20 Feb 2015

'I'll Go': €15m attacker who wants LFC move to have transfer 'meeting' with Marseille

Liverpool are once again being linked with a move for 'world-class' Marseille star Andre Ayew, and the Ghanaian striker has this week confirmed that he's leaving France this summer.

Ayew has been linked with a move to Liverpool many times in the past, and recent reports claim that:

* Liverpool have offered €15m-rated Ayew a pre-contract agreement.

* Ayew is willing to accept the Reds' offer.

When asked on Wednesday about the possibility of leaving Marseille, Ayew told RMC:

"In my head everything is open. If I have to go, I'll go. Soon there will be a meeting."

Ayew has preference for Liverpool, and when interviewed last season on French TV show Telefoot, he enthused:

"It [The Premier league] is a league I always think of. I am Ghanaian and an English speaker, and I have a strong preference for England. As for Liverpool - I followed them as a child"

Ayew's versatility probably makes him an appealing option for Brendan Rodgers. He can play as a winger, or a striker, but is he prolific enough, though? Stats for the last few years:

* 2010-11: 13 goals/3 assists in 51 appearances.
* 2011-12: 16 goals/4 assists in 39 apps.
* 2012-13: 13 goals/5 assists in 45 apps.
* 2013-14: 8 goals/4 assists in 29 apps.
* 2014-15: 5 goals/3 assists in 18 apps.
* Totals: 58 goals/19 assists in 182 apps.
* Goal/Assist every 2.3 games.

Ayew has been at Marseille since 2007, and at the age of 25, the time is clearly right for him to test himself at a bigger club. Additionally, there's very little risk involved as Ayew is available for free in the summer, so it's basically a no-lose situation.

That said, I'm sure he'll demand a big signing-on feel, and substantial wages, but that's a little easier to swallow in the absence of a transfer fee.

Author:


119 comments:

  1. I really like what i saw of him at the AFCON 2015!! No so sure about the Premier league though!!!!

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  2. Bravo, Mario!

    In any case, was it not Steven Gerrard that said that when Gerrard isn't on the pitch, Balotelli is the club's penalty taker?

    Happy with the win!

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  3. I think we can just drop the whole situation. Mario was a bit impetuous in demanding the penalty but I think everyone generally admires his confidence and agree that he should be the number one penalty taker after Gerrard anyway. Henderson managed the situation well and his barely noticeable shake of the head is a perfectly composed and reasonable reaction, he was otherwise the model captain. Sturridge seems to have gotten worked up a bit but so what, he's a competitive guy and he doesn't owe the team some attitude of fawning grace and humility. He's our number one striker and should behave how you'd expect a competitive player to behave i.e. he'll do anything for the team to win. That includes not being shy about saying something to a team mate.


    None of this should really bother anyone. It's no different to when Suarez and Sturridge had a little on-field spat last season. Nothing more than two ultra-competitive players trying to score goals for their team. If this is as bad as it ever gets then we've got absolutely nothing to worry about. Let the guys play football and express their own personality for god's sake.

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  4. Did he really? What did you see? I saw the captain go to take the ball for himself, Mario then took the ball from him, Henderson considered the situation for a very brief moment and then simply walked away. He gave a minute shake of his head which is probably fair enough because it's not really a great situation to be in and as captain he's responsible for how the team behave on the pitch. I don't anything there that he's done that could be considered in any way a problem.

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  5. I have to admit, I'm amazed!! First of all I wanted and expected Balotelli to take the pen as his record is very good. That's where my support ends. It seems as though everyone has become manager of LFC and decided that despite it clearly being planned that Hendo is the penalty taker when Gerrard isn't around, it's ok to ignore the plan and do what you want. If everyone behaved like Balloteli there'd be 11 people fighting for the ball. We don't know how good Hendo's pens are as we've never seem him take them. We never saw how good Yaya Toure's free kicks are until Balotelli (who wrestled the ball from him) left the club.

