Mario Bib-lotelli

[HEED]

Er, I've already answered that question

You've totally lost it here, maybe you should report to the moderators again,.

But he scored an offside goal!!111 Really stupid going offside in the first place, it's the kind of naivety you'd expect from Walcott - who was also less effective than Balotelli in the game.

As I thought, You can't answer the question so let's try and deflect it.

And if your answer was a couple of driving runs down the flank, I'm sorry, I must have blinked at that moment and missed them.

Your defence of Balotelli is cringeworthy, the guy had a nightmare and yet you still claim that he had a better game than at least half the players on the pitch. Yeah, Walcott is pish, I've said that all along, 1 good game out of about 10 isn't good enough from him.

Best player on the pitch yesterday was Alex Song, head and shoulders above everyone else, luckily he avoided serious injury with the shocking tackle assault from Balotelli.

[djchapsticks]

No I'm not suggesting that, but to suggest that no stories about him have been made is complete nonsense. Are you following this at all? How can you even dispute that.

Can you find me articles that prove the sun is hot?

He's box office, they build him up so they can bring him down. Even those stories are tinged with "he makes too many headlines" - you are the ones fucking writing them.

I don't need to find anything proving anything. You are the one who is alleging false stories. So please, point me in the direction of any false stories.

Of course, the Italian press must have in in for him too, as they were forever reporting his antics as an Inter player, and still do when he returns periodically and ends up in womens prisons and the likes.

The bottom line is, love him or hate him, he's an extremely interesting character and the press will have a field day with him either way.

[HEED]

You are an obsessive embarrassment. Has Supras got to you so badly that you need to comment on every single poor performance or mishap? Have a word.

Embarrasment.....I would call pissing my pants an embarrassment.

[Fudge]

There's no way Man City could find someone with better than a 0.46 strike rate for oh, what, unlimited money. Simply impossible to get better than Super Mario.

Liability on and off the field. He's need to be Ronaldo/Messi quality to justify keeping him.

[Supras]

Mancini won't try and get rid of Balotelli. He is using it to try and motivate him. He said after the Sunderland game that he nearly took him off after 5 minutes, but then he played the whole 90.

Mancini will be sacked at the end of the season anyway so it doesn't matter. If Mourinho takes charge then there is no future there for him.

I highly doubt Mancini will be sacked.

And Mourinho repeatedly slated him in the press, but he was so good he still played him in crucial Serie A games including his last league game.

Mourinho hated him but STILL played him. Says it all really.

As I thought, You can't answer the question so let's try and deflect it.

And if your answer was a couple of driving runs down the flank, I'm sorry, I must have blinked at that moment and missed them.

Your defence of Balotelli is cringeworthy, the guy had a nightmare and yet you still claim that he had a better game than at least half the players on the pitch. Yeah, Walcott is pish, I've said that all along, 1 good game out of about 10 isn't good enough from him.

Best player on the pitch yesterday was Alex Song, head and shoulders above everyone else, luckily he avoided serious injury with the shocking tackle assault from Balotelli.

I did answer the question and it's no surprise you didn't see the runs, you probably didn't even watch the game. Particularly against Santos, totally done him and won a free kick on the byline just outside the penalty box.

He DID have a better game than most of the players on the pitch, and certainly those in the City attack. If truth is cringeworthy then fine.

Yeah Song probably was the best player on the pitch.

I don't need to find anything proving anything. You are the one who is alleging false stories. So please, point me in the direction of any false stories.

Of course, the Italian press must have in in for him too, as they were forever reporting his antics as an Inter player, and still do when he returns periodically and ends up in womens prisons and the likes.

The bottom line is, love him or hate him, he's an extremely interesting character and the press will have a field day with him either way.

Okay, so I've found a quiz that puts together rumours and true stories and Balotelli has himself admitted most of the stories about him have been made up but that isn't good enough for you?

I'm pretty sure this was bullshit:

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/3536493/Mario-Balotelli-wins-25000-then-gives-1000-to-a-tramp.html

The Italian press hated him more than the English press and the fans regularly racially abused him.

Embarrasment.....I would call pissing my pants an embarrassment.

It took you that long to come up with that reply?

There's no way Man City could find someone with better than a 0.46 strike rate for oh, what, unlimited money. Simply impossible to get better than Super Mario.

Liability on and off the field. He's need to be Ronaldo/Messi quality to justify keeping him.

Still the best goals to minutes ratio than any player who has played over 1000 minutes.

No bad.

[HEED]

I did answer the question and it's no surprise you didn't see the runs, you probably didn't even watch the game. Particularly against Santos, totally done him and won a free kick on the byline just outside the penalty box.

He DID have a better game than most of the players on the pitch, and certainly those in the City attack. If truth is cringeworthy then fine.

Yeah Song probably was the best player on the pitch.

It took you that long to come up with that reply?

I did watch the whole game, if his run down the line done enough for him to have a better game than RVP, then wow.

I'm not arguing that he was the best City attacker, which I have already agreed with you there, I am arguing the fact that you said he had a better game than RVP.

City seem to have lost their spark in the last couple of months, Silva and Aguero have been sub standard and Dzecko has gone missing.

