Ian McGarry: "Mario's a genius"....

[Nelly's Left Foot]

Listened to debate intently, McGarry was the only one to come out with any credibility - his point was endorsed by Mourinho - not a bad reference.

Savage claimed any player who has ever played professional football has a touch of genius - including him, Claridge and presumably Gerry Crainey, Alan Kernaghen, Barry Conlon and Ged Brannan. Enough said.

The thing with these pundits is they miss the most simple observations. We struggled to find a goal against Arsenal (the day before this programme went to air) - step in Mario to take on their left back to set up the rebound for Silva. Without that single action we could have ended up 0-0 or worse. He also made his own chance in the first half - even with all the talent on the pitch, I feel he was the only one to make such a good chance from so little there.

Likewise the FA Cup, despite dominating the game, it was Mario's back heel (as part of his MOTM performance) that created the winning goal.

That in my view is genius - in football terms - on a pitch full of some of the worlds top professionals, he can do something that others cant that often makes the difference in games.

Comparisons with Cantona are so lazy. He wasted much of his career being a loon. After sulking round France - rarely its national team - he was rejected by Sheffield Wednesday and rescused by Leeds. He did have a great impact towards the end of his career but wasted much of it being a tool or being banned for attacking a fan - now that is madness!

As long as we keep Mario off the booze - the peril of many a 'genius' footballer - we should be fine. There is no man better placed to manage him than Bobby.

Life would be pretty boring if we were only surrounded by Michael Owens!

If moving the ball to the right and having a shot parried to help create a goal is genius then there are a hell of a lot of them in this world.

Of course Mario is a quality player with a bit more flair in his game than most but,as yet,he hasnt earned the title of genius.The more sensible ones on that panel (and Claridge is not one of them) seemed to recognise that he has the potential to be a footballing genius but it hasnt really shone through yet.He needs to show his talent/flair a lot more often than he has done so far for me.

I would ask for examples of footballing moments for City that confirm his genius as I struggle to remember them.Based on your example though you would be able to find hundreds but I am sorry that just didnt fit the genius category for me. I saw Paul Dickov score that mega goal at Wembley but I don't think he would ever qualify as a footballing genius.Maybe you would?

 

[Mike D]

If Phil Jones is being considered as the next Duncan Edwards after less than half a season at the Rags. Why can Balo not be considered a genius?

That Duncan Edwards the finest player that ever played football and ever will.

 

[Vosey]

Fair point and perhaps I got a little carried away - Mark Chapman and Claridge do have an ability to impact on my rational brain. I was just looking to distance said panels arguement that all pro footballers are geniuses from the moment they make their professional debut and that Mario is nothing more than a dotty genius who is good at darts in those terms.

My point was/is that the ability/potential to change a game, particularly a big one, is perhaps the one thing that sets certain good players apart from potentially great ones. I think Mario has that ability.

Whether that makes him a 'genius' or not is up for debate, the discussion that took place seemed to centre on him not being a 90 min 24/7 workhorse type 'genius', but in my lifetime I have never seen such a player.

 

[Nelly's Left Foot]

Fair point and perhaps I got a little carried away - Mark Chapman and Claridge do have an ability to impact on my rational brain. I was just looking to distance said panels arguement that all pro footballers are geniuses from the moment they make their professional debut and that Mario is nothing more than a dotty genius who is good at darts in those terms.

My point was/is that the ability/potential to change a game, particularly a big one, is perhaps the one thing that sets certain good players apart from potentially great ones. I think Mario has that ability.

Whether that makes him a 'genius' or not is up for debate, the discussion that took place seemed to centre on him not being a 90 min 24/7 workhorse type 'genius', but in my lifetime I have never seen such a player.

Actually the point made wasn't that Claridge and Savage were genius but that they had a god given talent. Even that is stretching it with those 2!

 

[JohnMaddocksAxe]

No-one in that panel comes away with credit.

McGarry for being so ridiculous to use such terminology about a player who is yet to achieve great things and whose main attribute is scoring some decent goals. The likes of Zidane, an artist with the ball, with complete mastery of it, and Messi, who can take the ball wherever he wants on the pitch, are geniuses. Not an explosive striker who may go on to score plenty of goals over his career. If you want to use the word genuis about a player the type of Balotelli then you have to start using it about people like Shearer. Football's true geniuses are rarely out and out goal scorers. They are playmakers and creators (maybe with the exception of someone like Van Basten) with a huge range to their game. Balotelli is nothing like that sort of player. It also gets ridiculous when you start talking about potential genius, trying to predict that one day you might have some achivements to justify your ridiculous hyperbole.

Savage for dragging any conversation down to a man in the pub level.

Claridge for being the most bitter, hateful man in football punditary. For some reason this is currently expressing itself as a spiteful campaign against City and, in particularly, Mancini. Who knows why. The man is the epitome of ignorance.

Motson, for not having the grace to retire years ago when he started going gaga.

All of them for buying into the Cantona myth and trying to make out he was one of the world greats.

 

[Manph]

The thing that winds me up is, can yo imagine how many of these so called 'experts' would be trying to bum him if he played for United? It turns my stomach just to hear another commentator utter the noise "Ohh" after another 'sublime pass from Rooney that led to fuck all!"

 

[Mancio]

No-one in that panel comes away with credit.

McGarry for being so ridiculous to use such terminology about a player who is yet to achieve great things and whose main attribute is scoring some decent goals. The likes of Zidane, an artist with the ball, with complete mastery of it, .

did you saw a lot of the 20 years old zidane so...

 

[dan34]

Steve Claridge is a cock, that is my diagnosis of the video.

this.

 

[MCFC BOB]

"You're comparing Balotelli with Cantona?!" - Yes, Robbie, he's comparing them in the sense that they carry a similar level of entertainment and arrogance that gets people talking about them.

"He hasn't even proved himself as a player yet" - Golden Boy Award, 25 goals in a turbulent 18 months at a new club, in a new country, in a team that he apparently "can't get in to".

"I would hate to manage him [Balotelli]" - his reactions to being substituted are blown out of proportion in the same way that Rooney's temper is exaggurated. Suarez and Walcott have both been disgusted by being substituted this season; was anything said?

"If City lose a game or two Mario can become annoyed and disrupted" - like every player at every team in every league.

It gets overlooked when Mario and Mancini don't look at each other - No it doesn't, Steve.

"Walcott won't be disgusted regularly" - *sigh*.

D'you know what's really made me laugh about this?
John Barnes: "yes, but is Balotelli going to be a disruption on the training field?"

5 mins later...

"Tevez's style of play gets people off their seats."

 

[JohnMaddocksAxe]

No-one in that panel comes away with credit.

McGarry for being so ridiculous to use such terminology about a player who is yet to achieve great things and whose main attribute is scoring some decent goals. The likes of Zidane, an artist with the ball, with complete mastery of it, .

did you saw a lot of the 20 years old zidane so...

Enough to know that there is not a cat in hell's chance of Balotelli ever turning into a creative maestro in the manner of Zidane, Maradona, Messi, etc. Yes, more than enough.

And if you think that he ever will be that type of player (or even the type of creative player that Ronaldo is - although that is more plausible) then you must be tripping. That, or ridiculously biased/obsessed with the player. Oh, hang on......

At best, out of the handful of footballers that have legitimate claims to the title of genius (and let's not underestimate what that word suggests and how it must only apply to the best of the best), the only one that plays anywhere near a similar manner to Balotelli is the fat Ronaldo. And if you think they are the same player at 21, then we are talking a different language.

All that sounds like criticism of Balotelli. It isn't. I'm delighted with him this season. But that sort of hyperbole does no-one any favours.