Hard as nails.

Class today.

He’s been great, just what this team needed.

He's had two great games. Well done him

I do rate Bardsley's spirit for certain.

But he makes me nervous..so so.so nervous, on every tackle.

Great against Utd and Liverpool but can see him giving away a goal scoring opportunity in equal measure.

He keeps me on my toes that for certain

Superb again today

Huge fan of Lowton, but at this very moment in time, Bardsley is completely deserving of the shirt!

Outstanding again today. I agree, just the type of player we needed at this time where we’ve needed to assert ourselves and be a bit more physical.

Thought his booking was unlucky and probably owed more to Klopp than what actually happened.

Outstanding stuff today from Bardsley. Hundreds of Top Flight Games of experience.

Showed fight and bite again. Exactly what we need. On the ball he is calm and posseses quality. All he lacks is pace.

Exactly the sort of clever, experienced head we need right now. Knows how to win a ball and also knows how to win a free kick.

doesn't give us what Lowts gives us going forward, but an ideal spirit currently to show the necessary fight

Set the tone again , it's the only way we are going to survive .

NRC wrote:doesn't give us what Lowts gives us going forward, but an ideal spirit currently to show the necessary fight

We do miss Lowtons energy getting forward and supporting. BUT Bardsley is showing all the fight we need. And defensively, which is where our main issue has been he is fantastic.

cricketfieldclarets wrote:We do miss Lowtons energy getting forward and supporting. BUT Bardsley is showing all the fight we need. And defensively, which is where our main issue has been he is fantastic.

Bardsley can play left back, did that plenty at both Stoke and Sunderland.

Just putting it out there....

jedi_master wrote:Bardsley can play left back, did that plenty at both Stoke and Sunderland.

Just putting it out there....

Thats not as bad a suggestion as it sounds.

cricketfieldclarets wrote:We do miss Lowtons energy getting forward and supporting. BUT Bardsley is showing all the fight we need. And defensively, which is where our main issue has been he is fantastic.

Bardsley deserves his chance again. Lowton has been awful this season

Yes excellent today. If we could find a midfielder with his grit and determination we'd be a different side.

I love him, Taylor could learn a thing or two from him.

I'm particular pleased that he's not afraid to use his left foot and so doesn't position his body in an awkward way that invites pressure/causes problems (upon receiving the ball)

Bloody hell Bards was a colossus again today... ...

Not a pretty game by any order but winning ugly far better than being beaten handsome any day of the week when you are in our position...

A number of posters on here need to get their heads out of their own Arses and get a grip. We are fighting here for our Prem futures for christs sake

NRC wrote:doesn't give us what Lowts gives us going forward, but an ideal spirit currently to show the necessary fight

Lowton deceives going forward, for me- He’s always next to JBG offering an easy out ball 10 yards back but it’s only a couple of times that it clicks a game properly.

I watched Bardsley today going forward and he pushes and tries to get inside which forces JBG to actually become a winger and not just pass it back to the RB when he has a chance to. I think the way Bardsley plays forces JBG to try harder and create something as he either has to go at the player or create a chance to whip a ball in.

Late on when Lennon came on there was a chance where he could have attacked down the line but instead chose the easier option of giving it straight back to Bardsley.

—

More than anything with a Bardsley is his determination to be in the game - he is constantly trying to show for the ball and is visibly distraught when a player doesn’t give it him in a good position .... there was a point against Liverpool too when he was angry with Brady for being behind him and cancelling our defensive offside line because we were attacking and Brady was just strolling up the pitch instead of getting involved .... it’s that sort of fight I want in our players ... he has a rash tackle in him but he knows when to hit hard and when to give away the tactical fouls when we’re under the kosh ... more importantly he also know how to win a foul against him when he’s under the kosh.

Bardsley was immense against Liverpool and was probably MOM today. Right man at the right time.
Only an injury or sending off will rule him out of the team now.

How the majority on here couldn't see he was a leader....baffles me. As does the support for Chris Wood at £15 million... Poor in the extreme I'm afraid sorry.

The other big thing I noticed today was in the last couple of minutes when Brighton had corners and our players were getting fired up - it was Bardsley who was just motioning to keep it calm and get on with what we needed to do.

