Phillip Anthony Bardsley (born 28 June 1985) is a professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...
who plays as a
defender for
Stockport County
Stockport County Football Club are a professional football club in Stockport, England, who compete in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1883 as Heaton Norris Rovers, they were renamed Stockport Co ...
. He has played international football for the
Scotland national team.
Bardsley began his career with
Manchester United where he made 18 appearances in five seasons at the club. During that time, he was loaned to several clubs, including
Royal Antwerp
Royal Antwerp Football Club, often referred to as Royal Antwerp or simply Antwerp, is a Belgian football club based in the city of Antwerp. Founded around 1880 as ''Antwerp Cricket Club'' by English students residing in Antwerp, 15 years before ...
,
Burnley
Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2001 population of 73,021. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, Lancashire, Preston, at the confluence of the River C ...
,
Rangers,
Aston Villa and
Sheffield United
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history of cutlery production. The team have played home games at ...
.
He joined
Sunderland in January 2008 for an initial fee of £850,000. Bardsley established himself as a regular at the
Stadium of Light under
Steve Bruce and
Martin O'Neill
Martin Hugh Michael O'Neill, (born 1 March 1952) is a Northern Irish professional football manager and former player who played as a midfielder.
Starting his career in Northern Ireland, O'Neill moved to England where he spent most of his playi ...
and he won the player of the year award in
2010–11
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. ...
. He lost his place in the team in
2012–13
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...
after a falling-out with manager
Paolo Di Canio
Paolo Di Canio (born 9 July 1968) is an Italian former professional footballer and manager. During his playing career he made over 500 league appearances and scored over one hundred goals as a forward. He primarily played as a deep-lying forward ...
, before returning to the first team under
Gus Poyet
Gustavo Augusto Poyet Domínguez (; born 15 November 1967) is a Uruguayan professional football manager and former footballer. He is currently the head coach of the Greece national football team.
Poyet played as a midfielder and began his car ...
. Under Poyet, Bardsley helped Sunderland to avoid relegation in
2013–14 and reach the
2014 Football League Cup Final, in which they lost 3–1 to
Manchester City.
After his Sunderland contract expired in June 2014, Bardsley joined
Stoke City on a free transfer. He spent three seasons with the club before joining
Burnley
Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2001 population of 73,021. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, Lancashire, Preston, at the confluence of the River C ...
in July 2017.
Early life
Born at
Hope Hospital in Salford, Bardsley attended
Hope High School along with former United teammates
Mark Redshaw and
Mark Howard. Bardsley started his career with Charlestown Lads Club also with Redshaw before signing for Manchester United.
He grew up near Manchester United's old training ground,
The Cliff, and would often go there on his school holidays to watch the players train. Prior to his departure for Sunderland, he was the only current player who progressed through all the levels of the academy, starting out at the club at the age of 8.
Club career
Manchester United
After coming through the club's youth system, Bardsley was a regular in Manchester United's under-17 team from the 2000–01 season, before progressing to the under-19s from the 2002–03 season. He continued in the under-19s in
2003–04, but appeared more frequently in the reserves before making his first-team debut in a 2–0 defeat to
West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion Football Club () is an English professional football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was formed in 1878 and has pl ...
on 3 December 2003 in the fourth round of the
League Cup
In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...
. He made a second appearance for the first team in the 3–0
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
fourth round win over
Northampton Town
Northampton Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Northampton, England. The team plays in , the fourth tier of the English football league system.
Founded in 1897, the club competed in the Midland ...
on 25 January 2004, before going on a four-month loan to Manchester United's Belgian feeder club,
Royal Antwerp
Royal Antwerp Football Club, often referred to as Royal Antwerp or simply Antwerp, is a Belgian football club based in the city of Antwerp. Founded around 1880 as ''Antwerp Cricket Club'' by English students residing in Antwerp, 15 years before ...
, on 30 January. He made six appearances for Royal Antwerp, including a 4–0 defeat to
Club Brugge on 8 February 2004, in which he was sent off for two bookable offences.
After returning to Manchester United at the end of 2003–04, Bardsley made three appearances on the club's
2004–05 pre-season tour of the United States, playing against
Bayern Munich,
Celtic and
Milan
Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...
. He made another promising start to the
2005–06 season, and an injury to
Gary Neville
Gary Alexander Neville (born 18 February 1975) is an English football pundit and former player. He is also a co-owner of English Football League club Salford City. After retiring from football in 2011, Neville went into punditry and was a comm ...
gave him plenty of opportunities to play between August and November 2005. He was regularly named as a substitute for much of the rest of the season, before going on loan to
Championship
In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.
