It is undoubtedly one of the more remarkable managerial appointments in recent history, and Mark Hughes’s unveiling as the new Bradford City manager may not have been possible at all had the Bantams’ chief executive, Ryan Sparks, not been so thorough when it comes to checking his email account.
The League Two strugglers caused a huge shock on Thursday when they announced that Hughes, the former Manchester City and Southampton manager who has never taken charge of a club outside the Premier League, had been appointed as Derek Adams’ successor on a deal until the summer of 2024.
The move marks Hughes’s return to management since being sacked by Saints over three years ago, but it almost didn’t come to fruiti…