I missed that post earlier on when I got back in from the pub.

[Supras]

I did watch the whole game, if his run down the line done enough for him to have a better game than RVP, then wow.

I'm not arguing that he was the best City attacker, which I have already agreed with you there, I am arguing the fact that you said he had a better game than RVP.

City seem to have lost their spark in the last couple of months, Silva and Aguero have been sub standard and Dzecko has gone missing.

Fine, it's not definitive, and you're entirely entitled to think RvP was better. I disagree though.

And yes, Balotelli has probably been Man Citys best attacker this calender year. Dzeko won't make it I don't think.

[HEED]

Fine, it's not definitive, and you're entirely entitled to think RvP was better. I disagree though.

And yes, Balotelli has probably been Man Citys best attacker this calender year. Dzeko won't make it I don't think.

Dzeko will be back in Germany in the summer I think, I know all strikers have to have that 'greedy' trait but I don't think I've seen him lay on a chance for a team-mate yet and the one that stands out for me when he took the ball off Aguero's toe when he dribbled past 3 or 4 in the box in a tight space.

There's no doubt he is a good player but I think he will be replaced in the summer alongside Tevez.

[dundeefc1783]

To suggest Mancini is to good for City to get rid of is a ridiculous comment. I mean what has he really achieved in his time there 1 FA cup.

He has had an unlimited amount of money to spend and he can't still win the league in arguably what is one of the worst Premier Leagues in years.

Man united are a good but not great side as has been displayed in Europe, Chelsea's league form has been poor all season, Arsenal have been very inconsistent up until the last couple of months, Spurs while a good side were never gonna sustain their challenge till the end of the season and the less said about LIverpool the better.

Since Christmas Man City have been average and I would argue to a certain extent they have been found out. When teams line up with 442 against them and sit in City have really struggled to break them down trying to pass the ball through them and not playing with any great pace or urgency. They don't seem to be able to get someone out wide going down the line at pace trying to break teams down that way, at times they have seemed devoid of any ideas and surely that comes down to the manger.

They were also extremely poor in Europe this year despite having a multi million pound squad.

So to argue tht Mancini is to good to get rid of is laughable.

He also lost a lot of credibility when he brought back tevez.

[Supras]

To suggest Mancini is to good for City to get rid of is a ridiculous comment. I mean what has he really achieved in his time there 1 FA cup.

He has had an unlimited amount of money to spend and he can't still win the league in arguably what is one of the worst Premier Leagues in years.

Man united are a good but not great side as has been displayed in Europe, Chelsea's league form has been poor all season, Arsenal have been very inconsistent up until the last couple of months, Spurs while a good side were never gonna sustain their challenge till the end of the season and the less said about LIverpool the better.

Since Christmas Man City have been average and I would argue to a certain extent they have been found out. When teams line up with 442 against them and sit in City have really struggled to break them down trying to pass the ball through them and not playing with any great pace or urgency. They don't seem to be able to get someone out wide going down the line at pace trying to break teams down that way, at times they have seemed devoid of any ideas and surely that comes down to the manger.

They were also extremely poor in Europe this year despite having a multi million pound squad.

So to argue tht Mancini is to good to get rid of is laughable.

He also lost a lot of credibility when he brought back tevez.

They won't get rid of him.

He is rated too highly within Man City and they don't want to become another Chelsea. Long term stability, it's not as if Fergie got Man Utd second in his second season.

[dundeefc1783]

They may not get rid of him but there is no way that he is too good for them to get rid of

I think tactically he is very poor

[Tamdunk]

I think balotelli is a bit of a fanny, but is a cracking player and its fun to hear about his antics. However, for me, rvp was better in that game. I'd take a goal line clearance, offside goal and hitting the post over a mis-timed overhead kick, which was as close as balotelli got to scoring. He may have been a little more involved than rvp, but seemed to spend most the game kicking players, the ground, the post more than the ball, and I think supra is playing a bit of defend the indefensible. Rvp was always in a position to score, ehich is why he has been the best this season, he was really unlucky not to get a goal. Balotelli was always gonna be sent off in that game. In fact i was gonna bet on a red card when the first booking was in the 2nd minute, of course i didnt cos i can never be arsed putting a bet on.

[forameus]

They won't get rid of him.

He is rated too highly within Man City and they don't want to become another Chelsea. Long term stability, it's not as if Fergie got Man Utd second in his second season.

It could go either way really. If City's owners have any sense, then they will let him stay. He always seems to conduct himself with dignity, even in the face of some pretty big "stories" during this season about his team. He hasn't done a Rafa and exploded towards the red end of Manchester, he simply stands back and admits to any mistakes he/the players have made, defends and condemns at the right times, and then looks towards the next game.

He probably should have done better in the time he's had, given the resources he had at his disposal, but if the owners have sense, they'll allow him one more season to try and put out a team with his own stamp on it. After all, for the early part of the season, they looked unplayable, thumping Utd 6-1 in their own back-yard - the score-line may have ended up flattering City, with Utd blindly charging forward when they should have just accepted it was over, but it was a resounding victory nonetheless. And Mancini managed that while still being a "negative" manager. If he can get the right balance between his defensive mindset and the balls-out attacking of August-October, and also strengthen the squad in key areas while cutting loose any deadwood, then they'll be a different proposition next season.