    Hendo showed weak leadership by allowing him to overrule the manager. The captain is supposed to be the boss' voice on the pitch. Hendo failed. I think he was probably more confident that Balloteli would score than himself!!

    I'm not interested in Balotelli getting a goal for his confidence. It's not all about him.

    Sturridge seemed annoyed that one player in the team makes his own rules. If so, I support Sturridge's annoyance.

    Gerarrd was being open for a change instead of closed and guarded. It's evident that one mans selfishness (again) on the pitch has caused conflict in what seems a harmonious team. His behaviour, not Gerrard, Hendo or Sturridge has caused the problem and another awkward situation for the manager.

    Yes, if he missed, he would've been rightly crucified. Not for missing. But for disobeying rules and the making his own game plan and missing.

    Despite all this nonsense, I am pleased for another win and clean sheet. It'll be tough in Turkey but they can do it. Not much time to prepare for a massive match on Sunday. The quicker they can focus on football matters the better.

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  6. I think he's misbehave in this matter, take the ball from your captain, thats is the sign of disobedient the authority, he should be assure that this ]ould never happen again, but in the otherside, his mentality should be applauded that he can score in such pressure. The sad think is, than our future captain is not settle yet, imagine if that's SG who had the ball, did balo dare to take it?

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  7. Good to see most Reds fans havent bought into the media hype, honestly if you believed the papers, Balo had him at knife point and threatened to kill Hendo's family. Its been said numerous times before, but Balo is our number 1 PK taker, technically he's better than Gerrard but if SG is on the pitch, he takes them. I think Hendo may have gone to say something but quickly realised the fact that if he tried to get it back, it'd create a scene and he knows that Balo isnt the kind of guy to say "oh yeah I'm sorry capt'n, my bad".
    To be perfectly honest, I'd give him the ball if he asked for it. The ball and a quick "yessir", the guy is intimidating as f***

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  8. Go for Lacazette instead.

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  9. What im having trouble with is gerrard.it seems the words and actions make him more distanced from lfc by the week.captain that cant be available twice in week so continually rested.. captain that negotiates a deal mid season for the following year.watching the captain of lfc say how he is 100% commited to galaxy.meeting the galaxy manager midweek in lfc time.reading in mirror how he cant wait to go. So exited etc.how he made lfc.rogers ayre and fsg look bad over contract. Listen gerrards biggest fan is gerrard.once the mask slips now and again he shows this. Honestly .were the club wrong based on performance this season. No .it is all down to ego and money and galaxy fed both.watching him sitting there for itv was strange really. I didnt feel like i was watching our captain anymore.just another ex player of another team and i felt as much connected to reid and strachan.gerrard speaking like that didnt help balo .brendan or lfc. Captain ?.not wanted.not needed.go now im sure that someone will pay you enough.afterall isnt thats all its about.seems loyalty does have a price

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  10. Lacazette and Ings or
    Icardi and Ayew ?

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  11. Hendo need to take penalty kicker,because he more than assist for important goal before,this is a chance to hendo for score,we are lucky to have hendo in team,I agree with Steven G.

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  12. I personally see that Baloteli is becoming good and did no mistake during the game yesterday

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  13. Well done Mario !! Stevie relax !! If you want the best out of Mario make him captain !!! then you will get the true super Mario , Henderson is not captain material .

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  14. I've got to agree here. Can't understand why penalty assignments aren't standardised. If Gerrard is on the pitch he takes it. But behind Gerrard Balotelli is one of the best penalty takers in the world. He should be automatic choice behind Gerrard, no question. The penalty hierarchy should have been sorted way before now and if anyone thinks that Henderson is ahead of Balotelli they need help.

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  15. http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/talking-point-steven-gerrard-should-8682742

    Says it all in my opinion.

