19 Mar 2012

Souness blasts: 'Hot-headed' €22m striker is a 'liability'. Harsh or true?

Liverpool legend Graeme Souness clearly has a problem with some of Manchester City's players. Earlier in the season, he labelled Carlos Tevez a 'disgrace to football', and then, after Mario Balotelli's red card at Anfield, he accused the Italian of being an 'unreliable passenger'. Now, with City's title bid faltering, Souey has stuck the knife into Balotelli once again, accusing the eccentric striker of derailing the club's chances.

In his column for the Daily Star on Sunday, Souness scathed:

"I’m concerned that hot-headed Balotelli could cost City dearly in their title race with Sir Alex Ferguson and ­Manchester United. To me, the Italian is a ­liability because you have got no idea what you are going to get from him.

"Against Sporting ­Lisbon on Thursday he could very easily have been sent off in the first half. Throwing his arms in the air, shouting his head off, kicking the ball high into the stands when something else didn’t go right for him.

"Surely Balotelli needs to grow up – and quick. I am genuinely concerned that he could cost City dearly in this crucial part of the season".


Hmmm. Throwing arms into the air; kicking the ball away in frustration. Sounds distinctly like the behaviour of Luis Suarez, but we don't ever hear Souness calling him a 'liability'.

I think Souey is being a little harsh here; if City lose out on the league title it won't be because of Balotelli, who has contributed 15 goals and 2 assists to the cause so far this season, which is more than Andy Carroll, Jordan Henderson, Stewart Downing and Dirk Kuyt combined (and more overall than Luis Suarez).

Similarly, if Liverpool miss out on the top four it won't just be because of Andy Carroll's paucity in front of goal. There are lots of different reasons, and I would argue that Balotelli's temperament is the least of them.

Everyone goes on about how Carroll is young and should be given time, but Balotelli is two years younger, with less experience of English football, yet he still manages to outscore the £35m striker.

I would take Balotelli over Carroll any day of the week.

Jaimie Kanwar


62 comments:

  1. jaimie i literally hate you i accept you need to be honest about lfc but you just go to far give it a rest ffs... i actually think you are an mufc fan

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  2. i would take balotelli and play him with carroll

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  3. Stop crying, the real world out there is much blunter than this. 

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  4. Balotelli is a total liability, agree completely with Souness

    Mourinho doesn't often get it wrong with players and seems to get the best out of some of the most volatile. All except Balotelli, maybe the greatest manager of modern times got it wrong......... DOUBT IT!!!!!!

    Tevez will return to City fold just in time to give them a chance of winning league

    You would choose Balotelli over Carroll? Utter tripe

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  5. its okay for him. just imagine if suarez behaved like that??
    say no more

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  6. Lol, as you said, if Liverpool or City are underperforming, Carroll or Balotelli should not be the only ones to be blamed. There are many other factors to be considered. However, if that's the case, then we should not blame Johnson for the teams incompetence in winning games against stronger opposition, and praise Kelly for the team's wins against weaker clubs, as again, there are many other factors to be considered. 

    That said, I agree with you; I would much rather have Balotelli than Carroll (cheaper, younger and seems to be more effective), though arguably, he is even harder to control than Suarez. Though of course, nobody would ever accuse Balotelli of being a racist, which is a plus...  

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  7. Jamie, I like your articles! Everyone gets upset with you but I genuinly enjoy Reading everything you post. Keep up the good work.

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  8. And Balotelli was how old at Inter?  18 and 19 (!), yet he still got 21 goals and 10 assists in the two seasons prior to joining Man City.  How would Andy Carroll do in Serie A #CatastophicFail

    Balotelli is a 'total liability' yet you support Suarez?  Utter hypocrisy.

    And yes, I would take Balotelli over Carroll in a heartbeat.  Carroll is the (alleged) centre-forward Liverpool have had since Erik Meijer, who was another lumbering huff and puff striker.  At least he didn't fall over every 5 seconds though.

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  9. if you 'hate' some person on the net you've never met then you have serious problems.  Seek help.

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  10. thats abit rich yozza paul stewart and that bum kozma signed by greame "yozza hughes" souness

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  11. Your opinion, fine

    Does Mourinho often get it wrong?

    Balotelli pictured wearing an AC Milan shirt while playing for Inter - intelligent??

