Posts Tagged ‘Man City’

The wonderful world of our hero Mario Balotelli our 6 favourite Mario Stories

Posted: October 25, 2011 by onefootinthegame in Players
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Mario has taken over our lives at 1FITG Towers. We can’t stop thinking of him, wondering what is he doing RIGHT NOW.

That lead us to our favourite Super Mario Balotelli moments. Here is our list – what are we missing? Spoof (funny) stories welcome too….

1. What do you do when you’ve got a day off and a younger family member to entertain? Go to a womens prison of course! Mario drove his Mercedes Coupe into a women’s prison in Manchester, the officer explained that the pair were questioned for half an hour and said they were “specially curious at the fact it was a women’s prison”.

2. When a youngster asked for an autograph outside City’s training ground, Balotelli demanded to know why the boy was playing truant. After the child revealed he was being bullied, Balotelli drove the boy and his mother to the school in question so he could tackle the bully himself. He demanded to see the headmaster to make him aware of the issue and then mediated between the two boys to resolve the issue. A source said: “Mario feels strongly aboutbullying.”

3. Since moving to Manchester, Balotelli has racked up £10,000 in parking fines and had his white Maserati impounded 27 times. Once he was pulled over by the police who wanted to enquire why he had £25,000 in cash on his front seat. Balotelli reorted: “Because I can.”

4. After gambling at Manchester’s 235 Casino, Balotelli walked away with winnings of £25,000. Feeling generous, he gave a homeless man ‘with ginger dreadlocks and a beard’ £1,000.

5. When Mario spotted the prostitute Jenny Thompson, who was linked with Wayne Rooney, leaving the toilets of a restaurant, he chanted “Rooney, Rooney” before flicking a middle finger at her friends. He then offered to fight one of her entourage. Click here for the full story.At the same restaurant as the above incident a beautiful WAG wannabe walked in. Balotelli shouted ‘Hey!’ with food tumbling out of his mouth. The WAG went over and without saying a word, Balotelli handed her his phone so she could input her number. Plaaaaaaya

6. Mario’s mum over from Italy, asks the cleaner if she has everything she needs. Cleaner: “No, I need all the practical things – iron etc.” Mario’s mum: “Where can we go to buy these things? Write me a list and we’ll go and buy it all” Cleaner: “John Lewis.” So Mario’s ma sends him & his mates to John Lewis with a shopping list in hand…Mario returns to the house 5 hrs later…empty-handed. Cleaner: “Where’s the iron, iron-board etc?” Then a big John Lewis van arrives…van contains nothing from the shopping list bt the following ‘practical items’: – giant trampoline, Scalextric, 2 Vespas, table tennis set’

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Five things I learnt from Manchester United v Manchester City

Posted: October 24, 2011 by onefootinthegame in England, Premier League, Uncategorized
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Mario is uniting everyone

In admiration.

Perhaps not Man United fans, but has one player ever united the majority of neutral fans like he has? He’s a rock star, not only does he have all the talent in the world he has all the craziness in the world too. Now he’s starting to deliver on the pitch, we can safely say Everyone Loves Mario.

United will give you a chance

They started the season at 1000mph and after Sunday they’ve just ground to a halt. United have conceded 168 shots this season to the opposition, the most in the league. Considering the company they are keeping in regards to shots conceded we see they ahead of Bolton 165, Norwich 155, Swansea 152, Wigan 151 and Wolves 147.

There are two reasons for this, firstly De Gea’s reputation as someone who struggles against long shots has meant teams are trying to catch out the young stopper but more worrying is that the goals they are conceding are closer to the six yard box than the 18 yard line.

Silva is the real deal

We blogged last season that Silva could be the star of the season, some of us were sceptical. But he’s proved us right and wrong here at 1FITG towers. His guile, passing and vision set him out as the best player in the Premier League at the moment. I could watch his assist for the sixth goal over and over, perfect touch and on the spin volley pass. The man his human art.

