Mario Balotelli

[Bjornebye]

He was (for us) the sort of player who looked like a world beater 1 in 10 games.  For 5 out of ten games he looked out of sorts. For the remaining 4 games he was typically an accident waiting to happen.

 

There's a reason he keeps getting moved on. 

 

Mancini was allegedly a close family friend - a father figure of sorts - but still he was constantly let down by Balo.

 

All of that said, he was a likeable lad. He never came across as a nasty arrogant sort of player, just a mixed up millionaire.

 

Of course he's a better option than many alternatives, but he's not as good an option as keeping the money in your pocket and saving up for a proper reliable striker.

 

Balo is the sort of buy you make when you set out to by a decent BMW 330d that's sport and reliable... but you realise you can't afford right now, so buy an Insignia Sri on impulse instead.

You feel good having bought it, but you'll regret it rapidly.

 

Shitting yourself already 

[jamespp]

He is a young player isn't he?

not really he's 24, time to grow up and stop pissing about

[Jairzinho]

I actually quite like having a complete fucking mentalist in the side that fans of all other clubs hate. Its his laziness that is the biggest issue, for me.

[Babb'sBurstNad]

Balotelli's unstable, but he's not really that unpredictable. Put your money on him walking around the pitch, shrugging his shoulders like he couldn't give a fuck, then scoring the odd worldie.

[FanchesterCity]

The idea of a mentalist in the side is great as long as he's confusing the opposition. When he's confusing his own side... that's when the problems start!

[Major Tom]

Shitting yourself already 

 

I imagine he isn't. There will be a reason - and it won't be a good one - Balotelli is the itinerant he is.

 

Every manager will back himself to bring the best out of him. And every one has failed so far.

 

I say steer clear.

[Section_31]

See "Luis Suarez" for more info.

Luis Suarez is probably the most consistent player I've seen in years. Save for a handful of moments of madness he was pretty much a family man who just wanted to play and win, you always knew what you'd get with him.

 

Balotelli could score an overhead kick one game then do fuck all the next, later to be spotted driving around Norris Green handing out mini-milk lolly ices to complete strangers.

[FanchesterCity]

Balotelli's unstable, but he's not really that unpredictable. Put your money on him walking around the pitch, shrugging his shoulders like he couldn't give a fuck, then scoring the odd worldie.

 

That's about the most accurate description there is.

In the end, those rare worldies don't stack up to that much when you're getting shrugged shoulders away at Stoke and desperate to salvage something from a game.

[Tony Moanero]

He was (for us) the sort of player who looked like a world beater 1 in 10 games.  For 5 out of ten games he looked out of sorts. For the remaining 4 games he was typically an accident waiting to happen.

 

There's a reason he keeps getting moved on. 

 

Mancini was allegedly a close family friend - a father figure of sorts - but still he was constantly let down by Balo.

 

All of that said, he was a likeable lad. He never came across as a nasty arrogant sort of player, just a mixed up millionaire.

 

Of course he's a better option than many alternatives, but he's not as good an option as keeping the money in your pocket and saving up for a proper reliable striker.

 

Balo is the sort of buy you make when you set out to by a decent BMW 330d that's sport and reliable... but you realise you can't afford right now, so buy an Insignia Sri on impulse instead.

You feel good having bought it, but you'll regret it rapidly.

 

Calling him "Balo" makes you sound a bit a of a quim.

[FanchesterCity]

With Suarez, you could bear the lunatic side of him because it was 80% genius, 20% lunatic.

Balo is 20% genius, 80% lunatic. 

 

Poles apart.

[FanchesterCity]

Calling him "Balo" makes you sound a bit a of a quim.

 

Or the easy option to avoid misspelling his name. 

[WhiskeyJar]

Luis Suarez is probably the most consistent player I've seen in years. Save for a handful of moments of madness he was pretty much a family man who just wanted to play and win, you always knew what you'd get with him.

 

Balotelli could score an overhead kick one game then do fuck all the next, later to be spotted driving around Norris Green handing out mini-milk lolly ices to complete strangers.

 

My point is Suarez was still a gamble when we signed him, he was even labelled as a hot head by a few on here if memory serves me right.