But at the same time, it all depends on the Sheiks. They may look at the money spent and question the single trophy haul achieved. Time will tell, but hopefully they give him one more season, and we'll see what the squad are really made of.

As for Balotelli himself, I don't think I could ever count myself as a fan. I am not doubting his talent, as when his head is screwed on, he can be a fantastic player. But, and unfortunately it's a big but, that "screwed-on" nature just doesn't happen often enough. Against Sunderland he almost single-handedly dragged City back into it, but yesterday his challenges were rash at best, and should have been sent off early on. He may well have been City's best attacking player on the day, but when you're flying into tackles like he was, you'll be lucky to get an opportunity to be the best, as you won't be on the pitch. At times you also get the sheer feeling of "I-don't-give-a f**k-ness" coming from him which never helps things. Even though the game was probably gone when he was sent off yesterday, he just sauntered off the pitch. Anything can happen in the dieing moments of the game, so to trudge off the pitch when your team are 1-0 down and heading out of the title race with minutes to go just seems wrong. You could see the frustration post-match from Mancini - he knows how good Balotelli could be, and it's true when he says that he is in danger of throwing it all away with his petulance at times.

Depending on the outcome of any retrospective action for his tackle on Song, and the following through on Mancini's threat, he could be out for the rest of the season. He'll then have the summer to think about cleaning up his act and knuckling down. If he does that, he could end up being one of the best players in the country next season.

[T_S_A_R]

mancini must be delighted with balotellie. he is massively deflecting attention away from his failings.

there is a an article on the guardian website saying balotelli has cost man city the title? his contributions have been fairly consistent all season. it's the piss poor form of silva, barry, johnson, de jong and others that has cost them.

[HEED]

mancini must be delighted with balotellie. he is massively deflecting attention away from his failings.

there is a an article on the guardian website saying balotelli has cost man city the title? his contributions have been fairly consistent all season. it's the piss poor form of silva, barry, johnson, de jong and others that has cost them.

Silva was superb in the first half of the season, He was one of the main reason City were destroying teams. It's since the turn of the year that his performances have dropped, alarmingly I'm sure in City's eyes.

[dundeefc1783]

Also Aguero has also gone majorly off the boil since around Christmas probably a lot to do with Silva's loss of form.

[Thumper]

In what world does Balotelli get all this grief after the season he has had and Tevez seems to be getting very little at the moment.

Tevez has hardly kicked a ball. Unlike Balotelli, who is still young and could very well still make a go of it even in the UK, Tevez has made his bed. Until quite a while after he'd been dropped he was still back page news every single day, but what more can really be said about him at this point?

Balotelli has been a talking point all season yet the press seem hell bent on driving him out of England - they would miss him if he does depart.

Total, utter horseshit. The press love him and would love him to stay. They loved Mourinho and still ran ludicrous stories about him smuggling his dog through Customs et cetera. They love Rooney and still ran every bit of muck they could find on him. What exactly is it you suggest the press do? Stop running stories on him? Stop asking his manager about him?

FWIW I think he'll stay. Not for any of the reasons given in Supras's lamentable, fevered gibberings, but simply because City are under no pressure to lighten their own wage bill. Likewise it would be a blunder of Abramovic-esque proportions to sack Mancini for finishing second to Ferguson's Man U, flaky as they've been this season.

[T_S_A_R]

Silva was superb in the first half of the season, He was one of the main reason City were destroying teams. It's since the turn of the year that his performances have dropped, alarmingly I'm sure in City's eyes.

that's what i meant.

if you are looking for the difference between the first and second halfs of the seasons then silva is the main culprit.

[Supras]

FWIW I think he'll stay. Not for any of the reasons given in Supras's lamentable, fevered gibberings, but simply because City are under no pressure to lighten their own wage bill. Likewise it would be a blunder of Abramovic-esque proportions to sack Mancini for finishing second to Ferguson's Man U, flaky as they've been this season.

The thesaurus based insults. Classy.

It's like a first years poem.

[Swampy]

mancini must be delighted with balotellie. he is massively deflecting attention away from his failings.

there is a an article on the guardian website saying balotelli has cost man city the title? his contributions have been fairly consistent all season. it's the piss poor form of silva, barry, johnson, de jong and others that has cost them.

Agreed completely. To get it out of the way: his tackle on Song was an absolute disgrace. That it wasn't an immediate red card is baffling. And although Mancini will regret saying it, his call for benching him this season in the aftermath of it was the correct thing to do.

But yes, the fact that Balotelli is never out of the headlines is good news for Mancini - and also for the underperforming players at City (some of whom you listed - I don't agree with Silva but in general what you're saying makes sense.) The very idea that a couple of high-profile incidents from a star forward are responsible for City's recent troubles is ludricrous. I assume the Guardian posed it in the form of a question but unless their answer was an unequivocal "no" it's a daft one to be asking.