Mario Balotelli (Liverpool -> Nice)

I said being harsh is not a bad thing if it is equally distributed, i will not bother into checking your posts, i'm sure you're always right given how arrogant you come across, but i never saw you mock other players the way you mocked Mario.

"Personally speaking; I'm more concerned about how we are going to replace Mario's one goal this season. "

Without that goal we would have finished 7th, not 6th.

Also without his goals we would have been knocked out by Swansea and finished behind Ludogorets in our group (wasn't Brendan's fault, rest assured).

If you're talking about reasoned debate, i would be more than pleased to listen to your reasons of why Brendan's is the man to take us forward, i would give you 2x more reasons why he isn't.

F***ing hell give it a rest will you. Last season is in the past. Move the F**k on. Balotelli has no future at this club and no one gives two fucks except you.

If we have another sh*t season Brendan will be sacked and you will have your wish for a new manager granted. Ok.

I edited the post and cut out the last part before you quoted me.

I really believed that in this season Mario could help us ... i'll get over him leaving us, as time passes by.

I said being harsh is not a bad thing if it is equally distributed, i will not bother into checking your posts, i'm sure you're always right given how arrogant you come across

Hmm... now it's me that is arrogant? 

Okay; let's look at that - in a reasoned manner of course. [maybe even address 'double standards' while we are at it].

* Let's accept you rate Mario very highly and I don't; yes?

* Now let's pretend I rate Dejan highly and you don't; yes? Bear with me George.

* Why are you harsh on Dejan when you aren't harsh on Mario?

* Surely, if we follow your logic and the morals you would like to impose on me, you should be harsh on Mario too - still with me?

Now, having established that it's okay for you to favour a certain player, we then need to ask: why is it not okay for me (or anyone else) to favour another?

I mean: are you really saying, openly, honestly and without a hint of irony that your opinion on a player holds more sway than anyone else's? That because you don't rate a player; we should all agree with you and beat down on that player?    

Because, my wee friend, that is by any definition, both very arrogant and hypocritical of you.

As it stands - unlike your good self - I am very rarely, if ever, nasty, abusive about Liverpool players and very rarely, if ever, do I feel the need to call them names. Truth is; I have enough about me to voice my concerns without needing to stoop to that gutter level style of posting.

When it comes to Liverpool players I remain loyal (it's how I was reared by good Reds, back in the day) and normally... if I don't have anything good to say; I say nothing.

And that, George, is why you, when you actually read back, would have major problems either finding me being really harsh about Mario [I've never said anything that wasn't true] or praising Lovren and Moreno. 

The fact is George and I don't want to be too harsh here; unlike others, I don't believe that you are a WUM but you do (to borrow a phrase used about you)... have problems keeping up with your own bullshit.

Anyhow... back on topic - 'Super' Mario: he won't be missed and will easily be replaced [just as he has at every club he's been at] in my opinion, obviously.

That said and if it keeps you happy wee man: should Brendan decide to sell either (or both) Lovren and Moreno - they wouldn't be missed or hard to replace either, in my opinion. 

I was harsh on Mario at times, i reckon i have a soft spot for him and maybe i didn't criticise him as hard as other players, i wouldn't have said anything if he was used in the friendlies we played and if he didn't play well enough i would have been the first to say that he needs to go.

His treatment wasn't even close to what Lovren and Moreno have endured, Mario arrived early to train for the new season, given his personal problems, worked hard in training and never got any chance to prove that he is willing to work his way in the team. Why ? Why was Lambert played instead of him, knowing that we'll sell him, what has Mario's done to deserve being frozen out ? He was very professional for once in his career and even that isn't enough. That was my problem with Brendan and how he dealed with Mario. I don't think it's fair, that's all.

Maybe i've got the wrong impression from your previous posts, sorry if i jumped too early on conclusions.

So it looks like there were good reasons for Balotelli being on the outside looking in this off season. As I have mentioned before...Rodgers never really wanted Balotelli, he was the best of three bad options (Balo, Eto or nothing) presented to Brendan. It's no surprise that Brendan is ready to be rid of him. I had high hopes for Balotelli, but unfortunately his is only what many thought he would be..a high priced gamble that didn't pay off. Good luck elsewhere Mario.

