I do like Bardo, he gives his all but to be honest as the team gets better he's getting found out quite a bit. How many times in the last months have we seen him just lump the ball upfield to no-one. Compared to Colback/Rico at LB there's basically always double more crosses getting in from our right hand side. He's a good squad player, but I think RB is a priority in the transfer window.
Completely disagree mate, I think that Bardsley is a natural RB and would play better in a better team. Without doubt a quality striker is our main priority.
Have to disagree massively , as well as having a brilliant attitude, the guy is as tough as they come, would run through a brick wall for the team. Not only is he a very good fullback he has every quality a club captain should have and I would have no worries if he was club captain next season. For me he pushes Sess all the way for player of the season, our weakest defensive link is without doubt Left back , never had a proper L/B for a very long time
As most of the replies seem to be against you.. I'm neither agreeing nor dis-agreeing... Bardo is a good player, gives his all...Yes we need a l/b more.. But........can Bardo take it up a level, which is what we all hope the club overall does.... Hope so, along with a few others.
He's a lower EPL RB at best. If we want to go to 'the next level' we have to be ruthless. Yes, I know he gives his all and would run through a brick wall, but so would everyone on this board.
For me LB is the big defensive worry-I think Jack Colback will do a good job but feel he is a better midfielder;I'm with commachio regarding Bardo.A goal scorer is my priority
I think you are a million miles off the mark, there is not many better R/B outside the top 6. What is the "next level" bearing in mind we are sitting 11th and can easily drop a couple of places as well as climb a couple.There are many more positions we need to improve before we think about R/B's.
Seems like I'm going to be the only one who is going to agree with you. I couldn't care if a player plays with there heart on there sleeve the main priority has to be if they are good enough and for us to go up that next level Bardsley should be a squad player. He is a decent not good defensive full back and a poor one going forward compared to some in the league. This heart on the sleeve stuff and throwing himself into tackles seems to cover up the long punts to no1 into the opposition half. Maybe because we have been so poor for so many years people have forgotten what quality footballers are like and these sorts of things are more impressive to the fans than the quality of the player. Its like in some fans minds without them really realizing it we are an average club so Bardsley will do instead of trying to improve and bring in someone better who will do just as good if not better on the defensive side and offer us something else on the attack. I think there will be a couple of departures and players told they will not be first team regulars next season by MoN in the summer that will shock the majority of the fans and I wouldn't be suprised if Bardsley is one of them. Bardsley is the sort of player that if just say we got relagated only the bottom clubs would come in for as thats his level, if we want to push on we need a modern day full back, look at Kyle Walker he is fantastic defensively and going forward thats the mould of a full back (well 2, lb as well) we need if we really want to push on and dare I say it try and do what Newcastle have done this season and upset the top clubs Loads of fans will totally disagree with me here but I think maybe not next season as its looking likely we wont have that much money invested from Short but the season after I dont think Bardsley will be at SAFC
I used to think Bardo was below the standard we need, especially against quick wingers. However, this season his positional play is fantastic, and he has coped with the likes of Bale very well. Him and Catts have got to be the most improved players of the season. Plus, he seems to get forward much better than before and his over lapping with Larsson have been very good, though possibly not quite as good as Gardner but 20x better than O'Shea. We need a new RB, but only to increase cover and to compete with, not necessarily to take his place. As for LB, I dont think it is our weakest spot anymore. Colback is great there, so our weakest area is strikers. edit: every season i say "maybe bardo has reached his best" but every season, so far, he has proved me wrong and he is improving all the time. He is 26, so still a season or 2 before he hits his prime. (about 28/29 years old normally).
Have to disagree, I think we need more like him. IMO our main priorities would be LB/creative MF/2xStrikers.
I think Bardo is a cracking player and the best teams are made up of a mixture of his like and an added bit of quality. Right back is very low on our list of priorities imo and i think mons too. Strikers and a creative midfielder are priority. Id still say gk and lb are higher on the list too.
The sun shines out of Bardos arse when he is playing, when the team give out a **** performance he is still giving a good one
Out of interest, why a creative midfielder? Surely with Sess you don't need another one, a top class holding midfielder would be better, then a new striker if you're as expected going to play 4-4-2
Bardsley is our best defender by a country mile. You then compliment Ricco who is our worst defender by a country mile. (And RIcco isn't good enough to displace anyone else in the more forward positions. Hopefully he will be one of the ones Short wants off the books.)
I think both sides are right here. Bardo is a solid, dependable right back, and there are few better in the league, but then, that's not saying a great deal, as i'd suggest RB is the weakest position in the whole league (if you think of the best in each position, you struggle for RB, I sure did...) The talk about him punting it, however, is very, very true, I'm a Bardo fan, because of his ethic, and ball winning qualities, but annoyingly, as he carries the ball well, his first instinct IS to hump it. He's a right-back, we could use a 'wing back', someone who uses the ball a bit better, someone like Jorge Fucile of Uruguay. The downside is that most good attacking wing-backs are pony defenders...
I lost interest at the point where the OP said Bardsley wasn't as good a defender as Colback or FFS, Richardson (one of the worst defenders I've ever seen at Sunderland). Bardsley isn't a top 4 or 5 defender but I'll tell you what, he'd walk into ANY of the EPL clubs sides outside the top 4 or 5 imo. He is a very, very good tackler, decent in the air, rarely gets skinned and above all has fantastic heart and commitment. Ok, we know he isn't Maldini in his passing ability but he isn't that poor either. Boils my piss a bit when good lads get slagged off by fans. Our problem for 4 years is we need a regular left back that isn't Colback or Richardson, not a new right back.
So true. It's as if we have waited so long for a LB it's no longer a priority! The two positions we are desperate for are CF and LB. WE have created some canny chances recently, with no one busting a gut to get on the end of them. Bendtners aversion to getting into the box is really pissing me off. I always thought he would come good in a side like ours rather than Arsenals passy passy footy. He is a good player he just doesn't have that strikers instinct for taking a chance.
