Joe Hart on Balotelli's red card

[Beefymcfc]

I don't see why people are getting so heated/upset about his sending off. The challenge on song was stupid but in my opinion he was going for the ball and wasn't purposely trying to go through him, even though the press have said it's a leg-breaker it didn't look anything of the type to me. And if he did do it purposely, was it a little afterwards for what happened to Yaya, which went unpunished?

The yellow cards as well, they were both cynical but nothing that serious where I thought they deserved cards, especially considering the ref had let far worse go for Arsenal.

As for Mancini keeping him on, well, what do you do? Everyone on here has already said that Dzeko's shit so there's one down. Everyone's already said that Aguero didn't get in the game, that's 2 down. Everyone hates Tevez and don't believe he should be on the pitch and with his lack of match time that brings us back to Mario, the one lad who can get hold of a ball and make a goal out of nothing from that left-hand side. He did it last week and on many other occassions and it's my thought that Mancini thought it was worth the risk.

And to say he was shit all the way through, he may not have been the best but his cards showed that at least he wanted to get involved, for the cause. Please tell me what more any of our forward thinking players did? The only decent player their on Sunday was Pizzaro who at least tried to get things going, although his legs weren't quite up to it in the end.

Understandably, because of the Red card, Mario is taking the brunt for this loss whereas the team and manager should collectively take the blame. To lose 1-0 to Arsenal is no shame in itself but the manner in which the players went down, is.

I think you have read peoples feelings on balotelli totally wrong.

When you then see mancini calling out balo you will see that most people thought this was unacceptable from the manager, as it is he who seems to have tried to use mario as the fall guy, not the fans

Only Mancini? I think that interview was totally out of order and once again his stock has dropped in my opinion but it's not only him. Many on here have also jumped on that bandwaggon or are using him as a way to attack Mancini, so no, I haven't understood it wrong, it's there for all to see; not just on this thread.

What has amazed me is that we've not quite yet got into the 'Special One' issue, you know the one, 'If he had this squad, he's have won the World Cup by now'. It's only been murmured by a few so far but nobody has come out to make it a full-on debate.

[Im_Spartacus]

Only Mancini? I think that interview was totally out of order and once again his stock has dropped in my opinion but it's not only him. Many on here have also jumped on that bandwaggon or are using him as a way to attack Mancini, so no, I haven't understood it wrong, it's there for all to see; not just on this thread.

What has amazed me is that we've not quite yet got into the 'Special One' issue, you know the one, 'If he had this squad, he's have won the World Cup by now'. It's only been murmured by a few so far but nobody has come out to make it a full-on debate.

Your damned right it is being used as a reason to attack mancini. The stubborn cunt did his work with savic, refusinto move micah to cb when a blind man on a galloping horse could see what was needed. He has consistently picked a player who, to the shame of the majorit y on here, has managed to steal a living for 2 years by his agent feeding a diet of myths about his misdeeds.

Mancini has pandered to him, with zero return on the pitch bar one or two decent goals. Mancini has created that rod for his back, and after all he has done, mugged himself off on sunday with his handling of he situation and seeminly washing his hands of balotelli, yet again in public - having for some reason trusted him despite saying in a presser not 2 weeks ago that he didnt trust mario.

Wrt the jose could have done x, y or z, Maybe i just got it going with my post on the mancini thread about our forwards and how jose would use hem.

[Beefymcfc]

Only Mancini? I think that interview was totally out of order and once again his stock has dropped in my opinion but it's not only him. Many on here have also jumped on that bandwaggon or are using him as a way to attack Mancini, so no, I haven't understood it wrong, it's there for all to see; not just on this thread.

What has amazed me is that we've not quite yet got into the 'Special One' issue, you know the one, 'If he had this squad, he's have won the World Cup by now'. It's only been murmured by a few so far but nobody has come out to make it a full-on debate.

Your damned right it is being used as a reason to attack mancini. The stubborn cunt did his work with savic, refusinto move micah to cb when a blind man on a galloping horse could see what was needed. He has consistently picked a player who, to the shame of the majorit y on here, has managed to steal a living for 2 years by his agent feeding a diet of myths about his misdeeds.

Mancini has pandered to him, with zero return on the pitch bar one or two decent goals. Mancini has created that rod for his back, and after all he has done, mugged himself off on sunday with his handling of he situation and seeminly washing his hands of balotelli, yet again in public - having for some reason trusted him despite saying in a presser not 2 weeks ago that he didnt trust mario.

Wrt the jose could have done x, y or z, Maybe i just got it going with my post on the mancini thread about our forwards and how jose would use hem.

I'm not disagreeing with you in many respects and these are the debates that we should be having but what amazes me is how the rest of the season is dismissed without a thought, whether that be to prove a point or because it is easier just to forget. There are many things being spouted about our form since Xmas yet people forget to mention that we've still not lost an home game (fingers crossed for Wednesday) in the league. Many people talk about the need for width but forget to add that this is what Mancini was looking for before the season started and possibly in the Jan window. Many people have now also jumped on the Tevez situation and are using it as a platform to hammer Mancini on yet were adamant that even though he was back, we should not play 'The Little Cunt'. And what about the refereeing issues that we've witnessed, haven't these factors had an impact on our season? There are many more instances of this one sided debate.

