View source for David Bardsley

{{short description|English footballer}}
{{EngvarB|date=August 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = David Bardsley
| image = 
| fullname = David John Bardsley
| height = 5 ft 10 in<ref>{{cite book |title=Rothmans Football Yearbook 1987–88 |editor-first=Peter |editor-last=Dunk |publisher=Queen Anne Press |location=London |date=1987 |page=380 |isbn=978-0-356-14354-5}}</ref>
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1964|9|11|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Manchester]], England
| position = [[Defender (association football)|Defender]]
| years1 = 1981–1983
| clubs1 = [[Blackpool F.C.|Blackpool]]
| caps1 = 45
| goals1 = 0
| years2 = 1983–1987
| clubs2 = [[Watford F.C.|Watford]]
| caps2 = 100
| goals2 = 7
| years3 = 1987–1989
| clubs3 = [[Oxford United F.C.|Oxford United]]
| caps3 = 74
| goals3 = 7
| years4 = 1989–1998
| clubs4 = [[Queens Park Rangers F.C.|Queens Park Rangers]]
| caps4 = 253
| goals4 = 4
| years5 = 1998–2000
| clubs5 = [[Blackpool F.C.|Blackpool]]
| caps5 = 64
| goals5 = 0
| years6 = 2001
| clubs6 = [[Northwich Victoria F.C.|Northwich Victoria]]
| caps6 = 2
| goals6 = 0
| totalcaps = 538
| totalgoals = 18
| nationalyears1 = 1983      | nationalteam1 = [[England national under-18 football team|England Youth]]    | nationalcaps1 = 2  | nationalgoals1 = 0
| nationalyears2 = 1992–1993
| nationalteam2 = [[England national football team|England]]
| nationalcaps2 = 2
| nationalgoals2 = 0
}}
'''David John Bardsley''' (born 11 September 1964) is an English football coach and former professional [[association football|footballer]].

As a player, he was a [[defender (association football)|defender]], playing in the [[Premier League]] for [[Queens Park Rangers F.C.|Queens Park Rangers]]. He also played in the [[Football League]] with [[Blackpool F.C.|Blackpool]], [[Watford F.C.|Watford]] and [[Oxford United F.C.|Oxford United]] before finishing his career with non-league side [[Northwich Victoria F.C.|Northwich Victoria]]. He was capped twice by the [[England national football team|England national team]]. 

After his retirement, he opened football schools in England and the United States and has previously worked for [[Eredivise]] side [[AFC Ajax]] as a [[Florida]]-based coach for their [[Ajax Orlando Prospects|American affiliate]] team.

==Club career==
Bardsley started with [[Blackpool F.C.|Blackpool]] in 1982 and subsequently moved to [[Watford F.C|Watford]] in 1983 for £150,000 where he was noted for his pace, and played every game in Watford's run to the [[1984 FA Cup Final]], where they eventually lost to [[Everton F.C.|Everton]]. He played 121 matches in all competitions for Watford, scoring nine goals.<ref name=WhosWho>{{cite book|last=Jones|first=Trefor|year=1996|title=Watford Football Club Illustrated Who's Who|isbn=0-9527458-0-1|page=31|publisher=T.G. Jones }}</ref> In September 1987 Bardsley transferred to [[Oxford United F.C.|Oxford United]] to replace [[David Langan]] for a then club record of £265,000. He played 89 games for Oxford, scoring seven goals. In 1989 Bardsley completed a £500,000 move to [[Queens Park Rangers F.C.|QPR]].<ref name=WhosWho/>

Bardsley played in the QPR team of the early to mid-1990s that finished fifth in the [[FA Premier League 1992-93|Premier League in 1992–93]], eighth in [[FA Premier League 1993-94|1993–94]] and eighth in [[FA Premier League|1995]]. He was part of the Premier League Team of the Year for 1992–93, the inaugural season of the Premier League.

After QPR's relegation from the Premier League in 1996, Bardsley suffered a potentially career-threatening Achilles tendon injury that kept him out for the best part of two seasons. He returned at the end of the 1997–98 season in the midst of a relegation battle under [[Ray Harford]]'s management. In total, he played 253 games in nine seasons for QPR, scoring four goals, helping keep QPR in Division One and the Premier League.<ref name=Blastfromthepast/>

Bardsley was released on a free transfer at the end of the 1997–98 season and returned to play for his first club, Blackpool.<ref name=independent>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football-yoyo-clubs-fight-the-twilight-zone-1169971.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090404070246/http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football-yoyo-clubs-fight-the-twilight-zone-1169971.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=4 April 2009|title='Yo-yo' clubs fight the Twilight Zone|first=Nick|last=Harris|access-date=5 September 2010|date=6 August 1998|newspaper=The Independent}}</ref> 
After leaving Blackpool, he played for non-League [[Northwich Victoria F.C.|Northwich Victoria]].<ref name=Blastfromthepast/>

==International career==
Bardsley's international career started at youth level, where he earned six England Youth International caps, before progressing to earn four England U21 caps. While at QPR, Bardsley was capped twice for [[England national football team|England]] by his former club manager [[Graham Taylor (football manager)|Graham Taylor]] during the 1992–93 season, playing against [[Spain national football team|Spain]] and [[Poland national football team|Poland]] in a Friendly and a World Cup Qualifier respectively.<ref name=faprofile>{{cite web|url=http://www.thefa.com/England/All-Teams/Players?p=337805|title=David Bardsley|publisher=Football Association|access-date=5 September 2010}}</ref><ref name=WATN>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/fa_cup/6426535.stm|title=Where are they now...Plymouth v Watford 1984|work=BBC Sport|access-date=5 September 2010|date=8 March 2007|first1=Chris|last1=Bevan|first2=Chris|last2=Charles}}</ref>

==Coaching career==
After Northwich Victoria, Bardsley opened his own soccer schools. He subsequently moved to America and in March 2007 [[BBC Sport]] reported that he was the director of [[Ajax America|Ajax]]'s academy in Florida.<ref name=WATN/> His schools subsequently ended their association with Ajax, but continued to coach a couple of teams until 2016.<ref name=Blastfromthepast>{{cite web |url=http://www.qpr.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10373~1178780,00.html |title=Blast from the past |publisher=Queens Park Rangers FC |access-date=5 September 2010 |date=29 November 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120825175401/http://www.qpr.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0%2C%2C10373~1178780%2C00.html |archive-date=25 August 2012}}</ref>

==Honours==
'''Individual'''
*[[PFA Team of the Year]]: [[1988–89 Football League#Second Division|1988–89 Second Division]],<ref>{{cite book |last=Lynch |title=The Official P.F.A. Footballers Heroes |page=147}}</ref> [[1992–93 Premier League]]<ref>{{cite book |last=Lynch |title=The Official P.F.A. Footballers Heroes |page=149}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}
{{1988–89 Football League Second Division PFA Team of the Year}}
{{1992–93 Premier League Team of the Year}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bardsley, David}}
[[Category:1964 births]]
[[Category:Blackpool F.C. players]]
[[Category:Watford F.C. players]]
[[Category:Oxford United F.C. players]]
[[Category:Queens Park Rangers F.C. players]]
[[Category:Northwich Victoria F.C. players]]
[[Category:England men's international footballers]]
[[Category:Footballers from Manchester]]
[[Category:English men's footballers]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Premier League players]]
[[Category:English Football League players]]
[[Category:England men's youth international footballers]]
[[Category:Men's association football fullbacks]]