    We'll see how well Balotelli contributes in the all important last 10 games of the season, i just feel that when it comes to the crunch he will buckle. Tevez may save them

    (He is in my fantasy football team though as a value bet...... he gets about 8 chances per match)

    Carroll's going nowhere so I guess time will tell how good he is....... Decent wingers would be a start

    On an aside, what you think of the series Homeland and the modern style of weekly twists upon twists. Starting to bug me big time now. just sitting down to episode 9 now

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  12. Homeland is awesome :-) Stick with it as it gets even better. Best new show for ages IMO. I still miss 'The Shield' big time though...

    Sent from Samsung Galaxy Note

    -------- Original message --------
    Subject: [liverpoolkop] Re: Souness blasts: 'Hot-headed' €22m striker is a 'liability'. Harsh or true? | Liverpool-Kop.com

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  13. I lived in the US for a few years and used to rent box sets of "The Shield" from Blockbuster and get a load of cheap beer. Loved it. Miss those days

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  14. I completely agree. I never post on these sites, but ive had enough of reading your constant sniping and negativity towakrds the players, club and staff. If you were a neutral reviewing your site you would never imagine you supported Liverpool. What pleasure do you get out of writing these posts? Liverpool on the whole are showing signs of progress, and whilst our position in the league is not satisfactory, anyone who watches the game can see we are a better side than last year. We're all entitled to an opinion but I feel yours gets clouded by your own self importance and will to write something that does not reflect the majority of fans

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  15. get a life or a proper jamie, you must sit in the house masturbating and postings completely nonsense stories every day 

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  16. Deletr


    Sent from Samsung Galaxy Note

    -------- Original message --------
    Subject: [liverpoolkop] Re: Souness blasts: 'Hot-headed' €22m striker is a 'liability'. Harsh or true? | Liverpool-Kop.com

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  17. Jamie is a cretin. Can we ban this twat from Newsnow?

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  18. Mourinho got it wrong with quite a few of his signings at Chelsea.

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  19. Why not? He's been accused of everything else and hasn't been able to get away with claiming cultural differences.

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  20. Who's arsed about a citeh player? and whats the point of this site? This "jamie k" is a absolute tool! I urge all "real" Liverpool fans to give this shite a wide birth!

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  21. Just finished Homeland, excellent alright, have to wait for season 2 now :(

    Work in 4 hours...... :(

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  22. have u thought of how Balotelli scores the goals??
    ever thought of the difference in quality of their OTHER players?? the way their team is setup to play??

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  23. agree with you take balotelli over caroll any day...liverpool needs a 20 goals a season striker think of where we would be in the league if all those chances  created would be in the back of the net...caroll just cant fit in a pass and move system..he is not mobile enough...and yes i am  a liverpool  fan.

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  24. Why is there comparison between Suarez and balotelli?? Souness is a lousy manager and please do not associate him and his comments with Liverpool. It's because of him and his idiotic buys when he was managing Liverpool, that began the downfall of Liverpool. He may have been a great player during his heydays, but those crunching tackles now will see him receive a red card every game he plays.. he will be the liability that he thinks balotelli is to man city. Idiot.

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  25. i really dont think he was out of line saying alot of what he said.
    when balotelli crack the poops he starts giving away silly fouls and does lunging tackles and yeah he is a liability.
    He can score at any moment but i can easily see him scoring and getting a red card in the same game.
    i personally dont like souness or his opinion but this is one instance i agree with him, but i think you are being the harsh one in this case.
    He never made comparisons to liverpool players you just reached that comparison out of thin air and yes andy carroll has not performed well but going out of your way to take a shot at him and liverpool seems to be the only real harsh thing on this page.
    i usually enjoy reading your opinions but this one i just dont see the need for it sorry.

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  26. Completely agree with you Jaimie! 

    I think all English pundits are too biased. If Balotelli was English, same people would say that he needs to be handled with care. 

    Where was Souness when Gareth Barry was hurling his shoes at touchline after substitution in game against Sporting ? Souness didn't have a word to say against such disgracing act to football because Barry is English player. Just imagine Balotelli or Tevez did that. 

    No doubt, Balotelli is much better player than Carroll. 

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  27. Jaime of late i have noticed your frustration in your posts. I really like your website but lately your are so anti Liverpool I wonder what your agenda is? The truth? Yes LFC have suffered from some poor signings and yes they have under performed but hey LFC is my club and while I do not blindly agree I do still support the players and the Manager at least untill next season (Aussie Fan)

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  32. Balotelli is not a fans favourite at MNanCIty for nothing, he has earned it. Sure he is a bit immature, a bit of a 'naughty boy' but at his age does it really matter if you can produce the goods (did someone say 15 goals and 2 assists this season)?
    From what I have seen he is a super star in the making. SOurness took against him from day one and stuck his neck out in didding Balotelli but does he honestly think he'd pick Carroll ahead of Balotelli, honestly?