I'm all for debating the issues, even the pro's and con's of Mourinho, but let's at least let's take the full season into account and not just tar the whole year with our away form just to prove a point. There's much more to it than 'He's a coward' or 'He's shit', surely.

[littlebig]

Fuck off 'Super' Mario

Mancini's gamble on him has failed spectacularly, he's been as bad as herman for the club this season, never want to see this joke play for us again

[Beefymcfc]

Fuck off 'Super' Mario

Mancini's gamble on him has failed spectacularly, he's been as bad as herman for the club this season, never want to see this joke play for us again

He's been as bad as Tevez?

Now that's what I'm talking about in my previous.

[Im_Spartacus]

He's been as bad as Tevez?

Now that's what I'm talking about in my previous.

Fair enough.

I think a major issue with football fans is that to an extent all are fickle, but the difference is that those accused of being kneejerk reactionaries in the recent past, me, piccs, lahad, were being villified by the very people who have now vehemently joined our stance because of one game.

The reality is that there are some who will slate anyone and everyone t the first sign of trouble, which is what you see on the match threads - that is kneejerk reaction and can often be ignored as heat of the moment stuff..

Someome stating their considered view after watching a clear pattern emerge after several months, a pattern we have seen before in mancini is slated by those who are convinced that it doesnt matter how damning that pattern is, time is the panacea that will cure all.

Then all of a sudden, they have a game like sunday, and all start agreeing with us. Who is kneejerk, those who saw the problems and called them out early on, or those who stuck to blind faith to justify how we must have been wrong and changes their stance because of one game?

Ive been truly shocked by those who have finally stepped over to the dark side, how long it actually took them for the penny to drop, or before their brains registered what they have been seeing for months now.

[Beefymcfc]

He's been as bad as Tevez?

Now that's what I'm talking about in my previous.

Fair enough.

I think a major issue with football fans is that to an extent all are fickle, but the difference is that those accused of being kneejerk reactionaries in the recent past, me, piccs, lahad, were being villified by the very people who have now vehemently joined our stance because of one game.

The reality is that there are some who will slate anyone and everyone t the first sign of trouble, which is what you see on the match threads - that is kneejerk reaction and can often be ignored as heat of the moment stuff..

Someome stating their considered view after watching a clear pattern emerge after several months, a pattern we have seen before in mancini is slated by those who are convinced that it doesnt matter how damning that pattern is, time is the panacea that will cure all.

Then all of a sudden, they have a game like sunday, and all start agreeing with us. Who is kneejerk, those who saw the problems and called them out early on, or those who stuck to blind faith to justify how we must have been wrong and changes their stance because of one game?

Ive been truly shocked by those who have finally stepped over to the dark side, how long it actually took them for the penny to drop, or before their brains registered what they have been seeing for months now.

I'm going to save mine for the end of the season, it seems a little premature at the moment.

[Im_Spartacus]

I'm going to save mine for the end of the season, it seems a little premature at the moment.

Thats fine, but (and please don take this as a criticism), surely you have an opinion on what you are seeing.

Ill wait and see at the end of he season is fine, i dont think many would advocate frog marching mancini out the door forthwith, but what do you believe will be different between now and the end of the season which will shape your view one way or another.

[Beefymcfc]

I'm going to save mine for the end of the season, it seems a little premature at the moment.

Thats fine, but (and please don take this as a criticism), surely you have an opinion on what you are seeing.

Ill wait and see at the end of he season is fine, i dont think many would advocate frog marching mancini out the door forthwith, but what do you believe will be different between now and the end of the season which will shape your view one way or another.

Of course I have an opinion and you may find I express it later. On the 'Shaping my view', my view is shaped by an overall opinion over the course of the season, taking into account all factors rather than just the last 3 months away from home. It also includes my thoughts on our forces as well as outside forces, and also not just what we see on the pitch.

There are many, as I've mentioned, who've taken to beating their chests due to us not being top, which is also understandable, but were these people beating their chests when we were top of the league for 5 months; I'm not quite sure they were.

[Ted Hughes]

The problem is that Balotelli is a bench player, as is Dzeko. We have needed them as starters & line leaders & they're not ready.

Aguero isn't ready to lead the line for a full season & isn't a main striker anyway.

It's meant that we had to rely on Balotelli to win a title & rather than a cameo player, he's become the main focal point & gone nuclear.

Did anyone think he could lead our attack on a regular basis ? I didn't & have said so since last season.

[Tokyo Blue]

The yellow cards as well, they were both cynical but nothing that serious where I thought they deserved cards, especially considering the ref had let far worse go for Arsenal.

Key words right there.

[Beefymcfc]

Has anybody been listening to Sky this morning? Just heard the paper talk with Custis who's described the Mario incident on Song as a 'STAMP', not a follow through. He's talking about a possible 9 game ban that one of the papers have written about (mentioned by I'm Spartacus earlier in the thread) and even though he doesn't think it's likely you could see the joy in his face at the thought of it.

