"What made it all the more special was that 18 months earlier, I looked to be on my way out of the club when Paolo Di Canio was there. He'd banished me and one or two others from the training ground. Don't get me wrong, some of his coaching sessions were enjoyable but there are ways and means of managing experienced pros and some of his man-management left a lot to be desired."
"I clicked with his successor, Gus Poyet. He wiped the slate clean and I enjoyed a new lease of life under him, playing wing-back for the first time and scoring a few goals too. At the end of that season, I had the chance of moving to Fulham, but instead I signed a new deal with Sunderland out of loyalty to Gus."
"That trip to Wembley came in 2014 when he scored in the League Cup semi-final before his side won on penalties, at his former stomping ground Old Trafford. You're talking about the thunderbolt shot which flew past David de Gea?, Bardsley asks. Nah seriously, it was a bit of a fumble by him because I hadn't connected cleanly, but that's one of the games I'll remember for the rest of my life."
Phil Bardsley joined Sunderland in January 2008 under Roy Keane and helped the club avoid Premier League relegation. Over his tenure, he experienced significant ups and downs, including being frozen out by manager Paolo Di Canio, who banished him from training. After Di Canio's departure, successor Gus Poyet rehabilitated Bardsley's career, allowing him to play wing-back and score goals. A highlight came in 2014 when Bardsley scored in a League Cup semi-final at Wembley, which Sunderland won on penalties. Despite receiving a move offer to Fulham, Bardsley renewed his contract with Sunderland out of loyalty to Poyet, eventually making 200 appearances for the club.
Read at www.fourfourtwo.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]