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  16. At the time a penalty is awarded, regardless of who is on the pitch it has to be the most qualified person who takes it, last night that person was Mario, no doubt he was right to take responsibility. It was more Sturridge's reaction that undermined Hendo and to not even celebrate the goal was ridiculous, oh an Stevie G should save his opinion for behind closed doors, it was like he forgot who still pays his wages.

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  17. Is he really an improvement over Borini? I guess if Borini goes for a good free and this guy comes in on a free then it's not a bad deal, but he'll really just be another member of the squad, a striker to fill in when others are unavailable. He hasn't seemed to improved much over the years which is a slight concern. In previous articles we're bemoaning potential signing Milner's lack of end product but at least his assist count is steadily growing over the years and he's becoming a more creative and intelligent player. Ayew seems to be going backwards and in the French league that's potentially a bit of a worry.

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  18. MARIO is DEADLY on penalties wheras Jordan is not - I also belive MARIO would have scored from the free kick that was agonisingly close in the first half - we should be grateful because in Gerard and Mario we have the 2 best penalty takers in the Prem - hate to say this but Cantana was the best ever but Mario might one day equal him

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  19. Spot on. Agree with everyone and chuffed for Mario. I guess there is no point in my saying Mario should have asked the Captain if he can take it. He is a maverick like Cantona, Suarez, and these people sometimes seems to operate in a world of their own. The real talking point should be the performances of Hendo, Allen, Lallana, Sakho and Can. I find these four players to be of very questionable quality. You can see young Ibe, he's come on and getting man of the match. Hendo had a stinker of a game, cannot even hit the ball neat or straight. Honestly he is NO captain in my view. A caption has be someone who can take a 0-0 situation by the scruff of its neck and get u points. When u look at all great captains and players they influence games in this way. But certainly not Hendo. The likes of Joe Allen should really follow the likes of Downing etc out the door. He is not LFC quality. When you compare the new boys, Moreno is quality looks assured on the ball, but Lallana, Can just not there. How can a youngster like Ibe be playing with more guile and finness than "more experienced" players. Can makes too many mistakes. And I am always jittery when Sakho is on the ball. Compare how he defends to the quality defending by Gulum all night. I'd love a defender with such qualities any day!

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  20. I 100% agree with you Jaimie. If Balotelli comes back to form and plays confidently, we will have a world class player with us. Henderson should just let it go which he did later on. Hopefully Balo will be the penalty and free kick guy from now on.

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  21. It's not about whether he scores or not. It's about Balotelli making everything about Balotelli. At nil all with five minutes to go, it's not the time to have a discussion about who takes penalties. And had that been Suarez you would have been foaming at the mouth Jamie. If a penalty taker has been appointed all Balotelli needs to do is step back and be ready for the rebound. But no, everything has to be about Balotelli so of course he decides to make a fuss right there and then.

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  22. If everything is about Balotelli, why didn't he ask to take penalty when Stevie G was on the pitch?

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  23. Kudos Jaimee for that analysis. Whether or nnot Hendo or Sturridge were preselected to take penalties I dont care and the reality (that we won) does not care as well. Everyone except Hendo and DS knows that Mario is the best penalty taker at Liverpool (competing with Stevie). Since Stevie was not there we cant rely on favouritism and risk points by giving the juniors like DS and Hendo penalties in important games and at such important times within games. In fact fromnow on, it must be cast in stone that Balo shares penalties with the departing Stevie

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  24. I think Henderson missed it under KD. Gerrard was injured and we tried Downing, Carroll, Adam, Kuyt and Henderson....all of them missed. Gerrard came back and didn't miss a thing.

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  25. Because Mario has some sense too and he recognizes that the best penalty takers at Liverpool are in the following order:


    1. Stevie G
    2. Mario
    3. Lambert
    4.-5. probably Borini and Sturridge
    6. Hendo

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  26. Gerrard tried to show authority on live TV and just ended up looking like a pleb.

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  27. The only memories I have of Sturridge taking penalties are ones he's missed, I don't recall Balotelli ever missing one, therefore it makes complete sense for him to take it.