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  33. Why are you always knocking Suarez?

    You're a Liverpool fan and he's our top scorer so what do you do?... just moan about him and compare his actions to any other player who's out of order.

    Strange.

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  34. Massive Souness Fists12:48 pm, March 20, 2012

    Souness is a nut case. As a manager, his only aim was "don't lose the dressing room". He was always punching his players, and seems personally afronted by the slightest sign of dissent in any team's squad.

    When Tevez wouldn't come on in Munich, I don't know if he'd had a few drinks before going to the studio, but you could see him working himself up more and more. If his Mrs was watching, she probably went to stay with her mum for the night.

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  35. I would have Balotelli at Liverpool because at his best he is as good as any and maybe one day he will grow up.
    That said how old is Souness and i doubt he has matured yet Cities problem is the title is sometimes won and lost by a show of heart.
    City have only chequebook love from their players maybe that bunch from Liverpool is right money cant buy me love.

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  36. Being a liability is the context of the story isn't just play-acting on the field. Suarez wins more penalties and free kicks than any other forward in the league. If you wanted to play devils advocate you can suggest potential dishonesty or question his integrity but I think it's clear enough that his actions on the pitch don't usually hurt his team, more likely quite the opposite. Suarez's two significant misdemeanors as a Liverpool player have been evaluated post-game and not left his team a man short, losing possession in difficult areas of the pitch or having to defend free kick kicks. That is quite different from what Souness is suggesting with Balotelli. Suarez needs to keep his emotions in check but it does seem as if he has enough sense to not lash out within the 90 minute period.

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  37. Hey Jamie you using Suarez as  a comparison is pretty low even for you  have you ever watched the body language of Balotelli, i have and if you can, notice there is an arrogance about him that sticks out like dogs balls. I agree that Suarez has waved his hands around a lot (even i get a little pissed off) but to compare him to someone that takes the piss out of a team (friendly in singapore) that is no where near Man City's quality and have even his own team mates react in disgust is shocking, not to mention he then (when substituted ) exchanged vocals with his manager with a look on his face like he never did anything wrong when clearly his own manager was not impressed.
    Not to mention his after hour recreation, yes i agree with the fact that he is better than Carroll but his body language tells me that he thinks he is better than everyone else as well. On a serious note though don't people realise that the owners of Man City (who he works for) would sort this problem out if it was necessary, not to mention who cares, i think Souness is more worried about Man U getting another tittle than he is of Balotelli.

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  38. Everyone is starting to believe that Jaimie is a Manure fan. I've mentioned a couple of times now as why there is always a negative slant to pretty much every blog but I got know response? I directly asked him if he is a Man U fan but again, no response.... everyone is entitled to an opinion and so are you Jaimie but your opinions always seem like a dig at anything that is Liverpool past or present. I look forward to something positive in the future...

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  39. FUNNY HOW ANY COMMENTS THAT HAVE THE NAME OF THE J ARE VETTED!!!

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  40. Souness is both right and wrong.  Balotelli is a loose cannon right now and when he's in the wrong frame of mind he's a walking red card.  That said, he's also one of the most skillful young forwards in the world.  I think City is right to take the gamble they are now.  Mancini isn't afraid to take him off if it appears a red card is imminent.

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  41. So because he is being honest and objective he is a manyooo fan? I thought the piece was honest and accurate. Which bits do you think he got wrong?

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  42. You WISH you caould take Ballotelli and play him with Carroll. Dream on redred 

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  43. What has Carroll got that Ballotelli hasn't? except for a stupid beard and a habit for hitting women.  Can you not read or do you not understand the stats? Fool

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  44. with your username i think you should be wary of claiming Balotelli is arrogant. And the stuff in a friendly is something that kid players can do sometimes, no big deal. Compare to stuff that Rooney, Tevez, Suarez have done and it is nothing. Amazed that people make such a big deal about it and take such delight in hounding a young lad in this way. Suarez, Tevez and Rooney are a lot older than him and don't behave that much better, to be honest.

    And he has done less than Tevez to cause trouble this season. And he is youngster, Rooney did worse at his age.

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  45. But Souness going out of his way to take a shot at Balotelli, who is twice the player Carroll will ever be, is reasonable, cos you don't like the guy?

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  46. yeah, by not missing or hitting the post, how do players normally score goals?