 Blood Red: Rickie Lambert leaves Liverpool FC with dignity - unlike Mario Balotelli

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/blood-red-rickie-lambert-leaves-9769013
    05:00, 1 August 2015
    By James Pearce

James Pearce discusses a tale of two strikers at Anfield as Lambert leaves with respect



It’s a tale of two strikers left surplus to requirements after just one season at Liverpool.

Rickie Lambert has departed in a £3million move to West Brom, while Mario Balotelli will follow him out of the Anfield exit door as soon as the Reds can get a deal done.

The history books will illustrate why their Liverpool careers proved so shortlived.

Lambert scored three goals in 36 appearances (12 starts) and Balotelli managed four in 28 outings (14 starts).

With Christian Benteke, Roberto Firmino, Danny Ings and Divock Origi now on board, Lambert and Balotelli were never going to get given the chance by Brendan Rodgers to make amends.

Yet the manner in which they conducted themselves over the past 12 months could hardly be more contrasting.

Lambert leaves Anfield with his head held high and when he returns with the Baggies this season a warm reception is guaranteed.

Yes, the dream turned sour for the Kirkby-born frontman, who rejoined his boyhood club 17 years after he was released as a trainee.

But his commitment and dedication to the cause were never in question.


The only thing Lambert was guilty of last season was trying too hard.

The big frontman with the Liver Bird tattoo was so desperate to deliver that he heaped pressure on his own shoulders. He snatched at chances he would have dispatched with his eyes closed playing for Southampton.

Sadly, he never got to celebrate in front of the Kop, but what playing for the club meant to him was epitomised by the manic celebrations with the away end after his classy finish at Villa Park in January.

It’s also worth remembering that Lambert was only ever bought as a Plan B. He was a £4.5million back-up option.

It wasn’t his fault that the longer the season went on the more the manager seemed reluctant to go down that route.

Yet Lambert always kept his counsel. Not a bad word against anyone was uttered.

Asked to stop for an interview in the mixed zone after another frustrating bout of bench warming he simply said: “I better not.”

Always respectful. Always dignified. Always the model professional. That was why he was included on the pre-season tour of the Far East and Australia.

His days at the club were numbered but Rodgers knew he could count on the 33-year-old not to rock the boat.

The same couldn’t be said for Balotelli, who was relegated to doing shuttle runs at Melwood with Fabio Borini and Jose Enrique while the squad were away.

The concern was that Balotelli would cause friction and unrest so Rodgers opted to ostracize him.
'Calculated gamble' fails to pay off

When Liverpool paid AC Milan £16million for the Italy international a year ago the Anfield hierarchy insisted that financially it was a no brainer.

Rodgers described it as a “calculated gamble” on a player with a chequered past but there was a belief that even if Balotelli flopped the Reds would recoup that fee when they sold him.

Now there is no chance of that with Liverpool happy to take half of what they paid and desperate to avoid having to settle for a loan move which would see them subsidising his £90,000 per week basic salary.

A minority of fans believe that Balotelli has been harshly treated by Rodgers and that he deserves the opportunity to prove he can adapt to the Reds’ style. They are deluded.

Rodgers may not have wanted him initially but he gave the deal the green light when deadline day was looming and he was faced with a straight choice between Balotelli and Samuel Eto’o.

The Northern Irishman was committed to making it work. But all the promises Balotelli made him in his Melwood office prior to signing about knuckling down and committing to the team ethic were quickly broken.

Balotelli wasn’t interested in learning and adapting his style. A succession of pitiful excuses meant he regularly missed training.

Rodgers’ patience with him had snapped long before May.

Lambert departs with the respect of his team-mates and manager in tact. The reality for Balotelli is very different.

A minority of fans believe that Balotelli has been harshly treated by Rodgers and that he deserves the opportunity to prove he can adapt to the Reds’ style. They are deluded.

