Balotelli (continued)

[Blue Tooth]

Yes I do but then I would favour him over Edin purely in football terms 9/10 times.

Depends on which Mario shows up. No doubt the Mario we saw against the rags last season at $old Trafford walks into the team ahead of Edin. The Mario who showed up at the Emirates last season wouldn't get in the match day squad. That's the trouble with someone as erratic and inconsistent as him.

Agreed...I just think with Aguero being out and Edin not being a solid starter and last season being a nightmare game for him (Balo) it might, just might, offer a chance of redemption. Imagine for a moment he starts and turns in a performance like OT last year. Boost for him. Boost for the team.
Of course he could implode and coast us the game ;) but my Spidy sense tells me it's his time.

 

[jma]

What I can't get my head around with Balotelli is the reaction when he spends a short time on the pitch like yesterday.

It is a performance that is not noteworthy at all. A small sub appearance in an already won game. Scott Sinclair did the same. Numerous other City players have done the same all season.

Yet whenever Balotelli does it, this run of the mill, nothing stuff is transformed on here into something worth talking about. Something creditable.

There are people falling over themselves to laud how, in any 15 minute cameo, "he won free kicks", or "he had a couple of good shots", or "he made a couple of good runs" or "he laid a couple of balls off". All over 15 minute cameos that draw absolutely no mention with any other player in the squad.

It is telling that the number of accolades that some people give him over non-nondescript sub appearances are low in number compared to actual game affecting or game winning performances. Yet with our other 'big' players, the exact opposite is true, in terms of ratio.

If you are seeking to find positives from a nothing substitute appearance yesterday (and that isn't his fault, he wasn't picked) then it says a lot about your attitude to him. Ask yourself if you are so keen to find the same for Scott Sinclair. Or for Tevez against Stoke. Or for any other number of unimportant sub appearances that other members of the squad have put in this year.

 

[Anonymous]

Yes I do but then I would favour him over Edin purely in football terms 9/10 times.

Depends on which Mario shows up. No doubt the Mario we saw against the rags last season at $old Trafford walks into the team ahead of Edin. The Mario who showed up at the Emirates last season wouldn't get in the match day squad. That's the trouble with someone as erratic and inconsistent as him.

Spot on. It's now got to the point that when I see his name on the team sheet I'm thinking 'what will happen today.' And not always in a good way.

I suspect there's quite a few who feel like that. There's become a sideshow/freakshow aspect to Mario's entire existence at City. It's unfortunate because this time last year we were purring about his performances and he looked like he was going to fulfil some of his vast potential at City.

I'm with you now ... in a game like the Arsenal one next week, I wouldn't trust him at all to start. And this even after others have argued he's a big game player.

 

[Blue Tooth]

What I can't get my head around with Balotelli is the reaction when he spends a short time on the pitch like yesterday.

It is a performance that is not noteworthy at all. A small sub appearance in an already won game. Scott Sinclair did the same. Numerous other City players have done the same all season.

Yet whenever Balotelli does it, this run of the mill, nothing stuff is transformed on here into something worth talking about. Something creditable.

There are people falling over themselves to laud how, in any 15 minute cameo, "he won free kicks", or "he had a couple of good shots", or "he made a couple of good runs" or "he laid a couple of balls off". All over 15 minute cameos that draw absolutely no mention with any other player in the squad.

It is telling that the number of accolades that some people give him over non-nondescript sub appearances are low in number compared to actual game affecting or game winning performances. Yet with our other 'big' players, the exact opposite is true, in terms of ratio.

If you are seeking to find positives from a nothing substitute appearance yesterday (and that isn't his fault, he wasn't picked) then it says a lot about your attitude to him. Ask yourself if you are so keen to find the same for Scott Sinclair. Or for Tevez against Stoke.

Sinclair had no impact yesterday. Mario did.

 

[waspish]

What I can't get my head around with Balotelli is the reaction when he spends a short time on the pitch like yesterday.

It is a performance that is not noteworthy at all. A small sub appearance in an already won game. Scott Sinclair did the same. Numerous other City players have done the same all season.

Yet whenever Balotelli does it, this run of the mill, nothing stuff is transformed on here into something worth talking about. Something creditable.

There are people falling over themselves to laud how, in any 15 minute cameo, "he won free kicks", or "he had a couple of good shots", or "he made a couple of good runs" or "he laid a couple of balls off". All over 15 minute cameos that draw absolutely no mention with any other player in the squad.

It is telling that the number of accolades that some people give him over non-nondescript sub appearances are low in number compared to actual game affecting or game winning performances. Yet with our other 'big' players, the exact opposite is true, in terms of ratio.

If you are seeking to find positives from a nothing substitute appearance yesterday (and that isn't his fault, he wasn't picked) then it says a lot about your attitude to him. Ask yourself if you are so keen to find the same for Scott Sinclair. Or for Tevez against Stoke.

It's called backing a city players and looking at the positives not the negatives that some fans love to do..

 

[bernabias home shirt]

Yes I do but then I would favour him over Edin purely in football terms 9/10 times.
On yesterday's evidence alone I thought he had a focus about him, a physical threat/prescence and a willingness to shoot on sight which set up one goal and almost another for Tevez.

I wouldnt on putting the ball in the net though..

I think his stats hold up if you look at mins on the pitch.

Dzekos is a lot better than marios throughout their city careers in the league
And this season his scoring rate is outstanding

Balo has scored 1 in 587 mins
Dzeko has scored 9 in 800 mins

 

[jma]

What I can't get my head around with Balotelli is the reaction when he spends a short time on the pitch like yesterday.

