Bradford clear-out begins

There are times when Jim Jefferies goes home at night when he must feel the words frying pan and fire hanging around his shoulders. Jefferies was sacked as manager of Hearts in October with the Scottish Premier League club stymied by debt and an unsustainable wage bill.

Jefferies arrived at Valley Parade the following month and was immediately reacquainted with a club stymied by Premiership economics and boasting an unsustainable wage bill. For good measure Bradford City were also bottom of the Premiership and were staring at relegation.

Yesterday the daunting reality of the situation was revealed when Jefferies said that Bradford were "open to offers" for their three most gifted individual players, Stan Collymore, Benito Carbone and Dan Petrescu. Together the three earn £80,000 per week, some £4 million annually.

Collymore may be allowed to leave for nothing but the trouble for Bradford is that as Collymore acknowledged before kick-off: "No one wants to take me."

"He's not caused any problems," said Jefferies, "there's nothing behind the scenes. It's purely a football matter."

As for the other two, who both came on as substitutes last night and who are both cup-tied therefore, Jefferies is hopeful of some movement. Carbone is searching for his tenth club and there is said to be interest from Italy. Jefferies said Carbone was "realistic" about his and Bradford's future.

"I talked to Stan as well and I feel for us to have a chance (of escaping relegation) then we have to go a certain way."

For Bradford City the way is out with flair and superstar salaries, in with Yorkshire grit and Yorkshire economics.