    Sturridge's reaction was as you say the most concerning part. It looked like he walked straight off the pitch to at the end whilst the rest of the team stayed on for a little bit. Everyone bashed Balotelli for doing that the other week, why aren't people bashing Sturridge?

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  28. BR has to be blamed if similar situation takes place again. He should clearly instruct the players now that Balo will take the penalty and free kicks. And I hope Henderson has learned his lesson and will show some maturity going forward. I don't expect much from Sturridge, he is all about himself most of the time. As long as he keeps scoring goals, its fine I guess.

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  29. How can a player who is supposedly full of himself....will have such sense?

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  30. Can had a poor game last nite but he looked tired. He's been one of our best players for a while now and he has so much potential! Also I thought lallala had a decent game as did sakho. .

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  31. No he definitely wasn't. He was telling henderson to take the ball of balotelli. .

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  32. Because Stevie is the captain and heart of the team, and has always been the number one penalty taker- and a very good one at that.

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  33. A positive article by Jaimie! Now I've seen everything... can die in peace :D

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  34. Henderson will learn and improve as a captain with experience. Not everyone is born with it but such skills/talents can be developed.

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  35. Suarez good as he was is not my idol

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  36. In my view whom won the penalty and that person should take it! Simple as that

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  37. My Uncle is called Gerald and he does say some odd things but people tend to say well that's just Gerald being Gerrard

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  38. Somewhere in a parallel plane of existence, there's an article about Liverpool's disappointing 0-0 draw with Besiktas, where we're all now debating furiously why Henderson took the penalty, blasting it wide, when a pen expert like Balo was on the field...

    Glad we all seem to be on the same page for this one.

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  39. I know Nick. What I am trying to say is that Balotelli understands the situation and hasn't behaved anything like 'its all about Balotelli'. He knew, heck, we all knew that he was the best available penalty taker on the pitch. He was the right man for the job. So i was just defending Balotelli here. If anything, Sturridge and Henderson were the culprit IMO.

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  40. It is all a storm in a tea cup. I don't blame any of them except possibly BR for putting Henderson above above Sturridge and Balo. If Sturridge had already accepted that Henderson was to take the pen I can understand his initial reaction to Balo pushing in even if he was the best person to take it. .

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  41. That's a really misguided point of view

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  42. People all round the globe are falling like flies ;-)

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  43. You know that winning a penalty requires different type of skill than scoring one right? How did you even come with that point of view sir?

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  44. Well I agree then, more so Henderson though. I think it was natural for him to initially object as he was *the* designated penalty taker, but then his senses came to him. I don't really have an issue with Sturridge protesting about it, I just found his reaction after the goal off-putting.

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  45. Storm in a tea cup and obviously the media ( and Stevie had his media hat on yesterday ) are going to make a meal of it .... After all IT IS BALOTELLI !
    I think frustration had a lot to do with it ..... it was the 85th minute of a European match at Anfield in which , despite many chances , we couldn't score ! Comedy of errors Hendo was carrying out BR's instructions to step up for the penalty - Balo knew in that situation he was the best man for the job and took control from Hendo who is inexperienced at the job , Sturridge ( bit of healthy rivalry there ) considered Mario to be up to his tricks and undermining his captain's authority ....
    Just can't believe that pre match Rodgers delegated penalty taking duties to Hendo when Mario is on pitch ????????????
    Anyway END OF and sure it has all been sorted this morning and lessons have been learnt .... They have to be as in 3 days we have to raise our game for yet another important match against Southampton and most of the team looked knackered !

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  46. Have you seen a man eat his own head? No? So then you haven't seen everything

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  47. Agree...hope BR has made it clear to everyone about the penalty taker now.

