Balotelli signs for Liverpool - Official

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The shirt swap is the straw that broke the camels back. He's like a child that has to be told every 5 minutes because he can't (or refuses) to engage his brain and think for 2 seconds. Don't do this Mario, next time don't do that Mario, that's not the best idea Mario.

Grow the feck up.
 
Ironically, if anything, Balotelli's shirt-swapping is helpful for Rodgers/Liverpool as it once again provides a smokescreen to distract from their poor performance. Perhaps that was the great master-plan from the outset - just sign a batshit mental player who will provide the media with headlines and divert journalists away from the real story about how Liverpool can't defend to save their lives...

But all games aside, so far Rodgers has handled Balotelli pretty badly. It's clear that he's a temperamental player who needs to be supported or else his head just goes. If they weren't willing to deal with the baggage that comes with signing Mario, what the feck did they sign him for in the first place?
 
Annihilate Now! said:
I feel as if this swapping shirt thing (if it was a United player say) is something I should be annoyed about... but in actuality it doesn't bother me in the slightest.
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Yeah, I couldn't give less of a feck.

Didn't RvP do it at some point? Or was it someone else? Definitely an Arsenal player. I think?

I remember being equally bemused by the outrage at the time.
 
RuudTom83 said:
And then he had the nerve to swap his shirt!!! i repeat...he swapped his shirt!!! i'm just glad it was a school night to limit the number of kids that had to watch that EVIL act.
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Hes a lazy wanker who doesen't give a shit, that incident just sums him up. He might as well have said "Good game, i give up". When you are 3-0 down at home (in the freaking CL) you don't want any of your players having that kind of defeatist attitude. It's poison.

Of course it was stupid by Brenton to bring him in the first place, and while it is hilarious (from our POV) i can understand why they react. Many thought they had brought in a "misunderstood genious" while in reality it becomes more and more clear hes a petulant, self-absobred twat and he is never going to change
 
Not often I'll defend this twat but Hes a very convenient scapegoat all right.

Typical English media, not a word about it when Coutinhio did it at Chelsea last season (getting beaten, did it at half time as well).

Ive seen RVP do it against Arsenal for us as well
 
I'd be more annoyed that he didn't come out to watch the second half.
 
Pogue Mahone said:
Yeah, I couldn't give less of a feck.

Didn't RvP do it at some point? Or was it someone else? Definitely an Arsenal player. I think?

I remember being equally bemused by the outrage at the time.
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Wasn't it Alexander Santos (the Arsenal left back at the time) who swapped his shirt with RvP (at half time), in a game against us, the season RvP signed for us?
 
Never knew that swapping shirts was supposed to be a crime. Don't players do that all the time (and often at half time).

If I was a Scouser, I would be more annoying with hsi contribution thus season rather than him swapping shirts.
 
Never could understand the "cult" following Balotelli had on here - there's quite a few who often found his antics "funny and amusing".

Always thought he's a dick. Not much has changed, besides the fact that he's now being a dick, giving Liverpool problems. :lol:
 
Ish84045 said:
Wasn't it Alexander Santos (the Arsenal left back at the time) who swapped his shirt with RvP (at half time), in a game against us, the season RvP signed for us?
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That's the one!

Found the hysteria at the time absolutely laughable. Why on earth gooners cared so much about it was a mystery to me. Surely the fact that Wenger had signed someone who was so shit at football was a much more important issue to get worked up about?
 
Storm in a teacup.

He was dreadful against QPR yet wasn't hauled.

I thought he did a decent job against Madrid, yet gets hauled at the break and apparently shoulders the blame now. Our defenders must be grateful for such a convenient lightning rod.

Problem with Balotelli is that even when he does a decent job, it's a case of doing good things - But it's still not coming together into actual end product for him. Can't get by on that as a striker.
 
Pogue Mahone said:
That's the one!

Found the hysteria at the time absolutely laughable. Why on earth gooners cared so much about it was a mystery to me. Surely the fact that Wenger had signed someone who was so shit at football was a much more important issue to get worked up about?
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:lol: FFS, you always summarise it so nicely, so rationally, though without factoring in that most footy fans are immature, illogical morons! (myself included!).
 