Micah Richards is developing

Yes he has a huge arse but he’s starting to develop into quite the right back. I thought Young was going to give him a torrid afternoon but he weathered the storm and when United went down to 10 men he was playing wherever he wanted to.

I still think Kyle Walker may be the long term option for England, but a nice competition is developing.

We shouldn’t write off United yet

Like the Germans at the World Cup, we should never write off United. Sure the defeat will go down in history, but much like the losses they suffered against Newcastle and Southampton in 1990’s they’ll bounce back.

United are 6/1 to win the league today, surely worth a £10…you should never write off United, even if City are the biggest challenge they’ve faced in years.

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What I learnt from the Manchester City v Swansea City

Posted: August 15, 2011 by onefootinthegame in England, Premier League
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Via Guardian

£38 Million can buy you a player. 

He had 20 odd minutes and Kun Aguero got 2 goals, one a spanker and one assist. Generally his movement was great too, much like David Silva, constantly moving after he passes the ball, drifting into space to receive the ball.

Sure, it was against Swansea, and sure it was during the last 20 minutes or so but it seems that £38 million can buy you a player.

Swansea can pass a football

But I’m not sure they can put it in the net. A poor man’s Arsenal some may say, but with Danny Graham playing the Franny Jeffers role circa 1999. In fairness Swansea looked really comfortable on the ball, passing it around in neat triangles, in the first 20 minutes especially they looked assured. Problem is that they had 1 shot until the 90th minute, of course there are lesser teams that they will face but they must hope Lita can rediscover the form he had at Reading, otherwise they could break the record for least goals for this season.

Dzeko scored! 

I gave Dzeko some stick during the game on Twitter and I also gave him some stick during the Community Shield. But he scored again. That’s two in two now, so I can’t give him more stick can I?

Well…I still am not quite sure what kind of player he is, he doesn’t build the play that well, his touch can be good but seemed more awkward, he seems slow for a big man in the same way Crouch is. Not that great in the air either. But still, 2 games, 2 goals. Who do I know?

David Silva is fantastic 

I was very skeptical when David Silva moved to City, I honestly wasn’t sure where he would fit in at City and whether he would be quick enough to get used to the Premier League. I’d only seen him play left midfield in a fantastic Spain side so maybe it was my ignorance (it was, obviously). But I have to say that watching him pass effortlessly and glide across the pitch all the while moving off the ball so that he can get the ball back beautiful. Genuine beauty in movement, he reminds me very much of Luka Modric but further forward. What a player.

City can challenge this season

We all knew that already though didn’t we? I know that it was only against Swansea, but their strength in-depth and the pace and power and a very solid spine of Hart, Kompany, De Jong, Silva and potentially Aguero could be explosive. I still don’t think they will win the league but Villas Boas and Arsene Wenger should be very worried.

Oh and finally 

I missed Balotelli – anyone else?

 

 

What I learnt from the Manchester United v Manchester City Community Shield

Posted: August 7, 2011 by onefootinthegame in Champions Leuage, England, Players, Premier League
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United have learnt from Barcelona

Quick passing, movement and in the last third – two touch football. United have learnt from their defeats to Barcelona in recent years and Fergie has added what his team has been missing since Tevez and Ronaldo left – pace. Not only physical pace, but quickness of thought too. Young, Cleverly (who was nearly released as a teen according to Gary Neville), Jones and Wellbeck have added to the already dynamic Nani, Evra and Rooney. The second goal was art in football form, straight from the Nou Camp.

City have a team to challenge

They weren’t as sharp as United from kick off but they still went 2-0 up at half time. Apart from Silva none of their players really turned up, but still, went 2-0 up. They will be better for the loss and their solid spine of Hart, Kompany, De Jong and Toure will win them points simply from grinding teams down. Silva (who I have to say I was skeptical about) is the joker of the pack, he can turn a game on a sixpence – his passing and movement are a joy to watch – a Modric but further up the pitch – one thing that they need to sort out is Tevez. Aguero may be a replacement but even if he is, Tevez got over 40% of City’s goals last year…

Dzeko has a good shot 

But maybe not much else. I have watched Dzeko with interest, he had a fantastic time in Germany (66 goals in 111 games) and when he moved it was after a poor season with Wolfsburg he needed time to settle and didn’t really get going last season. Yet after a full pre-season he still looks cumbersome, slow and his first touch at times was dire. He may come good, but he doesn’t look great at the moment. But at least he has a good shot.

