Mario Balotelli (Liverpool -> Nice)

His latest instagram post is pretty sad 

"Someone doesn't Like me But differently of what they say about me im a team player and im so proud of my team,of this win and of these fans! ❤️ let's keep going"

I hope he doesn't mean Rodgers

100% he means roders Ballo must have been a majority vote when he was bought and BR probably want one of tr them votes. you dont take a gamble to then not play him when you dont have any natural strikers. Or to bring him on last 10min of a game you make him adapt and from what i've seen of him when he's had his chance he's worked  hard v Betiskas he was running all over the place. BR clearly will sell him on in the summer along with Borini.

The writing is on the wall. Balotelli isn't part of Brendan's plans and he will be sold come the summer. I just hope he gets a couple of chances to try to increase his transfer value, because right now we will be lucky to get anything for him....

The writing is on the wall. Balotelli isn't part of Brendan's plans and he will be sold come the summer. I just hope he gets a couple of chances to try to increase his transfer value, because right now we will be lucky to get anything for him....

I think he'll go back to Italy probably back to Milan for around £8 million.

I think he'll go back to Italy probably back to Milan for around £8 million.

No chance he goes back to AC Milan. Possibly a return to Inter to work with Mancini again, but the Italian clubs are skint and will put in loan bids. I can't see us getting more than 5M, and we may have to give him away just to get him off our books.....

I think he'll go back to Italy probably back to Milan for around £8 million.

No chance is he going back to Milan. They said they are better off without him.

Looking for suitors in Italy, maybe Lazio if they get European football. They're a bit light up front. Other than that i don't know who would nab him. None of the top 3, then Fiorentina definitely don't need him.

Inter have Icardi, Palacio and maube Podolski signing on a permanent.

Milan won't.

we should keep him and at least have a striker off the bench who does damage. Aspas, Borini, Lambert, Carroll etc couldn't do that. at least keep the guy that can.

Cheerio Mario.

I like Balotelli, I think he's an interesting character. Don't know if he has a future here or not but hopefully either way he will have a positive part to play for us the rest of the season.

Brendan clearly dont like him and never did which makes you wonder who is actually calling the shots over new players. The board must have gone above him on this one as he's not even gave him a chance, also thinking similar to Aspas who after a few games was frozen out.

Brendan clearly dont like him and never did which makes you wonder who is actually calling the shots over new players. The board must have gone above him on this one as he's not even gave him a chance, also thinking similar to Aspas who after a few games was frozen out.

Brendan wanted Bony he got Balotelli. Not that Bony is anything special but I think he would have offered us far more in attack than Balotelli and Brendan clearly felt this way too.

Hopefully Brendan will get full backing on his first choice players this Summer and no more committee F**k up signings.

Brendan clearly dont like him and never did which makes you wonder who is actually calling the shots over new players. The board must have gone above him on this one as he's not even gave him a chance, also thinking similar to Aspas who after a few games was frozen out.

Perhaps.... But if it is the committee signing players then surely they deserve praise for Studge, Can, and Coutinho.....

It's hard to say if BR really has total control over who we sign. I know he has said that he has the final say, but the amount of influence he actually has is still up for debate.

In either case, I've been pretty happy with our transfers in recent seasons and hope we continue in a similar fashion this coming summer.

Perhaps.... But if it is the committee signing players then surely they deserve praise for Studge, Can, and Coutinho.....

It's hard to say if BR really has total control over who we sign. I know he has said that he has the final say, but the amount of influence he actually has is still up for debate.

In either case, I've been pretty happy with our transfers in recent seasons and hope we continue in a similar fashion this coming summer.

A bit of a strange comment TBH mate. Sturridge, Coutinho and Can were pretty much no-brainers. They were already at proven top-tiered clubs of their respective leagues whose club scouts had already done our hard work in identifying and buying theses top talents. Luckily for us, those players were never appreciated by the managers at the time and obviously more than prepared to let them go for a fraction of their real worth. Or in the case of Can, having an exit fee that was too tempting not to exploit.

Whereas, our scouts and committee saw fit in identifying and bringing in massive flops like of Alberto, Aspas, Assaidi, Balo Borini and Lambert. Obviously, the jury is still out on Ilori and Origi because they haven't played for us.

The loan signings of Sahin, Moses and Cissokho were flops too.

And then we have to mention the fact that they are guilty of paying over inflated prices for the likes of Allen, Markovic, Lallana and Lovren.