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  48. I'm a little concerned that Sturridge is now the main striker and he's maybe not happy when Balo have bigger impact on game then him. Last season everybody knew who is the boss with free kicks, even Gerrard. It was El Pistolero and Sturridge had a few sticks form him in some games. But Suarez once missed the penalty and never asked again for it. I think Balotelli is good penalty taker because he is not nervous. maybe he's to cool sometimes, but for late penalty it's ideal.

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  49. Spot on article, if he is not our designated penalty taker when Stevie not playing there is something wrong, 27 out of 29 in league/intl games, that's some record.


    Could argue for him to be taker ahead of Gerrard but given he is not a regular starter that will not happen, Plus he would not of taken the ball off Stevie like he did with Hendo. Lets keep this unbeaten run going on Sunday.

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  50. Also he gets so much media attention whatever he does, that he does not care and pretty much shrugs his shoulders.


    Think this attitude helps him deal with pressure moments on pitch such as penalties. I know who I would want take one with thousands of hostile fans screaming next leg. Lets hope he kicks on and adds more goals/assists, could just help us get into top four/win trophies.

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  51. Balotelli is THE best penalty taker at LFC., after him, Sturridge, then Gerrard, Sterling, Lucas, Sakho...
    When Henderson lines up a freekick, the Kop ducks.
    The only controversy here is what was Rodgers thinking letting Henderson take penalties... and yet again Gerrard gives a shining example of why he should never be manager.

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  52. Sturridge over Gerrard? Agree with the rest though.

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  53. Balotelli is a magnet to controversy. The media are interested in him so the smallest stories are blown way out of proportion.

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  54. Hendo is an important player yes, but shouldnt mean those palyers who r good penaltytakers, coner kick takers or any free kick takers to be overtaken by him in anyway neither will he automatically takeover all the capabilities steve g had. so in this case balo was abusoletly right and hendo had to handle this proffesionaly

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  55. I think Gerrard was out of line with what he said too. Henderson basically gave him the ball and then patted him on the shoulder, he hardly put up any resistance to it.

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  56. 11/12 seaon, if I remember right. We were awarded more penalties than everyone else that season 15-20ish - and only scored 5 of 'em. Everyone who tried missed at least twice, including Gerrard.

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  57. Stickhwiththeprogramme10:09 am, February 20, 2015

    Very good article with which I agree completely. Here we are, having cried out for players to step up when it matters. And when Balotelli do just that he gets slated because, well, because he's Balotelli. Henderson failed massively in that department last night - didn't find one key-pass, shot on target or cross. Good then we have a player with the right mentality and attitude to win us the game. So happy to have Balotelli in the side and I have been saying that all season despite the stick he's recieved. People seem to forget he came into the side when it was the lowest it's been on this side of the turn of the century. His overall performance last night was brilliant and he instantly made us look more threatening going forward. Sturridge is still rusty and will need another 4-5 games at least before picking up something resembling form. Good we have a player of Balotelli's calibre in the team then. Ibe an absolutely brilliant player. Much much better than Sterling. Said on his debut against QPR 2 years ago we have real player on our hands.

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  58. actually nothing would have happened if Gerrard kept his mouth shut. He opened up the Pandoro box. Too over supportive of Hendo.

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  59. Sturidge should be reprimanded. He and Gerrard made things worse. It should hv been kept behind doors not show resentment in public.

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  60. really disappointed with Gerrard talking about the incident to the media...
    Comments like this should stay in the dressing room

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  61. Lacazette and icardi

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  62. Suarez is far from being a Kop-idol

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  63. Gerrard who is one day going to be coaching LFC is a real disgrace. He has no right to condem his own players. He should keep peace not put oil over the incident.

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  64. Balo scored... shut the f up! all in agreement

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  65. I was more concerned that we misses an absolute sitter which may have hurt us in the 2nd leg. Anyhow Ballo was a class above the rest when everybody had poor first touch, finishing and ideas. He actually made a difference after coming on.

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  66. Totally agree with you, I was livid with Gerrard’s comments on national T.V about his own
    team mate. Wonder if he would have said
    the same if Balotelli was English?

