Mario Balotelli

[ratcatcher]

Could be an inspired signing. I like it.

[Arl arse]

I heard Mario is already causing mayhem in Liverpool. Apparently he's bought all the blue coloured jelly and food dye in tesco and put it all in the bin just so some poor dying Everton fan couldn't have an Everton themed desert for his (probably) last birthday. 

The guy is a fucking disgrace. I heard someone today, an Everton fan I believe but who he supports isn't important, anyway he suggested any carry on from Balotelli and we should get points deducted and I'm inclined to agree with him. He's bad to the bone.

 

More of a disgrace than Suarez, disgusting behaviour.

[RobbieOR]

It's not false, it's just souped up a bit.

 

Still a bit annoying that people will lap anything up that lying gobshite Mourinho says in order to make something seem worse than it is. 

[Arl arse]

Brendan Rodgers believes Daniel Sturridge should thrive after the imminent arrival of Mario Balotelli and denied Liverpool buckled under the pressure of last season’s title race with Manchester City.

 

Liverpool’s quest to replace Luis Suárez is expected to end on Monday with the £16m signing of Balotelli from Milan. The Italy international convinced Rodgers he was a risk worth taking during face-to-face talks on Friday, completed his medical on Saturday and is due to return from Italy on Monday to sign a three-year contract worth a basic £80,000 a week. He will earn an extra £40,000 per week providing he meets a series of behavioural and performance clauses demanded by Liverpool.

 

Balotelli will not be eligible to face his former club Manchester City on Monday when the top two in the Premier League last season meet at the Etihad Stadium, although there is a chance he could attend the match. Responsibility for leading the line will again fall to another ex-City striker, Sturridge, whose winner on the opening weekend against Southampton took his Liverpool tally to an outstanding 36 goals in 50 appearances.

 

The 24-year-old has assumed greater importance to Rodgers’ team since the sale of Suárez but Liverpool have pursued several leading strikers this summer before opting to take a risk on Balotelli. The Liverpool manager is confident the England international appreciates the search is no reflection of his status at Anfield.

 

“I have spoken to Daniel about how important he is to the team,” said Rodgers, who has the £20m summer signing Lazar Markovic available for the trip to City. “The confidence I have in him has been shown in his performances and goals – 36 in 50 – and you are not doing that if you are not happy with your life and happy with your football. I have said repeatedly that Daniel is a top talent, but we need to have more than one top talent in here. But he is a big player for us and will remain to be.”

 

Sturridge, who is expected to be offered a new contract by Liverpool this season, did not always see eye to eye with Suárez during their time together on Merseyside, but Rodgers insists the striker will welcome the competition from Balotelli.

 

He said: “The dynamics are important but I don’t worry because if you are a top player with a top mind then you want other top players. If you are a top player and looking at another top player coming in then you will be thinking, ‘He can help us.’ A top player with a top mentality responds to the competition.

 

“We can also play a diamond. We played that eight times last year and won seven, and we flipped to that against Southampton. We can change systems and I need that flexibility. Also, if you look at Daniel’s injury record, then he has missed a number of weeks through being injured. I need to ensure I have got the replacements if they are not on the pitch at the same time.”

 

City pipped Liverpool to the title by two points in May despite Rodgers’ team holding a six-point advantage with three matches to play, albeit with Manuel Pellegrini’s team having a game in hand. The City manager suggested last week that increasing pressure affected Liverpool in the final weeks of the campaign but Rodgers maintains it was misfortune that cost his club a first league title in 24 years.

 

The Liverpool manager said: “People talk about the run-in and the pressure and all of that, but in the last 14 games we won 12, drew one and lost one and the one loss was so unfortunate. We had actually played really well and then just before half time Stevie [Gerrard] slips [against Chelsea]. That has nothing to do with winning the title, it’s just a slip. You go one-nil down and it is difficult. For 70 minutes we knocked on the door but I didn’t have depth then to change the game, I didn’t have the squad to reverse the personnel. Of course, it helps when you have won it before but it wasn’t about [City’s] experience.”

 

Rodgers insists “there is no doubt we are stronger” to challenge the champions this season and believes the depth of City’s squad was also a telling factor in the title race. He added: “I think we missed out on a little bit of luck towards the end and, over the course of it, they have a strong squad.

 

“They haven’t had to add too many because their squad is so strong. I had nothing but pride in how we played and how we were. As for conclusions, defensively we needed to be better, not in terms of organisation but in terms of errors. We made too many individual mistakes. If we can cut that out and still look to retain that efficiency going forward we will be a threat to most teams.”

 

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/aug/24/mario-balotelli-daniel-sturridge-liverpool-brendan-rodgers

[index1000]

If you're implying a lack of strength without meat, you should maybe have a look into some of these people : Growing List of Fighters who are Vegan, Vegetarian and Just Reducing Meat in Their Diets

it was a joke for fucks sake!, 

[index1000]

Scary read. What's Rodgers got himself into? We've truly gambled our season on a lunatic. God help us.

oh fuck off,seriously just fuck off. If you can't fuck off (and you really should) then make your own mind up and watch some clips of him over the last 18 months when he has been very very good for Milan and Italy. Which will be more than the cunt who wrote that fucking story would have ever done.

