Carlos Balotelli

[RodneyRodney]

Sulky Mario Balotelli stormed down the tunnel when he was substituted by manager Roberto Mancini after just 55 minutes of Manchester City's victory against Sunderland on Saturday.
And within hours, the 22-year-old Italian had boarded a budget airline flight from Manchester back to his homeland.

Senior figures at City now doubt that they will ever be able to harness Balotelli's talent.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/footba ... z28ayPAfsa

[sandman]

There is an international break and he's an Italian flying to Italy. Fantastic reporting.

2+2=5

[Ted Hughes]

Joe Bernstein.

Ferguson's biographer.

No agenda though.

[BadKompany]

The mother of hybrid tantrums......

[RodneyRodney]

. . . stomped off without even packing his golf clubs.

[Blue Since 76]

Thought he played we in the first half and with a better referee they'd have been down to about 8 men (not that MOTD showed ANY of the fouls on him, despite to a bit at the end showing his mistakes). Second half something was up and he didn't seem to be moving. Either his head had gone, which is entirely possible, or he'd had a knock and they'd given him 10 minutes to run it off. As he came off at 55 minutes and, despite MOTD saying he missed the cross from Kolarov and then was swapped, Aguero was already waiting to come on at that point.

A knock would also explain the straight down the tunnel for treatment. As would his head having gone.

Basically, it's Mario, so who knows.

[Ted Hughes]

Thought he played we in the first half and with a better referee they'd have been down to about 8 men (not that MOTD showed ANY of the fouls on him, despite to a bit at the end showing his mistakes). Second half something was up and he didn't seem to be moving. Either his head had gone, which is entirely possible, or he'd had a knock and they'd given him 10 minutes to run it off. As he came off at 55 minutes and, despite MOTD saying he missed the cross from Kolarov and then was swapped, Aguero was already waiting to come on at that point.

A knock would also explain the straight down the tunnel for treatment. As would his head having gone.

Basically, it's Mario, so who knows.

He was definitely limping & possibly did go for treatment, or for a shit, or to sulk because he missed a chance he should have scored.

In the end, who fucking cares ?

He did a few good & a few crap things, a few nice touches & a few poor ones & was blatantly targeted by the opposition in an attempt to get a reaction, which they didn't get. Then he was was replaced.

All the added stuff people are making up, to create something to whip him with, is a load of shite.

He had a so,so game & got rightly subbed & we won 3-0. No other embellishment is needed.

[MR IMAINEROAD]

Thought he played we in the first half and with a better referee they'd have been down to about 8 men (not that MOTD showed ANY of the fouls on him, despite to a bit at the end showing his mistakes). Second half something was up and he didn't seem to be moving. Either his head had gone, which is entirely possible, or he'd had a knock and they'd given him 10 minutes to run it off. As he came off at 55 minutes and, despite MOTD saying he missed the cross from Kolarov and then was swapped, Aguero was already waiting to come on at that point.

A knock would also explain the straight down the tunnel for treatment. As would his head having gone.

Basically, it's Mario, so who knows.

He was definitely limping & possibly did go for treatment, or for a shit, or to sulk because he missed a chance he should have scored.

In the end, who fucking cares ?

He did a few good & a few crap things, a few nice touches & a few poor ones & was blatantly targeted by the opposition in an attempt to get a reaction, which they didn't get. Then he was was replaced.

All the added stuff people are making up, to create something to whip him with, is a load of shite.

He had a so,so game & got rightly subbed & we won 3-0. No other embellishment is needed.

Right said Ted.

[johnny crossan]

Not exactly a guard of honour when he came off was it? Nobody stirred a muscle, even Sergio gave him a sideways look.
Mario is on his way out of the club for good or ill.

[Risby]

As much as his off the field antics tickle me, on the pitch he is a liability, an hindrance rather than a hero.
We know he can produce marvellous things and take penalties under pressure very well, but these are few and far between.
It would not disappoint me if we sold him in January and brought in someone who was more consistent and works harder for the team or give Guidetti (I'm sure I have spelt his name wrong) his place in the team and see what he is like.
If he wants to be a superstar, he has to play like a superstar, not a lazy little brat.

[thegoatfeeder]

Whether you think he was alright yesterday, or crap (as I did), I am just not sure how long he's going to stick it. He never looks like he wants to be playing in England to me, I don't think its a City thing he just doesn't seem happy generally. He barely moved a muscle in the 2nd half and failing to convert that Kolarov cross was woeful.

As for him being targeted, he doesn't help himself, he went down a few times in the first half where it was clear that a man of that size could easily have retained his balance; because of things like that he is unlikely to get decisions when he is actually fouled, much like Suarez at Liverpool.