    He should have aired his feelings in the dressing room, and not give the press
    more ammunition to beat Balotelli with.

    I’m also surprised Jamie K didn’t mention anything about Gerrard’s comments!

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  67. That is an impossibility - or so I thought ;-)

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  68. If you hear any stories about Stevie picking up a black eye in a training ground accident...we will both know what really happened :)

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  69. I didn't miss it thank you very much ;-) Agree with you though.


    That is why I don't get too upset when Balo and Sturridge are selfish. The others are virtually guaranteed to miss but with those two there is always a good chance they will score. I'd rather see them have a go from a virtually impossible angle than pass it to Hendo, Couts or Lallana.

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  70. Not sure if Gerrard missed it, not more than once for sure.

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  71. not a fan of balotelli but hes been a penalty taker for his other clubs i blame henderson and sturridge for making a meal of it we all remember daniel's last peno 4-0 up no pressure still looking for the ball

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  72. Credit to Hendo for eventually allowing Balo to take the penalty and then not making a fuss post match. He kept a cool head while Sturridge was losing his. Now that's the quality of a proper captain. Right decision - right result.

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  73. This is Brendan's fault. There should be a club pecking order for penalties that transcends the game. That order should be: Gerard, balo, lambert, hendo and the highest one on the pitch takes the pen.

    Hendo looked white as a sheet until balo took the ball from him. I think hendo would have missed.

    Gerard was clearly planning for his career as a pundit when he slagged off our match winner last night. Disappointing.

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  74. Great to see Balotelli put the ball in the net! Great for him great for Liverpool Football club and great for us the supporters. So Steve Grerrad has a view on the subject and was well paid I bet so a bit of controversy goes a long way to improve the bank balance. He would have not been doing his job if he said nothing! Lol! My view is if he was on the pitch he probably would have taken it. Henderson although he dithered a bit he did right to let Balotelli take it and Balotelli quite rightly hugged him afterwards. Now Sturridge he was on the pitch from the start and had a few opportunities to score and I think I saw him fail to take the right option and pass to a better placed player on more than one occasions. He didn't manage to put the ball in the net he was not oozing with confidence so he should just suck on it! It is great for Liverpool that we have two strikers keen to be better we can only reap rewards. So I say forget it move on. Southampton at the weekend and I bet Balotelli gets the nod and scores from the spot if the officials do their job properly when required.! YNWA.....

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  75. On new signings, where did we pick up this super new sweeper-keeper? Good, isn't he?

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  76. sorry but Balotelli as captain would be utter madness

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  77. He scored 26 consecutive penalties before a GK saved one and that was Pepe Reina of Napoli. England keeper Joe Hart, claims he kept out only one Balotelli penalty in training over the two-and-a-half year period in which they were City team-mates. If Gerrard isn't on the pitch Balo should take the penalties

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  78. Well said. Balo is looking a better player than I thought he was. He can spot a pass, thinks quickly, holds the ball up, gets in good positions (if only PC etc would get their heads up) and gets free kicks almost as regularly as Hazard. Is it time for him to start games, I think it's close?

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  79. Agree, SG added fuel to the fire and it was actually Sturridge who caused the problem. If had not been involved everyone would have said JH just gave Balo the ball, job done.

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  80. Hmmm?... maybe?
    But A LOT of people vastly over-estimate Gerrard's penalty taking ability. He's an average penalty taker at best. Throughout his career there has always been better penalty takers at LFC than Gerrard, he just let his ego and "seniority" take over - Danny Murphy, Dietmar Hamman, Djibril Cisse, Xabi Alonso, Dirk Kuyt, Robbie Keane, Robbie Fowler, Florent Sinema-Pongolle.
    Same goes for freekicks... there's this big myth that he's great at free kicks and long shots, but he misses the target a helluva lot more often than he hits it.

