Timothy Dalton is a City Fanatic Fan

Soccer Extreme : Growing up in Cheadle, south of Manchester, the man who played 007 in The Living Daylights and Licence to Kill, would catch the Saturday bus up to the old Maine Road stadium. "There was only one stand back then, one covered bit, and if we could then we would sneak in. We were just kids and we'd try to get in over the turnstiles. Ever since then I've been a City fan," said Dalton.

The man who went on to play a hero to millions of James Bond fans was always more interested in sportsmen: "It was in the 1950s, the days of Bert Trautmann, who was my hero. I thought he was wonderful, absolutely fantastic."

Dropping by to see the players was Hollywood superstar and City fanatic Timothy Dalton,
who brought his son for a few pictures with Micah Richards and a few of the other players.

Balotelli failed trick shot

Soccer Extreme : The Blues firebrand enraged City officials and players when, with only the keeper to beat in the penalty box, he attempted a lacklustre back-heel on goal that in the end missed absolutely everything.

Teammate Edin Dzeko threw his hands in the air after the Italian's effort and Mancini immediately withdrew him from the pitch after just 30 minutes.

The 20-year-old striker had earlier scored from the penalty spot, but was jeered by the Home Depot Centre crowd who were just as upset with his lack of enthusiasm as Mancini was.

As he trudged to the sideline Balotelli then had an exchange of words with his manager.

Talking after a match City eventually won 7-6 on penalties, Mancini said: 'I hope this is a lesson for him (Balotelli),'

'If you are serious, you can play 90 minutes. If not, you can come and sit by me on the bench.

'He needs to understand his behaviour has to be good in every game - not just in a final or a semi-final but every game.

'He knows he made a mistake. Football should always be serious and if you have a chance to score, you should score.'

'Mario is young, I want to help him and that is the end of it. To take him off after 30 minutes is enough punishment. It won't have been easy for him but it has to be a lesson.' (metro)

Super Mario hijrah ke Man. City ??

Memang hubungan antara Mario Balotelli dan Jose Mourinho sudah membaik. Setelah menjawab kepercayaan Mou dengan 2 gol pada laga melawan Bologna Minggu dini hari, nama Super Mario kembali hadir dalam skuad yang akan dibawa ke Luzhniki Stadium guna menghadapi Cska Moskow pada leg ke 2 liga champion eropa.

Berikut daftar nama 23 pemain yang dibawa Mou yang dikutip dari inter.it :


Goalkeepers: 1 Francesco Toldo, 12 Julio Cesar, 21 Paolo Orlandoni.

Defenders: 2 Ivan Cordoba, 4 Javier Zanetti, 6 Lucio, 13 Maicon, 23 Marco Materazzi, 25 Walter Samuel, 26 Cristian Chivu.

Midfielders: 5 Dejan Stankovic, 7 Ricardo Quaresma, 8 Thiago Motta, 10 Wesley Sneijder, 11 Sulley Muntari, 15 Rene Krhin, 17 Mariga, 19 Esteban Cambiasso.

Strikers: 9 Samuel Eto'o, 22 Diego Milito, 27 Goran Pandev, 45 Mario Balotelli, 89 Marko Arnautovic.

 Namun kembalinya kepercayaan Mou serta kembalinya kepercayaan diri Super Mario tak serta merta membuat nasib Balotelli akan aman, situs berita berbahasa italia Novantesimo.it melaporkan bahwa Man City telah melakukan kontak untuk melakukan negosiasi secara rinci yang akan membawa Mario Balotelli urban ke tanah Albion. Menurut berita pada tabloid "The People" yang dilansir Novantesimo.it Inter dikabarkan mematok harga Super Mario pada kisaran 15 juta pound.

Balotelli sendiri sebenarnya telah menjadi perhatian Mancini sejak dia menangani Internazionale pada 2004 sebelum dia digantikan oleh Mourinho pada 2008 lalu. Dikabarkan klub yang bermarkas di Manchester ini akan berusaha untuk mendapatkan Balotelli pada bursa musim panas Juli nanti. City telah menyediakan 28 juta pound untuk mendatangkan Balotelli dan bersedia menggandakannya jika diminta oleh Inter.(bolanews.com)

Dengan kekuatan finansial Citizen yang memadai dan masalah demi masalah yang dihadapi Balaotelli di Inter, serta ditambah keinginan kuat dari Mancio maka menurut saya kemungkinan besar pada transfer window musim panas mendatang Super Mario akan berbaju biru muda.