[index1000]

Work rate is not a massive thing for a striker imo as they need to conserve energy for runs, I watched a bit of the Milan friendly the other day and he did chase the defenders down a few times, I only watched the first ten minutes of the second half but his hold up play was impressive aswell.

Also it depends on the system he is playing under, he his getting stick for not closing down which he will have to do at liverpool but where else has he played that required that, City under Mancini? like fuck Morinio at Inter? again bollocks he would have been a lone striker in a park the bus formation. The lad lucks as fit as a fiddle. so fucking what he doesn't like pushups as long as he likes sticking the ball in the net that will do. 

[index1000]

great article that arl arse!

[Red Phoenix]

it was a joke for fucks sake!, 

 

Ah sorry, haven't slept much in the last couple of days, wires crossed.

 

Have just been reading some of Mario's thread on a Milan forum, most of them are glad he's gone and think he disrupted the team and is still a clown. I'm back to being unsure. Some of them think he'll start well but eventually he'll be back to his usual self.

 

One of them had a good point too : if Milan are his boyhood club and he was looked after there like they said he was, why is he going to be any different here? He'll probably be good at times, but he is almost definitely going to start pissing quite a lot of people off before long.

 

The problem at Milan might have been that he was their main striker, at least we have Danny so that isn't going to be an issue. We also have a lot better squad overall so we should get the best out of him when he's bothered, and not have it be such a huge thing if/when he isn't. I really hope he does well but I don't think Rodgers is a miracle worker, even though he seems great with people. The only person that can change who Mario is is himself, we'll just have to hope he's inspired by what we're doing and that we maybe get him more interested than he'd have been otherwise.

 

I think part of him just sees football as a chore or something at times though and he's going to get bored and be disinterested no matter where he is after a while. He might never have the drive and passion that many other footballers have, although it might seem like he's doing well for the first few weeks/months. Just my feelings on it anyway, hope I'm wrong.

[s(k)aturation]

Some of them think he'll start well but eventually he'll be back to his usual self.

 

If the good start lasts until the end of next May, that'll do nicely.

[therevivalist]

oh !@#$%^&* off,seriously just !@#$%^&* off. If you can't !@#$%^&* off (and you really should) then make your own mind up and watch some clips of him over the last 18 months when he has been very very good for Milan and Italy. Which will be more than the !@#$%^&* who wrote that fucking story would have ever done.

Oh you !@#$%^&* off yourself you little nazi or whatever you are. Go and get some sleep and clear your fucken head before you come on here throwing your garbage and try to muzzle people you piece of !@#$%^&*.

[s(k)aturation]

!@#$%^&*.

 

This.

[Tony Moanero]

Skaro knows.

[WhiskeyJar]

We expect him to sign today?

[Anubis]

If you go down to Melwood today
You're sure of a big surprise.
If you go down to Melwood today
You'll never believe your eyes!

For every screaming fan that ever there was
Will gather there for certain because,
Today's the day that
Mad Mario signs his contract.

 

[deiseach]

City pipped Liverpool to the title by two points in May despite Rodgers’ team holding a six-point advantage with three matches to play, albeit with Manuel Pellegrini’s team having a game in hand. 

 

So it was really a three point lead with three games to play. That wouldn't fit the Liverpool-bottled-it narrative though.

[El Dangerous]

I'm not too bothered about what Milan fans think of his departure. Some mentalists thought Suarez going was a good move, albeit not for football reasons.

[Guest Numero Veinticinco]

Lots are gutted he's going.

[WhiskeyJar]

Mario Balotelli will fly into Merseyside to finalise his move to Liverpool, according to Sky sources.

 

The Italy international is believed to have passed his medical after spending Friday evening at Liverpool’s Melwood training ground and will tie up his £16m switch from AC Milan.

 

 

http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/12040/9439279/transfer-news-mario-balotelli-to-complete-16316m-liverpool-move

[Arl arse]

Mario Balotelli will fly into Merseyside to finalise his move to Liverpool, according to Sky sources.

 

The Italy international is believed to have passed his medical after spending Friday evening at Liverpool’s Melwood training ground and will tie up his £16m switch from AC Milan.

 

 

http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/12040/9439279/transfer-news-mario-balotelli-to-complete-16316m-liverpool-move

Lookin good Mario, very sharp.

[Mook]

When do we get a photo of him leaning on something?

[stringvest]

I'm a bit tired of all the chat about Balotelli now.  All starting to get a bit repetitive.  I'm looking forward to him getting the signature done and getting on the pitch.  

[Phoenix]

I'm a bit tired of all the chat about Balotelli now.  All starting to get a bit repetitive.  I'm looking forward to him getting the signature done and getting on the pitch.  

 

The circus has just arrived. Better get used to it.

[s(k)aturation]

The circus has just arrived. 

 

Let's hope it's not on ice.

[Reckoner]

 

don't remember seeing this before, made me piss myself.