I do feel for him a bit but from a Utd fans point of view he's absolutely brilliant. Like some sort of secret agent or virus that's been injected into the Liverpool squad and is slowly killing everything good Rodgers had built in the first 2 years.

Instead of Suarez busting a gut, running himself into the ground, scoring wonder goals, lifting the other players, the exact opposite is starting to happen. The other 9 outfield players are getting a morale sapping, sinking feeling now. Not to mention how the others in the squad who can't get into the side must be feeling. Lallala, Lambert, Markovic etc etc.

Rogers also has to spend so much of his time on Balotelli, he's taking is eye off the other players and set-piece problems.

Super Mario.
 
Don't think it helps that Rogers has said he dosen't like it and will "deal with it" either... just helping the scapegoats... well, scapegoat.
 
vidal7 said:
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shh...dont say this too loud. Rodgers is picking on balotelli because he can and Balotelli's lack of scoring has allowed him to do so. It's very convenient for him to do so and mask his terrible game plan and signings. :lol:

fact is, it's very easy to criticize balotelli but the only thing you can really get on him for during his time at Liverpool is his lack of scoring. Everything else is just people's own agenda and bias towards the player.
 
Clearly as it stands he doesn't look a good fit for us and the way we play. That said he shouldn't be made a scapegoat for everything.
It's not his fault we can't defend, and make Zamora look like Ronaldo.
Their 3rd goal last night was schoolboy stuff.

He played pretty well against Tottenham in the only game so far that we used 2 up front. So have to ask why the manager isn't playing a strike partner with him - as clearly it isn't working when he up there on his own.
 
So, what's the reason for Balotelli's poor start at Liverpool? Is he being misused by Rodgers, is he failing himself, or is it a combination of the two?
 
Fener1907 said:
So, what's the reason for Balotelli's poor start at Liverpool? Is he being misused by Rodgers, is he failing himself, or is it a combination of the two?
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I would say a combination of the 2, after all we bought him. On the face of it and the way we played last season he just isn't suited to our style.

He isn't helping by the numerous times he fails to play the right ball, it also seems clear Brendan doesn't have faith in Borini or Lambert to partner him, the latter I can understand.

The bottom line is we can't defend, at set pieces we are pitiful - so it's not all about Balotelli.
 
So it turns out the poor bloke was just following orders...
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The moral values of the british press are completely distorded and this is not the first time I think about it. The whole sawping shirt episode and the way the press are covering it is just ridiculous.
 
johnny boy said:
The bottom line is we can't defend, at set pieces we are pitiful
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And that really is it. Can we go the whole season defending this badly, specially at set pieces? Is it even possible to?

I'd take the defending of last season right now if offered.
 
Balotelli doesn't suit playing as a lone striker. I don't think it'll ever work out for him at Liverpool, because I really don't think Balotelli will like Rodgers after some of the stuff Rodgers has said, and Balotelli isn't the type to work hard regardless of that.
 
Funny thing,comparing reactions of media,pundits now and when he signed for Liverpool for 16 mil.,some even went that far,saying its Rodger`s masterstroke to sign world class striker for only 16 mil. :lol:
 
I really don't see the issue with shirt swapping at half time. It happens all the time doesn't it? Man City have those "tunnel cam" videos on their website, and they're all doing it, every game. Most teams wear a fresh strip for the 2nd half a lot of the time anyway, so what's the problem?

If it wasn't Balotelli, I don't think it would even be getting talked about. I'm certain I've seen it happen before in clear view of the TV cameras, and it's not been mentioned. If I saw a United player do it, I can't imagine I would feel either positive or negative about it. It would just be something that happened.

It's hilarious how awful Balotelli's doing from a purely football perspective, but the hammering he's getting over this seems ridiculous.
 
Why's everyone going on like Balotelli is behaving badly? In my opinion, he's been fine - behaviour wise. However, now that his antics have stopped or at least lessened since he's come to Liverpool, everyone can now actually start to see how average he really is.

That said, he's still relatively new to the club and could turn things around, but he'll never be, and never was, anything special, in my opinion.
 
OnlyTwoDaSilvas said:
I really don't see the issue with shirt swapping at half time. It happens all the time doesn't it? Man City have those "tunnel cam" videos on their website, and they're all doing it, every game. Most teams wear a fresh strip for the 2nd half a lot of the time anyway, so what's the problem?