He just doesn't look like scoring to me, he is the least effective of our forwards, the sad thing is if he put in the levels of effort or commitment he showed for Italy this Summer then he'd be our best forward. I really thought it was his season on the back of the Euro's but i'm starting to doubt that now, he just doesn't look arsed. He can't let his shoulders and head drop after a few tough challenges (and a few 'graceful falls'), Silva is hammered week in week out by opposition, as is Aguero, and they just get back up and get back on with it, Balotelli doesn't do that, he just feels sorry for himself and stops making any real effort.

If he doesn't improve, I think we should get shot of him and replace him with Falcao.

[Beefymcfc]

He had a so-so game and got subbed, nothing more. One thing I don't understand is that we all know he's a striker (we've even got a song about it) yet we always play him from the left. I'd rather see him playing central and think we'd get more out of him there.

[Ted Hughes]

The laziness criticism is unfair & out of order.

He didn't play especially well or especially badly, & the idea that if he stays on his feet when he gets elbowed in the face, the refs will give it, is a load of utter bollocks, as is the idea that Silva stays on his feet & 'just gets on with it' ; he was (rightly) moaning like fuck from start to finish because he was being fouled, he moaned much more than Mario.

This is lynchmob mentality.

I don't know what the future holds for him, as his game may not be suited to City but this extra stuff being piled on him is just fucking tripe.

When Mario did shit which was wrong, I slated him for it & I will again if he behaves like that again. Right nw he isn't behaving like that, & yet he's still being accused of it because he's not happy at being kicked off the park, not playing all that well, missing a chance, & being substituted.

Well if he walked off the pitch with a face like Ronald fucking MacDonald after that; THEN I'd be worried.

[Beefymcfc]

Who's Carlos Balotelli by the way, is it a play on words because Carlos did one?

[thegoatfeeder]

The laziness criticism is unfair & out of order.

He didn't play especially well or especially badly, & the idea that if he stays on his feet when he gets elbowed in the face, the refs will give it, is a load of utter bollocks, as is the idea that Silva stays on his feet & 'just gets on with it' ; he was (rightly) moaning like fuck from start to finish because he was being fouled, he moaned much more than Mario.

This is lynchmob mentality.

I don't know what the future holds for him, as his game may not be suited to City but this extra stuff being piled on him is just fucking tripe.

When Mario did shit which was wrong, I slated him for it & I will again if he behaves like that again. Right nw he isn't behaving like that, & yet he's still being accused of it because he's not happy at being kicked off the park, not playing all that well, missing a chance, & being substituted.

Well if he walked off the pitch with a face like Ronald fucking MacDonald after that; THEN I'd be worried.

I don't mind if he has a good moan, but its the lack of effort that (maybe only to me, maybe i'm wrong?) follows it that annoys me, I personally just think sometimes when things aren't going his way he throws his toys out of his pram and stops making the right amount of effort.

He's improved hugely on 2 years ago, his temperament in terms of losing his rag with refs, opposition, team mates is far better, but I personally don't think his effort levels are.

I can't comment on the elbow as I was sat far away from the incident, but when Aguero came on and brought some more energy onto the field we tore Sunderland a part. I want Balotelli to do well, because I like the guy, and I don't give a shit about him walking down the tunnel as Tevez and Silva did exactly the same thing, its my perceived lack of commitment in him that bothers me.

[Risby]

I think we can call him lazy. We all saw the performance he put in for Italy in the euros, for city we don't get half that amount. If its not laziness then it can be classed as a lack of effort or application.
I want all our players to pull on that shirt and work 100% for each other. If he is not up for that he can go elsewhere.
You all have a right to disagree with me, but that my opinion on him until he proves it otherwise.

[Ted Hughes]

I think we can call him lazy. We all saw the performance he put in for Italy in the euros, for city we don't get half that amount. If its not laziness then it can be classed as a lack of effort or application.
I want all our players to pull on that shirt and work 100% for each other. If he is not up for that he can go elsewhere.
You all have a right to disagree with me, but that my opinion on him until he proves it otherwise.

Well that's what I'm talking about.

The idea that he did more running for Italy than he's done for City this season, is just bollocks.

People are just choosing to believe that.

[johnny crossan]

so good I posted it twice

[youtube]sJv_UqTFryg[/youtube]

[Mase]

On tunnel cam he's limping and goes to grab his thigh.

[Beefymcfc]

Why do people get a cock-stand about players going down the tunnel? Mario does it all the time. He made need a shit, a fag or even trying to get a quick wank in while the changing rooms are empty. I don't have a problem with anybody going down the tunnel, in fact, I used to go for a [strike]quick wank[/strike] crafty fag myself if I was ever subbed.