who have grown more jaded through the loveless end to Derek Adams’ brief tenure.

Sparks is confident that bringing in “Sparky” Hughes, an appointment he has called one of the biggest in City’s history, can help heal the rift that was developing in the stands.

“We had a divided fanbase, let's not beat around the bush. What was left behind from the previous managerial situation left a lot of questions for supporters.

“In that regard, it has been a disappointing campaign when you come in short of what you have invested in the squad and things around the squad. It is not something you take well.

“If you don't invest in the squad and are turning up to make up the numbers, you probably take mid-table on the chin. That is not good enough for us and I said that from the start.

“Obviously, the supporter base will respond to Mark and we hope today is a proper Valley Parade party for Mark and his family to get a real feel of what the club can be.”

A few jaws certainly dropped at the training ground when Hughes was introduced to the changing room.

“Footballers are massive football fans, don't forget,” said Sparks. “They were quite taken aback when Mark rocked up in the car and walked in.

“Their confidence is low at the moment and the squad is fragile, no doubt about that. We are down on numbers and there are some tired legs in that dressing room.

“I think he will get an extra 10 to 20 per cent and the crowd can play a massive part in that.

“Mark is an absolute born winner and what he has achieved in football far surpasses, with all due respect, any other Bradford City manager to some degree.

“He has done it exceptionally well and I expect that mentality to be reflected onto the players."

Can Hughes mastermind a late surge to the play-off goal that is looking more and more out of reach?

"For me, you are never going to write things off until it is mathematically impossible. It is an ambitious appointment for that reason.

“In the same breath, it is a stretch this season, but it gives him a period of time to inject a winning culture into the club and see how many of them he feels he can take into next year.”