'STAMP', that's what he said.

PS. There's been no mention of an Arsenal win, just a constant stream of Mario's 'STAMP'.

[littlebig]

Sorry, should have been more clear, I think mario has been worse for the club than tevez in terms of bad PR and disruption in the dressing room

[Beefymcfc]

Sorry, should have been more clear, I think mario has been worse for the club than tevez in terms of bad PR and disruption in the dressing room

Ahh, I see. I think they are about equal. I'm no Mario supporter but even I see the advantages that he has brought to the team this season. I also see the bad though and understand people's thoughts on him.

This is what the board's for though, if you feel you need to vent then crack-on, you'll have many who will be agreeing with you.

[Dameerto]

In terms of people voicing (or seemlingly changing) their opinions after one match - it's not really one match is it? It's basically a watershed where the title has effectively slipped away. Maybe those people were reserving their judgement until the title was won or lost.

[Im_Spartacus]

In terms of people voicing (or seemlingly changing) their opinions after one match - it's not really one match is it? It's basically a watershed where the title has effectively slipped away. Maybe those people were reserving their judgement until the title was won or lost.

The main gist the dissenters were making was that having had a wank away record for months, we had no real right to have any expectation of getting anything from the arsenal game, because they didnt think Mancini had it in him to learn and most eloquently gave their reasons.

There were many on here being particularly vehement towards the dissenters, they were being called all sorts, rags included.

It was pure, blinkered hope that drove the people to criticise the dissenters the way they did.Yet now, a game later, and it seems to be fashionable to call Mancini a bottler. Well does that not strike you as bolting the door after the horse has bolted......because to me it shows many many people on here are reacting to results and league positions, NOT what they are seeing on the pitch.

I always respected many voices on here, but many many people have gone down in my estimation after this debacle - because it is clear they either post with blue tinted specs on, or don't understand football. Eiither way they react to problems rather than anticipate them, something they accuse Mancini of doing.

[Grob]

The problem is that Balotelli is a bench player, as is Dzeko. We have needed them as starters & line leaders & they're not ready.

Aguero isn't ready to lead the line for a full season & isn't a main striker anyway.

It's meant that we had to rely on Balotelli to win a title & rather than a cameo player, he's become the main focal point & gone nuclear.

Did anyone think he could lead our attack on a regular basis ? I didn't & have said so since last season.

Mancini did

[Grob]

I'm going to save mine for the end of the season, it seems a little premature at the moment.

Thats fine, but (and please don take this as a criticism), surely you have an opinion on what you are seeing.

Ill wait and see at the end of he season is fine, i dont think many would advocate frog marching mancini out the door forthwith, but what do you believe will be different between now and the end of the season which will shape your view one way or another.

Of course I have an opinion and you may find I express it later. On the 'Shaping my view', my view is shaped by an overall opinion over the course of the season, taking into account all factors rather than just the last 3 months away from home. It also includes my thoughts on our forces as well as outside forces, and also not just what we see on the pitch.

There are many, as I've mentioned, who've taken to beating their chests due to us not being top, which is also understandable, but were these people beating their chests when we were top of the league for 5 months; I'm not quite sure they were.

Of course when we were winning and playing well and demolishing teams, no city fan was moaning.

Our away form has completely collapsed since November and we've exited 4 competitions since the turn of the year with no finals.

From our early season form, its not unreasonable to people to have expected more. Its not unreasonable to look at whats gone wrong.

Its not unreasonable to have now formed a negative opinion on Mancini from the last 4 months worth of performances and results after having a positive one pre November. The season has slowly collapsed. A massive worry going forward IMO.

[DoomMerchant]

I'm going to save mine for the end of the season, it seems a little premature at the moment.

Thats fine, but (and please don take this as a criticism), surely you have an opinion on what you are seeing.

Ill wait and see at the end of he season is fine, i dont think many would advocate frog marching mancini out the door forthwith, but what do you believe will be different between now and the end of the season which will shape your view one way or another.

Of course I have an opinion and you may find I express it later. On the 'Shaping my view', my view is shaped by an overall opinion over the course of the season, taking into account all factors rather than just the last 3 months away from home. It also includes my thoughts on our forces as well as outside forces, and also not just what we see on the pitch.

There are many, as I've mentioned, who've taken to beating their chests due to us not being top, which is also understandable, but were these people beating their chests when we were top of the league for 5 months; I'm not quite sure they were.

Of course when we were winning and playing well and demolishing teams, no city fan was moaning.

Our away form has completely collapsed since November and we've exited 4 competitions since the turn of the year with no finals.

From our early season form, its not unreasonable to people to have expected more. Its not unreasonable to look at whats gone wrong.

Its not unreasonable to have now formed a negative opinion on Mancini from the last 4 months worth of performances and results after having a positive one pre November. The season has slowly collapsed. A massive worry going forward IMO.

massive imho as well.

i wouldn't trust Mancini to take it forward...i just wouldn't.

[Tokyo Blue]

Our away form has completely collapsed since November and we've exited 4 competitions since the turn of the year with no finals.

The main gist the dissenters were making was that having had a wank away record for months,

Look at our away record in February.