1.) 20 Jan 2015
20 Jan 2015 11:21:10
I don't understand how Balotelli gets so much stick for being "lazy" he gets around the pitch a lot more than Lambert (who apparently gets away with it because he's "an old man living his boyhood dream) and he's clearly 10 times the player Lambert is, giving him 15 minutes up front with someone once every 3 games doesn't show what he can do when he has a strike partner, he's not a lone striker, that much is clear but as far as not playing him and playing "Lambrini" is a complete farce. I just don't understand the Lambert signing, he's not even proven that he's any good in the air!

We won't win the league on sentiment and I won't even touch on Borini, he's not worth the time it would take to point out he's obvious flaws, let alone the fact he runs around the pitch like a headless chicken and gives away stupid free kicks which is somehow interpreted as "passion" when infact it's complete tactical ineptitude and clear inability to compete at anywhere near a high enough level to warrant a place in the reserves, nevermind the starting 11

2.) 20 Jan 2015
Loaning him would appear too much like admitting we h****ed up.

He has all the technical and physical attributes to be amazing - but obviously he is a few squares short of a DairyMilk.

His entire career is characterised by his inability to learn and his frustrating wasting of his talent.

He is simply not intelligent enough to be a top player - his decision making on the pitch is as poor as his judgement off it - it is debatable whether he can even be average imo, given his lack of intellect.

He is also lazy as sin - and again, he is so stupid that I don't think he is aware enough to realise any of this. I genuinely mean no offence - he is an overgrown child - it is not his fault that we signed him.

A joke that we ever signed him. I thought at the time that it was the muppets on Twitter taking the piss!

You know. with a strike-partner to complement him, he could be useful - but signing him only to play him up front on his own tells you another story - that quite simply, BR is an person.

There's no phantom 'transfer committee' forcing him to do something that stupid, that's for sure!

More colossal mismanagement. Take a bow BR.

£20m or so down the drain in fees and wages I suppose.

Good thing we're loaded with spare cash.

What did you say there? We're not?!

Oh dear,,,

:)

{Ed002's Note - They want him sold because Liverpool needs the money.}

3.) 20 Jan 2015
20 Jan 2015 12:00:06
Give him away with a Happy Meal if necessary. His presence with us is doing his own career no good at all and he's costing a fortune every week he remains.

4.) 20 Jan 2015
Unbelieveably Balotelli refused to train on Friday because it was too cold. Rodgers sent him away and the club released a statement over him being ill which is total garbage.
Cheers,

5.) 20 Jan 2015
20 Jan 2015 13:13:21
Tbh if these rumours about him not training or his other antics are true then we truly dropped the ball with this one. but look at his career as a whole. He is a character and the media can make up stories that everyone will believe to sell papers. Look at players we are 'linked with' by papers and see how easy it is to use a club like liverpool with a player like mario to sell papers (though he doesn't help himself!).

He has the ability and physical attributes to be a very good player. This lone striker stuff is nonsense as he has pace, power, technique, can finish and is 6'2" so don't see why he shouldn't be able to play up top on his own. The reasons he can't is his movement and that he doesn't press enough.

If any manager can coach this in to him and get him to work on his game then would be a great player, but not sure if any manager can do this (mourinho couldn't!), if he has the brains for it or that he is willing to put the effort in to do it, but he started for Italy at 21 so is capable of doing it.

Bigger issue I have is A) how thorough was our scouting with the player then B) regardless of this still don't think he has actually been given a proper chance (nor his borini tbf) and dunno who turned on him first the fans, the manager or the press. He should have done/delivered more but has had no support and made a scapegoat for a team (by fans, media, etc) which hasn't performed and a manager that took half a season to realise the mistakes he made in the summer.

Not saying he doesn't deserve blame or some of the criticism is undeserved, but he doesn't deserve the level of blame/criticism put at his feet. Especially considering our manager made it clear before he even signed he wasn't wanted (which the media/fans shortly followed) and seems to have made no effort to utilise him what so ever.

Look at Suso is massively different but is another player who has ability that we have failed to develop and our manager has never given a chance or run of games to. Borini has played what 2/3 games in a row and got a goal + an assist. Know I haven't wanted borini but never argued with him getting a chance and equally said if we buy players that is the least they deserve!