Brighton had an attack late on which was completely nullified when bardsley slid in and timed a tackle to perfection and ended up giving the free kick away out wise - I can’t have been the only one who who had a feeling we’d lost the lead there when the player was running at/past Bardsley.

My type of player is Bardsley. Loves a good tackle.

Two outstanding games.
For me, Tarks ran him close but, he gets my MoM again.

Will admit to being a bit nervous when he's thundering in for a challenge.
Hate to think what a mistimed one from him could result in.

Shoot me down if you wish but does anybody else think that Bardsley could step into a deep midfield holding role? (Think of Graham Alexander....)

We need somebody who is calm, assured and a leader there to help shore things up a little. In the short term at least could he do the job for us?

He’s a poor mans Stuart Pearce but hard as nails and very experienced in the dark arts . He’s a man you need in the trenches and he’s been excellent. Lowton ( who I like) flatters to deceive far too often and though he’s more skillfull than Bardsley the overlap think rarely works out.
If Taylor is given his head more often he could be a real outlet

How did he not get a penalty when he got kicked in the head?!!

Great today.

Just what the team and the fans need at the moment: someone who is going to get properly stuck in

Bosscat wrote:Bloody hell Bards was a colossus again today... ...

Not a pretty game by any order but winning ugly far better than being beaten handsome any day of the week when you are in our position...

A number of posters on here need to get their heads out of their own Arses and get a grip. We are fighting here for our Prem futures for christs sake

But most are praising him.

He's put fire in the team ala Joey Barton, and we were desperate for it. I hope he can keep it up, and keep his place. I like Lowts but we need Bardsley now.

A very clever player.

When the ball is between him and the attacker he sometimes looks like he is undecided whether to get the ball or flatten the attacker. It's certainly interesting watching him. He was good again today and the back four have played better since he came back in the team. As someone has mentioned we could do with a midfielder with his physicality and desire to use it.

Who would have thought that he'd be the man who made the difference?

Agree with Colburn regards the Barton comparison. Aside from his own personal attributes his experience/game management will be critical in the games where we have to pick-up points. In addition it's hard to imagine anyone not putting in a shift if they are answerable to him. It's very early days yet but initial feelings are that this week is week is something of a turning point.

Fantastic today - loved his fist pump to CFS when he was leaving the pitch after the game.

His enthusiasm/commitment is a tightrope for me. For everything good he did today, another day he’d have been punished by a better team for giving cheap free kicks away.

Also another ref might not have seen his obvious slip as a foul by Murray leaving him clean through either.

The change needed to be made by Dyche though, as Lowtons form had definitely slipped.

Obviously, very pleased with these last two games

Pleased with him, but he's not an attacking full back in the same way as Lowton is.

But he's been great defensively and that extra bite (when controlled correctly) has really helped

Lancasterclaret wrote:Pleased with him, but he's not an attacking full back in the same way as Lowton is.

But he's been great defensively and that extra bite (when controlled correctly) has really helped

The 40yd strike on Wednesday wasn't half bad for a 'non' attacking full back and am sure he tried a similar one today

His enthusiasm is infectious as seen by his fist pump while walking off tonight after the game

I really didn't think he was up to much and definitely believed Lowton was the better player on last season's outings. But he was superb on Wednesday and again today and as it stands I'm eating reasonably large portions of humble pie.

Certainly our best full back at the moment

Taylor is playing well as well btw

Excellent today, man of the match for me. His experience is clear to see. He can be a bit rash but is a much cleverer player than I had given him credit for. His bite is exactly what we’ve been missing, there were numerous times today where Brighton players pulled out of challenges or played the ball in haste for fear of being Bardsleyed.

As another poster says, a player of the same ilk in midfield would make a huge difference.

Lancasterclaret wrote:Taylor is playing well as well btw

By championship standards absolutely

One thing is for certain, he brought his passion and desire with him these last two games and just when we needed it the most. Been mightily impressed.

BurnleyPaul wrote:Shoot me down if you wish but does anybody else think that Bardsley could step into a deep midfield holding role? (Think of Graham Alexander....)

We need somebody who is calm, assured and a leader there to help shore things up a little. In the short term at least could he do the job for us?

Tim Noone has being saying exactly this for some time.

cricketfieldclarets wrote:Tim Noone has being saying exactly this for some time.

This would actually free up Defour to create more alongside Cork as the forward 2 in a 3.

I think we are moving in the right direction now..