Lee Bradbury: 'I feel I could play for at least another couple of years'
Well, well, old badbuy is the temporary No. 1 at Dean Court after Eddie Howe at last made up his mind and joined Burnley in the Championship after turning down a number of suitors that included Charlton Athletic and Crystal Palace, now managed by other ex-Blues in Chrissy Powell and Dougie Freedman respectively!
Bradbury told www.bournemouthecho.co.uk at the time: "It's a lucky break. There is a great togetherness and camaraderie among the squad and (Mitchell) didn't want to risk losing that. There is never a perfect time to hang up your boots or to go into management. I feel I could play for at least another couple of years. But the way I look at it, this could be the start of a 20-year career in management."
And the 35-year-old 11-club man hasn't done himself any harm with a goaless draw away to Rochdale on Tuesday in his first game, but then following up with a terrific 1-0 win over leaders Brighton Satuirday afternoon!
Bradbury said after the game: "The lads were a different class and they have been since I took over. I've told them you get out what you put in and they put a lot in and are getting a lot out of it. They are making my job easy. Brighton are one of the best passing teams in the league and we made them look decidedly average. We dealt with them well. That's two clean sheets in two games and I can't remember the last time we did that. I've got bits of paper all over the house which has upset my wife a bit, but you've got to prepare properly and we got the rewards."
Blimey, with the Cherries in second place, now only three points behind the Seagulls, the south coast side could be playing against their former boss sooner rather than later, and veteran Lee not such a target for an easy laugh here on S24 that he has been in the past.
League One Top Ten
1 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 24 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 26 | 9 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 16 | 10 | 13 | 7 | 4 | 42 | 19 | 46 | +23 | ||||
2 | Bournemouth | 26 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 32 | 10 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 14 | 17 | 12 | 7 | 7 | 46 | 27 | 43 | +19 | ||||
3 | Huddersfield Town | 26 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 22 | 12 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 20 | 20 | 13 | 4 | 9 | 42 | 32 | 43 | +10 | ||||
4 | Southampton | 25 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 23 | 9 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 20 | 13 | 12 | 5 | 8 | 43 | 22 | 41 | +21 | ||||
5 | Peterborough United | 24 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 36 | 25 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 14 | 21 | 12 | 3 | 9 | 50 | 46 | 39 | +4 | ||||
6 | Milton Keynes Dons | 26 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 21 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 13 | 25 | 12 | 3 | 11 | 34 | 37 | 39 | -3 | ||||
7 | Charlton Athletic | 24 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 15 | 15 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 26 | 20 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 41 | 35 | 38 | +6 | ||||
8 | Oldham Athletic | 24 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 20 | 17 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 16 | 17 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 36 | 34 | 38 | +2 | ||||
9 | Rochdale | 25 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 19 | 15 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 16 | 15 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 35 | 30 | 36 | +5 | ||||
10 | Colchester United | 23 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 21 | 20 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 11 | 11 | 8 | 11 | 4 | 32 | 31 | 35 | +1 |
The Bradbury Files
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Lee Michael Bradbury | ||
Date of birth | 3 July 1975 (1975-07-03) | ||
Place of birth | Cowes, England | ||
Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||
Playing position | Striker, Defender | ||
Club information | |||
Current club | Bournemouth | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
1995-1997 | Portsmouth | 54 | (15) |
1995 | → Exeter City (loan) | 14 | (5) |
1997-1998 | Manchester City | 40 | (10) |
1998-1999 | Crystal Palace | 32 | (6) |
1999 | → Birmingham City (loan) | 8 | (0) |
1999-2004 | Portsmouth | 99 | (28) |
2002-2003 | → Sheffield Wednesday (loan) | 11 | (3) |
2003-2004 | → Derby County (loan) | 7 | (0) |
2004 | Walsall | 8 | (1) |
2004-2006 | Oxford United | 63 | (9) |
2006-2007 | Southend United | 47 | (5) |
2007 | → Bournemouth (loan) | 1 | (0) |
2007-2011 | Bournemouth | 112 | (10) |
Teams managed | |||
2011-present | Bournemouth | ||
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 08:58, 4 July 2010 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). |
(Player info supplied by Wikipedia, for the full article go here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Bradbury)