Liverpool FC Forum

[maguskwt]

To address RBG and Yakka's posts:

Regarding Balotelli working his ***** off: it's true he worked his ***** off, but so what? He failed his primary function which is to score goals. He worked his ***** off at the wrong areas of the pitch. I wouldn't even mind if he worked his ***** off which contributed to the team build up or put pressure on the opponents but non of that happened. When Peter Crouch waant scoring, he at least held up the ball well and passed it on to other players. He put pressure on opponents. When dirk worked hard, he at least goes into goal scoring positions and scored some goals off of his shin or whatever. What I saw from balotelli was a player who maybe talented but extremely lacks a football IQ. Which leads me to Yakka's point,

That he doesn't fit in with other players: yes totally agreed. Yakka mentioned about Coutinho not playing well and that's because of balotelli! How many times have you seen countinho squeeze in a seemingly impossible pass to Sturridge to create a chance for him to score? And that's because Sturridge's movement were meaningful movements as a striker. I remember there were alot of times Coutinho got the ball looked up to see where balotelli is and instead of running in some huge gaps between the defenders, Balotelli was stationary outwide to receive the ball and then run with the ball into defenders and loses the it. I think I mentioned that in several of my posts during games. He just doesn't have the football IQ. Working his ***** off at meaningless areas of the pitch for a striker, when you're the lone leading striker is just useless. I think Lambert.scored more goals in the total amount of time played on the pitch than balotelli last season.

[only me]

From the outside looking in you got the impression last season that at times Brendan and some of the other members of the committee weren't exactly seeing eye to eye. I think one or two players inadvertently found themselves in the middle of that power struggle, Mario included.

Mario was shiite coming in and shiite coming out the rest are just lame excuses. He is an upgraded Pub player no work ethic no intelligence and a huge ego and misperception of his worth. His utter failure was the most predicted of all of BR mistakes.

[RED BEERGOGGLES]

Crouch went 19 games without scoring ,and he had far less attempts on goal ,would it be churlish of me to suggest he benefited from Rafa's patience 
I've stated in my summary the games a large proportion of supporters present at the games (Kopites) believe he contributed to our overall play ,and was still subjected to the managers obvious disdain and a vociferous media onslaught labelled with such references as Lazy ,Slovenly ,disinterested ....Like I said mine is just one of many contrasting opinions ,but I'm sticking  to my recollection of what I seen watching the player and with the current incumbent he never stood a chance.

[RedAnt]

Maybe that doesn't tell the whole story. I've read James Pearce on twitter state that Balotelli missed plenty of training last season for pitiful excuses.

If the guy isn't putting it in in training then he doesn't deserve to play, end of.

It's not as if his performances were great when he did play. For me they weren't good or even ok. His return of one league goal is shocking whatever way you choose to look at it.

We are better cutting our losses here I think. I would only consider giving him another chance if we have no offers of a permanent transfer. The Italian clubs can stick their loan deals where the sun don't shine. We hopefully learned our lesson on that one over Aquilani. Agree a loan with view to buy and they then always try and negotiate down the agreed fee when it comes down to it.

I hear something similar.

Basically Mario had to give a number of assurances to us, in regards to his commitment, work ethic and willingness to work hard and be an example for the young lads. From what I can tell he got bored of that rather quickly.

Says it all really mate. Mario the role model. Never gonna work. We should have simply let him play or not bothered signing him. He's only 24 isn't he?

[red till i die!!]

Maybe that doesn't tell the whole story. I've read James Pearce on twitter state that Balotelli missed plenty of training last season for pitiful excuses.

If the guy isn't putting it in in training then he doesn't deserve to play, end of.

It's not as if his performances were great when he did play. For me they weren't good or even ok. His return of one league goal is shocking whatever way you choose to look at it.

We are better cutting our losses here I think. I would only consider giving him another chance if we have no offers of a permanent transfer. The Italian clubs can stick their loan deals where the sun don't shine. We hopefully learned our lesson on that one over Aquilani. Agree a loan with view to buy and they then always try and negotiate down the agreed fee when it comes down to it.

