That's just ridiculous, no matter if it's a pre season friendly or not! Mancini done the right thing and good on him too. Balotelli has got a lot of issues with his anger and attitude but that is pure stupid!
Well, it is only a friendly. The score isn't important so why not showboat a bit?
Also, not too sure, but if you watch when he talks to Mancini, he makes a hand gesture to maybe suggest he heard a whistle and thought game might have stopped maybe?
Bloke's an absolute cock. He's fucking bobbins anyway - what's the point of having a player who can't be arsed to play for you when he's on about 200 grand a week? I think if I had to sum up what's wrong with the premier league in four words they would be 'Mario,' 'Balotelli', ' Manchester' and 'City'
Makes a mockery of the game at times and what he did in throwing a dart at a youth team player is disgraceful but i've got to say I find him fascinating and I'm glad he's in the premier league and long may his less harmful antics continue.
Isn't this a complete misunderstanding? Balotelli hears the referee blow for an infringement - you can see him slow up - and then mucks about with the back-heel shot.
Mancini must not have heard/seen the referee blow up and thought he tried the trick whilst the play was live.
I think Mancini probably owes Balotelli a public apology.
Isn't this a complete misunderstanding? Balotelli hears the referee blow for an infringement - you can see him slow up - and then mucks about with the back-heel shot.
Mancini must not have heard/seen the referee blow up and thought he tried the trick whilst the play was live.
I think Mancini probably owes Balotelli a public apology.
How on earth did you come to that conclusion? Their is suggestion that actually Balotelli had another allergic reaction to the grass and that is why Mancini brought him off, not that some how Mancini failed to hear the refs whistle (although he ws just yards away). Regardless of that fact if the manager wants to take a player off then he is entilted to do so, just because Balotelli throws a strop I don't see why the manager should apologise to him in anyway.
Isn't this a complete misunderstanding? Balotelli hears the referee blow for an infringement - you can see him slow up - and then mucks about with the back-heel shot.
Mancini must not have heard/seen the referee blow up and thought he tried the trick whilst the play was live.
I think Mancini probably owes Balotelli a public apology.
How on earth did you come to that conclusion? Their is suggestion that actually Balotelli had another allergic reaction to the grass and that is why Mancini brought him off, not that some how Mancini failed to hear the refs whistle (although he ws just yards away). Regardless of that fact if the manager wants to take a player off then he is entilted to do so, just because Balotelli throws a strop I don't see why the manager should apologise to him in anyway.
OK, let's put this another way.
Balotelli is through on goal and getting ready to shoot, the referee then blows - for reasons unclear - and with the ball now dead Balotelli decides to be have a bit of fun and produce the trick-shot maneuver.
What is the big issue with that? The ball is dead, all he is doing is showing a little skill to the fans in what is, after all, only a friendly.
For whatever reason - maybe because he did not realise the referee had blown his whistle to stop play - Mancini is furious with Balotelli and immediately substitutes him and publicly berates him in front of the stadium and TV cameras because he feels Balotelli has wrecked a chance to score by being a smart-arse.
Why should Mancini apologise?
Well, firstly, if he thought the ball was live and subbed him because he thought Balotelli was taking the piss the he was dead wrong because it was not, the play had stopped so there was no consequence at all to Balotelli's actions and he absolutely did not deserve to be subbed and humiliated like that.
There was no difference between what Balotelli did and what any striker in the country does when he gets called offside and sometimes shoots for goal anway or, realising the ball is dead, starts juggling the ball or whatever, its completely inconsequential behaviour.
Secondly, regardless of the specifics of the situation itself, Mancini was totally unprofessional in dealing with the situation like that. If he wanted to react by subbing him then fine but he did not need to carry on abusing him as he came off the pitch, that was humiliating a player publicly and was unncessary, the substitution itself was punishment enough - albeit erroneously.
The problem here is that people, because they already dislike Balotelli and he has form in this regard, decide he is 100% guilty and should be punished rather than look at the situation objectively.
The geezer is a right twat but gotta agree. He slows down before shooting because it looks like the refs blown. What he done was no different from just kicking the ball away or just turning around and walking away
Football needs more characters like him, obviously a few things he's done aren't acceptable. As this is a friendly it's a nothing incident, but clearly Mancini is fighting a loosing battle to make him a non-maniac!
I agree with different bits of this thread. He's a bell-end and I wouldnt want him in my team but his antics on and off the field are entertaining. If the whistle blew, and it does look like everyone has stopped, then I can't see what he did wrong. But finally, based on what I saw of him last season, is he really all that good?
Comments
Also, not too sure, but if you watch when he talks to Mancini, he makes a hand gesture to maybe suggest he heard a whistle and thought game might have stopped maybe?
Makes a mockery of the game at times and what he did in throwing a dart at a youth team player is disgraceful but i've got to say I find him fascinating and I'm glad he's in the premier league and long may his less harmful antics continue.
Isn't this a complete misunderstanding? Balotelli hears the referee blow for an infringement - you can see him slow up - and then mucks about with the back-heel shot.
Mancini must not have heard/seen the referee blow up and thought he tried the trick whilst the play was live.
I think Mancini probably owes Balotelli a public apology.
It's disrespectful to do something like that, whether the whistle had gone.
As I said the geezer is full if it...
Whether or not you like the guy, do you not think it's a huge over-reaction by mancini and others considering the game had actually stopped?
They constantly tell players to play to the whistle, and he did just that.
And, it's a friendly FFS.
OK, let's put this another way.
Balotelli is through on goal and getting ready to shoot, the referee then blows - for reasons unclear - and with the ball now dead Balotelli decides to be have a bit of fun and produce the trick-shot maneuver.
What is the big issue with that? The ball is dead, all he is doing is showing a little skill to the fans in what is, after all, only a friendly.
For whatever reason - maybe because he did not realise the referee had blown his whistle to stop play - Mancini is furious with Balotelli and immediately substitutes him and publicly berates him in front of the stadium and TV cameras because he feels Balotelli has wrecked a chance to score by being a smart-arse.
Why should Mancini apologise?
Well, firstly, if he thought the ball was live and subbed him because he thought Balotelli was taking the piss the he was dead wrong because it was not, the play had stopped so there was no consequence at all to Balotelli's actions and he absolutely did not deserve to be subbed and humiliated like that.
There was no difference between what Balotelli did and what any striker in the country does when he gets called offside and sometimes shoots for goal anway or, realising the ball is dead, starts juggling the ball or whatever, its completely inconsequential behaviour.
Secondly, regardless of the specifics of the situation itself, Mancini was totally unprofessional in dealing with the situation like that. If he wanted to react by subbing him then fine but he did not need to carry on abusing him as he came off the pitch, that was humiliating a player publicly and was unncessary, the substitution itself was punishment enough - albeit erroneously.
The problem here is that people, because they already dislike Balotelli and he has form in this regard, decide he is 100% guilty and should be punished rather than look at the situation objectively.
Massive overreaction by many, considering the whistle had blown and was in a friendly game.
Don't see what the problem is.