That's more like it....

[Mersey86]

We've a few players in the team who have been written off by posters, but who have occasionally shown flashes of what they can do. It's a frustration that they don't produce the quality more often, and surely something the manager and staff need to look at - anyway here are a few promising performances which serve to give hope/frustration depending on perspective:
Markovic away v Sunderland. Could have had a penalty, scored the only goal, had what would have been a worldy come back off the post, and was a class apart for 55 minutes.

Balotelli home v Tottenham. Of course he got the winner, but his whole attitude was great, winning the ball, pressing - looked like his Liverpool career was about to get going.

Lovren - pre-season and first couple of games 2013. He seemed organized and aware, exactly what we needed. I remember a detailed analysis from Ryan saying that he was ahead of the rest of the defence, but they'd learn.

For Balotelli, sadly, the penalty incident came straight after. I was pleased he took control of that situation, and I wonder if some at the club wish they'd handled it better. Seems he was shut out afterwards.
Markovic hasn't really had a run in his best position. Lovren maybe has just been found lacking.

 

[Molbystwin]

I'm looking forward to see what lallana can do if he's fit and stops fannying around...

Maybe there being the lack of a superstar player or Gerrard will make all of me step up to the plate... Hope so anyway.

 

[Judge Jules]

Lovren was one of the few LFC players who managed to produce something approaching a decent set of performances as last season wound down. Regrettably his bad habits seem to have returned on tour.

We did the Balotelli peno debate at the time and I don't want to go over it in detail again. All I'll say is that the Studge and one or two of the other players clearly took a different view from yours, and I'm afraid I don't think they were unreasonable in doing so.

 

[Wilko7]

Balotelli has scored 27 from 29 penalties and is regarded as one of the best spot kick takers in world football.

Rodgers and Gerrard both confirmed that Balotelli was the club's number 2 penalty taker when on the field.

Gerrard was injured and sitting in the TV studio at the time Ibe was pulled down for a penalty.

Balotelli was on the field.

After initially appearing a bit confused, Henderson rightly gave up the ball.

Sturridge should have kept out of it.

Gerrard should have kept his mouth shut.

 

[Fabio]

Yay for a reasonable point

Thank you Peter

 

[Judge Jules]

Balotelli has scored 27 from 29 penalties and is regarded as one of the best spot kick takers in world football.

Rodgers and Gerrard both confirmed that Balotelli was the club's number 2 penalty taker when on the field.

Gerrard was injured and sitting in the TV studio at the time Ibe was pulled down for a penalty.

Balotelli was on the field.

After initially appearing a bit confused, Henderson rightly gave up the ball.

Sturridge should have kept out of it.

Gerrard should have kept his mouth shut.

There's no dispute about Balotelli's ability from the spot or his designated position in the list of penalty-takers. That doesn't begin to justify what he did. Hendo wasn't "confused" - he was torn between the need to tell Balotelli to wind his neck in and the need to avoid prolonging the whole incident.

And why should Sturridge and Gerrard have kept out of it? They were fully entitled to their reactions, and the very fact that those *were* their reactions is telling in its own right. They knew what you and one or two other posters whom I like and respect are refusing to face up to - that Balotelli didn't do this for the team's sake, he did it for his own glory, and it'll never be safe to assume that he won't do something like it again.

 

[Wilko7]

If there's no dispute about who the penalty takers are, then what's so wrong about Balotelli collecting the ball from Henderson and preparing to do his job?

You know, scoring a penalty.

 

[Mersey86]

There's no dispute about Balotelli's ability from the spot or his designated position in the list of penalty-takers. That doesn't begin to justify what he did. Hendo wasn't "confused" - he was torn between the need to tell Balotelli to wind his neck in and the need to avoid prolonging the whole incident.

And why should Sturridge and Gerrard have kept out of it? They were fully entitled to their reactions, and the very fact that those *were* their reactions is telling in its own right. They knew what you and one or two other posters whom I like and respect are refusing to face up to - that Balotelli didn't do this for the team's sake, he did it for his own glory, and it'll never be safe to assume that he won't do something like it again.

Judge, I know where you are coming from on this - there are some things you don't do, and clearly the incident was a little embarrassing. But I would like to have seen it dealt with "in-house". Rodgers taking public blame for the confusion, Gerrard putting the club first by making light of it, and Sturridge being more diplomatic. Balotelli does not come across as a glory-hunter, just a bit of a fruitcake. I feel that the aftermath of that incident, if handled better, could have worked out a lot better for the club. We'd have been able to sell him for more money this summer,if nothing else.

 

[Mersey86]

But moving beyond Mario, if we can - anybody else, past or present, who took time to show their worth - however fleetingly?

 

[redhorizon2]

Balo needs to go on loan to a prem team. Only a PL team will pay 14m plus for him. Swansea owe us we overpaid on Allen and they underpaid on Jonjo. They should take Balo on loan and pay at least 75% of his wages.

 

[Red Mullet]

Balo needs to go on loan to a prem team. Only a PL team will pay 14m plus for him. Swansea owe us we overpaid on Allen and they underpaid on Jonjo. They should take Balo on loan and pay at least 75% of his wages.

They owe us because we was too stupid to overpay for Allen and underpay for Jonjo? Oh, so that's how the world works.

 

[RedStar]

If there's no dispute about who the penalty takers are, then what's so wrong about Balotelli collecting the ball from Henderson and preparing to do his job?

You know, scoring a penalty.

Im not a fan of Mario but if he was the designated penalty taker then he was right to do what he did. I think Gerrard came out of it looking like a complete muppet, club captain sitting in the TV studio and he couldnt wait for the chance to get a dig in at his own teammates. He should have kept his mouth shut and refused to comment on it, really dont think you would see the likes of Keane or Viera slagging off their own teammates on live television without even knowing what the situation was.

 

[Judge Jules]

But he did know what the situation was. We all did, even if some of us here continue to try and pull a "See no evil" veil over it. Balotelli walked up to his captain, who was about to take a high-pressure penalty kick, and publicly took the ball off him. You do not do that, you just don't, and a team which tolerates such behaviour - let alone excuses it as some of you are doing here - is digging its own grave. I'd have had no problem with Balotelli speaking to Hendo about it (provided he then abided by whatever Hendo decided) but the way he actually dealt with the situation was totally unacceptable.

What those who persist in defending Balotelli over this also seem determined to ignore is that, by then, both Gerrard and the Studge had spent time around Balotelli behind the scenes at the club, and had therefore seen a sod of a lot more of him in action than any of us here. When otherwise did Gerrard or Sturridge as Liverpool players ever act the way they did over this? Never, for the simple reason that nobody else drove them to it. I happen to have some sympathy for the argument that Gerrard would have been best expressing his views behind closed doors, but there were reports that he'd tried to do that previously about Balotelli and got nowhere because Rodgers said his hands were tied. Balotelli's defenders might also like to consider that, if he himself had saved his views for the dressing-room when the original incident occurred, none of this would have happened. He was never going to though, because as usual he saw the whole thing as being all about him.

Last but not least: look at this very debate on here. Balotelli's left a trail of them behind him at other clubs. Is it a price worth paying? I know what I think.