This.

So it looks like there were good reasons for Balotelli being on the outside looking in this off season. As I have mentioned before...Rodgers never really wanted Balotelli, he was the best of three bad options (Balo, Eto or nothing) presented to Brendan. It's no surprise that Brendan is ready to be rid of him. I had high hopes for Balotelli, but unfortunately his is only what many thought he would be..a high priced gamble that didn't pay off. Good luck elsewhere Mario.

 Blood Red: Rickie Lambert leaves Liverpool FC with dignity - unlike Mario Balotelli

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/blood-red-rickie-lambert-leaves-9769013
    05:00, 1 August 2015
    By James Pearce

James Pearce discusses a tale of two strikers at Anfield as Lambert leaves with respect



It’s a tale of two strikers left surplus to requirements after just one season at Liverpool.

Rickie Lambert has departed in a £3million move to West Brom, while Mario Balotelli will follow him out of the Anfield exit door as soon as the Reds can get a deal done.

The history books will illustrate why their Liverpool careers proved so shortlived.

Lambert scored three goals in 36 appearances (12 starts) and Balotelli managed four in 28 outings (14 starts).

With Christian Benteke, Roberto Firmino, Danny Ings and Divock Origi now on board, Lambert and Balotelli were never going to get given the chance by Brendan Rodgers to make amends.

Yet the manner in which they conducted themselves over the past 12 months could hardly be more contrasting.

Lambert leaves Anfield with his head held high and when he returns with the Baggies this season a warm reception is guaranteed.

Yes, the dream turned sour for the Kirkby-born frontman, who rejoined his boyhood club 17 years after he was released as a trainee.

But his commitment and dedication to the cause were never in question.


The only thing Lambert was guilty of last season was trying too hard.

The big frontman with the Liver Bird tattoo was so desperate to deliver that he heaped pressure on his own shoulders. He snatched at chances he would have dispatched with his eyes closed playing for Southampton.

Sadly, he never got to celebrate in front of the Kop, but what playing for the club meant to him was epitomised by the manic celebrations with the away end after his classy finish at Villa Park in January.

It’s also worth remembering that Lambert was only ever bought as a Plan B. He was a £4.5million back-up option.

It wasn’t his fault that the longer the season went on the more the manager seemed reluctant to go down that route.

Yet Lambert always kept his counsel. Not a bad word against anyone was uttered.

Asked to stop for an interview in the mixed zone after another frustrating bout of bench warming he simply said: “I better not.”

Always respectful. Always dignified. Always the model professional. That was why he was included on the pre-season tour of the Far East and Australia.

His days at the club were numbered but Rodgers knew he could count on the 33-year-old not to rock the boat.

The same couldn’t be said for Balotelli, who was relegated to doing shuttle runs at Melwood with Fabio Borini and Jose Enrique while the squad were away.

The concern was that Balotelli would cause friction and unrest so Rodgers opted to ostracize him.
'Calculated gamble' fails to pay off

When Liverpool paid AC Milan £16million for the Italy international a year ago the Anfield hierarchy insisted that financially it was a no brainer.

Rodgers described it as a “calculated gamble” on a player with a chequered past but there was a belief that even if Balotelli flopped the Reds would recoup that fee when they sold him.

Now there is no chance of that with Liverpool happy to take half of what they paid and desperate to avoid having to settle for a loan move which would see them subsidising his £90,000 per week basic salary.

A minority of fans believe that Balotelli has been harshly treated by Rodgers and that he deserves the opportunity to prove he can adapt to the Reds’ style. They are deluded.

Rodgers may not have wanted him initially but he gave the deal the green light when deadline day was looming and he was faced with a straight choice between Balotelli and Samuel Eto’o.

The Northern Irishman was committed to making it work. But all the promises Balotelli made him in his Melwood office prior to signing about knuckling down and committing to the team ethic were quickly broken.

Balotelli wasn’t interested in learning and adapting his style. A succession of pitiful excuses meant he regularly missed training.

Rodgers’ patience with him had snapped long before May.