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  47. I totally agree; throwing one's arms in the air and kicking the ball away is petulant, but the way some commentators have reacted you'd think Balotelli was jumping into waist-high challenges and throwing the ball at the referee. People overreact to everything he does. For someone who's supposed to think he's better than he is, he's never complained about being brought off the bench, or used in a rotation system. Considering that he's missed 8 games through suspension and more through injury, 15 goals is an impressive haul. Mancini can get the best out of him and turn him into one heck of a player. How did all of his detractors behave at 21, or aren't they there yet?

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  48. Chi Bai lu, Souey. Who cares!

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  49. I agree with you as well, I've come across this Jamie several times and it has been nothing but negativity, constantly bashing Suarez, having a go at KD, I don't buy for one minute Jamie is a Liverpool fan, true Liverpool fans stand by their time no matter what, all I have seen is totally the opposite, I have no doubt you are MU scum.

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  50. What has Carroll got to do with Balotelli? It's not about comparing to others. Souness is only saying what anyone who understands football already knows. Mourinho knows it and so does Mancini. He's a great player but also a loose cannon, fact.

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  51. Chris Rossington8:08 pm, March 20, 2012

    I think Suarez is a moaner but the difference between him and ballotelli is you know what to expect from suarez 100% week in, week out in my opinion. Always one of the hardest working players on the pitch and most commited too. Thats what i believe to be the reason why souness wouldnt call suarez a liability.

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  52. I agree with you guest. Haven't seen one positive LFC post from this guy... Why type some one's comments and then add your opinion. Who cares about your opinion. Either state Souness' comments or just rant on a blog of yours. Youre doing neither

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  53. Andy carroll would actually score in italy more than balotelli. Italian league has actual wingers unlike Liverpool where Adam sees-shoots, Adam's crosses dont cross 1st defender. Downing never crosses to the right area; There is no right winger in liverpool. Liverpool have average players, gerrard and liability suarez. Never know what you get from him. In newcastle Carroll got crosses - gutierrez, barton, enrique all had decent crosses in!! Analyze that clown!

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  54. My user name is my heritage mate and if you have a problem like anyone else well to bad ban me. My comments about Balotelli were as far as im concerned correct he is arrogant (regardless of what you think about my user name) and if you read my post clown, i say that even Suarez pisses me off at times. Personally i could not give two f$%^@s about Rooney or Tevez, Souness was speaking about Balotelli and Jamie was comparing Suarez so read before commenting. You say that stuff in friendly games is something kids can do (rest my case KID) well when your a professional footballer and in another country playing against inferior opposition and beating them with everything but a stick then you might want to be respectful seeings how English football teams fan base is a lot wider than just England, just a thought. Just for the record if anyone has a problem with my user name than take me to court for being a racist, as long as something is not said in malice or a certain tone (which is hard on the net) than im ok with it, so if your not black or Greek then piss off, there are more important issues to discuss. 

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  55. why are you even talking about citeh and littlepool in the same article? there is no comparison, pool are rubbish, city are excellent. pools players are rubbish, citehs are not. suarez is a cheating racist lowlife and as a tottenham fan i am delighted we didnt get the lazy moany git. balotelli is out of pools league. he's bigger than littlepool all on his own. bunch of has beens, you'll be watching pool play yeovil, exeter & co in 2 years from now when the club is in admin. hahahahahahahahaha see ya later pool, you are a dead team and will be remembered only for years of boring football and filthy pikey fans

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  56. Yes, and so is Rooney, so is Carroll, so are a lot of people. Why single him out?

    Has anyone said that Rooney is to blame for England's almost certain failure in the Euros? Why not? He's older and he's just as much a loose cannon on the pitch.

    There's something about grown men ganging up on young kids that is wrong.

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  57. My goodness, you don't have a clue do you? He tried something in a friendly game and it did not come off. did it ever cross your mind that some people did not mind that he tried it? Stop talking about being respectful, it makes you look like a hypocrite. And ignorant. That's no crime, so why would anyone bother taking the time to take you to court?

    My grandfather is black, how about that? Does that qualify?

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  58. Balotelli shit tonight, subbed at half time after an awful first half, continuously showing dissent towards his team mates

    Tevez comes on assists perfectly for winner

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  59. Still has more goals than Downing, Kuyt, Henderson Carroll and Adam combined :-)

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  60. Hey dickhead shows what you know it did come off you twit and he made them look stupid in the process, he could have tapped it in but no he had to do a trick to show how easy it was. Stop replying to me you idiot you have no idea what im talking about.

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