Mario Balotelli [On the Road to Ballon d'or)

[RichC]

I was horrified when the link first arose cos I've not once seen Balotelli be brilliant and I've never rated him, but I was prepared to accept I might be wrong about him and talked myself into it being a risk worth taking at that price.

The fact we left ourselves in such a position in the first place, having to take a last minute gamble like that, trying to replace Luis ****ing Suarez of all people, was ****ing negligent. That more than anything wrecked our season, and whoever is responsible - be it one man or five - should be held accountable. Appalling mismanagement.

This I agree with, being in the situation of having to take the gamble with Balotelli was poor to say the least.

[RichC]

And the response would have been "because he's a complete cock".

We had someone better and cheaper get as far as a medical and decided that a congenital heart defect meant he was too risky for us, but wasn't for 30+ games for the French national team and a ten year career in top flight football. And Balotelli was the risk worth taking

Risk/return that's why he was decided against.

[The_weatherman]

Risk/return that's why he was decided against.

Turns our our risk assessment is very flawed. Maybe they turned it upside down?

[kev776]

I refuse to believe any form of risk assessment was done, he was offered to us, lastminute.com by his agent and we grasped it due to losing our first and only choice to Arsenal. As normal there was no plan B or we are **** at selling ourselves to potential plan Bs.

[Liverpool]

I was horrified when the link first arose cos I've not once seen Balotelli be brilliant and I've never rated him, but I was prepared to accept I might be wrong about him and talked myself into it being a risk worth taking at that price.

The fact we left ourselves in such a position in the first place, having to take a last minute gamble like that, trying to replace Luis ****ing Suarez of all people, was ****ing negligent. That more than anything wrecked our season, and whoever is responsible - be it one man or five - should be held accountable. Appalling mismanagement.

The fact what we paid for Balo and what Borini would have gone for would have covered the Sanchez fee and their combined wages would be around what Arsenal pay him is sickening

[BobTheCharmer]

The fact what we paid for Balo and what Borini would have gone for would have covered the Sanchez fee and their combined wages would be around what Arsenal pay him is sickening

Almost as sickening as Sanchez choosing to live in London.

[danperkins]

The Balotelli thread went bolded... I was hoping for a bid from another club...anyone!!!! ****

[Liverpool]

Almost as sickening as Sanchez choosing to live in London.

I don't really believe that tbh, if we would have paid his wages and told Barca that no Sanchez then no Suarez deal he would have ended up here.

Fabregas is another we could have got for 30m from them.

[Fierce]

I don't really believe that tbh, if we would have paid his wages and told Barca that no Sanchez then no Suarez deal he would have ended up here.

Fabregas is another we could have got for 30m from them.

A team can't force a player to go somewhere though. We don't know that Arsenal didn't sound Sanchez out awhile ago and therefore he was always likely to go there if he was allowed to leave

It would have absolutely have been in Barca's interest to 'part-ex' Sanchez so you'd think if it were an option, it would have happened

[Liverpool]

A team can't force a player to go somewhere though. We don't know that Arsenal didn't sound Sanchez out awhile ago and therefore he was always likely to go there if he was allowed to leave

It would have absolutely have been in Barca's interest to 'part-ex' Sanchez so you'd think if it were an option, it would have happened

Pointless debate now 12 months later, but I do I think we pushed remotely hard enough? No, ill leave it at that..

[gratziani]

I was horrified when the link first arose cos I've not once seen Balotelli be brilliant and I've never rated him, but I was prepared to accept I might be wrong about him and talked myself into it being a risk worth taking at that price.

The fact we left ourselves in such a position in the first place, having to take a last minute gamble like that, trying to replace Luis ****ing Suarez of all people, was ****ing negligent. That more than anything wrecked our season, and whoever is responsible - be it one man or five - should be held accountable. Appalling mismanagement.

We all told you so on this one but all hoped that the gamble would work out.

Waste of 20 plus million with his wages

[G]

Neither do I

[dww]

A team can't force a player to go somewhere though. We don't know that Arsenal didn't sound Sanchez out awhile ago and therefore he was always likely to go there if he was allowed to leave

It would have absolutely have been in Barca's interest to 'part-ex' Sanchez so you'd think if it were an option, it would have happened

Pointless debate now 12 months later, but I do I think we pushed remotely hard enough? No, ill leave it at that..

I really don't know how anyone in the public can know. I just don't think the information is about to have a very firm opinion either way.

I think the more important issue is the one alluded to by Shaggy - why when we miss out on a suitable target are we then seemingly floundering. It is possible we were strung along by a series of targets but it certainly feels like on several occasions we have had a plan A and then a plan Z and nothing in between.

[Vermilion]

Neither do I

Why's that then, not a fan ?

[MrMichael]

I was horrified when the link first arose cos I've not once seen Balotelli be brilliant and I've never rated him,

but I was prepared to accept I might be wrong about him...

and talked myself into it being a risk worth taking at that price.

That's pretty much what the club did too I think.

The fact we left ourselves in such a position in the first place, having to take a last minute gamble like that, trying to replace Luis ****ing Suarez of all people, was ****ing negligent. That more than anything wrecked our season, and whoever is responsible - be it one man or five - should be held accountable. Appalling mismanagement.

Absolutely. It isn't the first time this has happened either. Remember Rodgers' first season we started the season with only Suarez and Borini (who immediately got injured) if I remember right, that was a complete screw up too only partly rectified by making such good buys in Jan.

I remain unconvinced too that Remy was all that great a plan A... or was Sanchez A and Remy B?

I mean really there are decent forwards out there who aren't obviously crap and would have scored a few flipping goals for us this season, how was all we could come up with in a whole summer to replace Suarez in the squad were 3 players, the last of whom was Mario Balotelli?