Championship systems
Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship.
Title match system
In this system ...
club
Burnley
Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2001 population of 73,021. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, Lancashire, Preston, at the confluence of the River C ...
on 16 March 2006. He played six matches and scored an own goal in the first minute of a 1–1 draw at home to
Southampton
Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
.
Loan to Rangers
Bardsley again made a significant contribution to Manchester United's pre-season programme in
2006–07, but on 16 August, he was sent out on loan again, this time to
Scottish Premier League club
Rangers. On 9 September 2006, he scored his only goal for Rangers against
Falkirk with a terrific long-range free kick. He was sent off against
Hibernian, and therefore missed the
Old Firm
The Old Firm is the collective name for the Scottish football clubs Celtic and Rangers, which are both based in Glasgow. The two clubs are by far the most successful and popular in Scotland, and the rivalry between them has become deeply em ...
match against
Celtic. On 17 October, it was reported that Bardsley was involved in a training ground disagreement with manager
Paul Le Guen
Paul Joseph Marie Le Guen (, ; born 1 March 1964) is a French professional football manager and former player. He was most recently the manager of Ligue 2 club Le Havre.
During his playing career, Le Guen played as a midfielder, and enjoyed a su ...
and his future at Rangers appeared to be in doubt. Indeed, Bardsley never played for Rangers again and returned to Manchester United in December.
Loan to Aston Villa
On 8 January 2007, Bardsley joined
Aston Villa on loan until the end of the season and played his first
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...
match against
Watford
Watford () is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, 15 miles northwest of Central London, on the River Colne.
Initially a small market town, the Grand Junction Canal encouraged the construction of paper-making mills, print works, and ...
on 20 January. It was announced on 1 May that Bardsley would be returning to Manchester United when his loan deal with Villa ran out as manager
Martin O'Neill
Martin Hugh Michael O'Neill, (born 1 March 1952) is a Northern Irish professional football manager and former player who played as a midfielder.
Starting his career in Northern Ireland, O'Neill moved to England where he spent most of his playi ...
did not want to make the move permanent.
Loan to Sheffield United
After playing what would turn out to be his last match for the Manchester United first team against
Coventry City
Coventry City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Coventry, West Midlands, England. The team currently compete in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. The club is nicknamed t ...
in the League Cup on 26 September 2007, it was confirmed on 15 October Bardsley would join
Sheffield United
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history of cutlery production. The team have played home games at ...
on loan until January 2008. He made his full debut for the Blades a few days later in a 1–1 draw with
Preston North End at Bramall Lane. Despite Sheffield United agreeing a deal with Manchester United to sign him permanently,
Bardsley left at the end of his loan deal in January 2008 after playing 16 matches.
Sunderland
![Phil Bardsley 2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9f/Phil_Bardsley_2.jpg)
On 22 January 2008, Bardsley joined Sunderland on a three-and-a-half-year contract in a deal worth an initial £850,000, potentially rising to £2 million. He made his debut in a 2–0 win against
Birmingham City
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. Sin ...
in the Premier League on 29 January. Bardsley played 11 times under
Roy Keane in
2007–08 as Sunderland successfully avoided relegation by three points. On 27 August 2008 Bardsley scored his first goal in English football in a 2–1 victory against
Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. Nottingham Forest was founded in 1865 and have been playing their home games at the City Ground, on the banks of the River Tren ...
in the
League Cup
In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...
. Bardsley lost out to
Pascal Chimbonda during the first half of the
2008–09 campaign before regaining his place in the team in November 2008. He retained his place under
Ricky Sbragia
Richard Sbragia (born 26 May 1956) is a Scottish football coach and former player.
His playing career, mainly in the English lower leagues began at Birmingham City, Walsall, Blackpool, York City and a loan spell at Darlington. Sbragia had a b ...
, playing in total 33 times in 2008–09 as Sunderland survived relegation on the final day of the season.
![Phil Bardsley cropped](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a1/Phil_Bardsley_cropped.jpg)
Bardsley kept his place under new manager
Steve Bruce for the first half of the
2009–10 season until loan signing
Alan Hutton
Alan Hutton (born 30 November 1984) is a Scottish former professional footballer who played as a right back.