 

Is Balotelli any more of a gamble then Suarez?

[WhiskeyJar]

With Suarez, you could bear the lunatic side of him because it was 80% genius, 20% lunatic.

Balo is 20% genius, 80% lunatic. 

 

Poles apart.

 

I do not see it more of a gamble though, just a player that needs sorting out. 

[TheHowieLama]

Of course he is more of a gamble.

[Major Tom]

 

Is Balotelli any more of a gamble then Suarez?

 

Very obviously, yes.

[RobbieOR]

Im torn on this. Mental bastard, but the laziness is definitely my biggest issue.

 

On the other hand, if its a choice between having just Lambert as our only fall back option when Sturridge inevitably gets injured or Balotelli and Lambert, then its the latter every time.

[Trumo]

Something I wrote a few weeks ago:

 

Lazy is a highly apt description of him though. He is capable of moments of brilliance and undoubtedly has talent, but every single coach he's worked under has toiled to get his level of application up because he's such a flake. He turns up when he feels like it, and it's this attitude and lack of application which is the antithesis of what Rodgers and the coaching staff want from our players. Rodgers talks all the time about hunger and desire as traits he looks for in his players, and both are things frequently absent when it comes to Balotelli. 

 

Like Suarez, Balotelli is a player with a penchant for getting himself into trouble through his own stupidity. The difference is that as a footballer, Suarez give it 100% every single time even if he has a bad day, and that attitude is ideal to rub off on younger players. They'll push themselves more because they see one of the most gifted players in the world doing it and they see the impact it can have. Balotelli gives the impression of a young millionaire who thinks he's got nothing to prove to anybody.

 

His coaches (including Prandelli who it was said understood how to get the best out of the player) have struggled in vain to make him curb his excesses but nobody has managed to get anything consistently from him. Poor attitude and application can also rub off on younger players, and any coach working with Balotelli has a job on his hands trying to prevent that from happening. However, if you concentrate on getting the most from one talented but inconsistent player, you run the risk of neglecting and losing focus on the rest of your team.

 

It's telling how even in his Inter days, Balotelli made a point of showing that he was actually a Milan fan. Yet once he got his so-called 'dream move' to Milan, he's not upped his application or tried to develop his game. It might be that Allegri and then Seedorf weren't the right people to get the most out of him, but he's worked under a number of successful coaches and all have had that problem. 

 

[Bjornebye]

Im torn on this. Mental bastard, but the laziness is definitely my biggest issue.

 

On the other hand, if its a choice between having just Lambert as our only fall back option when Sturridge inevitably gets injured or Balotelli and Lambert, then its the latter every time.

 

Some sense in this evil world. 

[Dr Nowt]

Steve Peters wasn't a kindergarten teacher last time I checked, so that angle can safely be ruled out as being of any benefit.

[FanchesterCity]

Id say he's more of a gamble...

 

Suarez will get you (say) 25 league goals a season, add guile to your team performances and in some cases dig you out of trouble. In return, you run the risk of a 12 game ban.

 

Balo will get you (say) 15 league goals a season, won't really add much guile, and won't be digging you out of trouble. In return, you'll run the risk of being banned for 6 games.

 

Suarez is a worker, Balo isn't.

Suarez is now at Barca, Balo's not wanted by any elite club, even though Suarez already has a ban.

[Bjornebye]

Fuck off with the 'Balo' mate 

[Brigant Moloch]

we should sign Balotelli, stuff him with Xanax, tranquilizers and cocaine at the same time, then implant a headphone with Dr Peters' audiobook into his brain. Then we watch, should be fun regardless of the outcome.

[FanchesterCity]

anybody who gets touchy with a 'balo' is a balloon

[deiseach]

Suarez was definitely a gamble when we signed him, as was Torres. What's telling in their cases though was they were highly regarded by supporters of their respective former clubs. I had a delivery guy clock my Liverpool shirt and tell me that Suarez had been great for Ajax, had left with everyone's best wishes and that he would deliver for Liverpool (pun unintended). It's clear we can't say the same for Balo...telli.

[Bjornebye]

anybody who gets touchy with a 'balo' is a balloon

 

shut up Fano