A second footballer hits out at Burnley for how he was released earlier this summer, speaking about it to talkSPORT earlier this week.
Phil Bardsley has become the second player to reveal that the Clarets released him without any notice earlier this summer.
After Dale Stephens told the same radio station he discovered his exit via Twitter, Bardsley has come out and say he discovered his exit via the players’ group chat.
The Scotsman’s stay at Turf Moor lasted five years, joining the club in 2017 and making 57 league appearances.
Like Stephens though, he feels let down by the club’s lack of gratitude or communication regarding his future. Bardsley adds that enjoying time off at a beach club in Spain probably helped.
“It was actually on the players’ group chat,” the 37-year-old told talkSPORT when asked how he found out about being released.
“I had a little day out with the wife, while we were away from the kids in Spain.
“My phone pinged and there was a little link. I’ve checked it and it was all the players that have been released by Burnley.
“It was quite strange, to be honest. But I sort of forgot about it because I was having such a good time!
“I think especially when you’ve been there for a period of time – four or five years is quite a long time at a football club – you just think someone would pick up and the phone and say, ‘Thanks for everything’.
“But it wasn’t the case. I found out on the lads’ group chat and then it was on Sky Sports News.”
🤷♂️ “He knew his contract ran out.”
😡 “What players want is for the clubs to come running after them.”
🤔 “To play 57 games over 5 years, let’s get context on how valuable Phil was.”
Simon Jordan responds to Phil Bardsley hitting out at Burnley for how he left. pic.twitter.com/XvEdYptFfH
— talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) July 7, 2022
Simon Jordan said on Bardsley: “He knows his contract is running down. You don’t know. I think there’s probably more courtesy in letting him know before he reads it on a group chat or comes out on social media or via Sky Sports. But he knows his contract is running out on June the 30th. What he expects then is whilst he’s on holiday, is for someone to be chasing him, saying, what should we do with your contract? Burnley aren’t coming on air saying, we didn’t hear from Phil Bardsley, so we’re really fed up. He hasn’t tried to renew his contract.You’ve got a player coming on and going, well, it’s me, I’m on holiday. And nobody phoned me up and said that, we don’t want you anymore, and it’s awful. And I was there for five years and I knew when my contract expired, but nobody came round and sat down with me, embraced me for the fact that I wasn’t going to be getting 50,000 pound a week anymore.That’s what you want to play 57 games over five years is some total of eleven games per year. I mean, let’s get some context here about how valuable he may or may not have been to Burnley.
White: Does that matter?
Jordan: Well, it doesn’t. It doesn’t because there is an expectation. It doesn’t. It doesn’t because he’s clearly not been of that intrinsic value to Burnley because he’s made an average of eleven games per season, which is less than a third of the seasons every year. So he’s been there for five years. He knew when his contract was expiring. What they want you to do is they want you to run after them.
White: Who’s them?
Jordan: The players. I see. This player, if he wanted a new contract and was interested in staying at Burnley, he could quite easily get his gospel agent to pick up the phone to the chief executive and establish exactly where his contract situation was going to be.What he wanted was he wants everybody to come running after them and say, right, well, actually, let us tell you where you are. If you’re not that interested to find out for yourself, why should we be that interested in telling you? If you know what your contract tells you on June 30? I know that unless I hear otherwise, I’m out of contract. I know the answer, so I didn’t hear otherwise. What I want it’s in the sort of going towards the Yaya Toure. I didn’t get a birthday card, so I should be upset. I know where I am. My contract says, I know as a big boy that my contract expires on June the 30th. If I haven’t heard anything, then I must assume that amount of contract, I might find myself somewhere else. He knows where he stands. He signed a contract that expires on June 30th 2022. If he doesn’t hear anything else, what else does he expect?
White: So you really expect…
Jordan: What you’re asking for is this nanny state of please come in here. No. We love you and we valued you, but we don’t know how we’re going to get along without you.But as from Monday, we’re going to try. Is that what you wanted to hear?
White: Why didn’t he get a phone call?
Jordan: Why should he?
White: Why shouldn’t he?
Jordan: Why should he? And the club honored every single obligation it had with him. Paid his wages, paid everything that he was due.
White: And he honored every obligation to them.
Jordan: And the contract ends.
Dale Stephens was left confused when everyone else was informed of his exit before he was.
He told talkSPORT’s Sunday Session: “The writing was on the wall in the period I had there.
“It was disappointing on both sides, I didn’t really see it panning out the way that it did because when I initially went there I was excited for the challenge, but for whatever reason it didn’t work for me or the football club.
“I sort of knew that I wouldn’t be there next year.
“It probably sums my time up there, but I found out on Twitter, of all places, that I wouldn’t be getting a new contract.
“It was bizarre really. I knew anyway before my contract expired but it’s when they release it to the press and stuff and I just see it on my Twitter feed that I’ve been released.
“There’s just not much dialogue in terms of offering contracts etc, but it’s a clean break which isn’t always a bad way to go about it.
“At least you know where you stand in the long term.”
When questioned about what’s next, Stephens said: “The last week or two have been okay, but in two or three weeks or so if it’s still quite quiet…
“A few lads are in the same position, but the closer it gets to the start of the season which is at the end of the month in the Championship, it is going to play on your mind a little bit more.
“At the moment I’m in a good enough position where I’m lucky to go down to Brighton and train and I’m due to do that this week until Friday.
“I know I’m doing as much as I can in the meantime, but I can imagine that in a couple of weeks’ time it’ll be a little bit edgy.”
He added: “It’s about trying to find the right fit really.
“I’ve had a difficult couple of years the last two years with not playing many minutes so the main focus is around trying to get as many games as possible over the next couple of years.
“I’d like to finish playing, rather than going out not playing enough minutes in the latter stages of my career.”
📱 “I actually found out I’d been released on Twitter…”
❌ “It’s bizarre. There wasn’t dialogue, but it was a clean break.”
Dale Stephens reveals how he found out he’d been released by Burnley pic.twitter.com/2UMb6mPVeX
— talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) July 3, 2022
Fans reacted as a second footballer hits out at Burnley for how he was released…
@Derbyalpaca: Derbys always got spaces open Phil
@Jamesstretford: Then he got removed from the group chat. Superb.
@oldtimerclaret: Wierd that his wife knew before the end of the season, who told her?
@talkingsportzz: This is why I don’t understand when clubs and fans expect loyalty to a club.
@Sam33084087: His wife literally posted about him leaving burnley before his contract was up
@Marv_119: and continues the TalkSPORT agenda against Burnley. Since we’ve dropped out of the PL you’ve been more interested in us than ever before to slate our club? Lay off it lads.
@HolidaiSon: I’m confused. If your contract is up and no talks have taken place to renew …. how would you not know that you were being released 😂 🤷♂️
@StanhillClaret: Man who knew his contract was running out amazed when his contract runs out. 🤔
@p_williams26: Think some of these players need to be having a word with their agents and not the club
@Martynho87: So when his contract was running down and the club hadn’t offered him a new one did his agent not think to speak to the club and find out what the situation was and then relay that information to him. This might a have been a huge clue that he wasn’t being retained
@AdamMoorhouse1: What’s he lying for??? 🤷🤷
@abbie_bfc: What a load of shit. Tanya posted on Instagram almost a month before the released list was announced on Twitter by Burnley.
“Found out whilst on holiday in the lads group chat”
Wife posts this the day after the last game of the season….
— Turfy Topper (@TurfyTopper) July 6, 2022
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