Hutton started his career with Rangers, and won the league title in 2005. He moved to English football with Tottenham Hotspur in 200 ...
took his place in February 2010. From there until the end of the campaign Bardsley was mainly used as a substitute and due his lack of playing time, Bardsley stated that he may have to consider leaving. However Hutton didn't make his move permanent and Bardsley was able to reclaim his place in the side and in November 2010, he signed a new three-and-a-half-year deal running until summer 2014. He scored his first league goal against
Aston Villa on 5 January 2011 with a 25-yard strike in a 1–0 win. He then scored his second of the season with another long range strike against
Chelsea
Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to:
Places Australia
* Chelsea, Victoria
Canada
* Chelsea, Nova Scotia
* Chelsea, Quebec
United Kingdom
* Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames
** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...
on 1 February 2012 in a 4–2 defeat. He scored another long-range goal on 9 April 2011 in a 3–2 defeat against
West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion Football Club () is an English professional football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was formed in 1878 and has pl ...
. In total Bardsley played 37 times in
2010–11
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. ...
as the Black Cats finished in 10th position. Bardsley's consistent performances during the campaign earned him the Player of the year award.
Bardsley made a poor start to the
2011–12 season as he was sent-off in a 1–0 defeat against
rivals
A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant ...
Newcastle United on 21 August 2011. He was then handed a retrospective four-match ban by
the FA
The Football Association (also known as The FA) is the governing body of association football in England and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. Formed in 1863, it is the oldest football association in the world an ...
for an altercation
Juan Mata
Juan Manuel Mata García (born 28 April 1988) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Turkish Süper Lig club Galatasaray. He mostly plays as a central attacking midfielder, but he can also play on the wing.
A gr ...
in a 2–1 defeat by Chelsea on 10 September 2011. Despite this Bardsley retained his place in the side under
Martin O'Neill
Martin Hugh Michael O'Neill, (born 1 March 1952) is a Northern Irish professional football manager and former player who played as a midfielder.
Starting his career in Northern Ireland, O'Neill moved to England where he spent most of his playi ...
, playing a total of 37 matches as Sunderland finished in 13th position.
He missed the start of the
2012–13
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...
campaign after undergoing ankle surgery in August 2012. Bardsley returned to the side at the end of October 2012, with the team struggling near the bottom of the table.
Paolo Di Canio
Paolo Di Canio (born 9 July 1968) is an Italian former professional footballer and manager. During his playing career he made over 500 league appearances and scored over one hundred goals as a forward. He primarily played as a deep-lying forward ...
replaced O'Neill in March 2013 and he guided the team to back to back victories over Newcastle United and Everton lifting the club away from the relegation zone. Bardsley scored in the penultimate match of the season in a 1–1 draw with
Southampton
Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
on 12 May 2013. Bardsley missed the final match of the season away at
Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English football. The team has playe ...
after he and
Matthew Kilgallon
Matthew Shaun Kilgallon (born 8 January 1984) is an English former professional footballer who played as a centre-back.
Kilgallon began his career at Leeds United, where he came through the youth set up before becoming a fixture in their first ...
were pictured visiting a casino, angering Di Canio who vowed never to play the pair again. Di Canio also fined Bardsley as well as six other Sunderland players for "indiscipline" which prompted an investigation by
the PFA.
Bardsley began the
2013–14 season playing with the under-21s and whilst playing against
Bolton Wanderers on 12 August 2013 he broke his foot ending Di Canio's attempts to sell him. On 20 August 2013, Bardsley was suspended by Sunderland after mocking the club's opening day defeat to Fulham on a social media site. His suspension was lifted on 4 September 2013 after he apologised. Di Canio was sacked and replaced by
Gus Poyet
Gustavo Augusto Poyet Domínguez (; born 15 November 1967) is a Uruguayan professional football manager and former footballer. He is currently the head coach of the Greece national football team.
Poyet played as a midfielder and began his car ...
in October 2013 and brought Bardsley back into the first-team. He made a poor start on his return, scoring an own goal in a 4–0 defeat away at
Swansea City. His form improved thereafter scoring against Southampton in the League Cup and the only goal in a 1–0 win over
Manchester City on 10 November 2013. He scored against his former club Manchester United in the 2nd leg of the League Cup semi-final as Sunderland progressed to the final on penalties. Bardsley played the full match of the
2014 Football League Cup Final as Sunderland lost 3–1 to Manchester City. Bardsley played a total of 33 times in 2013–14 as Sunderland finished in 14th position.
Stoke City
With Bardsley's Sunderland contract due to expire at the end of June 2014, other clubs were free to approach him from January 2014. On 22 May 2014, Bardsley signed a three-year contract with
Stoke City. He made his Premier League debut for Stoke on the opening day of the
2014–15 season in a 1–0 defeat against
Aston Villa. Bardsley established himself as a regular under
Mark Hughes
Leslie Mark Hughes (born 1 November 1963) is a Welsh football coach and former player who is the manager of Bradford City.
