Bardsley not fazed over Keane rumours

10:44am Thursday 20th November 2008

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PHIL Bardsley has laughed off suggestions that Roy Keane was on the verge of quitting Sunderland at the end of last week, and claimed the Black Cats boss’ demeanour did not change during any stage of the club’s four-game losing run.

Wearside was awash with rumours on Friday afternoon suggesting Keane had walked out on Sunderland, with a local radio station running erroneous reports suggesting the Irishman’s position was in jeopardy.

Those rumours were finally put to bed on Saturday, when Keane appeared in the visitors’ dug-out at Ewood Park, and Bardsley claims Sunderland’s players were baffled by stories predicting their manager’s impending demise.

“I’m not really sure what went on last week with the manager to be honest,” said the full-back, who is likely to enjoy an extended run in the first team given Pascal Chimbonda’s appearance in last night’s reserve game with Blackburn.

“The manager has done a great job and the lads love working with him. There’s no reason why he wouldn’t want to be here.

“He isn’t really any different when things go badly because he’s been through it all before. He knows how difficult it is when you are playing some decent stuff, and you’re not getting that bit of lady luck you need to win a game.

He’s shown faith in us and I think we did him proud with the three points at Blackburn.”

Those three points have transformed Sunderland’s league position, catapulting the club from the relegation zone to 11th in the Premier League table.

With struggling West Ham visiting the Stadium of Light on Sunday, the Black Cats could find themselves in the top eight at the end of this weekend’s programme, and Bardsley admits the congestion in the bottom half of the table is making it difficult to keep a level head when faced with constantly fluctuating fortunes.

“It’s a balancing act,” he said. “It can be difficult not to get caught up in the pressure that’s on the team when you lose four games in a row, but you have to try because things can change very quickly.

“If you win a couple of games, you can’t get too carried away, if you lose a few, it’s the same. A couple of results can transform things, especially when you’re in a league that’s as tight as this one.

“If we put two wins together against West Ham, we’ll be a in strong position again in the top half of the table, even though last week we were in the bottom three and under pressure.”

This time last season, Sunderland were 18th in the table, and while the club’s position was similar before last weekend’s victory, Bardsley insists the standard of this season’s squad is much improved.

“I was here at the end of last season and I’m confident this squad is a lot stronger than it was,” he said. “The strength in depth is there, and we’ve got more players with experience of this level. We look stronger and, in general, the team spirit is very good.”

■ Wolves officials have discussed the possibility of extending Carlos Edwards’ loan spell at Molineux.

Edwards is currently on loan at the Championship leaders until December 28, but with his injury problems mounting, Keane had hinted at a possible recall.

That now appears unlikely, and rather than sending the Trinidad & Tobago international back to Wearside early, Wolves boss Mick McCarthy has been discussing the possibility of keeping the winger well into the New Year.

“Mick has spoken to someone there (Sunderland), and we’re told we might be able to keep him longer,” said Wolves chief executive Jez Moxey.

“We’d certainly hope to keep him at least to the end of the loan period.”