Mario Balotelli (Liverpool -> Nice)

Just drop him. He cost less than Lovren and Markovic but gets ten times the criticism simply because he's well known and they aren't.

Not about being scapegoated... Shouldn't be swapping shirts at half time full stop. Its not a huge thing but it is indicative of his blase, flippant attitude to the shirt he should be wearing. It typifies everything he has shown so far for our club.

In sheer footballing terms and getting away from his attitude, he just isn't good enough to lead a line. Neither in the long term are Lambert or Borini for that matter.

I hope when Sturridge is fit and firing, Balo can show some of what he is capable of in a strike partnership, the problem is that his performances and actions may well cement him a place on the bench by then.

I think we should afford Mario the very same support we showed to Suarez.

Not about being scapegoated... Shouldn't be swapping shirts at half time full stop. Its not a huge thing but it is indicative of his blase, flippant attitude to the shirt he should be wearing. It typifies everything he has shown so far for our club.

I agree 100% however the media and some ex pros have blown this way out of proportion that you'd almost think he shat in BR bovril!!

There was no where near the same furore last season when Sakho did it against Chelsea when he took Eto'os shirt yet because it's Mario it's the worst thing any footballer has ever done in the history of football!

Not about being scapegoated.

Give me a F***ing break.
I don't think Mario suits the football that was played last season,
but that doesn't explain the worst defensive performance ever seen by Liverpool in Europe.

If you want to be angry about something be angry about the fact we've spent 60 million and made the defence worse.

I think we should afford Mario the very same support we showed to Suarez.

Get T-shirts done?

Get T-shirts done?

All swap tops at half time?
Better choose your seat wisely.

Mario triumph is made up of two words. Try and umps. You do not try and you have no umph what a poor start to our season. We need a striker who can score goals not moan at every opportunity When he has wasted a chance again which happens very regular with bag of jelly.

I think we should afford Mario the very same support we showed to Suarez.

Wait a minute, does he work his ass off for the team he plays for as Luis did?

Pepe must have been delighted with ths swap, what with Balotelli's shirt being bone dry

People can slate him for x y and z and others can feel sorry for him and say that hes been made a scapegoat of or whatever, each to there own, but dont any one person try and deny the fact hes a lazy amd moany get who will eventually ruin the team ethos built over the past season or 2. Seen it last week 3 players having a pop at him for a poor choice made with the ball, its creeping in

he had the opportunity to put sterling through very early on but he just did not see the pass .He has one assist in the EPL just one that's tells you all you need to know about Mario he is not a team player.

he had the opportunity to put sterling through very early on but he just did not see the pass .He has one assist in the EPL just one that's tells you all you need to know about Mario he is not a team player.

Got to give the lad a break mate, He is adapting to a new formation & style of play, Crouchie took 15 games I think to get a goal, Mario will come good, his play has been more exposed down to the lack of the teams performances,I would be more concerned asking defenders to defend.

Pepe must have been delighted with ths swap, what with Balotelli's shirt being bone dry

People can slate him for x y and z and others can feel sorry for him and say that hes been made a scapegoat of or whatever, each to there own, but dont any one person try and deny the fact hes a lazy amd moany get who will eventually ruin the team ethos built over the past season or 2. Seen it last week 3 players having a pop at him for a poor choice made with the ball, its creeping in

No problem with the shouts to drop him, and doubt he'll be here long,
but let's not kid ourselves, there are way more problems in this team than Mario.

Got to give the lad a break mate, He is adapting to a new formation & style of play, Crouchie took 15 games I think to get a goal, Mario will come good, his play has been more exposed down to the lack of the teams performances,I would be more concerned asking defenders to defend.

Ok then. Brendan is not dumb. He used to keep starting Jordan when we all thought Jordan was just average or below average. Fine. I'll keep watching Mario's development. Your post reminded me of Jordan Henderson.

Steve Nicol summed it up beutifully this morning "Balotelli has drifted away on to his own island again".