If it wasn't Balotelli, I don't think it would even be getting talked about. I'm certain I've seen it happen before in clear view of the TV cameras, and it's not been mentioned. If I saw a United player do it, I can't imagine I would feel either positive or negative about it. It would just be something that happened.

It's hilarious how awful Balotelli's doing from a purely football perspective, but the hammering he's getting over this seems ridiculous.
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Andre Santos was destroyed for doing it too.

I agree the coverage is over the top. But usually, when you take into account the type of player who'd do this so nonchalantly, it's just another example of their attitude.

It's what it symbolises more than the act itself.
Another example being Bosingwa laughing seconds after QPR were relegated. In hindsight it's transpired that it was harmless, but it just typified his overall attitude at QPR.

I actually think Balotelli's been okay at Liverpool. And he probably knew he was coming off at half time, which is why he got the shirt. So it's kind of the boy who cried wolf.
 
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Its idiotic this Shirtswapgate is papering over Cracks that have appeared in Liverpool's team. Rather than putting pressure on rodgers media take aim at an easy target that is balotelli. Why rodgers tactics and management isnt being called into question is weird.
 
The shirt swapping isn't that much of a big deal really but it will be remembered the same was the Andre Santos one was against us, he was having a poor game, his team is losing and the first thing he worries about is getting Pepe's shirt, it all seems a bit odd really. It's probably more the straw that broke the camels back though to be honest. If it was 3-0 Liverpool and he'd scored I doubt people would be arsed...that wasn't the case though (for comparison I bet the Spanish media aren't mentioning Pepe doing it!)

PEople are right, it isn't just his fault but all the criticism of him is perfectly just, he just didn't look bothered at all. The second goal people can say Coutinho gave it away for example but at least he actually tried. Balotelli just watched a cross go in and did nothing about it, mistakes can happen but being a lazy twat is just poor.

Rodgers seems pissed off with his comments on Lallana being veiled as an attack on Balotelli but for me this is his fault. He knows Balotelli doesn't run much it's obvious from his time at Inter, City and Milan so why sign him if your "minimum requirements" are energy? It was a panic buy and he should shoulder the blame.

It's worrying that he seems happy with running about to, they still looked a class below Madrid then, I'd say it's a bit worrying for Liverpool at the moment really, none of the signings look that good, including Balotelli.

Walters_19_MuFc said:
Why's everyone going on like Balotelli is behaving badly? In my opinion, he's been fine - behaviour wise. However, now that his antics have stopped or at least lessened since he's come to Liverpool, everyone can now actually start to see how average he really is.

That said, he's still relatively new to the club and could turn things around, but he'll never be, and never was, anything special, in my opinion.
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It's inevitable something will happen if he keeps playing in my opinion, he's done it everywhere he goes. Run of poor form, 1 bad game, stays on the pitch after half time and gets sent off. I think if he stayed on last night he'd of been sent off.
 
vidal7 said:
Its idiotic this Shirtswapgate is papering over Cracks that have appeared in Liverpool's team. Rather than putting pressure on rodgers media take aim at an easy target that is balotelli. Why rodgers tactics and management isnt being called into question is weird.
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Agreed but the shirt swap thing irks me big time and I'm not just on about Balotelli.. you're in the middle of a game ffs what is stopping you from doing it at the end.
 
Rodgers knew what he was doing when he bought Balotelli.

If the guy turned out good, Rodgers would've got the plaudits for doing what Mancini and Mourinho couldn't do.

If he turned out to be underwhelming, he becomes a good distraction away from how badly the team are doing, as this ridiculous shirt swapping nonsense is showing.
 
Decotron said:
Not often I'll defend this twat but Hes a very convenient scapegoat all right.

Typical English media, not a word about it when Coutinhio did it at Chelsea last season (getting beaten, did it at half time as well).

Ive seen RVP do it against Arsenal for us as well
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The media needs a narrative and Balotelli hands one to them on a plate. Shirt swapping isn't a crime but if it comes at half time after a bad performance, then it fits their agenda perfectly.

I don't think he's the kind of man who gives a feck off the pitch any more than he does on it, though, so he's probably just happy to see the Mario Show on the back pages.
 
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