Skysports.com studies a dramatic fall from grace that has taken Bradford from top to bottom.
Skysports.com studies a dramatic fall from grace that has taken Bradford from the top to the bottom.
In May 2000, David Wetherall netted against Liverpool to preserve Bradford City's standing among the Premier League elite and ensure that they would enjoy a second season on English football's grandest stage.
Fast forward 12 years and there is a very real threat that May 2012 will see the Bantams complete a dramatic fall from grace and become the first side to slip out of the Football League having once graced the Premier League.
Football is littered with tales of outstanding success and epic failure, but this is one story being written in West Yorkshire that would not look out of place in the West End.
All of the ingredients are there - unfashionable club upsets the odds to break into the big time, only to discover that chasing the dream is a costly business that often leads to rack and ruin.
We may not be talking Hollywood blockbuster material here, but in sporting circles the Bantams have found themselves aboard a remarkable rollercoaster.
Few would have expected them to fall so far and so hard when they welcomed the dawn of a new millennium sat at the top table, feasting on the finest footballing fruits.
This is an unforgiving business, though, and they have found out the hard way that staying at the top is a lot harder than getting there.
Right now, Bradford would snap your hand off for three points away at Southend United on Friday - a situation which appeared unimaginable when they were readying themselves for trips to Old Trafford, Anfield and Stamford Bridge.
Harsh reality
This is the harsh reality of life at Valley Parade right now, with the club barely keeping their head above water.
They sit 22nd in League Two, with just three points separating them from a standing inside the fourth tier drop zone.
Fortunately for them, Dagenham & Redbridge and Plymouth Argyle have endured similar troubles this term, but the Pilgrims are starting to show signs of life and they will be determined to avoid back-to-back relegations.
Bradford desperately need to get their house in order if they are to avoid being dragged into the bottom two, with it difficult to shake yourself out of a slump once the rot sets in.
They have 26 games in which to steer a course to safety, with Phil Parkinson the man charged with the task of overseeing a successful survival bid.
Part of the problem for Bradford lies in their dugout, though, with the club having adopted something of a revolving door policy when it comes to managers since Paul Jewell - the man who took them to the top of the game - departed at the end of the 1999/00 campaign.
There have been some big names take the reins as well, with the likes of Bryan Robson, Colin Todd, Stuart McCall and Peter Taylor having come and gone - in double quick time in some cases.
Slipping backwards
There is plenty of Premier League experience there, with Taylor having even taken in a short stint as England manager in 2000.
Bradford have, however, slipped slowly backwards, with last season's 18th place finish in League Two marking a new low.
Financial troubles, the managerial merry-go-round, underperforming players, a failure to establish stability and consistency - all factors that have contributed to the Bantams' demise.
They are now in grave danger of taking yet another step backwards and making history for all of the wrong reasons.
Speaking to Bradford supporters, it is clear that there are deep-rooted problems at the club.
Tactics have been condemned, while an alarming lack of passion on the field has offered little hope to those who have been forced to endure every minute of the Valley Parade nightmare.
Clinging to hope, regardless of how bad things get, is what football supporters do best, though, and no-one is about to write Bradford off with over half of the season still to come.
The clock is ticking, though, and the Bantams need to start writing their own scripts if their story is to have a happy(ish) ending.