Got to give the lad a break mate, He is adapting to a new formation & style of play, Crouchie took 15 games I think to get a goal, Mario will come good, his play has been more exposed down to the lack of the teams performances,I would be more concerned asking defenders to defend.

a 12 year old school  boy would have seen that pass.The premier league is not foreign to him and when Crouch played for us he put in a shift every game.
Having only 1 premier league assist in his premiership career is all you need to know about him.
He plays for Balotelli FC and in his world he is the best player and cant understand why others are not on his wave length.I think we all thought after Suarez it would be good to have a larger than life personality but to be honest on that score we would be better off with Ken Dodd

a 12 year old school  boy would have seen that pass.The premier league is not foreign to him and when Crouch played for us he put in a shift every game.
Having only 1 premier league assist in his premiership career is all you need to know about him.
He plays for Balotelli FC and in his world he is the best player and cant understand why others are not on his wave length.I think we all thought after Suarez it would be good to have a larger than life personality but to be honest on that score we would be better off with Ken Dodd

Thought we sold Dodd to the Catalonians in the summer?.

At this moment in time we should not be playing Balotelli, he is not good enough. But Brendan being Brendan and not being able to be man enough to admit he fecked up the signing will keep playing him to the detriment of the team. I mean in all seriousness can Borini and/or Lambert really be a worse option??

It is all to easy for us as fans to slag off a player - and blame them for a lot of the issues, many of which are out of their control...

Lukas has had, over the years, his fair share of 'haters' and in many cases rightly so - as has Jordon. In the past I recall Crouch and his goal drought causing a stir and even Torres towards the end of his spell here getting some real flack. However, there in my opinion has been one big difference with all of these players and Mario and that is Desire.

Lukas has spent a good few years grafting and 2 seasons ago he was actually revered as a good player - Jordon has done the same... I also remember Crouch putting in a bloody shift when he played about 14 games before he scored. I even recall him running the length of the pitch to celebrate with the Kop after he scored. In the last 8 games Mario has played for us Crouch covered more ground in that one celebration! Ok, of course that was hyperbole....

We needed a striker to replace Suarez, and NESV in true 'Moneyball' fashion changed this statement to 'we need a striker to replace the goals / potential goals Suarez scored - not the player' and being a fan of this theory in Baseball it is sound. However, Football is not baseball and this attempt did not work.

The simple fact is that without a good scoring ratio Mario brings nothing to the side - where as there are players on our books now who offer more if played in this position, even if they didn't score. Last night his antics were a total disgrace to the club and more importantly the fans... It shows a total lack of respect for everyone involved and no doubt has upset a lot of us, and indeed his team mates.

For me he should be sold already, and when I turn my back on a player after 8 games it is a sad time but this for me was his final chance at a big club and he has over his short time failed on every level... People talk about his style and the such, but as a fan all I expect is a bit of hard work from him - not a hatrick every game. I don't understand why his style precludes him from chasing down players and harassing them, passing to a player in a better position to help the team and actually running around - god forbid we pay him what the ordinary fan would earn in 4 years each and every week...

We are not going to get much back for Balotelli so it makes sense keeping him as a plan B option. We have 2 choices in January - recall Origi, if it's possible or go out and sign a pacy forward who can lead the line.

Oh and a decent DM would be cool.

A lot of stuff about scapegoating but also a lot of truth being told about Balotelli.

Something I've only just learned that sums him up personally more than the shirt swap or the performance is the fact that we know he wasn't injured and didn't come out to support the team in the second half, that is unacceptable from my perspective.

Nothing to gain for yourself so you'll do one and F**k the team, shocking attitude that. When your team needs you most on the pitch and then off it you're a joke Balotelli. Why always you? Because that's all you see, that's all you care about so no matter what happened around you, to you it would always be about you! Well F**k you.

Starting to think instead of Super Mario he's more like Wario.....

Mario on a different planet, it seems, from the rest of the team, but that should have been taken into account when signing him. A leopard never changes his spots. Shame though seems to do more harm to his image than anything else.