During his playing career he usually operated as a forward or midfielder. He had two spells at Manchester United, an ...
but struggled with discipline, picking up nine yellow cards by March 2015. Bardsley played 30 times for Stoke in the 2014–15 season as Stoke finished in 9th position.
Bardsley lost his place in the Stoke squad for the
2015–16 season following the arrival of
Glen Johnson
Glen McLeod Cooper Johnson (''né'' Stephens; born 23 August 1984) is an English former professional footballer who played predominantly as a right back.
Johnson began his career at West Ham United, spending time on loan at Millwall, and was ...
from
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...
. Despite missing out on league appearances Bardsley played a part in Stoke's
League Cup
In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...
campaign. He was sent-off in the fourth round against
Chelsea
Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to:
Places Australia
* Chelsea, Victoria
Canada
* Chelsea, Nova Scotia
* Chelsea, Quebec
United Kingdom
* Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames
** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...
and scored a 30-yard free kick in the quarter final victory over
Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an offshoot ...
. Following injury to Johnson in February, Bardsley took his place back in the side until the end of the season. He made 17 appearances for Stoke in 2015–16 as Stoke again finished in 9th position.
Bardsley scored a rare goal in a 4–0
EFL Cup victory over
Stevenage on 23 August 2016. He suffered a knee injury on November which ruled him out for three months. He returned to the side in February but after getting sent-off against Chelsea on 18 March 2017 he was unable to get back into the team. Speaking in April 2017 Bardsley revealed that he is in limbo over whether he will be offered a new contract. Bardsley played 16 times in
2016–17 as Stoke finished in 13th position.
He signed a contract extension with Stoke on 26 May 2017.
Burnley
On 25 July 2017, Bardsley completed a transfer to Premier League club
Burnley
Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2001 population of 73,021. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, Lancashire, Preston, at the confluence of the River C ...
, signing a two-year contract.
On 7 March 2021, Bardsley agreed a new one-year contract with
Burnley
Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2001 population of 73,021. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, Lancashire, Preston, at the confluence of the River C ...
, keeping him at the club until the summer of 2022. On 10 June 2022, Burnley announced that Bardsley would be leaving the club when his contract expired at the end of June.
Stockport County
On 13 December 2022, Bardsley signed for
EFL League Two club
Stockport County
Stockport County Football Club are a professional football club in Stockport, England, who compete in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1883 as Heaton Norris Rovers, they were renamed Stockport Co ...
having been training with the club for the six months prior as he looked to return from injury. The move saw Bardsley agreeing to donate the entirety of his salary to the club's community trust.
International career
On 6 October 2010, Bardsley received a call-up for the
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
national team for the
Euro 2012 qualifier against the
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...
on 8 October 2010. He qualifies because his father was born in Glasgow. He made his debut on 11 October 2010 in a 3–2 defeat by World and European champions
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
, filling in for the injured
Alan Hutton
Alan Hutton (born 30 November 1984) is a Scottish former professional footballer who played as a right back.
Hutton started his career with Rangers, and won the league title in 2005. He moved to English football with Tottenham Hotspur in 200 ...
.
Style of play
Bardsley plays at
right-back
In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring.
Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...
and describes himself as a modern full-back.
Coaching career
In May 2017, Bardsley took a
UEFA B Licence course with the
Irish Football Association
The Irish Football Association (IFA) is the governing body for association football in Northern Ireland. It organised the Ireland national football team from 1880 to 1950, which after 1954, became the Northern Ireland national football team.
...
.
Personal life
Bardsley married glamour model
Tanya Robinson in 2014, with whom he has four children.
Career statistics
Club
International
Honours
Manchester United
*
FA Community Shield:
2007
Individual
*
Sunderland Player of the Year:
2010–11
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. ...
See also
*
List of Scotland international footballers born outside Scotland
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bardsley, Phil
1985 births
Living people
Footballers from Salford
English footballers
English people of Scottish descent
Scottish footballers
Scotland international footballers
Association football defenders
Manchester United F.C. players
Royal Antwerp F.C. players
Burnley F.C. players
Rangers F.C. players
Aston Villa F.C. players
Sheffield United F.C. players
Sunderland A.F.C. players
Stoke City F.C. players
Stockport County F.C. players
Premier League players
English Football League players
Scottish Premier League players
Expatriate footballers in Belgium