Sorry for the rant but find it amazing how quickly everyone seems to turn on our players when I think it is clear there is a bigger problem with not just scouting but utilizing the players available. Manager/fans can complain all they want but we don't have money to spend (or players to sell to raise funds) so BR will have to use what is available to him and the fans support them as long as they have a red shirt.

6.) 20 Jan 2015
I tend to agree with Kilbane.
Balotelli is not awful, he just makes bad decisions all the time. I think we could do a lot worse than literally hire an ex-professional striker, sit him in a room with Balotelli and a projector, and then get him to show Balotelli footage of himself over his career pointing out all the wrong decisions he made on the pitch.

He needs educating, not technical coaching! That is why he is so inconsistent. It's pure luck as to whether he makes the right decision or not!

I disagree that Balotelli is lazy though. His body language and facial expressions give the impression he doesn't care, but he runs around just as much as Lambert and Sturridge. Sure, he doesn't work like a trojan ala Sanchez, Suarez, Borini, Kuyt etc. but he does close people down, cut off passing lanes ad charge down the keeper.

I'm really disappointed in how poorly we've handled Balotelli. It sounds stupid, but he really does need his own mentor to just keep him in check and explain all his issues tohim in a one to one manner. Somebody he would respect. It is frustrating that he requires special treatment, but at the end of the day we signed him and made a commitment to getting the best out of him. It's either that or we need to accept our losses and send hm somewhere he'll get proper man management from a good coaching team.

He clearly has talent. Nobody ws how to handle people like him in the football world though. Having grown up with a brother who has ADHD and apergus syndrome though, I know how sensitive you have be with people like him. It is blatantly obvious he is well behind his age in terms of social development (the immaturity and strops) an he needs a mento to guide him. Otherwise, his career will be wasted. If we cannot offer him that kind of guidance, we're just wasting his career and our time.

7.) 20 Jan 2015
Give Balotelli a chance i say!

8.) 20 Jan 2015
20 Jan 2015 13:43:24
EMS that is what essentially annoys me. Should know in advance what type of player Balotelli was and what needs to be done to get him to perform.

We invested a lot of money into him and like our academy seems to be no plan on how to get the most out of him, develop his game, or to give him a chance.

We can't compete financially so have to use our academy and find/develop/manage players with potential that cost less.

9.) 20 Jan 2015
He's a professional footballer with a responsibility, he's not a teenager. He's been at now Manchester City Inter Milan AC Milan and Liverpool and yet proved himself to be anything but a myth just stealing a living.
I don't buy all this about micro management, he needs to wake up quickly before people lose faith in him because the evidence is their for all to see.
I was asked my opinion when we first signed him and I said ;-
Has ability but doesn't pocess the mental capacity to do it over a sustained period, unfortunately he just hasn't got the professional mindset you need. He is capable of the unbelieveable every now and again.
Proving it when the chips are down is when your taken seriously as a player and he show's time after time he go's into a sulk.
Here is the evidence football comes second to his lifestyle and the stigma attached to him.
Prendergel

10.) 20 Jan 2015
20 Jan 2015 14:04:26
Agreed on your comment Ed002.

Who in their right mind would take him though? If we're looking to recoup anything close to the fee we paid then we're dreaming!

If someone is willing to pay his wages we may have to cut our losses, unfortunately. I could see him leaving for as little as £5m in the summer, and imo you'd be crazy to pay even that.

Another one for the 'bad signing' file.

11.) 20 Jan 2015
Anybody comparing Balotelli and Lambert is not very observant,
Plus consider fees, wages, expectations etc.
Awful comparison, I don't think Lambert has started half as many games

12.) 20 Jan 2015
20 Jan 2015 14:21:29
Can blame his attitude or say he needs to be more professional but these are things very obvious before we signed him.

Should have known he requires work and to be managed/educated before we bought him.

Is like buying furniture from IKEA then complaining that you have to put it together

13.) 20 Jan 2015
20 Jan 2015 14:27:12
How is it an awful comparison? They're both center forwards that play for Liverpool, I couldn't care less about their wages or their fees, I'm talking about on the pitch, Lambert doesn't impact a game in the slightest, he scored the occasional tap in but does nothing else apart from that, he barely leaves the half way line and when he does he's caught offside, Balotelli has been given the starts but that is on his own, not with a strike partner, well apart from his best game by a mile that we won 3-0 and he partnered Sturridge. He's hardly been given a proper chance, I'd be starting him all day long against Chelsea, he's by far more of a threat than Borini and he's quicker than my nan with her overcoat on. Which Lambert is certainly not.