Lambert departs with the respect of his team-mates and manager in tact. The reality for Balotelli is very different.

Yeah I read that and it does give insight into why Balotelli has been ostracised. My impression is he was never truly wanted, never truly got played in a system that would suit him because of that and Brendan is more than happy to wash his hands of him at the earliest opportunity and on this occasion I think it's best for both of them.

I see where George and Brian are coming from in relation to Sterling, because he did disrespect the club and received nothing but soft treatment and I think it's fair to say most people were, in varying degrees, disappointed with that.

As for Borini, I believe Brendan tried to force him out last summer and the exchanges between them I'd suggest probably soured the relationship to the point Brendan almost completely left him out of the squad even when we clearly didn't have enough goal threats. To me that was a little bit of cutting your nose off to spite your face. I'm not saying Borini would have scored enough to make a difference but I honestly don't believe he was even considered because of how the end of the previous summer transfer window unfolded. Many heralded Borini at the time, I wasn't one of those and again, it is better for both parties for him to leave, just a shame it wont be for anything like the £14m that was on the table from Sunderland.

Enrique I'm more confused about, I suspect there is an underlying medical issue or an effort level in training that has gleaned him so few minutes in a position we were clearly struggling with.

So I've no problem with Brendan leaving them out of the squad completely, they should of course be allowed to train just on their own with the realisation that they're clearly not part of our plans moving forward. It is after all the manager's head on the line and he should always be given the authority to separate the players as he sees fit. That doesn't change the fact that I do see where the double standards are in terms of Sterling, but now that he's left I'm going to let my anger towards that runt subside.

Getting some serious work in ahead of the new season.

https://twitter.com/smigger15/status/627756328803508224

Getting some serious work in ahead of the new season.

https://twitter.com/smigger15/status/627756328803508224

Just reading that twitter feed and It's amazing how many people jump to his defence as though he's hard done by, all reality goes out the window with Mario. The reality being he's a 24 year old multi millionaire who doesn't give a sh*te what anyone thinks about him, even those who jump in to defend him.

Just reading that twitter feed and It's amazing how many people jump to his defence as though he's hard done by, all reality goes out the window with Mario. The reality being he's a 24 year old multi millionaire who doesn't give a sh*te what anyone thinks about him, even those who jump in to defend him.

A 24 year old Professional Footballer who isn't prepared to make any sacrifices to turn around his career.

Utter waste of talent

Getting some serious work in ahead of the new season.

https://twitter.com/smigger15/status/627756328803508224

Parties in bar with girl(s) yet there is only one girl there and appears to be on another lad's shoulders Got to love shitty journalism!

A 24 year old Professional Footballer who isn't prepared to make any sacrifices to turn around his career.

Utter waste of talent

For me that's the most maddening thing about him and my reason for wanting him gone. If he'd given his all in training, ran his heart out on the pitch then I'd be kicking off and my posts would be saying I wish him to stay. How anyone can defend him is beyond me, as was said in that article from the echo which I think was written by James Pearce, those who jump to defend him are deluded, or they think of him as a victim, he is so far removed from being a victim as can be, he's as much a victim as ronaldo was when he likened himself to a slave.

A 24 year old Professional Footballer who isn't prepared to make any sacrifices to turn around his career.

Utter waste of talent

Yep. Could be just as good as Drogba in his pomp if he had the mentality to do so.

I remember last summer shortly after we signed him an Italian fan popped into the players thread and said that the fans are really happy two times when Balotelli comes to their club, they are really happy when he first arrives and then they are really happy when he leaves.

And you know what he was bang on the money wasn't he.

Yep. Could be just as good as Drogba in his pomp if he had the mentality to do so.

I remember last summer shortly after we signed him an Italian fan popped into the players thread and said that the fans are really happy two times when Balotelli comes to their club, they are really happy when he first arrives and then they are really happy when he leaves.

And you know what he was bang on the money wasn't he.

I remember that Scott and yes he was.

Yep. Could be just as good as Drogba in his pomp if he had the mentality to do so.