Nah mate, sorry, but I really do not "hope we continue in a similar fashion". Something needs to change. Something has to change. By the looks of things, Brendan will be off loading another shed load of players again this season. If past seasons are anything to go by, the amount is usually around 8-10 players going out/coming in. All of which is detrimental to our season start and results.

Brendan surely has got the nucleus of his own team by now and hopefully FSG will let him compliment that nucleus with 4-5 quality impact players rather than a 8-10 players with potential and possible sell-on fees.

Our season starts in August, not F***ing January

 

Back last summer when we were kicking striker tyres just before the window closed, thought Mario was a better option than most. We'd left it way too late and ballsed up on signing a really good player. Mario wasn't gonna break the bank and I guess the hope was Studge would be available most of the season anyway.

Can see in games at times his touch and interplay can be very good, no doubt. But though he does seem to be trying to press more, it's just not his game and he gives up chasing/pressing after a certain point. The game BR wants us to play, high tempo press without the ball, just doesn't suit him and I don't think ever will. Positionally too he can be frustrating, when you want him to be in the box, he can be way off somewhere else. So reckon he'll be gone in the summer. Think we could still get 10mill, cause there always seems to be a manager out there who thinks he can get more out of him - and they might...

A bit of a strange comment TBH mate. Sturridge, Coutinho and Can were pretty much no-brainers. They were already at proven top-tiered clubs of their respective leagues whose club scouts had already done our hard work in identifying and buying theses top talents. Luckily for us, those players were never appreciated by the managers at the time and obviously more than prepared to let them go for a fraction of their real worth. Or in the case of Can, having an exit fee that was too tempting not to exploit.

Whereas, our scouts and committee saw fit in identifying and bringing in massive flops like of Alberto, Aspas, Assaidi, Balo Borini and Lambert. Obviously, the jury is still out on Ilori and Origi because they haven't played for us.

The loan signings of Sahin, Moses and Cissokho were flops too.

And then we have to mention the fact that they are guilty of paying over inflated prices for the likes of Allen, Markovic, Lallana and Lovren.

Nah mate, sorry, but I really do not "hope we continue in a similar fashion". Something needs to change. Something has to change. By the looks of things, Brendan will be off loading another shed load of players again this season. If past seasons are anything to go by, the amount is usually around 8-10 players going out/coming in. All of which is detrimental to our season start and results.

Brendan surely has got the nucleus of his own team by now and hopefully FSG will let him compliment that nucleus with 4-5 quality impact players rather than a 8-10 players with potential and possible sell-on fees.

Our season starts in August, not f**king January

 

Mate, by your own logic the likes of Moses, Sahin, Balotelli, and Alberto were all "no brainers" because they were already at top clubs.... But that's not right, is it

Studge was far from a "no brainer" as most pundits were claiming this was his last chance to prove himself at a big club. He had talent, but had failed to hit the heights predicted of him at previous clubs.

 Coutinho, another "no brainer" according to you, couldn't force his way into a mediocre Inter side under 4 successive managers (Leonardo, Gasperini, Ranieri or Stramaccioni). Again, we were the only big club willing to take a chance on him....

The point I was making was that over the past few years we have brought in a number of very talented young players and we are building a team that will continue to grow together over the coming seasons. Coutinho, Can, and Studge were examples of the fruits of our recruiting policy, but it isn't without risks. For every Coutinho there is a Luis Alberto. For every Can an Assaidi.

However, I still stand by my comment. If we can add 3 or 4 more talented youngsters who are of a similar caliber of Markovic/Can/Coutinho/Moreno this summer then we will be in really good shape!!

So again, more of the same for me please

Oh, and to keep on topic..... Balo's days here are numbered....

I still stand by my comment. If we can add 3 or 4 more talented youngsters who are of a similar caliber of Markovic/Can/Coutinho/Moreno this summer then we will be in really good shape!!

Each to their own and fair fucks to you Harry but I'm with Brendan and what he sees as a requirement for continued growth.

As for Mario - ticked the value for money/worth a gamble at the price box and little else.

It's just a pity the club's stateside doctors found Remy's chipped nail when they did. He looked a much better fit.

Ah well... If ifs and buts were candy n nuts... 