14.) 20 Jan 2015
In his supposed best game, he scored 0, assisted 0, had 50% pass completion, and was subbed off at 60 minutes for Markovic.

15.) 20 Jan 2015
I honestly think ballotelli does the bare minimum as a footballer to get paid to set him up for life. He has no real interest in improving or putting in any real effort, just enough to earn a big pay check at some mug club.
Unfortunately that's us right now until we get rid and he can earn another big wage and signing on fee somewhere else.

16.) 20 Jan 2015
Fitzy, does the 11 odd starts in a row with a single goal not count as a proper chance?
As I said, stupid comparison,

17.) 20 Jan 2015
20 Jan 2015 17:09:57
It's an awful comparison because one was bought to be a squad player and signed for roughly 1/3 the cost of the other.
He also doesn't attract all the awful off field rubbish that Balotelli does,
Lambert has also scored a goal more in less minutes and less starts.
There's no rumblings of lambert ever refusing to train,
Lamberts former managers have never criticised him in the press,
Lambert will also be costing the club far far less,

Oh I forgot, Lambert doesn't complain about not having a strike partner, he just gets on with the job, no moaning, no bitching, he just plays football,

But let me guess, Balotelli is awesome and will be amazing when Sturridge is back. ?? (Lol)

Stop me if I hit enough negatives for you,

If I was Sturridge, Borini or Lambert and I saw Balotelli strutting around like he does, I'd be fuming.

To paraphrase Ed002 'Balotelli is a transfer that will end in tears'
So yeah, he's a lazy so and so, who despite being sold from more top clubs than most players ever, still thinks he has some god given right to play football at the highest level.

Put simply, Balotelli is a bad egg. Lambert is not.

18.) 20 Jan 2015
20 Jan 2015 17:42:43
Where'd this story about him refusing to train come from? If true is a problem but haven't actually heard anything verified.

As for moaning about a strike partner. Haven't heard him or read him saying anything about a lack of a strike partner. Have heard our players, pundits, and fans mention it but not him.

He hasn't been anywhere near brilliant but has had some good performances (swansea in the cup, spurs, and a few recent performances off the bench) but majority of those have been followed by being excluded from the squad or brought in with either 10 mins left to play or when we were losing against united.

As i said not saying he doesn't deserve criticism in the slightest but think he has been made a scapegoat for our mess of a transfer window and a season.

Everyone mentions at the start of the season he started a lot of games and played badly, but don't mention how poor the team as a whole played, how the formation wasn't working, and BR insistence on slow possession obsessed football that created nothing for him to score from (he isn't a striker like suarez, he needs service) yet this seems to all be pinned on him.

Main problem is we bought a player that we KNEW needed coaching and guidance (can complain he shouldn't but was obvious he did) nothing seems to be done to provide this or get the most out of him, added to that manager has made it obvious he didn't want him from the start and fans haven't supported him. Obviously is in terrible form and his effort seems to have dropped (was pressing/defending for first few games) but aren't really doing anything to try fix it.

You are right that he wasn't the right signing. But is a player with ability and don't see us being able to get anyone in until Origi returns next summer, so for lack of a better term we are 'stuck with him' and have to try get the most out of him because he has ability.

As long as he wears a red shirt think we should back him and our manager should try get him playing in our system. instead of just saying 'well there goes £16m' and add him to the long list of players we paid money for, never worked to get them into the team, and then lost money on.

As for bad press. .Does stupid things but imagine half of it is just papers making up or indulging stories to sell papers, plus everyone backed Saurez despite him genuinely making his role at the club untenable despite being the league player of the season.

19.) 20 Jan 2015
A player has to want to accept coaching and guidance to get anything out of it and I really don't think Balotelli gives a toss- he's far more interested in his pet pig or walking dogs or whatever than in playing football.

He has a large amount of natural ability but better managers then Rodgers have tried and failed to get anything to come from it which is why I imagine he's got to be an exceptionally frustrating player to try and coach.

20.) 20 Jan 2015
20 Jan 2015 19:00:04
Compare Balotelli with Christiano Ronaldo. Both have natural ability, good physical attributes and big egos. One has been a great professional and worked hard to make the most of his talent and one seems to be happy to be seen as a maverick celebrity and do very little to improve.

I'm at a loss to explain the support for someone who clearly isn't giving their all for the club.