GRAHAM Alexander insists he will not be side-tracked by talk of a protest at the Tranmere game.

The Bradford City fans independent group plan to demonstrate against the City hierarchy outside Valley Parade before kick-off.

Alexander has no issue with supporters voicing their concerns but will not allow any outside noise to distract his attempts to end the current four-game losing streak.

“I wasn’t aware of it until Monday,” said the City boss. “I’m quite lucky that I’m not on social media, I try to focus on things closer to me that I can handle or influence.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been involved when something like that has come along. There has been talk of it happening previously.

“It doesn’t change my job or my messaging to the players and the motivation to play well.

“Britain has a brilliant tradition of free speech and allowing people to air their views.

“I’m the last person to say people shouldn’t be doing this or that. It’s a free country.”

Alexander hopes to improve the increasingly-agitated mood around the club by halting the slide that has effectively killed City’s hopes of making the play-off picture.

He can understand fans wanting to make a point.

“People have a much longer history with Bradford City than I do. They have different emotions and more knowledge of what makes them feel as they do.

“I can only deal with the four or five months I’ve been here and the future, which is the most important thing for me.

“I don’t really know if I have to deal with it, to be honest. It’s not outside my house, it’s outside my work place.

“I’ve got a job to do and I really need to concentrate on that rather than get veered off that course.

“I can understand why people are upset. It’s football, it’s part of life and I get it.

“I don’t know how much, apart from creating a winning team, I can do to help that.

“I’ll try to create a winning team to do my bit to help people feel better and hopefully that will be enough.”

City will be without Alex Gilliead again and are also monitoring a couple of fresh knocks from the Harrogate game.

Alexander said: “Gilly won’t be available. He’s doing his rehab so will be another week or so.

“We’ve got a couple of other boys having scans from things they picked up at the weekend.

“We’ll wait to see who we have fully fit. But unfortunately, there are a couple of issues.

“It’s not players who usually pick up niggles, so we’re just making sure we do the right things.

“We’ll still have a team I feel can win the game. It’s not about the players missing but the ones we have.”