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  81. Sturridge is the one with the attitude from I see. For me he was miffed that Hendo was put ahead of him in the first place and for then to see Mario jump the queue then saw him sulk! Pathetic.
    He was greedy and selfish all night long, not to mention falling about all the time. I said it last year, he falls over far more than Suarez did but Luis got all the criticism for diving. His 1st good season in his career has seen his ego rise far too much. All about the team when it suits him.
    I still have no idea why Hendo was down as the taker anyway but if you ask most fans I would say 99% would want Mario on the spot kick over Hendo. Like with Captains and VC there should be an overall list and whoever is on the pitch at the time the highest rank should take it.
    Gerrard has not helped either......

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  82. As far as i can remember the only penalty he (Balo) didn't score was for AC milan against Napoli..guess who saved the pen...Yep Reina!!

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  83. Rubbish the guy on the pitch who is most likely to score should take it. That was Balotelli! It was a no brainer and players present on the pitch and in the studios should know that.

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  84. And the press junket rolls on ... seriously, do these guys have nothing else to talk about? I've never seen so many spurious and pointless comments about essentially nothing. For all that they suggest that Mario Balotelli is a problem for Liverpool it's actually this stream of drivel from the press that is causing more damage to the public perception of the club.

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  85. Not much choice available for a decent captain , take your pick Skrtel , Sakho or Can ?? Give the so called problem child the responsibility , and you would probably end up with a captain that at least demands respect , having Henderson as captain is an absolute joke, who else is there ? Give Mario a crack it would probably work wonders .

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  86. I see today Liverpool wants Robert Lewandowski.Ciro Immobile ,and Luiz Adriano.

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  87. JockintheAnfieldRoadEnd1:38 pm, February 20, 2015

    Balotelli's clearly just doing it for himself. He wants to improve his goal record to give himself a better chance of a better contract at his next club. That's how it will seem to the players and it's how it seems to me. Having a committed Liverpool player gain confidence, someone as important to the team as Henderson, would be a big plus for the club maybe long term. The little things add up. Balotelli is a selfish mediocrity and the sooner he's out of the club the happier I'll be.

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  88. Credit to Henderson for congratulating Balotelli after the PK was made. Henderson continues to prove why he is the right person to captain the side.

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  89. AY..... Liverpool don't actually want Lewandowski. The rumours popped up when Hamann said he'd be a perfect fit in an interview. He said that he's having trouble adapting at Bayern and that he's more suited for an EPL club like Liverpool or Man Utd.

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  90. Yes it's all for himself, winning goal against spurs, our rival for top 4 places. For himself. Going to Turkey with a lead, an absolute cauldron, for himself. Get off the bandwagon. I'm glad that rabbit in the headlights Henderson didn't take & allowed a specialist to do so. No big deal move on!
    Ballotelli changed the game when he came on, for the better I might add.

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  91. There was a look of uncertainty in Hendo's face over the whole thing. He didn't look comfortable.


    That's what I saw.

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  92. To Stevie G, utmost respect as a player. With regards to intelligence, very low IQ. Making think he isn't management material. How could he say what he said on camera. No respect!!!? That wasn't very clever, putting the press into a frenzy. He should have kept it behind closed doors.
    This isn't the first time though.

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  93. Stevie G isn't dumb, everyone is prone to making an uncalled for comment

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  94. I guess we know one person in the LFC hierarchy who's not in the Mario Balotelli.


    Stevie G, come on down!

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  95. FOR HIMSELF:

    Balotelli took to his Instagram account in response, writing: “Thank you Hendo for letting me take the penalty. Stop drama now. We won that’s what counts. We are a team and especially we are Liverpool. Come on guys.”

    FOR HIMSELF-We won, We are a team, We are Liverpool. For himself......mmmmmm!?!?

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  96. Mario could score 12 goals in a game, press the defense, and clear 25 balls off the goal line and he'd still have detractors.


    The truth is that some people just have their minds made up and won't change it no matter what.

