Bradford boss Graham Alexander has given insight into his relationship with Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe during his playing career.
After beating two Championship sides, the Bantams have earned an exciting clash with the Magpies at St James’ Park.
It is the first time the two sides have met since 2001, with Carl Cort and Clarence Acuna scoring to secure a point for the Magpies at Valley Parade. However, there must be a winner on Wednesday night, one way or another, with a place in the Carabao Cup fourth round up for grabs.
Newcastle United enter the Carabao Cup as defending champions, the first time they have done so in any tournament since their Fairs Cup win in 1969. Eddie Howe will be hoping for a positive result at home to try and lift the confidence of his players after a sluggish start to the season.
There will be an unexpected reunion during the game, with Howe coming up against Graham Alexander, a player he managed at Burnley in 2011. While it is an unexpected encounter for the two, their relationship was not always perfect.
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Graham Alexander thinks he and Eddie Howe did not like each other at Burnley
Alexander was a very well-respected player during his career, making over 1,000 appearances for club and country. Joining Burnley at the age of 36 in 2007, he became a club legend for his contributions, helping them gain promotion to the Premier League in 2009.
He was still a big part of the squad when Howe arrived during the 2010/11 season, but was released at the end of the season.
By then, the relationship between the pair had soured. In an interview with the Bradford Telegraph and Argus, Alexander said: “I was obviously desperate to play. Because of my age, I knew I didn’t have five or six years in front of me to enjoy football.
“But Eddie had his own plans for what he wanted to create at Burnley, which I understand now as a manager myself.
“He was very coach-minded, he was on the grass every day working with the players and had a clear idea how he wanted them to play. But the period I had under him was difficult for me – and it probably was for Eddie as well coming to a new club and having that changeover.
“I’d obviously had a fantastic time at Burnley and been a really important player for them in the previous two or three seasons. But these things can happen.
“I’ve got to be honest, I didn’t particularly like Eddie at the time and I’m sure he didn’t like me. I don’t think I handled that period great.”
Eddie Howe responds to Graham Alexander’s friendship claims
It appears that the pair have patched things up since, as in the same interview, Alexander shares that Howe congratulated him for getting the Fleetwood Town job in 2012.
Howe has made it clear that he does not speak to opposition managers before a game, preferring to get himself locked in for the challenges that lie ahead on the football pitch. However, the pair will surely catch up after the game and laugh about old times.
In his pre-match press conference, Howe responded to the claims that Alexander did not get on with him while at Burnley, admitting that his younger self was wrong to drop him.
“I really like Graham, so that’s news to me,” he told Bradford Telegraph and Argus.
“It was a difficult situation. I was very young coming into a new club, and part of my brief at Burnley was to try and change the side into a younger-looking team in a new direction.
“Burnley’s squad at the time was heavy with experienced players having just come out of the Premier League. So, it was a period of change really.
“Graham, I could see from the outset, was an absolute winner with his mindset. He wanted to do everything and play every game.
“Possibly looking back, it was a learning experience for me. I didn’t play him enough and I should have played him more.”
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