he was at bradford during their most successful times, including their first appearance at wembley stadium in the 1996 second division play-off final and their promotion to the premier league in the 1998–99 season. he left after the club was relegated in 2001 and went into administration in 2002, having lost the confidence of the fans. the failure of the club was put down to heavy spending in the club's second season in the premier league and the collapse of itv digital with the resulting loss of television rights. richmond said: "i will never, ever, forgive myself for spending the money we did. looking back now, it was six weeks of madness and i hold my hands up." he later added: "i went into my office on the following monday and cleared my desk. as i drove away, i was in tears. it had been my life, and i have never been back since.