I remember last summer shortly after we signed him an Italian fan popped into the players thread and said that the fans are really happy two times when Balotelli comes to their club, they are really happy when he first arrives and then they are really happy when he leaves.

And you know what he was bang on the money wasn't he.

I remember.

Absolutely spot on.

I was in Rome when we signed him and had Roma fans rant about him saying he wasn't welcome in Italy anymore.

I was in Rome when we signed him and had Roma fans rant about him saying he wasn't welcome in Italy anymore.

like we give a sh*t what those racist maniacs say?

it's a shame we have such an inexperienced manager - I think a man who wasn't learning the craft himself would have found the versatility to use Balotelli to his strengths, instead of trying to fit him in a system he didn't work in. Why would you buy a player and then critisize him for not working with your system. Balotelli has already achieved far more than Rodgers, maybe the gaffer should have built around the talent he had instead of creating this boring shitstorm. How many strikers is BR going to buy? He's never going to find the absolute perfect one. He should use what he has instead of making excuses.

like we give a sh*t what those racist maniacs say?

it's a shame we have such an inexperienced manager - I think a man who wasn't learning the craft himself would have found the versatility to use Balotelli to his strengths, instead of trying to fit him in a system he didn't work in. Why would you buy a player and then critisize him for not working with your system. Balotelli has already achieved far more than Rodgers, maybe the gaffer should have built around the talent he had instead of creating this boring shitstorm. How many strikers is BR going to buy? He's never going to find the absolute perfect one. He should use what he has instead of making excuses.

I would like to have seen more of Mario in a front 2 along along with Sturridge, but I have a feeling it would have been Sturridge doing all the work, and Mario mooching aroung the six yard box.
I don't understand where all this Mario didn't get a chance to prove himself nonsense came out of, he played loads of games, and was for the most part awful!
Look at Sturridge, his first game back after injury, he scores, Benteke scores in his first game for us, some people are suited to our team, some aren't! Mario is not right for Liverpool, just like Robbie Keane and Fernando Morientes weren't, it's not that they're not good players, they just don't fit in at Liverpool.

like we give a sh*t what those racist maniacs say?

it's a shame we have such an inexperienced manager - I think a man who wasn't learning the craft himself would have found the versatility to use Balotelli to his strengths, instead of trying to fit him in a system he didn't work in. Why would you buy a player and then critisize him for not working with your system. Balotelli has already achieved far more than Rodgers, maybe the gaffer should have built around the talent he had instead of creating this boring shitstorm. How many strikers is BR going to buy? He's never going to find the absolute perfect one. He should use what he has instead of making excuses.

eh ?

experienced managers have tried and failed with Mario. He is a lost cause no matter whi the manager is, BR tried with him, gave him plenty games last season, he was sh1t for most, and never even tried in some, wanders round park like  lost puppy at times. We only got to see his good side on very rare occations when he could be bothered. that's why he is leaving.

Stop making excuses for the lad, a succession of vastly experienced managers have tried and failed with him. He's a disgrace, he's got the chance that nearly all of us would have loved to have been given and he constantly fucks it up and gets paid millions for doing so.

But no, forget all that have gone before him and failed, just blame Brendan eh?

Go to Dubai, go to Timbuktu, I'm not arsed, just go.

I've just been trolled to F**k by a mate, he's been texting me all morning saying we'd had a £7.5m bid accepted from Middlesbrough and Balotelli was going down for a Medical, he's a Boro supporter, gutted it wasn't true to be honest.

I've just been trolled to F**k by a mate, he's been texting me all morning saying we'd had a £7.5m bid accepted from Middlesbrough and Balotelli was going down for a Medical, he's a Boro supporter, gutted it wasn't true to be honest.

In fairness you should've guessed Daz, Boro's above his level.

His agent is offering him to everyone, but really no one want him now in Europe. There is a reason.
I think he will get to America or Asia, or to a small italian club who are desperate to find someone to give papers a name in the end of the market

He really should come play in America...it would suit him well and he'd not be bothered about his off the field antics so much.