Mario Balotelli and Referee's

[Beefymcfc]

Just wondering what peoples opinions are regarding what went on yesterday?

Mario, as well as the rest of the team, seemed to get kicked and dragged all over the pitch but then to top it off got elbowed in the face by Huth with no action taken. Now, the question I have is:

'Are the referee's not giving him protection due to his previous theatrics on the pitch?'

Just to add a bit of weight to the debate, I've just read this in the MEN from Stuart Brennan's ratings column:

Balotelli: Needed to up his work rate to match Tevez, and needs to go down less easily, as referees are marking him out as a wuss 5

Was he really that bad?

[BlueinBosnia]

With the Huth incident, from the ref's angle it will have looked like he went down very easily, and made a meal of it.

[Beefymcfc]

With the Huth incident, from the ref's angle it will have looked like he went down very easily, and made a meal of it.

But surely if a player goes down off the ball then the referee would know something has happened?

[Ted Hughes]

It shouldn't matter if he went down very easily & made a meal of it.

You are not allowed to elbow people in the face, even gently. Mario did nothing different v Stoke than any other player. In fact, if a rag or Drogba etc had been subject to the same treatment, they would have reacted by chucking themselves over time & again, getting the trainer on, etc etc.

Mario has been guilty of chucking himself around when barely touched, but that wasn't the case v Stoke; he was being fouled, sometime 3 times in the same move & when he stayed on his feet, he was fouled again. Clattenburg would have given every single foul if it had been Rooney.

Brennan's comments are a disgrace & for the first time since becoming City's reporter, he has seen an incident through rag's eyes.

[ashton287]

Retrospective action? I hope city are going to be in contact with someone over this. The referee obviously didn't see it and it is violent conduct so should be a 3 game ban coming up for the cunthole.

[Beefymcfc]

It shouldn't matter if he went down very easily & made a meal of it.

You are not allowed to elbow people in the face, even gently. Mario did nothing different v Stoke than any other player. In fact, if a rag or Drogba etc had been subject to the same treatment, they would have reacted by chucking themselves over time & again, getting the trainer on, etc etc.

Mario has been guilty of chucking himself around when barely touched, but that wasn't the case v Stoke; he was being fouled, sometime 3 times in the same move & when he stayed on his feet, he was fouled again. Clattenburg would have given every single foul if it had been Rooney.

Brennan's comments are a disgrace & for the first time since becoming City's reporter, he has seen an incident through rag's eyes.

That comment from Brennan really shocked me and this is why the thread started. I honestly thought that Mario had a decent game and for a Manchester based paper to deride him for antics that weren't actually on show is an absolute disgrace.

Is the Manchester Evening News really 'The Manchester Evening News' or is it just another publicity organisation for Old Trafford?

[Beefymcfc]

Retrospective action? I hope city are going to be in contact with someone over this. The referee obviously didn't see it and it is violent conduct so should be a 3 game ban coming up for the cunthole.

To be fair, Mario did have a word with Clattenburg who clearly looked as if he was telling Mario he didn't see it. If that's the case then he has to review the incident (as he is now aware of it) and state in his report what he would have done if he had seen it.

Should be an open and shut case really.

[Douglas Higginbottom]

Retrospective action? I hope city are going to be in contact with someone over this. The referee obviously didn't see it and it is violent conduct so should be a 3 game ban coming up for the cunthole.

In recent times the authorities seem to take retrospective action when there is a media furore about an incident so I expect it will only happen if the press/media make a big issue of it.Mario does go down too easily ,we all know that,but an elbow like that off the ball is a red card and there shouldnt even be a debate about it.

[mcfc1632]

Probably nothing will be done about it - the rags do not play Stoke for another 5 games - if it was next week mind............

[blue b4 the moon]

Retrospective action? I hope city are going to be in contact with someone over this. The referee obviously didn't see it and it is violent conduct so should be a 3 game ban coming up for the cunthole.

To be fair, Mario did have a word with Clattenburg who clearly looked as if he was telling Mario he didn't see it. If that's the case then he has to review the incident (as he is now aware of it) and state in his report what he would have done if he had seen it.

Should be an open and shut case really.

Don't hold your breath..Clattenberg on my feed could be seen saying to Mario 'I didn't see it Mario'.

But Ade v Arse.....he changed the reason he booked Ade so the FA could do him.

[Beefymcfc]

Just on the Brennan point, this is what he said about the Crouch goal:

This one was at the other end of the scale from his van Basten-style strike last season, as a corner fell to him close to the penalty spot.

Easy

City had bodies between him and the goal, but he somehow smuggled the ball through them – with a hint of handball, perhaps – and as the defence stood rooted to the spot he had an easy finish past Joe Hart to open the scoring.

And you'd never guess, not even a mention of the elbow on Mario, not a dicky-bird!

[bobby brows]

I thought Mario worked hard yesterday, did a lot of running off the ball to put the back line under pressure. I was at the game and what they did to him was appalling every time he got the ball Andy Wilkinson was all over him. He's probably felt more of Mario yesterday than his own wife.

I thought Mario was doing the right thing, go down, accumulate the foul, wait for the ref to take action, unfortunately the ref was Clattenberg.

It wasn't exclusive to Mario. Everytime Crouch went up for a header he elbowed Vinny or Joleon in the throat.

There was a great moment where 3 were hacking at Tevez's heels and he turned them all.

and Yaya practically played with hands over his eyes yesterday such was the frequency that he was pulled back by the throat.

[Douglas Higginbottom]

Just on the Brennan point, this is what he said about the Crouch goal:

This one was at the other end of the scale from his van Basten-style strike last season, as a corner fell to him close to the penalty spot.

Easy

City had bodies between him and the goal, but he somehow smuggled the ball through them – with a hint of handball, perhaps – and as the defence stood rooted to the spot he had an easy finish past Joe Hart to open the scoring.

And you'd never guess, not even a mention of the elbow on Mario, not a dicky-bird!

I lost respect for Brennan a long time ago. Clear red tendancies and i think that even more when I hear him trying to say it's not true.Even Hansen on MotD was very clear that it was a blatant hand ball and of course so did Crouch himself.

Mark Ogden on the Daily thingy said he wont be making an issue of it because Mancini said he didnt see it! What a joke

[dazby]

I thought Balo went down 3 or 4 times too many. He went down for a shirt tug when if he had of stayed on his feet the break was on.

He will learn though.

[Beefymcfc]

From Sky:

Referee Mark Clattenburg spoke to the players but took no action and replays did not suggest anything serious had occurred.

Seems nothing happened then, I got it wrong. Balotelli must have clearly ran into the raised arm.

[Pretty Boy Lee]

It pisses me off that it's do blatant. If he'd done it he'd be out for a month, no doubt about it.

[The Italian Job]

Nothing serious, eh? I guess you have to get your nose/teeth smashed in proper / wear a red shirt / not be Balotelli to get this call.

This fucking stinks.

[Ted Hughes]

I thought Balo went down 3 or 4 times too many. He went down for a shirt tug when if he had of stayed on his feet the break was on.

He will learn though.

When he, or any other City player, stayed on his feet, in most cases Stoke continued to foul them until they went down.

[Moonchesteri]

Even alan bloody hansen said in MOTD it should've been a red for the elbow! that's saying a lot

[bluej]

As others have said, if it had been the other way round Mario would have been off for it.