Cleverly has a chance

When Cleverly came on at half time United were much quicker, getting the ball deep or on the centre circle he sprayed it right, left and forward. Quickly moving with the ball and getting it back and moving it. His technique is ever so slightly awkward (his body shape tends to lean forwards/downwards too much) but he dominated the midfield against Toure and De Jong, and that isn’t a mean feat. Maybe Carrick is the first to be worried…

Super Mario didn’t get his 1-UP this morning

I love Mario Ballotelli. He has all the technical talent in the world, has swagger, pace and attitude. But his mental state isn’t quite there. From the moment he got into a tussle with Vidic you knew he hadn’t got his 1-Up this morning. Gary Neville said that he was an embarrassment to Mancini and Jamie Redknapp said he was a liability – it’s hard to argue with either of them at the moment. But…if he can turn it on, even if it’s only for 6 weeks at some point in the season, then he could be worth his weight in gold coins.

A Silva lining?

Posted: July 26, 2010 by onefootinthegame in Premier League
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David Silva: Worth his weight in gold?

Some suggest that Manchester City have a scattergun transfer policy. That Roberto Mancini hands his chairman a list of world-renowned players, and the two of them do all they can to buy every single one, regardless of whether the player is actually required or will indeed strengthen the club. Maybe that is why the £25 million signing of David Silva from Valencia has gone fairly unnoticed.

This is the same David Silva who alongside his namesake David Villa was one of Valencia’s shining lights. For the past four years their names were linked with the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Real Madrid and Barcelona.

After many valiant efforts to retain both players’ services, Valencia finally succumbed to the clubs’ crippling debt and the two prized assets were sold this summer. On 19 May Valencia’s club captain, David Villa, moved to Barcelona for £34 million in a transfer that many predict will make the all-conquering Catalans even more of an unstoppable force (as if they weren’t exhilarating and fearsome enough already).

Six weeks later, Villa’s former team-mate David Silva was confirmed as Manchester City’s second big money summer signing.

However, whilst David Villa’s transfer to the current La Liga champions has gobbled up many newspaper column inches, you will be hard pressed to find anything other than a whisper about David Silva’s move to nouveau riche Man City.

Maybe it has something to do with the fact that during this summer’s World Cup, Villa and not Silva was at the forefront of Spain’s success in the competition. With five goals and some outstanding individual displays, the man nicknamed El Guaje (The Kid) enhanced his reputation as one of the world’s leading strikers.

David Silva, on the other hand, barely featured in any of Spain’s games during the 2010 World Cup. The skillful winger was forced to look on from the bench as his teammates triumphed in South Africa.

This is a shame, as I believe Manchester City have acquired a player who will make a massive impact in the Premier League this season. Something about David Silva excites me. He has guile and skill, and is player with that rare gift to conjure something out of absolutely nothing.

Some will argue that at a meagre 5 foot 7 inches tall, Silva will struggle with the physical nature of the Premier League. That the so-called hatchet men will bully him and nullify his skill. Whilst I admit this is a possibility, Silva’s pace and sharp football brain should be enough for him to out-think and out-manoeuvre even the most robust of defenders.

In a week that many Liverpool fans have championed the free acquisition of Joe Cole, would it be foolish for me to suggest that fans of Manchester City should be rubbing their hands with glee at the prospect of seeing the younger, dare I say better version of the England international strutting his stuff at Eastlands’ this season?

As a deluge of superstar names continue to be linked with Manchester City, perhaps it won’t be James Milner, Edin Dzeko or Mario Balotelli that provides the final piece to Roberto Mancini’s jigsaw. I for one have a feeling that David Josué Jiménez Silva will be the most valuable piece in the Manchester City boss’ puzzle.