Mate, by your own logic the likes of Moses, Sahin, Balotelli, and Alberto were all "no brainers" because they were already at top clubs.... But that's not right, is it

Studge was far from a "no brainer" as most pundits were claiming this was his last chance to prove himself at a big club. He had talent, but had failed to hit the heights predicted of him at previous clubs.

 Coutinho, another "no brainer" according to you, couldn't force his way into a mediocre Inter side under 4 successive managers (Leonardo, Gasperini, Ranieri or Stramaccioni). Again, we were the only big club willing to take a chance on him....

The point I was making was that over the past few years we have brought in a number of very talented young players and we are building a team that will continue to grow together over the coming seasons. Coutinho, Can, and Studge were examples of the fruits of our recruiting policy, but it isn't without risks. For every Coutinho there is a Luis Alberto. For every Can an Assaidi.

However, I still stand by my comment. If we can add 3 or 4 more talented youngsters who are of a similar caliber of Markovic/Can/Coutinho/Moreno this summer then we will be in really good shape!!

So again, more of the same for me please

Oh, and to keep on topic..... Balo's days here are numbered....

To be fair to Sturridge mate, he was played out of position at Citeh and Chavski but proved to a lot of people what he was actually capable of whilst he was with Bolton.

The loan signings were definite F**k-ups and obviously the result of our owners not wanting to splash the cash but realising the need to fill out a skeleton team. Real were paid £2m just for the privilege of us borrowing one of their players and playing him totally out of position only to be sent packing not even 6 months later. WTF? Presumably, now that there's cash in the kitty we won't need any further loan signings.

Coutinho simply wasn't given a chance. Inter were a team in deep sh*t with (cowardly) managers knowingly fighting to save their own arses and obviously not prepared to take the necessary leap of faith and make adjustments in changing the old guard.
He was held in high regard by Benitez who hailed him as "the future of Inter Milan" and saw fit to play him. Pochettino obviously must have rated him too seeing as he consequently bidded for his services at the same time as us when becoming Southampton's manager.

The point I'm making is that FSG, the committee or who the F**k ever is responsible for our transfers have hardly been the resounding success that you're trying to make out. They need to stop throwing Brendan curve balls with the insistence of bringing in "moneyball" players or letting Ayrehead conduct transfer negotiations. Or making Brendan look stoopid as they did with Balo and the no chance we're buying him situation only to back-track upon the realisation that he was the only available make-do option left on the shelf.

To be fair to Sturridge mate, he was played out of position at Citeh and Chavski but proved to a lot of people what he was actually capable of whilst he was with Bolton.

The loan signings were definite f**k-ups and obviously the result of our owners not wanting to splash the cash but realising the need to fill out a skeleton team. Real were paid £2m just for the privilege of us borrowing one of their players and playing him totally out of position only to be sent packing not even 6 months later. WTF? Presumably, now that there's cash in the kitty we won't need any further loan signings.

Coutinho simply wasn't given a chance. Inter were a team in deep sh*t with (cowardly) managers knowingly fighting to save their own arses and obviously not prepared to take the necessary leap of faith and make adjustments in changing the old guard.
He was held in high regard by Benitez who hailed him as "the future of Inter Milan" and saw fit to play him. Pochettino obviously must have rated him too seeing as he consequently bidded for his services at the same time as us when becoming Southampton's manager.

The point I'm making is that FSG, the committee or who the f**k ever is responsible for our transfers have hardly been the resounding success that you're trying to make out. They need to stop throwing Brendan curve balls with the insistence of bringing in "moneyball" players or letting Ayrehead conduct transfer negotiations. Or making Brendan look stoopid as they did with Balo and the no chance we're buying him situation only to back-track upon the realisation that he was the only available make-do option left on the shelf.

A good post Ady with good honest facts well said mate.

Brendan clearly dont like him and never did which makes you wonder who is actually calling the shots over new players. The board must have gone above him on this one as he's not even gave him a chance, also thinking similar to Aspas who after a few games was frozen out.

He also liked Allen, Borini ... never liked Sturridge by the way

Did his customary 40 yard effort which hits the top stand.

I thought he should have come on at half time today when it was clear Sturridge was isolated, even put a great ball through for Sturridge which unfortunately he could not control.

He also liked Allen, Borini ... never liked Sturridge by the way

huh? did a journo convince you of that or something? young minds manipulated so easily

Just can't see him being here next season.

Just can't see him being here next season.

Nor me.

I think he has undoubted talent, but he also needs the team set up for him and BR is not going to do that.