waspish said:
jma said:
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
It's been happening for a long time, not just this week (although the argument could be made that the media have been on his case for a long time).
But, anyway, that is the crux of it, isn't it?
People fail to judge him on purely footballing and professional performances (a criteria that when applied by Mancini this season has seen him completely fail to meet the required standard) and this is why they don't have perspective on completely unimportant contributions like yesterday. Their view of him as an individual or as to how 'he is treated' impacts on their analysis of his performance. And that is what results in the lauding of completely bog standard contributions.
Remember, we are not talking about a new player here. Someone who you see for 20 minutes and are trying to ascertain what his game is all about. Thus, pouring over every detail of his contribution for something that might suggest positivity in the future. We are talking about a long standing player, one that has generally been a disappointment. Yet people fall over themselves to give him the same treatment - something they don't do for any other long standing players' performances, disappointment or not.