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  97. Can't believe the comments on ESPNFC that Henderson should have shrugged Mario away and taken it himself, 'just to show who's boss'. They are entirely missing the point. When it's 0-0 and you're in real need of a goal to win the match, winning the game always comes ahead of stamping individual authority. This isn't meant to be about Henderson, it's meant to be about Liverpool.

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  98. It's not the first time, he's made poor judgment with his comment. He did it when Sturridge first came. Referring to this being his last chance. How helpful.?Anyway shouldn't his natural instinct have been to protect the club, siege mentality. "It happens all the time." "All that matters is that we've score!" The worst he should have said was we'll have words with him in the dressing room. As it stands people will forget Balotelli's positive impact, forget Ibe's growing improvement over £20mill pound sub Markovic.

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  99. one would think he played for Everton!

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  100. But to suggest that his IQ is very low is extremely harsh.

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  101. That's because he was probably in two minds: "Do I show off authority, or let our expert penalty taker have a crack?"

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  102. This problem stems not from the players involved but from communication from the management.
    Either Rodgers has assigned Henderson to penalty duty or Balotelli, if one is a sub or not is irrelevant, you have an order of penalty takers and the one at the top of that list that is on the field when the pen is awarded takes the kick, its not rocket science.


    1. Gerrard
    2. Balotelli
    3. Lambert
    etc


    The ambiguity is what caused all the issues.


    Henderson did the right thing is not making a big deal of the situation and probably knew that Mario would have been the best person to take the penalty so gave him the ball with much resistance. Sturridge's frustration with Mario not following the team rules shouldn't have been shown on the pitch and should have been raised in the dressing room after the game.


    However, as the penalty was scored and the game was won, this has been blown out of proportion massively.


    Its a shame as Balotelli when he came on showed a good willingness to close down opponenets, pulled off some brilliant little passes and touches and again looked generally lively, all of which will now be forgotten due to Penaltygate. Sigh.

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  103. OK, yeah, I saw that too. But it's not really a problem is it? First of all he is only stand-in captain at the moment, it's not like he's got much experience with it. Also, he had a player on his team literally take the penalty away from him. What Balotelli did was truly surprising. I'm not in the "disrespecting his captain" camp but still ... the bloke just walked up to him and took the ball out of his hands. Wouldn't everyone look a bit uncertain?

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  104. The only thing Mario did wrong is the way he did it. He was supposed to ask with determination, not just to take it like he is the boss...

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  105. Absolutely, and hence Henderson's surprise. But it's just over-excitement and on all counts no one has really done anything "wrong". I'm amazed at the response from some corners.

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  106. What's his IQ score then? Mr. know it all...Man was being brutally honest. That's how he is. Get over over it Punkdoc.

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  107. Ibe man of the match, right? Third time if you ask me...

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  108. There's brutall honest & there's just plain stupid. His IQ is the same as yours, in minus figures. No luck at the job centre I take it!

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  109. The question is, who is he getting a big signing on feel of? If it's Ian Ayre he'll probably go elsewhere...

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  110. Just read that paragraph again and now I'm not sure if it's a feel or a swallow he's getting.

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  111. Vyshakh Surreal Rv3:37 pm, February 20, 2015

    Does that mean the Luiz Adriano rumour is true?

    *PLEASE BE TRUE*

    Sturridge, Origi, Balo and Luis. (No room for Lambo then I guess :( )

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  112. He's only a stand-in for now, but the expectation is he'll be the Captain next year. Look at it this way... would Carra, Reina, or Agger (all vice-captains) have looked that way? No. Granted they wouldn't have been taking the pen, but they would have decided who would.


    There's nothing wrong with being taken by surprise. But the whole situation looked uncomfortable when Sturridge is demanding the ball and Henderson was barely looking at Balotelli (as though he was avoiding him) before the kick.


    Kudos to Balotelli for thanking him after the match to try and dissolve any tension.

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  113. Made some good saves too. Just a couple of dodgy kicks though

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