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

[Slinky Skills]

Who gives a ****. He's a ****ing useless cunt anyway, we all knew it was a risk.

Perhaps if he pulled his finger out his arse and stopped being such a bellend then Rodgers wouldn't have to answer questions like this in the first place.

[McDermotX]

Well I don't buy that one bit. It seems like he's deflecting blame yet again. How about keeping stuff like this in house? This is the second time he's made comments like this about Balotelli. It was only a couple of months ago when he said Balotelli was a calculated risk and a last resort signing. It's unnecessary, he needs to keep his mouth shut.

Is this the full interview and exactly what he's said ? Rags like the mirror have a long history of moving quotes around and cutting bits out to get the story they want.

Aye......I have to agree, assuming the comments are genuine as rcasemore says. I don't like or rate Mario.....never have, but Rodgers is bang out of order if that's accurate.
Its pure Hodgson and he's better off not saying anything at all ! Just can't help himself........never has been able to, but he got a lot of slack on his noose last season.

[Assassin]

Well I don't buy that one bit. It seems like he's deflecting blame yet again. How about keeping stuff like this in house? This is the second time he's made comments like this about Balotelli. It was only a couple of months ago when he said Balotelli was a calculated risk and a last resort signing. It's unnecessary, he needs to keep his mouth shut.

Not asking you to buy it fella. Its just my thoughts on the matter.

Some people react to a carrot and take it and eat it. Others need to be beaten with the carrot

[marcus50bucks]

Aye......I have to agree, assuming the comments are genuine as rcasemore says. I don't like or rate Mario.....never have, but Rodgers is bang out of order if that's accurate.
Its pure Hodgson and he's better off not saying anything at all ! Just can't help himself........never has been able to, but he got a lot of slack on his noose last season.

[BobTheCharmer]

I love the way Mario is written off after only being here 5 minutes and having to play a role he just isn't suited to. How different it could have been had sturridge not got injured so early in the season. The two showed real promise againgst spurs. Because Mario is childish its easy to have a go for his off field antics. It took me to aged 30 to grow the **** up. Even now I'm not sure I act my age all that often. We want characters yet when someone comes along who is different to the robotic droans of a Gerrard, a scholes et Al, they become an easy target. I thought we as a club and fans would support the lad more tbh, he isn't a wrong un, he's just immature, he isn't the reason we are struggling yet he's been made a scapegoat. I would agree he was the wrong signing for us though.

[alonso14]

"It’s something that we can’t regret now. I made it clear at the beginning it was a calculated risk - and that is why he probably cost the money he did.”

What's the point in saying this ?

[captainfog]

I love the way Mario is written off after only being here 5 minutes and having to play a role he just isn't suited to. How different it could have been had sturridge not got injured so early in the season. The two showed real promise againgst spurs. Because Mario is childish its easy to have a go for his off field antics. It took me to aged 30 to grow the **** up. Even now I'm not sure I act my age all that often. We want characters yet when someone comes along who is different to the robotic droans of a Gerrard, a scholes et Al, they become an easy target. I thought we as a club and fans would support the lad more tbh, he isn't a wrong un, he's just immature, he isn't the reason we are struggling yet he's been made a scapegoat. I would agree he was the wrong signing for us though.

I've written him off because I've always thought he was rubbish. It's not so much 5 minutes and nearer 5 years.

Rodgers is a clown for saying that though. Regardless of how it effects the player its making himself look stupid. They had a year to sort out a striker and then they had to get someone in at the last minute ? The committee should be sacked. Negligent in the extreme.

[Sarb]

“As as a club we felt that buying Mario was the solution at the time,” said Rodgers.

“In the summer, we had Rickie Lambert. Fabio Borini looked 100 per cent that he was leaving, and obviously Daniel Sturridge has shown in his career so far that he gets injuries.

“To go into the season with no-one else would have been very difficult for us."

“It would have been unfair to leave Rickie Lambert, as a 32-year-old, as the only other striker that we had.

“I felt it was a risk we needed to take with Mario because, as a group, we couldn’t afford not to a that time.

“It was obviously late on and we needed to have someone in.

“It’s something that we can’t regret now. I made it clear at the beginning it was a calculated risk - and that is why he probably cost the money he did.”

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/mario-balotelli-signing-gamble-backfired-4760914

Talk about throwing your own player under the bus. He is bang out of order here and it's not the first time he's opened his big mouth!

Balotelli is a great scapegoat for Brendan at the minute. Would help if he didnt play him as a lone striker. Maybe an extended run with a player he knew well from his time with Chelsea and Swansea and who he said 'we'd all be excited by' would have helped. But Borini doesn't even get a look in with the guy who was desperate to sign him.

[Bender]

Very poor Transfer dealing from Rodgers

[Sarb]

He ok's every single sogning that we make. He even said so before signing his new deal. Loves washing his hands of players after a poor result. Poor management.

[alonso14]

He ok's every single sogning that we make. He even said so before signing his new deal. Loves washing his hands of players after a poor result. Poor management.

While the transfer committee are still in the shadows Brendan has a way out with every player. If they're good they are his signings, if they aren't they are the committees. He cant lose.

[Slinky Skills]

Martin Samuel has just said on the Sunday Supplement that when we got 76 million for Suarez we should have gone straight over to Manchester and tested City's resolve for Aguero and go in with a 60 million offer!

[Sarb]

While the transfer committee are still in the shadows Brendan has a way out with every player. If they're good they are his signings, if they aren't they are the committees. He cant lose.

But suspect people running the club know the real truth behind the signings. And that will prove decisive

[Slinky Skills]

On the subject of Ballotelli. I've no idea why some are defending him, he's been nothing short of shocking since signing for us.

Bad attitude, zero work ethic, lazy, offers nothing on the pitch, has supposedly pissed off his teamates, getting himself in trouble on social media. He's offered nothing, absolutely ****ing NOTHING since signing.

If he'd made at least an effort then I could understand where some are coming from but he hasn't. I don't see how BR is deflecting the blame from himself on to Balotelli, it's ****ing nonsense. Rodgers has said himself that he takes the rap for poor performances, what else are people expecting??

[G]

I can't understand why people expected him to be anything other than what he's turned out to be, ie the same as he was everywhere else although he's actually worse than I thought cos he hasn't even been scoring much. It was a car crash in the making as soon as it was mooted.