Football365's Mediawatch has a lot to say about Mario today:
'We're not sure about you, but Mediawatch is getting a bit sick of Brendan Rodgers' sanctimonious bulls**t about Mario Balotelli.
Said Rodgers on Thursday: "I'm the type of manager that gives people an opportunity. I understand the criticism that will come my way because of that."
Some of you might remember these quotes from Jordan Henderson about Rodgers trying to bin him off to Fulham just a couple of months after joining Liverpool: "When the manager told me I could go to Fulham it was a bit of a shock at first. What he said came as a sort of bolt from the blue. I worked really hard to come to a club like Liverpool and I didn't want to leave in a hurry."
That's the same Jordan Henderson who is now the "moral compass of the group" after being named Liverpool's vice-captain.
Well done for giving him an opportunity, Brendan.
Gentle Touch
Said Brendan Rodgers after Sir Alex Ferguson revealed he chose not to sign Jordan Henderson because of his weird gait (which is still a very odd thing to say): "As someone who has worked with young players he must understand the impact his words can have."
Yes, you wouldn't want to alienate young players would you now, Brendan?
You definitely wouldn't want to call them a 'gamble', a 'risk', or imply they were a last resort.
Scapegoat
Mediawatch would happily sit here all day and pick apart every Graeme, Jamie and Robbie who feel they're in a strong enough position to criticise Mario Balotelli's 'behaviour' (he swapped a sodding shirt) but we simply don't have the time.
We would like to make a quick point, however, to everyone using Cesare Prandelli's remarks after the World Cup as another stick to beat Balotelli.
'Cesare Prandelli, forced to quit as Italy boss following their World Cup shambles, admitted he made a big mistake in selecting Balotelli for the squad,' writes the Daily Mirror's David Maddock.
Prandelli was desperate for a scapegoat after his spectacular failure at the World Cup, happy to ignore the fact that Balotelli's header against England gave Italy their only win. He would have been a prat not to take Italy's top scorer in qualifying, so his cowardly comments should be treated with the contempt they deserve.
Anyway, it's good to see him doing so well at Galatasaray.'