Bardsley sounds danger warning

Apr 6 2009 By Stuart Rayner, The Journal

PHIL Bardsley has warned his Sunderland team-mates they are in danger of coasting towards relegation.

The right-back responded to Saturday’s 2-0 defeat at West Ham United by telling his colleagues to "step up to the plate" and start operating as a team, or face the consequences.

Defeat sucked the Black Cats closer to the Premier League relegation zone many expected them to be well clear of when this season started. Sunderland are three points and one place above the bottom three, only West Bromwich Albion preventing the North East from claiming a totally unwanted 1-2-3.

The straight-talking Bardsley was in no doubt the players need to take much more responsibility for their plight.

The Mancunian did not absolve himself of blame but, having been Sunderland’s best and most spirited performer at Upton Park, could not have been accused of failing to give his all. The same might not be said of all those in red-and-white stripes at the weekend.

"We aredisappointed," he said. "We have to improve, we have to improve massively. It is time to step up to the plate now. We are not playing as a team, I don’t think, and confidence- wise it is not great.

"We have to start rolling up our sleeves and really get on with it.

"We need to show more than we did at West Ham. I am sure if we do that, we will climb up the league. The results lately have not been going our way but you have to graft. We all want to graft, we all want to do it. If not, we are going to find ourselves in the bottom three."