It is a performance that is not noteworthy at all. A small sub appearance in an already won game. Scott Sinclair did the same. Numerous other City players have done the same all season.

Yet whenever Balotelli does it, this run of the mill, nothing stuff is transformed on here into something worth talking about. Something creditable.

There are people falling over themselves to laud how, in any 15 minute cameo, "he won free kicks", or "he had a couple of good shots", or "he made a couple of good runs" or "he laid a couple of balls off". All over 15 minute cameos that draw absolutely no mention with any other player in the squad.

It is telling that the number of accolades that some people give him over non-nondescript sub appearances are low in number compared to actual game affecting or game winning performances. Yet with our other 'big' players, the exact opposite is true, in terms of ratio.

If you are seeking to find positives from a nothing substitute appearance yesterday (and that isn't his fault, he wasn't picked) then it says a lot about your attitude to him. Ask yourself if you are so keen to find the same for Scott Sinclair. Or for Tevez against Stoke.

It's called backing a city players and looking at the positives not the negatives that some fans love to do..

So why is this trait not applied to all City substitute appearances?

 

[moomba]

What I can't get my head around with Balotelli is the reaction when he spends a short time on the pitch like yesterday.

It is a performance that is not noteworthy at all. A small sub appearance in an already won game. Scott Sinclair did the same. Numerous other City players have done the same all season.

Yet whenever Balotelli does it, this run of the mill, nothing stuff is transformed on here into something worth talking about. Something creditable.

There are people falling over themselves to laud how, in any 15 minute cameo, "he won free kicks", or "he had a couple of good shots", or "he made a couple of good runs" or "he laid a couple of balls off". All over 15 minute cameos that draw absolutely no mention with any other player in the squad.

It is telling that the number of accolades that some people give him over non-nondescript sub appearances are low in number compared to actual game affecting or game winning performances. Yet with our other 'big' players, the exact opposite is true, in terms of ratio.

If you are seeking to find positives from a nothing substitute appearance yesterday (and that isn't his fault, he wasn't picked) then it says a lot about your attitude to him. Ask yourself if you are so keen to find the same for Scott Sinclair. Or for Tevez against Stoke.

When people are quick to find reasons to criticise there shouldn't be a surprise when people point out the positives. I don't think there has been over the top praise, just people pointing out that he was good when he came on, can't see how anyone would have a problem with that.

Also I think people were looking to see how he would react to the events of the week, a lackluster 10 minutes and I'm sure there would have been plenty in this thread pointing it out.<br /><br />-- Sun Jan 06, 2013 4:58 pm --<br /><br />

So why is this trait not applied to all City substitute appearances?

There's nothing stopping you from praising any player you think deserves it.

 

[Anonymous]

What I can't get my head around with Balotelli is the reaction when he spends a short time on the pitch like yesterday.

It is a performance that is not noteworthy at all. A small sub appearance in an already won game. Scott Sinclair did the same. Numerous other City players have done the same all season.

Yet whenever Balotelli does it, this run of the mill, nothing stuff is transformed on here into something worth talking about. Something creditable.

There are people falling over themselves to laud how, in any 15 minute cameo, "he won free kicks", or "he had a couple of good shots", or "he made a couple of good runs" or "he laid a couple of balls off". All over 15 minute cameos that draw absolutely no mention with any other player in the squad.

It is telling that the number of accolades that some people give him over non-nondescript sub appearances are low in number compared to actual game affecting or game winning performances. Yet with our other 'big' players, the exact opposite is true, in terms of ratio.

If you are seeking to find positives from a nothing substitute appearance yesterday (and that isn't his fault, he wasn't picked) then it says a lot about your attitude to him. Ask yourself if you are so keen to find the same for Scott Sinclair. Or for Tevez against Stoke.

As I said in reply to GDM earlier, Mario's performances seem to exist outside the context of the match in which he played and his overall contribution. There are those who argue he was our most dangerous striker at the Emirates last season, completely ignoring the fact that his presence was so poisonous that the players around him got progressively worse the longer he was on the field. Conversely there are those who think he was "shit" against United when he was anything but. Dunno if there'll ever be balance in the Mario discussion ... he's just that type of character.

 

[waspish]

What I can't get my head around with Balotelli is the reaction when he spends a short time on the pitch like yesterday.

It is a performance that is not noteworthy at all. A small sub appearance in an already won game. Scott Sinclair did the same. Numerous other City players have done the same all season.

Yet whenever Balotelli does it, this run of the mill, nothing stuff is transformed on here into something worth talking about. Something creditable.

There are people falling over themselves to laud how, in any 15 minute cameo, "he won free kicks", or "he had a couple of good shots", or "he made a couple of good runs" or "he laid a couple of balls off". All over 15 minute cameos that draw absolutely no mention with any other player in the squad.

It is telling that the number of accolades that some people give him over non-nondescript sub appearances are low in number compared to actual game affecting or game winning performances. Yet with our other 'big' players, the exact opposite is true, in terms of ratio.

If you are seeking to find positives from a nothing substitute appearance yesterday (and that isn't his fault, he wasn't picked) then it says a lot about your attitude to him. Ask yourself if you are so keen to find the same for Scott Sinclair. Or for Tevez against Stoke.

It's called backing a city players and looking at the positives not the negatives that some fans love to do..

So why is this trait not applied to all City substitute appearances?

That's a fair point but its Balotelli who gets the slating in the media more than anyone so it's fans in a way backing the player