I hear something similar.

Basically Mario had to give a number of assurances to us, in regards to his commitment, work ethic and willingness to work hard and be an example for the young lads. From what I can tell he got bored of that rather quickly.

If Balotelli was indeed shirking training sessions or not showing up we would have heard about it long before now. Rodgers would have also used that as a stick to beat him with last season and hung him out to dry in the media. No way would he of let that slip without crowing to the world about it. He has pilloried him for less.

I love the way some of our fans lap up anything that comes out of James Pearces mouth. He is not a great journalist at all and is only fortunate to work for a paper that has established connections within the club. Some of the stuff he puts out belongs in the star  The Echo has many writers better than him who's tongue isn't firmly embedded in Brendan's butt crack. Did he even name a source in his tweets ? or was it something he heard ?

All he is doing is trying to paint a picture of a player who doesn't want to even try to play for us so it paves the way for an easy exit at a massive loss and no fingers pointed at the manager 

[mart]

Maybe that doesn't tell the whole story. I've read James Pearce on twitter state that Balotelli missed plenty of training last season for pitiful excuses.

If the guy isn't putting it in in training then he doesn't deserve to play, end of.

If that was true it would have been all over the media last season.

I'm not Balotellis biggest fan but its clear that B-rod didnt give him much of a chance. I guess he didnt kiss B-rods ***** enough.

[JC_81]

Believe what you want lads. I'm guessing Pearce is more in the know than you.

[ycsatbjywtbiastkamb]

Believe what you want lads. I'm guessing Pearce is more in the know than you.

To be fair Brendan has used Pearce before when he wants to get his version of events over (like during that row last season over the role of the transfer committee) but saying that i wouldn't be surprised if what he wrote about Mario was true, let's face it he doesn't exactly bust a gut during games never mind training sessions.

[kazza]

Maybe that doesn't tell the whole story. I've read James Pearce on twitter state that Balotelli missed plenty of training last season for pitiful excuses.

If the guy isn't putting it in in training then he doesn't deserve to play, end of.

It's not as if his performances were great when he did play. For me they weren't good or even ok. His return of one league goal is shocking whatever way you choose to look at it.

We are better cutting our losses here I think. I would only consider giving him another chance if we have no offers of a permanent transfer. The Italian clubs can stick their loan deals where the sun don't shine. We hopefully learned our lesson on that one over Aquilani. Agree a loan with view to buy and they then always try and negotiate down the agreed fee when it comes down to it.

I hear something similar.

Basically Mario had to give a number of assurances to us, in regards to his commitment, work ethic and willingness to work hard and be an example for the young lads. From what I can tell he got bored of that rather quickly.

If Balotelli was indeed shirking training sessions or not showing up we would have heard about it long before now. Rodgers would have also used that as a stick to beat him with last season and hung him out to dry in the media. No way would he of let that slip without crowing to the world about it. He has pilloried him for less.

I love the way some of our fans lap up anything that comes out of James Pearces mouth. He is not a great journalist at all and is only fortunate to work for a paper that has established connections within the club. Some of the stuff he puts out belongs in the star  The Echo has many writers better than him who's tongue isn't firmly embedded in Brendan's butt crack. Did he even name a source in his tweets ? or was it something he heard ?

All he is doing is trying to paint a picture of a player who doesn't want to even try to play for us so it paves the way for an easy exit at a massive loss and no fingers pointed at the manager 

If he is going to try and sell him, the last thing he would do is go to the media and talk about how the player misses training. If the player did miss training then the manager would probably freeze him out of the team and try to sell him, which is what he did.

[C-R]

Very interesting article on Balotelli here, i know some don't like copy n paste, but this is worth a read....

It was during the week after Liverpool’s home defeat to Manchester United in March when a realisation struck among those with influence inside Anfield that Mario Balotelli would not change.

Two stories reflect Balotelli’s listless attitude. During training Colin Pascoe, then Liverpool’s assistant manager, gathered the squad in a huddle close to Melwood’s perimeter wall. Thirty or 40 yards away, Jon Flanagan was hobbling by, an injured player facing almost a year on the sidelines. Balotelli started shouting towards him for no apparent reason, “Hey, hey…” interrupting Pascoe’s flow. For that, the Italian was threatened with banishment to the changing rooms.

Later in the afternoon, Balotelli scored a jaw-dropping goal from near the halfway line. Witnesses stood open-mouthed: first-team players shook their heads in disbelief, youngsters smirked nervously at the brilliance in front of them. One problem: the goal was at the wrong end.

At 1-1 during a 10 on 10 match, with Balotelli on the weaker team made up of likely substitutes for the weekend’s game at Arsenal as well as teenagers from the academy, he deemed it appropriate to turn around and fire a shot towards Brad Jones. The goalkeeper was helpless. Balotelli thought it hilarious, laughing away by himself in the centre circle.

When Liverpool’s squad travelled to London on Good Friday, Balotelli was not present. His next appearance came almost a month later as a substitute when Aston Villa stubbed out the remaining light on both his and Liverpool’s miserable campaigns.

Balotelli’s Liverpool career unravelled quickly. Staying up with friends late the night before a Champions League defeat to Basel in Switzerland was a bad way to endear himself to manager Brendan Rodgers. Then he was banned from driving after being caught speeding at 109mph on the M62 in December.

By Christmas, indeed, Balotelli did not know the names of some of his team-mates – regulars who feature in the starting XI. It is reasoned he lost out on moments where relationships are developed because he missed home cooking so much that rather than eating at Melwood before and after training, he organised for lunch and dinner to be delivered to his Formby mansion from an Italian restaurant.

Balotelli now knows he has no future at Liverpool. It did not deter him from beginning his 25th birthday celebrations at 1am on Wednesday morning, with friend Desmond N’Ze releasing a video on social media of the striker being sprayed with Veuve Clicquot champagne. Earlier, upon receiving a parking ticket in Liverpool’s city centre, Balotelli took to Instagram, revealing a photograph of the issuing attendant.

Until 18 months ago, N’Ze was also a footballer, contracted to Fujeida MYFC in the Japanese third division. Having met Balotelli at Internazionale in 2008, N’Ze is said to have given up on his professional career and since has operated as Balotelli’s gopher.

The pair have been inseparable on Merseyside, with Balotelli frequently inviting N’Ze into Melwood before it was made clear by management that he would not be welcome.

As last season ambled towards a conclusion, N’Ze was often seen sleeping in the passenger seat of Balotelli’s red Ferrari in Melwood’s car park, waiting for his friend to finish work.

Those who witnessed Balotelli’s efforts in training admit that he might as well have joined him.

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/foot ... 52908.html

[johnbarnes]

Very interesting article on Balotelli here, i know some don't like copy n paste, but this is worth a read....

It was during the week after Liverpool’s home defeat to Manchester United in March when a realisation struck among those with influence inside Anfield that Mario Balotelli would not change.

Two stories reflect Balotelli’s listless attitude. During training Colin Pascoe, then Liverpool’s assistant manager, gathered the squad in a huddle close to Melwood’s perimeter wall. Thirty or 40 yards away, Jon Flanagan was hobbling by, an injured player facing almost a year on the sidelines. Balotelli started shouting towards him for no apparent reason, “Hey, hey…” interrupting Pascoe’s flow. For that, the Italian was threatened with banishment to the changing rooms.

Later in the afternoon, Balotelli scored a jaw-dropping goal from near the halfway line. Witnesses stood open-mouthed: first-team players shook their heads in disbelief, youngsters smirked nervously at the brilliance in front of them. One problem: the goal was at the wrong end.

At 1-1 during a 10 on 10 match, with Balotelli on the weaker team made up of likely substitutes for the weekend’s game at Arsenal as well as teenagers from the academy, he deemed it appropriate to turn around and fire a shot towards Brad Jones. The goalkeeper was helpless. Balotelli thought it hilarious, laughing away by himself in the centre circle.

When Liverpool’s squad travelled to London on Good Friday, Balotelli was not present. His next appearance came almost a month later as a substitute when Aston Villa stubbed out the remaining light on both his and Liverpool’s miserable campaigns.

Balotelli’s Liverpool career unravelled quickly. Staying up with friends late the night before a Champions League defeat to Basel in Switzerland was a bad way to endear himself to manager Brendan Rodgers. Then he was banned from driving after being caught speeding at 109mph on the M62 in December.

By Christmas, indeed, Balotelli did not know the names of some of his team-mates – regulars who feature in the starting XI. It is reasoned he lost out on moments where relationships are developed because he missed home cooking so much that rather than eating at Melwood before and after training, he organised for lunch and dinner to be delivered to his Formby mansion from an Italian restaurant.

Balotelli now knows he has no future at Liverpool. It did not deter him from beginning his 25th birthday celebrations at 1am on Wednesday morning, with friend Desmond N’Ze releasing a video on social media of the striker being sprayed with Veuve Clicquot champagne. Earlier, upon receiving a parking ticket in Liverpool’s city centre, Balotelli took to Instagram, revealing a photograph of the issuing attendant.

Until 18 months ago, N’Ze was also a footballer, contracted to Fujeida MYFC in the Japanese third division. Having met Balotelli at Internazionale in 2008, N’Ze is said to have given up on his professional career and since has operated as Balotelli’s gopher.

The pair have been inseparable on Merseyside, with Balotelli frequently inviting N’Ze into Melwood before it was made clear by management that he would not be welcome.

As last season ambled towards a conclusion, N’Ze was often seen sleeping in the passenger seat of Balotelli’s red Ferrari in Melwood’s car park, waiting for his friend to finish work.

Those who witnessed Balotelli’s efforts in training admit that he might as well have joined him.

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/foot ... 52908.html

What a wonderful world he lives in, and what a wonderful life he lives!
I love this guy. He lives his own dreams everyday like it was his last...
And yet in spite of knowing all this, LFC's transfer committee still pursued him to play football?
I don't blame Balotelli for his nature or his attitude, because he did not ask to join LFC.
LFC asked Balotelli to join us 
The money should have been used as part of the re-development program at Anfield. A more profitable return on the investment.

[ycsatbjywtbiastkamb]

Someone over on RAWK has posted the picture of Mario with the traffic warden, it just looks like the type of regular photo op footballers must go through a dozen times a day. They've posted a picture of his birthday party too, doesn't look wild at all.
What I don't understand is if someone inside the club is briefing the press about Mario don't they realise that it's counterproductive? The club will be lucky to give him away on a free at this rate.

[damjan193]

The amount of effort put into blackening his name is ridiculous and quite frankly embarrassing. I can't believe the club has allowed itself to stoop so low. "Look look everyone, Baloteli has interrupted Pascoe once and scored an own goal on training! He's so bad, he must be sold!" Seriously, would have been better off just saying he doesn't fit with us and that's that. We've never done these things before, I could expect Chelsea to do it but never us.

[SkippyRed]

What stuns me, we want to sell him, but the press are writing all these stories about him being a dick.

Surely Burger Head and co should be writing stories of him in a positive light instead of a negative one. We will be lucky to get 10 quid for him at the rate the stories are coming out.

[C-R]

Andy Hunter is saying... Mino Raiola *Balo's agent) negotiated a series of loyalty bonuses into the three-year contract and one will be payable should Balotelli stay. Mario Balotelli is due a six-figure “loyalty bonus” should he remain at the club once the summer transfer window has closed.

Also, Sampdoria have made contact with Mino Raiola over a potential deal for Mario Balotelli, but it would still mean Liverpool paying part of Balotelli's wages.